Happy New Year

Something to look at.

Recipes!

I would type them out but Nigella's is really quite long.

Rudolph Pie (Shepherds)

Apple Cake

Okay, here is how we played with the recipes.
For the apple cake we added about a half teaspoon of almond extract. Only do this if you like the flavor of almond extract, it is just something we love and add to every dessert we make. Best served warm.

Now settle in for the other...
Instead of dried porcini mushrooms reconstituted in water, we just bought fresh Italian Brown mushrooms (use anything).

Rather than marsala wine or the porcini mushroom liquid, I used beef broth mixed with some basalmic vinegar.

You can certainly make this recipe with just beef or just pork. You don't need both. Only if you need the extra fat for the venison should you use the pork. If I did it again, I might just use pork.

We halved this recipe and still had two helpings each the first night, and food leftover for the next two days. If you are better at math than me, you could reduce it again.

Suggestions: I couldn't taste the parsnips in the potatoes, so don't bother, just add potatoes. You need about eight russet potatoes to cover the top without the parsnips (the small ones in the bags). We also added sour cream and green onions to the potatoes because that is how we always make them.

As you can see, you can't screw this recipe up, and you can make it with stuff you keep on hand. I don't really see the need to buy a bottle of wine that I won't drink or hunt down expensive dried mushrooms. Just play around.

Christmas and our 100th post.

So here are some pictures of our Christmas for those of you who are normally with us. It was a nice day even though we were alone.




































We kept trying to think of things we could do that would become a tradition, but as with most things we do, the holiday
came down to the food.

Omelettes











Shepherd's pie
This is Nigella's recipe, but cut in half with beef instead of venison. Well, I tried to link it but it wouldn't work. I'll post the recipe sometime.










Apple cake tatin

To die for. Again no linking. Tomorrow.

Ignore my bad grammar, please

Well, Sergio finished all of his finals on wednesday which he then celebrated by playing touch football with his classmates in the rain, which then led to a cold. But after sleeping all friday on the couch with the help of cold medicine he was well enough for us to go out with his classmates last night for Thai food and to watch another student's funk band at a local bar.
I can't tell you how nice it was to do SOMETHING after all these weeks of nothing. And nobody even talked about the law, something I had forgotten was a possibility when a group of people got together.
The most interesting part of the night for me turned out to be the bathroom. Two clubs shared bathrooms and the women's was under construction, meaning there was one unisex bathroom for everybody. I will admit that I chickened out the first time I went. I just couldn't get beyond the sign on the door that said, "Everyone please close stall doors out of respect for others." Why wouldn't the stall doors be closed?
Anyway, the situation eventually got desperate and I went for it again, this time making it all the way into the bathroom, only to find out exactly what a boy's bathroom can be. Ew. Let's just say there was no sitting, no toilet paper, no paper towels, and just to be safe, no touching anything. In the end though, you do what you gotta do.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Why I haven't been posting much lately

Only two more to go!

Good things...

Animated version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Two Christmas cards in the mail. Thank you for thinking of us Shelley and Landon, and Jared and Sarah.
The sun shining for a week and a half.
Property law final done and only three more to go.

Things Sergio Finds Funny

Click here Please!

Foodie Files

This is a recipe that we got from the food network and have made our own. It is delightful. Here is the exact recipe from the food network site, but we have also added some things here and there that are really good. Early on we realized that putting all of this over pasta makes a complete meal. I think we would really recommend wheat pasta for any dish. It seems to stand up to sauce really well. We also added sliced button mushrooms tonight since we didn't have that much pasta, which turned out well. Warning: gratuitous butter.

Chicken Piccata
2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and cut in half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dedge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.

Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

If you are making pasta to go with it you will want to put it in the water about the time you take the chicken out of the sauce the first time.