tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-215580542024-03-23T11:01:18.474-07:00Deb's Lunch ... and dinner and breakfast, tooDeb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.comBlogger595125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-59122074666190647122010-01-02T14:17:00.000-08:002010-01-02T14:19:21.426-08:00Debra Shapiro is using Word PressOr at least, I'm trying to - trying to start up a new Word Press edition of Deb's Lunch - you can take a look at: <a href="http://debslunch.com/debslunchblog">Deb's Lunch ... and dinner and breakfast too.</a>Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-70757240439818741032009-12-29T08:20:00.000-08:002009-12-29T08:28:43.120-08:00Robyn Hitchcock is using Word Press -- albeit a highly customized Word Press with his own eponymous theme, for <a href="http://www.robynhitchcock.com/">his new web site</a>. I've been toying with the notion of moving my blog, too, ever since last summer when I <a href="http://debslunch.com/debslunchwordpress/">played around</a> with Word Press a bunch. So I think here's what I'm going to do - new decade, new blog - I won't move this one over, but it can become the archives. After all, as Rach just pointed us, us WI state employees have a 5-day weekend coming up: Wednesday, 12/30 is a furlough day, so we're not allowed to work; New Years Eve day & New Years Day are both holidays, and we still have Saturday and Sunday. Plenty of Word Press play time, and it'll probably be good hand therapy.<br /><br />Speaking of holidays, there's a very cool little stop-motion animation vid starring vegetables on Robyn Hitchcock's new site, called <span style="font-style: italic;">The day before boxing day</span>.<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yUvsSPEFyos&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yUvsSPEFyos&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-16309391778695409142009-12-28T16:23:00.000-08:002009-12-28T16:32:51.230-08:00More Christmas picturesI think somewheres back there I promised more Christmas pix - I never did take any of dinner but there were some nice ones of presents & breakfast:<br /><div style="text-align: center;">the present pile<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzlMtQo-XbI/AAAAAAAAF4M/htGID-ve2eY/s1600-h/presentpile2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzlMtQo-XbI/AAAAAAAAF4M/htGID-ve2eY/s320/presentpile2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420447966961753522" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I got a new pannier for my bike<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzlMuBaUj0I/AAAAAAAAF4c/9eK_y85ipUE/s1600-h/pannier.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzlMuBaUj0I/AAAAAAAAF4c/9eK_y85ipUE/s320/pannier.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420447980053630786" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Mark's dress shirt had the prettiest paper<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzlMup1dFpI/AAAAAAAAF4k/--MkIdQu1as/s1600-h/paper.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzlMup1dFpI/AAAAAAAAF4k/--MkIdQu1as/s320/paper.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420447990904854162" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I got Mark a waffle iron<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzlMtLZHjbI/AAAAAAAAF4E/e2rQrAr77FE/s1600-h/waffleiron.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzlMtLZHjbI/AAAAAAAAF4E/e2rQrAr77FE/s320/waffleiron.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420447965553069490" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">We had waffles & bacon & fried apples and Asian pears<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzlM1yHfwWI/AAAAAAAAF40/3d-K6NJoQKo/s1600-h/christmasbreakfast2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzlM1yHfwWI/AAAAAAAAF40/3d-K6NJoQKo/s320/christmasbreakfast2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420448113387094370" border="0" /></a>Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-88049541291027098492009-12-28T12:27:00.000-08:002009-12-28T13:04:06.339-08:00Dad's 89th<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_Chapel"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzkbqdNcyMI/AAAAAAAAF28/W-JGco7pxU8/s200/275px-HeinzChapelNarthexEntrance.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420394042726598850" border="0" /></a>Today would be my Dad's 89th birthday if he was still alive. I have lots of fragmentary memories of birthday celebrations past, dinners-and-a-movies we went to - I seem to remember <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058385/">My Fair Lady</a> followed by dinner at <a href="http://www.lemontpittsburgh.com/">Le Mont</a> on Mount Washington; that must've been 1964 - IMDB says the movie came out on Christmas that year.<br /><br />There were also celebrations when Dad <span style="font-style: italic;">wasn't</span> there - we went to the newly opened Grand Concourse at Station Square (now it seems to be owned by the <a href="http://www.muer.com/">Muer chain</a>) when he was in the hospital - that must've been 1978 Christmas season, before he had his first heart valve replacement in February of 1979. The reservation was so hard to get, my mom wasn't going to give it up just because Dad wasn't there. And there was his memorial, on the first birthday he missed, December 1998 - speeches in Heinz Chapel, and then <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=4215+5th+Avenue,+Pittsburgh,+PA+15213-3599+%28Pittsburgh+Athletic+Association%29&geocode=CSvRKqM_JTFeFWUkaQId_Pw7-yECDxU4VAC6Ww&dirflg=&saddr=heinz+chapel&f=d&gl=us&dq=athletic+association+loc:+pittsburgh&sll=40.445029,-79.954692&sspn=0.006295,0.006295&ie=UTF8&z=18">across the street</a> to the Pittsburgh Athletic Association for the reception, where they let me bring in cookies, because <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/dining/16cookies.html">in Pittsburgh</a>, they're so used to that from weddings.<br /><br />Not sure what do in dad's honor tonight - I bought shallots and arugula, and have a basket & a half of grape tomatoes, so I could make the Martha pasta that's on the Jan. 2010 "light" issue of Everyday Food - roasted tomatoes & shallots with arugula, on rigatoni - for dinner. It's not really such a Dad dish, though - he wouldn't have cared for the green stuff thrown in at the end. But I have lots of the <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzUu1q3Ls5I/AAAAAAAAF20/NhHG0_jm8MA/s1600-h/brodyruggelach.jpg">Lora Brody ruggelach</a>, and canned peaches, so we could have the Dad dessert: chilled canned fruit, cookies, and tea. He'd probably have had <a href="http://www.pepperidgefarm.com/ProductDetail.aspx?catID=726">Pepperidge Farm Bordeaux</a>, but he'd have liked the ruggelach, too.Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-82612588375288561932009-12-25T09:28:00.001-08:002009-12-25T13:32:08.216-08:00Grey Christmas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzUtIOr21pI/AAAAAAAAF2s/3uIaZ2_blU4/s1600-h/greyxmas.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzUtIOr21pI/AAAAAAAAF2s/3uIaZ2_blU4/s400/greyxmas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419287346014508690" border="0" /></a>White Christmas, bah humbug .... this is the view from my window today.<br /><br />In Wisconsin, we're having a grey, slushy Christmas, with rain on top of about a foot of snow. <a href="http://www.chbcnews.ca/entertainment/Winter+storm+blasts+heads+into+Canada/2380129/story.html">The big winter storm</a> is dumping tons of snow on Minneapolis & the Dakotas, but it's mostly north and west of us here in WI & IL, where we've been getting ice and rain and wintry mix. The National Weather Service called it a "complex" storm system; the best description we've heard so far was a reporter on NPR yesterday, who called it a "variety pack of nasty weather".<br /><br />We heard that NPR reporter when we were on the exit ramp from the Beltline around 5:00 p.m. yesterday, about 10 minutes from home. Even though I stressed and worried, the travel back from Chicago turned out just as Mark (the optimist in the family) predicted - we missed the worst of it, and were driving in just plain rain, not ice. When we got to the train station in Harvard, the car was sheathed in ice, but it was so warm - 36 or 37 degrees - that the ice just slid off the car. The car was stuck in its parking spot, but because there were 3 of us, I drove and mark & Ethan pushed, and we got out pretty shortly. One of the tires was low, but 2 gas stations and 5 quarters later, we were on the road.<br /><br />And we are having a perfectly nice little Christmas - waffles cooked on Mark's new waffle iron that I gave him for breakfast, with bacon & fried apples. Beef tenderloin, roasted potatoes, and trifle for dinner. And <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lora-Brodys-Rugelach-105982">Lora Brody's ruggelach</a> for snacks. I'll add more pix after dinner.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzUu1q3Ls5I/AAAAAAAAF20/NhHG0_jm8MA/s1600-h/brodyruggelach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzUu1q3Ls5I/AAAAAAAAF20/NhHG0_jm8MA/s400/brodyruggelach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419289226183947154" border="0" /></a>Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-90865443729464650092009-12-24T08:35:00.000-08:002009-12-24T10:01:17.901-08:00Corner bakery breakfast wreakage<center><a href="http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/09/12/24/439.jpg"><img src="http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/09/12/24/s_439.jpg" border="0" width="281" height="274" style="margin:5px" /></a></center><br /><center><a href="http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/09/12/24/441.jpg"><img src="http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/09/12/24/s_441.jpg" border="0" width="281" height="274" style="margin:5px" /></a></center><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhoneDeb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-5031132473144701462009-12-24T07:50:00.001-08:002009-12-25T15:13:47.932-08:00Christmas EveAnd trying out iPhone blogging somemore. I'm in a window seat - that should have had a step ladder so's you could climb up into easier - at our hotel, trying to make sense of the weather reports. The <a href="http://www.511wi.gov/web/map.aspx?region=winterroads&show=1">WI Dot road conditions</a> is not working, of course - too many people trying to check it + the new map is not very well optomized for the iPhone.<br /><center><a href="http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/09/12/24/386.jpg"><img src="http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/09/12/24/s_386.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" border="0" height="274" width="281" /></a></center><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhoneDeb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-32294569637136896112009-12-23T14:32:00.000-08:002009-12-23T21:12:26.897-08:00Waay too stressful for meWe're in Chicago to see the Addams Family, got a great room at a Kimpton & a nice dinner at Shaw's Crab House - but we're in the midst of an ice storm, and I'm over-worrying about the roads. Not much to do but wait & see.<br /><br />It was just rain and slush in all the gutters walking home from theater - so maybe it'll all be OK. A Christmas miracle'd be fine by me.<br /><p class="blogpress_location">Location:<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Chicago%20&z=10">Chicago </a></p>Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-38366341441514066822009-12-23T04:29:00.000-08:002009-12-23T04:46:34.712-08:00Big Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzIN38TsepI/AAAAAAAAF2k/g4Ar1i-trOE/s1600-h/passat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 199px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SzIN38TsepI/AAAAAAAAF2k/g4Ar1i-trOE/s320/passat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418408556412828306" border="0" /></a>So yesterday I sold the Passat, and got my cast off.<br /><br />I should be happily on winter break, but because of all the running around, I did not finish grading, even though I worked till almost 10:00 last night. I still have 8 students' work to read. So here I am sort of back at it, at 6:30 a.m.<br /><br />I guess that's this year's theme - not quite what we expected. We planned a trip to Chicago - we have tickets to see the <a href="http://www.theaddamsfamilymusical.com/">Addams Family</a>, with Nathan Lane & Bebe Neuwirth - but a big storm is threatening the whole midwest. Weather.gov calls it "complex" - it's supposed t be snow and rain and ice all mixed up. The plan is to take the train, but we have to drive about an hour and a few minutes to Harvard IL to catch the train. And it's not just me - John & Al are flying to California today, and Ethan is coming with us to Chicago. I think Ethan got the biggest disappointment for Christmas - he was supposed to be in Mexico right now, but got a concussion in hockey - and not even in a game, at a scrimmage, just a glorified practice, and the doctor said he shouldn't fly.<br /><br />Mark, our optimist, says that if all the weather works as predicted, not only will we miss the worst stuff, so will John & Al - they're flying out of Minneapolis, and it's not supposed to be so sloppy up there, all snow for the Twins. And my grades aren't due till the 29th - maybe NOT finishing can act like my library book. I always take a library book - and make the kids do this too - when I fly, because it means I'll have to get back to return it. Let's hope it all comes off as scheduled.Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-33661204842508680202009-12-18T12:45:00.000-08:002009-12-18T21:15:24.924-08:00Deb's-busted-thumb-using-up-the-leftovers-cranberry-chutneyThis was going to be called "holiday exhaustion" when I started it but did not finish it yesterday.<br /><br />But, I took the day off to cook for a 50th anniversary party I have tomorrow at the <a href="http://schoolwoods.com/">dining club</a>. The woman in the couple is the author of a series of books called "<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/dsshapiro/lists/1322946">Eat Smart In</a> [country name here]. She has done 10 books, so we're making a dish from each country. Fortunately, I am only doing Mexico, Sicily, India, Morocco, Brazil, and Turkey - other family members are bringing the other countries.<br /><br />So I slept in, and hand-delivered some cookie boxes, and didn't do as much cooking as maybe I should have, but I feel somewhat recovered. My broken thumb is aching a bit, but right now it's the corollary ailments that are bugging me most - my left hand is tired & beat up from doing so much, and my skin is dry since it's too hard to lotion up with one hand.<br /><br />The Mexican dish is a flan, flavored with tequila, and tomorrow it will be flamed with tequila after it's un-molded. It looks great so far. Sicily is what we used to called Spiedini at one of my restaurant jobs - little beef rolls on a stick with onions and bay leaf. I only made the filling so far - it's going to be meat stuffed with meat; the filling is onions, bread crumbs, a little tomato, and prosciutto and salami. They're served on a bed of fried potatoes - I boiled the potatoes, and will fry them tomorrow. Tomorrow I have to make a pineapple curry, orange salad, kale with garlic, and zucchini filo pie. I don't think it'll be too much of a problem, even though I am slow with the hand.<br /><br />It's kind of fun to be cooking all this stuff from other countries - it's not buy fresh buy local, that's for sure, but reminds me of my youth in the 1970s, when it was fashionable to try to recreate other countries' food, and the experience of eating it. Maybe more politically correct than fashionable, or at least it was a liberal thing to do - looking for authentic experiences in the depths of suburbia, respect for other cultures and all that.<br /><br />And things were certainly not as fusion-y as they are now - we never would have eaten this chutney in baked Brie - but that's how I'm going to use it.<br /><br />2 TBLS olive oil<br />1/3 cup finely chopped onion<br />5 quarter sized slices of crystallized ginger, diced<br />1 jalapeno pepper, diced - remove some or all of the seeds to reduce the hotness<br />1 16-ounce bag of cranberries, fresh or frozen (no need to thaw, if they are frozen)<br />1/2 cup light brown sugar<br />1/3 cup apple cidar<br />1 tsp. coriander<br />2 tsp. brown mustard seeds<br /><br />Heat the oil in a 2 quart or larger saucepan, and add the onion, ginger, and jalapeno - I ground them up in the food processor, to be easy on my thumb, but even if your hands are working fine, you can use the processor if you like. Cook until softened, and then add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook uncovered until all the cranberries are popped and the chutney is thickened, about 20 minutes. Use as the filling in baked Brie, or serve with cheese and crackers.Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-84072842134572193232009-12-14T15:21:00.000-08:002009-12-14T15:23:39.839-08:002009 cookie plattering slideshow<div style="width:400px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fdebra.shapiro%2Falbumid%2F5409769900858718817%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></div><span style="float:left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/debra.shapiro/2009Cookies?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">View all</a></span><div style="text-align:right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/getEmbed?feat=flashalbum" style="color:#3964c2">Get your own</a></div></div>Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-3972556802061940072009-12-13T17:24:00.001-08:002009-12-13T17:28:07.084-08:00Best cookie shotI think this is probably the best cookie shot - John set my camera to focus nice and wide.<br /><br />The party was last night, and I packed the first four boxes to ship this afternoon - already used up a 100-count box of ziploc sandwich bags. I'm beat. We just ordered Thai for dinner, and I'd like to do absolutely nothing for the rest of the evening.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SyWT77a562I/AAAAAAAAFu8/Afm447iV6Ak/s1600-h/windmillclosewide.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SyWT77a562I/AAAAAAAAFu8/Afm447iV6Ak/s400/windmillclosewide.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414896784754994018" /></a>Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-89729896492156991672009-12-09T20:52:00.001-08:002009-12-10T07:05:54.262-08:00Last cookie kind<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SyCEKdJ5gJI/AAAAAAAAFtw/kCrlfH87ZKY/s1600-h/ruggelach4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SyCEKdJ5gJI/AAAAAAAAFtw/kCrlfH87ZKY/s320/ruggelach4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413472067259039890" border="0" /></a>This year the last cookie kind is the <a href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/dsshapiro/web/recipes/nukhorns.html">ruggelach, or nukhorns</a>. That never happens, but I never broke my thumb halfway through cookie season before, either.<br /><br />Most years, I make about 4 pounds of butter worth of ruggelach - about 4X my recipe - and I get the big square container plus a 5 quart ice cream bucket full. I usually try to make them on a Saturday, and spend half the day rolling them out. This year, I made 2 pounds of butter into the dough this morning, and just spent about 2 1/2 hours start to <span style="font-style: italic;">almost</span> finish - I have to rubber glove my cast and go wash the cookie sheets. The big square container is full, but not to the brim, plus a small, probably 1-qt., plastic on the side.<br /><br />Here's 2006 - 3 buckets - for comparison: <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SyENgoni89I/AAAAAAAAFt4/iy002TxfwnQ/s1600-h/bucketsoruggelach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SyENgoni89I/AAAAAAAAFt4/iy002TxfwnQ/s320/bucketsoruggelach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413623081386308562" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It will just have to be enough - maybe I'll only send them, and not put any out at the party ...<br /><br />I think I like iPhoneroid better than the regular pictures - I love how it is posterized just enough, and it's got those magenta highlights - everything just comes out yellow when I shoot at night.<br /><br />Last night I drank a cup of cocoa with a shot of bourbon thrown in and then took one of the vicodins with tylenol I got for my thumb pain, and I was sort hungover this morning. Tonight I'm sticking to regular tylenol, and the bourbon in a hot toddy. On to appetizers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SyCA46ISV7I/AAAAAAAAFtY/u4xC79PLAZc/s1600-h/ruggelach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 310px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SyCA46ISV7I/AAAAAAAAFtY/u4xC79PLAZc/s320/ruggelach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413468467264378802" border="0" /></a>Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-34851983681827568642009-12-09T12:49:00.000-08:002009-12-09T13:21:13.091-08:00Snow Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SyAQPUvflcI/AAAAAAAAFs4/9wwETxB6Z-4/s1600-h/snowwindowtrim.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SyAQPUvflcI/AAAAAAAAFs4/9wwETxB6Z-4/s400/snowwindowtrim.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413344607551329730" border="0" /></a>So last night we got about a foot of snow. There were blizzard predictions, tho - high winds and whiting out and drifting - most of which did not happen because the snow was too heavy and wet. It's 27° out there now, supposed to keep dropping, (it has been all day) and a high of only 7° tomorrow. Everyone freaked out and the Madison Schools and the university announced they'd be closed today by 10:00 p.m. last night. The buses aren't running, most streets are not plowed. Mark shoveled for three hours this morning - I got excused because of my thumb. I have a blue cast now; came home with it yesterday afternoon.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SyATM83fEEI/AAAAAAAAFtA/ymUr4jOMkiU/s1600-h/cast.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SyATM83fEEI/AAAAAAAAFtA/ymUr4jOMkiU/s320/cast.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413347865317544002" border="0" /></a>I made the ruggelach dough and pecan bars so far today - and waffles for breakfast at 1:00 when Mark was finally done shoveling. The cast is actually more comfortable than the splint, there's no big piece of metal jabbing my palm like the splint. It's also more secure - I feel more like it's in the right place and I won't rehurt myself. But I don't quite have an oppose-able thumb on my right hand - I can't really clamp my right index finger and my thumb together. So I am fucking awkward, or as Mark so much more kindly says, "you're not fucking awkward, your cast is fucking awkward."Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-51756964684829795432009-12-06T09:06:00.000-08:002009-12-06T19:20:12.965-08:00Dancing with tears in my eyes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SxvrZnXg8sI/AAAAAAAAFr4/jLr6UJoo-Gk/s1600-h/thumbsplint.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SxvrZnXg8sI/AAAAAAAAFr4/jLr6UJoo-Gk/s320/thumbsplint.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412178202512650946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Dancing with tears in my eyes</span> is an X song that I've always liked - I've never checked, but it could be a cover of a country standard. In an NPR interview, on the release of his <a href="http://store.yeproc.com/album.php?id=14241">album with the Sadies</a>, I loved it when John Doe said, "Of course I've always listened to country music" (subtext being even though I'm an aging punker), "I'm a white guy."<br /><br />Anyways it seems a good analogy - carrying on in the face of pain, for this year's cookie season, because this is going to go down in history as the cookie season when I broke my thumb, and carried on baking.<br /><br />I'm in this splint now, and I go to see the hand specialist Tuesday. They already emailed him the x-rays of my hand they took Friday - I wanted to ask for a copy. They used a big old hunk of film to capture the image, but scanned it immediately and it showed up on the screen in the corner of the room. Kinda like <a href="http://www.johnlusisphoto.com/">John's</a> process, with his large format camera.<br /><br />So my two big worries are: 1) will I have more or less mobility after they cast me or do whatever they're gonna do Tuesday? I think I'm gonna try to make the <a href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/dsshapiro/web/recipes/nukhorns.html">ruggelach</a> Monday night, and I am almost more worried about the Rose's Crescents, since every one of those center dents that makes the boomerang shape is the tip of my right thumb; and 2) when I go to this hand doc Tuesday, are they going to say I have permanently damaged myself? I mean, it's my right thumb, and I am right handed, and I'd like to have it actually work for another 30-40 years.<br /><br />It also means not too many pictures - note the blurry quality in the left-hand-held iPhone picture - my camera shooting style kinda depends on a good right thumb. I'll try to get lots at <a href="http://debslunch.com/invite.html">the party</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SxwIpYvCHrI/AAAAAAAAFsY/TOEx37U1rhU/s1600-h/crescents.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SxwIpYvCHrI/AAAAAAAAFsY/TOEx37U1rhU/s320/crescents.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412210359299874482" border="0" /></a>Meanwhile, I'm getting really good at wiping down the countertops lefty, even my OCD wiping up the puddles under the dish drainer, that must be done as the close to any dish washing session. In fact, I'd have to say that I'm better at wiping counters lefty than I am at wiping my own ass, but perhaps that'll come with more practice.Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-81636820870493875932009-12-03T09:31:00.000-08:002009-12-03T09:49:07.758-08:00Not a good nightSo I hope that last night was the nadir of cookie baking. I tried out a new Martha recipe for little ginger cookies, rolled in coarse sugar - and the vital step that Martha left out was you have to chill the dough - it's like soup at first mix. Even after chilling overnight, the dough was sticky.<br /><br />My plan was to mix up the dough for slice & bakes: the candied fruit cookies (although I used all dried, no glowing red cherries); the windmill cookies; and the <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pistachio-Cranberry-Icebox-Cookies-236664">pistachio-dried-cranberry</a> that everyone raved about last year. The candied fruit cookie logs are fine, I think - we'll know after I bake them tonight. The windmill dough was much stickier than I remember it, but tasty - and I think it'll bake OK too. The real tragedy was the pistachio-dried-cranberry. The recipe list of ingredients includes egg - 4 of them since I quadrupled the batch - remember I said everyone loved them last year - but it is for brushing on the dough logs so you can roll them in sugar and it will stick. I put the eggs into the batter - so it was sticky, too. I made a test pan this morning and they are softer blander cookies, but essentially the same - I'll try to not to tell, and maybe no one will notice.<br /><br />And I hurt my right thumb - caught it on a bannister and gave it a nasty wrench. I have to pull the cookie sheets out of the oven lefty, because righty hurts too much.<br /><br />Sigh. Well, things'll have to get better from now. And, after all, it's only cookies....<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/Sxf5V7qMqII/AAAAAAAAFrw/V0kUk4ubfNA/s1600-h/normalowie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 174px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/Sxf5V7qMqII/AAAAAAAAFrw/V0kUk4ubfNA/s320/normalowie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411067632496191618" border="0" /></a><br />Good thumb left, bad thumb rightDeb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-21738537583877356012009-12-01T12:01:00.000-08:002009-12-01T12:22:55.493-08:00Cookie fretI went to bed in a state of mild cookie depression last nigh, fearing that <a href="http://debslunch.blogspot.com/2009/11/cookie-season-thanksgiving-cookie.html#fret">nothing's coming out right</a> - the Biberli are dented, the pine nut macaroons are too brown and there's not enough of them, the ginger creams are too hard and there's not enough of them, either - and when I work up this morning, all I could think of was should I do over any kinds. In other years, I've had <a href="http://debslunch.blogspot.com/2007/12/start-of-cookie-season-and-trip-to.html">a few make-overs</a>. It also seems like my aches & pains are worse this year, too - that pain in the back of my neck is almost intolerable, and I don't seem as able to self-massage it out by rotating my shoulders as easily. Last night I gave up on baking and went to blogging, and it hurt just to sit in the chair.<br /><br />But, a night's sleep and hope springs eternal - after fretting about a re-do, I went on about the day. Initially getting work there was just too much administrivia. Hadda to go meet a plumber at noon, and now the <a href="http://schoolwoods.com/">dining club</a> house needs a new water heater - but the rebate from the lead line replacement will cover it, so it's a wash - ha!<br /><br />And it's sunny and 50 degrees - which does kind of bother me at this time of year - golbal climate change fears aside, it needs to be in the 40s to make the vestibule a good cookie storage chamber - but it is nice to walk outside on a sunny 50-degree December day! I stopped in the co-op, and got mistletoed; got to kiss the co-op services manager on the cheek - and somehow, on the walk back to the office, I was happy. I know what I'm making tonight - <a href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/dsshapiro/web/recipes/gingercookies.html">ginger slices</a>, <span style="font-style: italic;">gemberkoekjes</span>, <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spoon-Cookies-233297">spoon cookies</a> - a quadruple batch, because they were so well-received when I made them for the 1st time last year, Mexican wedding cookies - and I am just going to let it go - no do-overs - no apologies - it will all be just fine. And I might start taking some Advil for aches & pains.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SxV58itCxXI/AAAAAAAAFro/C3k8nRxynXg/s1600/sugaredmexican.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SxV58itCxXI/AAAAAAAAFro/C3k8nRxynXg/s320/sugaredmexican.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410364608370361714" border="0" /></a>Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-20274859904023706402009-11-28T08:16:00.000-08:002009-12-01T12:19:34.287-08:00Cookie Season. Thanksgiving. Cookie Season<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SxSgCSSkNeI/AAAAAAAAFrA/pe6r8r_cams/s1600/tdaytable3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SxSgCSSkNeI/AAAAAAAAFrA/pe6r8r_cams/s320/tdaytable3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410125013508699618" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SxSgCGsbKSI/AAAAAAAAFq4/tehjWDyeUF8/s1600/tdayplate3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SxSgCGsbKSI/AAAAAAAAFq4/tehjWDyeUF8/s320/tdayplate3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410125010395932962" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SxSgBfE_nNI/AAAAAAAAFqo/ZZ_5NuWQJD4/s1600/brussells.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SxSgBfE_nNI/AAAAAAAAFqo/ZZ_5NuWQJD4/s320/brussells.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410124999761566930" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SxSgBKVKm9I/AAAAAAAAFqg/-zzB7vnQtLI/s1600/tdaytable4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SxSgBKVKm9I/AAAAAAAAFqg/-zzB7vnQtLI/s320/tdaytable4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410124994192251858" border="0" /></a><br />Whoo - everyone said it was the best Thanksgiving ever - I haven't written about it, nor posted the pix, till today - this post is only dated Saturday because I wrote the title & saved it to finish Monday. The main thing that impressed me, when I looked at the shots of the table, was the height of the pile of meat on the platter - ably carved off the bird by my vegetarian brother, and visiting friend, Chad (Chad does have a few Thanksgivingses as the head of the household under his belt, so he should be good at carving). We did totally go into traditional sex roles - the men watched football, the women cooked. But the clean up crew was completely co-ed, so we broke out of stereotype as the night went on.<br /><br />Here's the menu -<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Appetizers:</span><br />Chex mix (called crack mix by my brother, for its addictiveness)<br />Leek confit, with goat cheese, to spread on long rise no-knead bread<br />some amazing cheese, that Lea brought, especially the <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/41352337.html">Gouda with fenugreek</a><br />I made some little cheese & mustard crackers that were good the first day, but went soft pretty quick - served with apple butter, which seemed like a good idea, but I didn't like the sugar free variety I got at the co-op - not sweet enough. Shoulda got Smuckers<br /><a href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/dsshapiro/web/recipes/carrots.html">pickled carrots</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dinner:</span><br />two kinds of cranberry sauce, plain and this clementine and pomegranate variety that was my niece Mimi's offering - she also made customized name plates for everyone, shaped like her hand turkeys, with attributes, like Mark has a computer and we both had the librarian book.<br />Jen's cheese grits<br />Lea's wild rice salad<br />Brussels sprouts with chestnuts (the chestnuts were a little hard - they were roasted from fresh; the ones in the stuffing came in a jar)<br /><a href="http://debslunch.blogspot.com/2009/11/shapiro-family-thanksgiving-dinner.html">Turkey with chestnut stuffing</a> - I had a little container of stuffing frozen since last year, and instead of mixing it in, I fried it up and put it out on a big tray with forks while the men were watching football and it disappeared - even though I got a few gripes about putting it out on a common platter in these days of swine flu - they just came and got individual plates, to avoid contaminating each other<br />mashed potatoes - Dave mashed 'em in the pot, so they were less fluffy than if I'd done them in the mixer<br /><a href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/dsshapiro/web/recipes/sweetpotatoe.html">Sweet potatoes with chile & lime</a><br />Vegetable stir fry with broccoli & daikon and peppers and Hoisin sauce<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Desserts:</span><br /><a href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/dsshapiro/web/recipes/pumkinmousse.html">Pumpkin mousse</a> with crispy spice cookies in the shape of turkeys<br />Apple pie with leaf cutouts on top - we all made it together on Wednesday night<br />Cranberry frangipane tart - it was a Martha - good in concept, not so hot in execution. I made home made cranberry jam for the bottom. Next year I will use the jam in a thinner tart, instead, something like an <a href="http://italianfood.about.com/library/rec/blr0253.htm">Italian crostata<br /></a><br />Meanwhile, I made 2 kinds of cookies - the bar type lebkuchen and the <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0_9zsYYcNCnoW73N0lePMw?feat=directlink">Moravian ginger thins</a> - before Thanksgiving, and the <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/RZ7wCS7EpII/AAAAAAAAADs/S6PT2x8rN20/s1600/simnelcake2.jpg">Simnel cake</a>. I had to do another big shopping at the warehouse grocery for more cookie ingredients, Saturday, so real cookie production didn't really recommence till Sunday, although I made the <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yqcF4KGMNL29HSPa7QCX4w?feat=directlink">jam cookies</a> Saturday. <a name="fret"></a>So far, I'd have to say that the fruit cake types are coming out the best this year - I made the <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rXke4VzfSF4ynhljvCqMrw?feat=directlink">fruitcake gems</a> last night, and they are lovely. Mollie Wizenberg's fruit nut balls are looking good. But the <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hKkKuUcFgOeOYHvBXyVWjA?feat=directlink">marzipan-stuffed spice cookies</a>, the Swiss <span style="font-style: italic;">biberli</span>, not withstanding that I thought they were going to be the best ever, because the dough went together so well, literally fell rather flat - the little wedges deflated on being removed from the oven - you can see the little dent in the top in the ones below. The pine nut macaroons batter tasted good, but I only ended up with about 55, and one tray was a little dark on the bottoms. And I think I must've left the baking soda out of the ginger creams - they are hard and small.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SxSmLJiKcAI/AAAAAAAAFrI/dzy9VFDHtAw/s1600/_MG_2869.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SxSmLJiKcAI/AAAAAAAAFrI/dzy9VFDHtAw/s320/_MG_2869.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410131762846789634" border="0" /></a><br />Oh well, I'm giving myself and the oven a break tonight, I only made doughs and frosted things, no baking.Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-52796077754548720852009-11-22T17:11:00.001-08:002009-11-22T17:28:37.536-08:00Bottom of the vegetable bin rice salad<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SwnhWBBqctI/AAAAAAAAFpQ/1bMrG-j5f1U/s1600/ricesalad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SwnhWBBqctI/AAAAAAAAFpQ/1bMrG-j5f1U/s320/ricesalad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407100595983774418" border="0" /></a> Last winter I tried to perfect the <a href="http://debslunch.blogspot.com/2007/11/bottom-of-veggie-drawer-noodle-stirfry.html">bottom of the vegetable bin stir fry</a>, using up a carrot or two, broccoli stems, cabbage, an onion, over rice, or maybe ramen noodles. Tonight I tried it using some components from a sushi salad recipe that I tested for a <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/429750125">forthcoming Japanese cookbook</a>, written by Sarah Marx Feldner, who also <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/search/?t=site&keywords=sarah+marx+feldner&h=&s.x=0&s.y=0">writes about monthly</a> for the Milwaukee Journal.<br /><br />In Sarah's sushi salad, you cook some rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms and diced carrot in water & soysauce - so this sushi salad has that, plus beet greens (where that faint pink is coming from), broccoli stems, and a matchsticked kohlrabi that cooked up surprisingly sweet.<br /><br />Then I went up and polished all my mom's copper-bottomed Revere ware, that's hanging over the kitchen sink on peg board, like much of our house in the 60s & 70s and just like Julia's kitchen, too.<br /><a href="http://www.doriegreenspan.com/2008/01/kitchen-library-a-gem-in-the-new-oxbow-market-in-napa.html"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.doriegreenspan.com/images/julias_pegboard_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 286px;" src="http://www.doriegreenspan.com/images/julias_pegboard_2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></a> This is <a href="http://www.doriegreenspan.com/">Dorie Greenspan's</a> picture of Julia's kitchen.Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-13251053545215787152009-11-22T09:18:00.000-08:002009-11-22T10:54:07.888-08:00Divided<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SwmIuxMGUgI/AAAAAAAAFpI/hnt42oRNU_M/s1600/lebkuchen3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SwmIuxMGUgI/AAAAAAAAFpI/hnt42oRNU_M/s320/lebkuchen3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407003164694434306" border="0" /></a>There's a common recipe ingredient list instruction, where the amount of something that you need will be given followed by the word "divided"; e.g. <span style="font-style: italic;">1 3/4 cups sugar, divided</span>. I tend to screw this up myself, since I often kind of cook from the ingredient list without really reading the instructions, so I put in all the sugar when I was only supposed to put in that 3/4 cup. A lot of times I alter the method with my own method, because I know what I'm doing, yeah right. The idea behind the "divided" instruction is that it's better for the recipe to lay out the total amount of an ingredient needed right at the outset. There are other styles of recipe writing; <u>Joy of Cooking</u> tends to give ingredients embedded in the method, like the lebkuchen recipe I just followed which begins:<br /><br />Cook<br />2/3 cup honey or molasses<br />1/3 cup sugar<br />3 TBLS butter<br />over low heat stirring until the butter is melted<br /><br />Stir in 1 cup flour<br />that has been sifted with 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking powder, and a pinch of salt<br /><br />Add<br />1 cup flour<br />1/2 cup chopped almonds<br />etc. etc.<br /><br />I made the honey butter syrup, mixed all the other ingredients in a big bowl, then stirred in the syrup. But I had to read the recipe a little carefully to apprehend the fact that it really needed two cups of flour, not just one.<br /><br />Anyways, I feel kind of like that 1 3/4 cups sugar, divided, right now. I am trying to start cookie season, at the same time as planning Thanksgiving dinner, and it's making my little brain hurt. Thursday night I made my master list of cookie kinds, and yesterday I went shopping partly for cookie ingredients, and partly for Thanksgiving food.<br /><br />This morning I got up and walked, then baked some scones, to eat today and to have around when family shows for Thanksgiving, and made the lebkuchen. But I'm also making the list of Thanksgiving apps, and taking time off tomorrow to clean and straighten the house like my <a href="http://327words.blogspot.com/2009/11/tidy.html">bro's doing</a> at his place.<br /><br />The main thing I can't figure out is where to stash all the cooking mags and recipes I have pulled out for cookie season, when I go into total tidying mode tomorrow. Usually I just leave them on the dining room table for the duration, but that won't work with this year's divided cookie season, with Thanksgiving in the middle.<br /><br />I am soo confused.Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-88362602516347385472009-11-18T07:27:00.000-08:002009-11-18T07:47:39.013-08:00Always wanted to do thatThere are two stairwells in my building, as well as an odd outdoor set of stairs to the third floor balcony. The building, <a href="http://photos.news.wisc.edu/view.php?id=5343">Helen C. White Hall</a>, is an example of 1970s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brutalist_architecture">Brutalist Architecture</a>; at <a href="http://schoolwoods.com/fallfancy.html">dinner</a> on Saturday someone said that the stairs were some remnant of a plan to link it to the administrative buildings on <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=13004886988431571058&q=bascom%2Bhill%2Bmadison">Bascom Hill</a>. I usually use the staircase that only goes to the 4th floor where I work; the entrance is right across from my office door. The other staircase, that's closer to the women's bathroom - which is giant, spanning the whole floor, because this <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> the library school, a female-dominated profession; the mens' room is much smaller and kind of hidden in a corner - goes all the way up to the 7th floor, but it's knd of steamy and subway station-like, so I avoid it usually. There's this graffito in there that spells "dep", and I always want to add the second "p" for Johnny, but I always forget to bring the marker. Last night I realized I could do it with Photoshop, by taking a picture. In the end I used the iPhone ap, Brushes. It worked, although I found the little screen extremely frustrating. I guess I'll never be any where near as good as <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/fingerpainting/">the guy who's doing all the New Yorker covers</a> with the program.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SwQWw-FnQMI/AAAAAAAAFpA/Y3t7SfBtDJw/s1600/depp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SwQWw-FnQMI/AAAAAAAAFpA/Y3t7SfBtDJw/s320/depp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405470483307512002" border="0" /></a>Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-64938210281669040182009-11-16T17:59:00.000-08:002009-11-16T18:43:18.935-08:00So, the leftoversIn my Julia Child <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/416209053">The Way to Cook</a>, at the end of every section on meats (and probably some of other foods as well) there are a couple paragraphs under the heading <span style="font-style: italic;">Feasting on the remains</span> - "wonderful things can be done with leftover lamb, raw or cooked". You can just hear Julia.<br /><br />Anyways, here're my plans:<br /><br />Tonight Mark & I had a reprise of the vegetarian option from <a href="http://schoolwoods.com/fallfancy.html">Saturday</a> - mushroom pate en croute, roasted broccoli, and mashed potatoes with spoonfuls of the Madeira sauce. The only thing left from all that is about a pint of the sauce which I just stuck in the freezer to go over the vegetarian's mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving.<br /><br />The forgotten whipped cream will go into <a href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/dsshapiro/web/recipes/cinammonsc.html">cinnamon-chip cream scones</a> (I'll leave out the cream cheese in this recipe, and just use the cream), also a good thing to have in the house when the family arrives for turkey day. These are pumpkin but you get the idea.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SwINWFOLkrI/AAAAAAAAFo4/baJzqFgILK0/s1600/pumkinsc2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SwINWFOLkrI/AAAAAAAAFo4/baJzqFgILK0/s320/pumkinsc2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404897175807955634" border="0" /></a><br />I'm going to make a shallow dish of corn pudding (I had a little bit left unbaked) and leave it in the front of the fridge in the hope that Al eats it with hot sauce way late this Thursday night when he gets in - he's coming home this weekend and Thanksgiving, too.<br /><br />The Bagna Cauda will go into a pasta puttanesca for Wednesday, served with a wilted salad from the leftover greens and a few slices of bacon.<br /><br />And that's done it, I think - at some point I have to make a stir fry from some of the vegetable remains, I bought some tofu, oh, and I want to make a roasted-butternut-quash-and-greens-filled lasagna, starting with this idea <a href="http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/recipes/main_squashpasta.shtml">from Splendid Table</a>, and putting it lasagna, instead of tossing it with bow ties.<br /><br />Oh, and in an unrelated note - I thought I could make the half a bunch of cilantro & couple of tortillas in the fridge into bahn mi wraps with the tofu, if I don't make it into stir fry, if I buy a cucumber.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SwINWAqH9rI/AAAAAAAAFow/T0OvmfH8GI0/s1600/bahnmi3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SwINWAqH9rI/AAAAAAAAFow/T0OvmfH8GI0/s320/bahnmi3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404897174582982322" border="0" /></a>Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-40460426026563889792009-11-15T10:42:00.001-08:002009-11-15T18:04:35.286-08:00Fall Fancy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SwBLv4mNk1I/AAAAAAAAFoE/JdffZYZ6x6M/s1600-h/squahscoffeecup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 388px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SwBLv4mNk1I/AAAAAAAAFoE/JdffZYZ6x6M/s400/squahscoffeecup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404402838863188818" border="0" /></a> Last night, I served what I called a "Fall Fancy Dinner" to a crowd of 14.<br /><br />Here's the annotated menu~<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Appetizers</span>: Baked Brie "crostini" - thickish slabs of Brie laid on slices of baguette, sprinkled with sliced almonds, and baked - this is the way we served it when I worked at the <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=m_xcJXG1wyUC&lpg=PA65&ots=zfGZaMcp1o&dq=%22ovens%20of%20brittany%22%20%22baked%20brie%22&pg=PA65#v=onepage&q=%22ovens%20of%20brittany%22%20%22baked%20brie%22&f=false">Ovens of Brittany</a> (scroll past <span style="font-style: italic;">Turkey Divan Sandwich</span> to get to the recipe, courtesy Google Books) - they got three pieces and a nice side of fruit - I put it out on a bread board with grapes last night. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/magazine/08food-t-000.html">Bagna Cauda</a> (from one of Amanda Hesser's recipe history columns in the NYT) with daikon sticks, purple and regular carrots, kohlrabi slices, and a few baby peppers.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">First course:</span> corn pudding, baked inside of Delicata squash rings, with a big pile of salad with <a href="http://debslunch.blogspot.com/2009/11/reduced-cider-dressing.html">reduced cider dressing</a> on the side. The rings were made from the squashes above. I've always used the corn pudding recipe from this slightly obscure Deborah Madison book -<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/33861890"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z24uOlpbKq0/SwCeC3yoX_I/AAAAAAAAFoM/zRNQIG0KYsc/s320/Picture+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404493325017833458" border="0" /></a> Heidi Swanson posted a recipe for <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/roasted-corn-pudding-in-acorn-squash-recipe.html">corn pudding in acorn squash halves</a> but that makes too large of a portion for a first course - the Delicata was the right size - everybody got two, and not a bite came back.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Main meal: </span>choice of mushroom-pecan paté en croute (in a crust) or beef tenderloin with a horseradish crust, both with Madeira sauce. I used the <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/57694968">Cafe Flora Cookbook</a> mushroom-pecan paté (the Google Books preview for this one won't quite get you the whole recipe - the book's too recent) that they put in their mushroom Wellingtons. I wrapped the whole loaf in a yeasted pastry dough and egged it so that it was golden - it was quite pretty. The Madeira sauce is also from Cafe Flora. The <a href="http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/article.asp?docid=21010">beef was from Cook's Illustrated</a>, and fussy, like many of their recipes. I managed to use less oil, paper towel, and zip loc bags than recommended. My crust did not stick so well, but it didn't matter a bit.<br /><br />Everyone got creamy mashed potatoes - local potatoes, butter and half & half - and roasted broccoli for sides.<br /><br />I made tiny desserts: pumpkin cheesecake (although I wimped on using my real, <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/mini-cheesecake-pan">individual mini-cheesecake pan</a>; as the over-equipped baker, I own a set of two, to make 24 at a time) and just used 4 small spring forms, also from my collection of baking gear - they are about 4-inches - and cut them in quarters. Chocolate-pomegrante petits-fours - they were fun, but if I make them again, I am not going to bother with the home made pomegranate jelly, consisting of reduced <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/POM_Wonderful">Pom Wonderful</a> and cornstarch; instead I will use red currant jelly. And lemon tarts. My vision was for these to have a tiny rosette of sweetened whipped cream on top, but I forgot to take the carefully pre-whipped and stored in a pastry bag, cream. Still, one of the guests wanted the recipe, even without the rosettes, so here goes:<br /><br />Crust<br />1 large egg yolk<br />1 tablespoon heavy cream <br />1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour<br />2/3 cup confectioners' sugar<br />pinch of salt (or use salted butter)<br />8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick) cut into cubes<br /><br />Combine the egg yolk, cream and vanilla in a spouted measuring cup (I used cream this time because I had it, but I've also used 2% milk in this if I had no cream). Combine the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a food processor, and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is cut into the flour, and the mixture looks a little sandy - no large pieces remain. Add the liquids, and pulse just until the dough come together. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap, and chill for as little as an hour or as long as overnight.<br /><br />Lemon Curd - this is from a book called <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/36649133">The Neighborhood Bakeshop</a>; I use the same ingredients, but I don't make it quite the way they say to -<br /><br />1/3 cup fresh lemon juice<br />1/2 cup granulated sugar<br />2 large egg yolks, plus one whole large egg<br />1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into bits<br /><br />Combine the lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks and egg in a sauce pan, and whisk over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Start adding the butter and cook over medium-low heat, whisking until it's thickened and almost boiling - try not to let it boil, but if you boil it, just strain it to get any egg-lumps out. Pour into a small bowl and press plastic wrap on top and chill.<br /><br />Assembly<br />Roll out the crust and cut it into 3-inch circles, and fit into fluted tart shell pans. Bake at 375 until set, and only starting to brown around the edges. Remove from the pans while warm, and cool on a rack. Fill the cooled tart shells with the chilled lemon curd right before serving - they will hold in the fridge for a few hours (or even overnight), but the shells will soften considerably. Garnish with rosettes of sweetened whipped cream.<br /><br />And oh yeah, there was a big loaf of really good almost no-knead bread, and a cheese & onion focaccia, that was pretty sharp with a lot of bleu cheese.<br /><br />Tomorrow I'll let you know what I'm doing with the various leftovers - I plotted while I walked this morning. My BFF and walking buddy Rach is out of town so I had lots of time to think.Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-51942780115006714292009-11-13T15:34:00.000-08:002009-11-15T16:28:25.395-08:00Reduced cider dressing<span style="font-style: italic;">Gourmet</span> (the late lamented <span style="font-style: italic;">Gourmet</span>) published a recipe for a salad dressing with reduced apple cider in it, and I keep having to look it up, and it's not an easy search, because of cider vinegar, and because the dressing's not in the title; it's like <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Escarole-Fennel-and-Oak-Leaf-Salad-236393">Fennel & Oak Leaf Lettuce Salad</a> - so I decided to make a copy of my version, here, where it'll be easier to retrieve:<br /><br /><ul><li>3/4 cup apple cider</li><li>3 tablespoons cider vinegar, or other - I used a cherry Balsamic from <a href="http://vomfassusa.com/">Vom Fass</a> that was lurking in the cupboard</li><li>1 shallot, finely chopped - about one heaping TBLS</li><li>1 teaspoon grainy mustard - like <a href="http://www.boetjesmustard.com/">Boetje's</a></li><li>salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">maybe</span> a pinch of sugar, if you use cider vinegar</li><li>1/3 cup olive oil</li></ul><br />Boil apple cider in a small saucepan or skillet over moderate heat until it's reduced to about 2 tablespoons, and is syrup-y. Cool. Meanwhile, add the chopped shallots to the vinegar in a bowl, than add the mustard, salt, and pepper and whisk in the cider syrup. Drizzle the oil, whisking to combine. Enough dressing for about 10 cups of greens.Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21558054.post-4782478539133906382009-11-13T10:33:00.000-08:002009-11-13T10:45:52.035-08:00Survived<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.peets.com/images/logo_only.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 155px; height: 65px;" src="http://www.peets.com/images/logo_only.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>Yesterday I went out at about 2:00 in the afternoon, and got a pumpkin latte from the Peets Coffee in the student Union. I kind of have a love/hate relationship with Peet's -<br />they're close to my office, but they don't have a good store layout and the line can be ridiculous. They're not local (but of course, neither is Starbucks and I go there a lot). They make all their flavored drinks waaay too sweet. But their skim lattes are nice and hot. So all of this repressed angst must've acted its way out, and as soon as I got back with said pumpkin latte, I spilled several tablespoons of it on my computer (on the keyboard, near the hinge). I immediately tipped the liquid out, and took it down to the IT guys, who removed the battery and left it to dry out overnight. And lo and behold, it seems to be just fine now - I'm supposed to watch for sticky keys. I didn't even like the latte, and dumped it out, but I did get to leave work at at 3:30, so's I could use the computer there while my laptop dried out.Deb's Lunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18367169705945422321noreply@blogger.com2