Thyme For Cooking, the Blog

Osso Bucco; the Stairs, Part deux

Our workers arrived Wednesday morning, 8am sharp (white van).

About 10 minutes later the stairs arrived (blue truck).

Naturally, the first order of business was to stand around for 15 minutes or so and catch up on the news.

 

It turns out that the guy who brought the stairs, (white hair, nearest the truck) had been born in this house.

As had his father before him.

A discussion ensued as to the age of the current iteration of the house.

Conclusion: no one knew, but it must be really old (Might I say 'Duh').

Then, of course we had to show him what we had done and describe what we were going to be doing next. 

We discovered that we were installing the stairs in what used to be his bedroom.

Finally, he opened the truck.

Naturally, the second order of business was to admire them and discuss how to get them in the house.

He then produced the tiniest 'dolly' I have ever seen. 

I foolishly thought they would carry them in; not knowing how much an oak staircase for a 10' high ceiling weighs.

Thankfully, they knew what they were doing.

 

More discussion as to how to get it through 2 doorways.....

Finally, it was in the hall, the sawhorses were in place and the question was asked:

Which side did I want up 'au-dessous' or 'au-dessus'?

The words mean underneath and above, respectively.

In case you can't tell by looking, they sound only very slightly different.

Think of the difference to an untrained ear between what and watt.

Or higher and hire; loose and lose; flaw and floor; clothes and close.

There is a definite, but subtle, difference.

I can hear it.....

But, do you think I can wrap my mouth around the difference enough to make them hear it when I say it?

Fortunately, they have a great sense of humor.... It sounded a bit like a French version of Who's on First for a bit while we made each other understood.

The underside is up so mon mari can stain and varnish it before they install it on Monday.

And why, you might ask, did they bring it on Wednesday but won't install it until Monday?

Because we had to spend yesterday in Bordeaux at the hospital for some scheduled tests.  No worries, we think he passed.

They did get the hole done on the upper floor and the Velux window installed.... so work was done!

And I did this....

Osso Bucco

Something else I've never made before.....

Where have I been?

Braised Veal Shanks, another Italian classic with as many variations as there are cooks: some have a light, lemon sauce; some a heavy tomato. This is a light vegetable sauce.

Osso Bucco

2 - 4 nice size veal shanks
1 medium leek, 1 cup chopped
1 medium carrot, 3/4 cup chopped
1 rib celery, 3/4 cup chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 tbs olive oil
3/4 cup (6oz, 175gr) white wine
1/2 cup (4oz, 120gr) beef broth
2 cups (15oz, 450gr) chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried sage
1 tbs cornstarch (maizena) dissolved in 2 tbs water

Trim and wash the leek, Roughly chop. Finely chop the carrot and celery. Mince the garlic. Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven or deep skillet. Add the leek, carrot, celery, garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Move vegetables to the side. Add veal and brown on both sides, about 7 minutes total. Add wine, broth, tomatoes and herbs. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 60 minutes (or longer).

When ready to serve: Remove veal and cover to keep warm. Dissolve cornstarch in water. Turn the heat to medium-high under the sauce. Stir in the cornstarch mixture until sauce is thickened and no longer cloudy. Spoon sauce over the veal shanks and serve.

In addition to this, for the weekly menu for October 30 we have Carrot Timbales, Scallops, Tuna and Chevre Lasagne, Meat Balls, Winter Rice Pilaf...

Become a Thyme for Cooking Subscriber and get the menu, complete recipes with meal preparation instruction, and shopping list each Thursday.  First two weeks FREE.   (Reverse seasons available for Australia, and others in the Southern Hemisphere).

For more recipes visit my internet cook book:  Easy Gourmet Dinners

 

Sweet Potato Oven Fries; The Stairs

Remember a week or two ago when I said we were waiting for September so our stairs would be installed?

After calling the installers several times over the past few weeks.....

And never hearing a word back from anyone.....

September arrived, without warning, Tuesday afternoon at 4:30.

The workers and equipment arrived also; ready to start work at 8 am today.

No warning.

Well, I mean, why should they have to warn us? 

It should be obvious to anyone that we have been sitting on our front step for the past 7 weeks in eager anticipation of their arrival. 

What else could we be doing?

After all, every inch of the interior has been wrapped in plastic to protect it from the horrendous amount of ancient dust, dirt and seeds that will come falling out of the ceiling as they cut this huge hole to make room for the stairs.

Since everything has been moved out of their way since September 1st, there was nothing that needed to be done; no need for advance notice.

Why should they have to give warning?  There couldn't anything for US to do; they're doing all the work....

Okay, enough.  You get my point. 

I'm starting to suffocate, sitting under the plastic at my desk.

More later.

Let me just say this:

Sweet Potato Oven Fries have to be about the best thing I have discovered in years.

Why did I wait so long to make them?

Don't make the same mistake.  These are incredible.

You could pass them out as candy on Halloween.

Seriously.

A bit 'al dente' on the outside from the caramelized sugars; like warm, creamy, sweet pudding on the inside....

Sweet Potato Oven Fries

2 medium - large sweet potatoes
1 1/2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper

Slice potatoes in half the short way, then each half into 8 wedges. Put oil into a large bowl, add potatoes and toss, coating thoroughly. Arrange potatoes on baking sheet with rim (I use my trusty, round pizza pan). Bake at 400F for 30 minutes. You can turn once if you like to fuss but I  don't bother. When done remove from pan and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper if you choose and serve.

Tanta Wawa, Peruvian Bread Babies; I'm a Baking Babe again!

I'm playing with the Bread Baking Babes again!

They didn't kick me out of the sandbox, after all.

Which wouldn't have been a surprise considering my shocking behavior over the past year and a half.... What with moving house, being imprisoned in Vlad's house without an oven then, when I finally get an oven, having it catch fire. 

No one can say I lack excuses.

I have to thank Gretchen, of Canela and Comino and this month's Host, for a great way to get back into baking. 

This is the first bread I've baked in my new kitchen, and the wonderful smells were the perfect inauguration.

Visit her blog for all the details on how to be a Bread Baking Buddy this month.... And you really should try this.

She has the new and improved recipe on her blog, but I made mine using her original recipe, scaled down to being enough for two people.  She tweaked it a bit to make it easier to work with.  I needed the upper body work-out....

On to the Babies!

What are tanta wawas? They are delicate figures made of bread or cake, of different sizes, which represent children, animals or other forms depending on the region. The meaning comes from BREAD (PAN in Spanish & Tanta in Quechua) (BEBE in Spanish & Wawa in Quechua) or Bread in the form of a Baby. These breads are decorated with candies, raisins, anise, ceramics faces or glaze. People in the Andean regions give these breads as a gift during All Saints Day or Day of the Dead (November 1st & 2nd) which allows them to deal with familial relationships. On November 2nd, these bread babies are taken to the cemetaries in town so they can be left as offerings to those that have passed away and then are broken apart and eaten among the visitors. It is unknown when this Andean tradition began but it is known that from long ago, special breads were made and eaten in this manner. (Translated from viajeros.com)

My recipes is all in weights, as was the original.... 

Tanta Wawa (Peruvian Bread Babies)

500gr bread flour
125gr whole wheat flour
169gr raw sugar
63gr butter, soft
10gr of dry yeast
6.25 gr salt
6.25 gr ground cinnamon
1.25gr ground cloves
6.25gr sesame seeds
50ml milk
125ml water
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon of vanilla
1 egg yolk

1. In a bowl, mix the flours, sugar, yeast, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and sesame seeds. Make a well in the center and add in the shortening, eggs, butter, milk, water and vanilla. Mix well then turn out and knead for 10-15 minutes. Cover and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

2. Divide dough into 2 and form them into balls.

3. Stretch each dough ball into the form of a "fat baby".  Place them on baking sheets which have been greased and floured. Cover with plastic and let the dough babies grow to three times their size. (I let them sit for 3 hours and they barely increased.  I think the adustments Gretchen did helped)

 

4. Preheat the oven to 180C.

5. Brush the egg yolks over the dough babies. Bake at 180C for 30 minutes.

Mine are Amish Babies.... Plain, with no faces.

I was just so happy to be baking.

And yes, the one on the right is missing his feet - I never could resist hot bread right out of the oven.

My only regret is that I made a smaller recipe - these were very, very good...

And very, very quickly gone!

The Bread Baking Babes

Bake My Day - Karen
Canela and Comino - Gretchen
Cookie Baker Lynn - Lynn
Grain Doe - Gorel
I Like To Cook - Sara
Living in the Kitchen with Puppies - Natashya
Living on bread and water - Monique
Lucullian Delights - Ilva
My Kitchen In Half Cups - Tanna
Notitie Van Lien - Lien
The Sour Dough - Breadchick Mary
Thyme For Cooking - Katie

Poached Eggs Bourguignon; Sniglets

It's just been one of those days...

We we turned our clocks back last night, it's dark at 6pm...

So.....

Who remembers sniglets?  (Besides me)

SNIGLET
(snig' lit) Any word that doesn't appear in the dictionary, but should.

COEGGULANT (ko eg' yu lent)n. The white things in a plate of scrambled eggs.

MUSQUIRT (mus' kwirt)n. The water that comes out of the initial squirts of a squeeze mustard bottle.

CHOCONIVEROUS (chahk o niv' ur us)adj. The tendency when eating a chocolate Easter bunny to bite off the head first.

STROODLE (stru' dul)n. The annoying strand of cheese stretching from a slice of hot pizza to one's mouth.

SPIRTLE (spur' tul)n. The fine stream from a grapefruit that always lands right in your eye.

FLOPCORN (flop' korn)n. The unpopped kernels at the bottom of the cooker.

FRANKFLUID (frank flew' id)n. The liquid at the bottom of hot dog packages.

PEPPIER (peph ee ay') n. The waiter at a fancy restaurant whose sole purpose seems to be walking around asking diners if they want fresh ground pepper.

CHUBBLE (chuh' bul)n. The aerobic movement combining deep-knee bends and sideward hops used when trying to fit into panty hose.

Warning:  There may be more.... That's the mood I'm in at the moment.

For now: here is the Poached Eggs in Red Wine recipe.

The bright yellow egg mingling with the deep red sauce is visually appealing and indescribably delicious. If you have never poached an egg, don't worry, it's easier than you think. Or, if you have an egg poacher among your kitchen gadgets, use that. Try to use nice, fresh eggs: they are easier to work with and make a nicer presentation. Use a full-bodied Burgundy or Cote de Rhone (or equivalent) for this. Not expensive, but drinkable.

Poached Eggs Bourguignon

1 1/2 cups red wine
2 shallots
1 carrot
2 tbs cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbs water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
4 eggs

The Sauce: Peel and finely chop the shallots and carrots. Put shallots, carrots and red wine into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil over medium-high heat, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Wine will reduce slightly. Strain the sauce into a bowl, discarding solids. Put the wine back into the pan and return to heat. Dissolve cornstarch in water and add to wine, stirring until thick and clear. Cover and keep warm.

The Eggs: Fill a large skillet with water. The water should be at least 1 1/2 inches deep, 2 inches (5 cm) would be better. Heat water over medium-high heat. Add vinegar. When water is softly boiling poach eggs: one at a time break egg into a small saucer. Swirl a spoon in the water where you will put the egg - off to one side. When water is swirling drop egg into center. With slotted spoon try to keep the white together. Do next egg. With regular spoon scoop some hot water over tops of eggs. Poach for 4 minutes or until white is set but yolk is still very soft.

Remove eggs with a slotted spoon, drain and put into a soup plate or flattish bowl. Spoon sauce over top and serve, salt & pepper on the side.

NAPJERK (nap' jurk)n. The sudden convulsion of the body just as one is about to doze off.

Poached Eggs in White Wine and Mushroom Sauce; 10 Laws of the Internet (only 3)

Occasionally, I run across little tidbits on the internet that I deem worth sharing.

These are usually things that tickle my, often snarky, sense of humor.

Or confirm a feeling of superior self-righteousness.

These are usually things that neither mon mari or the dogs find the least bit humorous.

The following are my favorites from the "Top 10 Internet Rules and Laws" as appeared in the UK Telegraph (on-line) today: 

Skitt's Law:

Expressed as "any post correcting an error in another post will contain at least one error itself" or "the likelihood of an error in a post is directly proportional to the embarrassment it will cause the poster.
(This is particularly true when writing a post about writing or grammar or spelling... - my input)

And don't I know the truth in that!

Pommer's Law:

Proposed by Rob Pommer on rationalwiki.com in 2007, this states: “A person's mind can be changed by reading information on the internet. The nature of this change will be from having no opinion to having a wrong opinion.” 

And we may all know the truth in that!

The Law of Exclamation

First recorded in an article by Lori Robertson at FactCheck.org in 2008, this states: "The more exclamation points used in an email (or other posting), the more likely it is a complete lie. This is also true for excessive capital letters."

It is reminiscent of the claim in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels that the more exclamation marks someone uses in writing, the more likely they are to be mentally unbalanced.

According to Pratchett, five exclamation marks is an indicator of "someone who wears their underwear on the outside".

I love Pratchett....

I also love poached eggs.

One of my all time favorite egg dishes and all time favorite first course is Poached Eggs in Red Wine. 

(I just looked at my blog to post a link and discovered I have never posted this recipe!!!!!  Really!!!!!!  Okay, enough, I'll do it next week.)

It is, IMHO, the consummate DO.

When I was in the US, the DS asked me to fix it for dinner one night.  His SO then came forward and said she really wasn't particularly fond of foods cooked in red wine; she found the deep purple color to be off-putting.  Fortunately for household harmony, the eggs retain their pristine white color, it's only the sauce that is deep red.

Still, it started me thinking.... Why not Poached Eggs in White Wine?

And, as long as it's mushroom season.... Why not mushrooms in the white wine?

In the opinion of both moi and mon mari:  It was good, very very good, but not nearly the same bliss-inducing experience as the Red Wine version.

Poached Eggs in White Wine Mushroom Sauce

1 1/2 cups white wine
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
4oz (125gr) mushrooms, I used wild cepes
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbs water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
4 eggs

The Mushrooms:  Clean, trim and thickly slice mushrooms.  Heat oil in a nonstick skillet, add mushrooms and sauté until well browned.    
The Sauce:  Put white wine into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil over medium-high heat, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Wine will reduce slightly. Dissolve cornstarch in water and add to wine, stirring until thick and clear. Remove from heat, stir in yogurt, mushrooms, cover and keep warm.
The Eggs: Fill a large skillet with water. The water should be at least 1 1/2 inches deep, 2 inches (5 cm) would be better. Heat water over medium-high heat. Add vinegar. When water is softly boiling poach eggs: one at a time break egg into a small saucer. Swirl a spoon in the water where you will put the egg - off to one side. When water is swirling drop egg into center. With slotted spoon try to keep the white together. Do next egg. With regular spoon scoop some hot water over tops of eggs. Poach for 2 - 4 minutes or until white is set but yolk is still very soft. (Or hard, as you like...)
The Finish: Remove eggs with a slotted spoon, drain and put into a soup plate or flattish bowl. Spoon sauce around the eggs and serve, salt & pepper on the side. 

As to the weekly menu for October 23 we have Hunter's Eggs, Salmon with Lemon Mayonnaise, Pork Loin with Apples and Onions, Sausage and Fennel Risotto, Chicken with Sherried Mushrooms...

Become a Thyme for Cooking Subscriber and get the menu, complete recipes with meal preparation instruction, and shopping list each Thursday.  First two weeks FREE.   (Reverse seasons available for Australia, and others in the Southern Hemisphere).

For more recipes visit my internet cook book:  Easy Gourmet Dinners

And aren't all those acronym's annoying?  ;-))

Butternut Squash Quiche; Swiss portion control

One of the problems I'm having, with mon mari being a diabetic, is portion control.

In the past, I would prepare dinner and we would both eat a portion of it, usually around a 60/40 split, sometimes with leftovers; sometimes not.

Now, we determine how many carbs he'll eat, I measure a double portion (to make things easier) and prepare dinner.

He needs to eat half of what I prepare.

I don't need to eat the other half.

But I can't give it to him, and usually the difference between what I would eat, naturally, and my 'half' is small.

So I nibble away.

And then it's gone.

It appears I need to work on my own portion control.... And feed the leftover bits to the dogs...

I'm reminded of dining out in Switzerland.

The restaurants that we used to go to, back when we were both in the 'suit and briefcase brigade', had a strange way of serving dinner.

We would order, for example, a Rack of Lamb.

They would bring it to the table, carve it and serve it, along with side dishes of Gratin Potatoes and Buttered Broccoli.

We would leisurely enjoy our dinner, commenting on the fact that the portions were rather small but pleased that we could comfortably enjoy both cheese and dessert.

We would properly clean our plates.

The server would clear the table.

Then another server would come with new flatware, followed closely behind by a trolley and the waiter.

They would then carve another rack of lamb and serve it, along with side dishes of Gnocchi in Cream Sauce and Brussels Sprouts.

We would stare in dismay, feeling more stuffed by the second, before the plates were even set before us.

And we ended up stuffed to the gills and barely able to toddle out the door.

After the first night, we learned to eat more sparingly with the first service.

I need to remember that....

I also need to get off of this 'quiche-kick' I seem to be on.  But they make portion control so easy!

And, really.....

Can one have too many healthy quiche recipes?

Can one have too many butternut squash recipes?

Butternut Squash, Coulommier and Ham Quiche

Crust:
2/3 cup quick-cooking brown rice
1 1/3 cup chicken stock
1 egg
1/4 cup (1oz, 30gr) shredded cheese

Filling:
8oz (250gr) shredded butternut squash
5oz (150gr) baked or deli ham, sliced into strips
3oz (90gr) Coulommier, Brie or Camembert cheese cut into wedges
2 tbs fresh, snipped sage

Custard
3 eggs
1 cup (8oz, 240ml) milk

The Crust: Cook rice in stock according to package instructions. When done, spread out on a plate for 5 minutes to allow to cool a bit.
Lightly oil a 10" (25 cm) pie or quiche plate. Lightly whisk 1 egg. Add 1/4 cup shredded cheese and the cooked rice. Mix well. Pat into the quiche plate, working it up the sides as best you can. Bake in 400F (200C) oven for 8 minutes. Remove.
The Filling: Spread the shredded squash evenly over the crust.  Lay the ham on the squash and the cheese on the ham.  Sprinkle the sage over all.
The Custard:  Whisk eggs and milk together. Pour the egg mixture over as evenly as you can. Bake for 30 minutes, until center has just set. Remove and let rest 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Note: When baking quiches or tarts, I put the dish on a sturdy baking tray, before pouring in the egg mixture, for easier handling. The dish can get very full.

This serves 3 - or, two for dinner with lunch the next day....

Mushroom and Butternut Squash Risotto; Getting ready for winter

The weather turned cool last week, unseasonably early for us.  We even had a frost!

The days were still sunny and warm, which sent us outside to finish getting ready for winter.

In another words, other than getting the boiler (furnace) functioning and the radiators hooked up there was no progress inside this week.

And we're still waiting for the stairs.  They'll be installed in September.

As you may or may not be aware, this is NOT September.

The stairs have been made.

Phone calls attempting to light a fire under installers have been made.

But, It's not September. 

It's July.

Our neighbors are/were having their roof re-tiled in July.  The workers started 2 weeks ago and finished this morning.

Therefore, this is July.  

I'm hoping tomorrow will be August and our stairs will come shortly after - in September.

In the meantime, we trimmed the figs and found a side of the house we didn't realize we had.

We thought we had about 6 fig trees.

Turns out we only have 2 - that hadn't been trimmed or cleaned out in a few hundred years.

Mon mari was so pleased he even hung an old wood ladder to decorate the house.

Unfortunately, fig wood isn't any good for burning.

The pine from the tree we took down  last week is. 

The little pile on the left is from that tree.  The big pile on the right is what we got last summer.  It's all split but is a meter (39") long so mon mari has to cut it all in thirds with a chain saw. 

Saturday, we had the pile in front, that looks like scrap lumber, delivered - again, a shared purchase with our neighbor.  (That way there is only 1 delivery charge).  It's 'end-cuts' from a lumber yard and was really cheap.  Most of it will by used for kindling.

We should be set for this winter.... hopefully.

 

One of my favorite things about winter is risotto. 

Since we have a very clear line about summer cooking (on the barbecue) and winter cooking (in the kitchen) we don't get risotto in the summer.

As always, this is for two.  To make vegetarian, use vegetable stock and skip the chicken.

Regardless of what many people say, one does not need to stir constantly, but do stir vigorously and often.

Mushroom and Butternut Squash Risotto

1/2 cup plus 2 tbs Arborio rice (or other rice specifically for risotto - Carnaroli or Vialone Nano)
1/2 cup dry, white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 onion
1 tbs butter
1/2 cup (2oz, 60gr) Parmesan cheese - freshly grated
Condimenti

Heat chicken stock and keep hot over low heat. Finely chop onion. In medium saucepan heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until transparent. Add rice and sauté stirring, for 2 - 3 minutes until rice has white center. Add white wine and stir. Start condimenti. When wine is almost absorbed add a 1/3 cup of stock, stir.  When stock is almost absorbed add another 1/3 cup and continue adding 1/3 cup at a time and stirring. Before the last 1/3 cup taste a few kernels of rice. They should be just 'al dente' - slightly resistant to the tooth but fully cooked. If more stock is needed add it 2 tbs at a time and waiting until almost completely absorbed.
At this point risotto will be thick but not stiff - there will still be visible liquid and it will not hold its shape on a plate.
Add the Parmesan and the condimenti, stir well, pour into a bowl or risotto platter and serve immediately.

It will continue to absorb liquid and the leftovers (if any) will be quite stiff. The risottos that we have eaten in northern Italy have all been served in soup plates (flattish bowls) and eaten with a spoon - not a fork.

Condimenti

6oz (175gr) butternut squash
4oz (120gr) mushrooms, wild if possible
1 chicken breast
1/2 onion
1 tbs olive oil
3 tbs chicken stock

Cut the chicken into small pieces. Clean and slice the mushrooms.  Roughly chop the butternut squash and onion.  Heat olive oil in nonstick skillet. Add the chicken and fry until cooked through.  Remove and set aside.  Add mushrooms and sauté until golden brown.  Remove and add to chicken.  Add onions and squash, sauté until lightly browned and cooked through. Add stock, cover and keep hot until needed for risotto.

Pork Chops with Tomato and Sage; Heat, Glorious Heat!

We have heat in our house.

Oh, happy day!

We've had our wood stove, which does a wonderful job of heating the kitchen, since last winter.

There was a boiler in the house when we bought it, but we assumed it was old and decrepit.

We were wrong.

When the guy cleaned our chimneys this summer he also cleaned the boiler.  He offered to come back and show us how to use it, but, as it was August, and hot, we brushed it off.

Last week, when the current cold snap moved in, we decided we should take a look at at.  Since we opened up the rest of the house we need more heat.

First, mon mari checked the fuel tanks. 

Two of them, 500 litres each. 

Very good.

They were connected at the bottom so that one fed into the other and then the boiler.

Also, very good.

The connecting hose had been cut  in order to drain them, so now neither one held more than 2 litres.

Not good.

Project # 1.  Buy a new hose, fittings, and reconnect the tanks. Done, by mon mari. 

Project # 2.  Find fuel, arrange an account over the phone, order said fuel and give directions to get it delivered.... All in French.  (Phone calls are hard...)  Done, by moi.  The driver even managed to find us after only going to one neighbor first! 

I'm so proud!

Project # 3.  Turn it on.

This was the tricky part.  The instructions are in French.

Mon mari, who knows about these things, doesn't read French.

I, who know nothing about these things, can read French but, as I wouldn't understand it in English, why would I understand it in French?

Mon mari could get it turned on, but it would only run for 5 minutes, than shut itself off.

To make a long, and decidedly tense, story short, eventually we took the manual, a magnifying glass and a torch (flashlight) and squeezed ourselves into the little room that houses the boiler.

Turns out this is a state-of-the-art boiler with a programmable electronic regulator thingy....

We can set the on/off times and temperature by day of the week. 

After about an 45 minutes of reading, translating and button pushing, in this semi-dark closet, we got the boiler all figured out and programmed.

Mission accomplished.

Still didn't work.

It came on but the water wasn't circulating (we have hot water radiators).

I left... I could do no more.

Mon mari, after I left, applied what he calls 'a little hammer persuasion' to the pump.

He may have been a bit frustrated....

It worked. 

That night we had actual heat in the radiator in the room we use as a bedroom.

I was so relieved....

I almost had to get out the long-sleeve, high-neck, heavy flannel nightgown.

And I'm not old enough to wear that.....

Of course, the hoses to the other radiators were cut to drain the water - rather than merely disconnected.

Tomorrow, reconnect the radiators to the water pump.

That's pretty much how it goes, chez nous....

One accomplishment creates two unexpected projects.

It's a wonder we get anything done.

This is what I did with my last few cherry tomatoes... and sage.

Sage not only goes well with turkey but it's great with pork and most fall vegetables. Use fresh if you can get it, if not, at least try not to use some that has been in the cabinet for years ;-)

Pork Chops with Tomato & Sage

2 - 4 pork chops, depending on size (12oz, 350gr total weight)
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1 tomato or 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup chicken stock
2 cloves garlic
1 tbs chopped fresh sage 1 1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp pepper or seasoned pepper

Finely chop garlic and roughly chop tomato. In medium nonstick skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Sauté pork chops until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside. Add garlic and sage to pan and sauté 1 minute. Add wine, stock and tomato. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer about 5 minutes until mixture starts to thicken. Return pork chops to pan, turning once to coat with sauce, and cover. Let simmer 5 - 10 minutes until done. Arrange chops on small platter or plate, pour sauce over and serve.

Tomorrow - the update.

Blog Action Day; Stop wasting the food!

Today is Blog Action Day.

This is the one day, each year, that bloggers the world round get up on their soap boxes to give their views - or someone else's, on a topic of global importance.

The goal is not to convince the rest of the residents of this planet, or even the blogger's own significant other, of the rightness of the expressed opinion.

The goal is to get all of those, or at least, some of those, people talking about the topic.

And, of course, the hope is that the conversation will be intelligent rather than emotional.

This year's topic is Climate Change.

And this is my opinion on Climate Change:

The climate is changing.

Whether you believe it's changing because of the natural life cycle of the earth or because of the contribution of the (and this is also open to discussion) most intelligent life form on said planet, is, really, immaterial.

The climate is changing.

Earth, the planet itself, is not in the least bit of danger.  It will survive quite nicely, thank you very much.

It's we humans, and all that we hold dear, that are at risk.

Whether or not we can stem the tide of Global Warming, or Global Cooling when that happens, remains to be seen. 

What we can do, should do, and should encourage everyone else to do, is try, to the best of our ability, to keep our planet clean and healthy for us, our children and their children and their children..... 

I do love a good soap box.....

So, you ask, what does this all have to do with food - this being a food blog and all....

Well, this being a food blog....  And since good food is my personal raison d'etre....

I thought I'd use my time on the soap box to share some of my practices that, I hope, contribute to the health of our planet.... Or, at the very least, don't exacerbate the problems.

I'll leave it to the other bloggers to talk about cars, pollution, fuel, methane, and all that other stuff. 

Here, out in the middle of French nowhere, we do what we can in our, albeit small, way.

1.  Take your own bags to the markets and stores.

Yeah, I know you know.  It's a no brainer.  Everyone talks about it.  Lots of people have the bags and some have even done it once or twice.  Do it all the time.  All the time.

2.  Don't cook more than you eat. 

Never thought of that one, either, did you?  Do you regularly fix 1 cup of rice (because it's easy) then put the leftover bit in the fridge to mature for a few days before you throw it out? 
Stop it. 
Fix 3/4 cup, or 2/3 cup or 5/8 cup.... Whatever.  Figure it out and fix what you'll eat - even if (OMG!) it's not quite enough. 
Every little bit of rice that you don't throw out doesn't have to be produced, harvested, shipped, hauled, packaged, and sold.  Not to mention fertilized and watered.
Multiply that by every little bit of food you throw out....
What the heck, you'll save money, too.

3.   Encourage restaurants to serve reasonable portions

The custom of serving huge portions with the expectation that people will take them home is ridiculous.  Get a proper portion at a proper price.  When I am in the US, that excess food goes to waste as I have no place to 'take it home' to.  Me and all the other people traveling in the US.  Think of how much food American restaurants throw out every day!  Or you throw out 8 days later when you realize that you forgot to eat it.

4.  Don't throw out or compost what you grow.  Compost the waste, not the food.

We all know the problem of the never-ending zucchini.  They grow faster than we can pick, let alone eat.  But why throw out perfectly good food?  That you watered and fertilized?  Freeze it.  Wait a few months and it will taste good again. 
Which brings up the next point...

5.  Invest in an energy efficient freezer if you can.

I bought a freezer the first year I planted a vegetable garden.  No meat has passed through it's doors.  No, we are not vegetarians.  But this is my vegetable freezer.  I freeze everything from my garden that we don't eat.  Plus, I buy food in season, when it's cheap, and freeze that, too.  And, something that anyone can do, when I buy frozen vegetables I buy them in big bags, not little vacuum sealed bags in cardboard boxes.  Less packaging on the end product means less production in getting it to you.

Which brings me to my final tip:

6  Buy in bulk

Take your own containers, fill them with bulk food.  It's cheaper.  It's healthier for the planet. 
No place to store it all?  Store it in that freezer you just bought.  Coffee, flour, grains.... They'll all keep longer, allowing you to buy in bulk without letting it go to waste.  Kind of circular, isn't it?

And now, the confession:  I draw the line at the ultimate 'original packaging.  Today, at the supermarket (not the local butcher's, the supermarket) they had, recently dead but still with gleaming coats, rabbits and partridges.  I draw the line at buying my meat at the supermarket, then taking it home to skin or pluck. 

Although, we could use some new feathers for our pillows......

But I would not know how to treat the rabbit skin.

And, as you may have guessed.... I really hate waste!

What does all this have to do with Climate Change?

If we all adopt a more careful and thoughtful approach to our food it will, eventually, work it's way up to the producers, growers and packagers.

If we all do nothing.....

Butternut Pecan Cups; Watch for blinking lights

What I know about cars would fit on the head of a pin.

In large letters.

When we bought our car 2 years ago (or was it 3?) I had 4 criteria:

Could the dogs fit into the back?

Could the dogs actually get into the back?

Did it have a cup holder on the passenger side?

Did it have an MP3 player?

Whether it was diesel or petrol, automatic or standard, or any of those other things I don't know / care about didn't matter. 

I let mon mari worry about all that.  

When I rent a car I only check on the MP3 and the cup holder.

So when I was in the US and my b-i-l, who is the ultimate car person, asked me what I was driving I told him all I knew.

It's gray.

He:  But, what kind is it?

Me:  I don't know.

He:  You do know the name is on the back of the car....

Me:  I know.

He:  Didn't you look?

Me:  No.... I don't care.

He:  What if someone steals it?

Me:  The rental agency knows what it is.

He:  What if you forget where you park it?  How are you going to find it if you don't know what it is?

Me:  I press the little button on the keyring and get in the one that blinks at me.

DUH!!!!

Some people make things so complicated!

And, apparently when it comes to fussing with food, I'm one of them. 

I like playing with first courses...

And I did have rather a lot of butternut squash....

Butternut Squash Pecan Cups

1 cup shredded butternut squash, loosely packed   about 3oz (90gr)
1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
2 slices Prosciutto, roughly chopped
1/4 cup cheese, shredded
2 tbs fresh sage
2 eggs
2 tsp olive oil

Lightly oil 2 ramekins.  Line the ramekins with the shredded butternut squash, working it up the sides as best you can.  Bake for 15 minutes at 375F (180C).
Remove ramekins.  Divide pecans, sage, prosciutto and cheese between the two ramekins.  Put a raw egg into each ramekin, on top of the filling.  Bake for 10 - 15 minutes longer, depending on how you like your eggs.

I take that back.... this wasn't at all complicated.