In the kitchen

For those of you who don't know, Eddie has been made redundant at her work which means she is home every evening now.  She's home during the days too, but she was before.  Now that she's not trapsing off to work 4 nights a week I get to enjoy her company.

The few weeks leading up to the concert she also did a majority of the cooking - which I very much appreciated (mostly because she's a better cook - but also because it allowed me to focus on getting the rehearsals done and really paying attention to the music). 

Ok - concert's over (look at http://interchangingidioms.blogspot.com for more details about how that went) - and no reason for her to continue doing all the cooking.  So, I've taken my hand at preparing a few meals.  Meal loaf on Monday was a success.  Fish last night wasn't bad, but the house smelled like fish until well after bedtime (not pleasant). 

And then there is this, which isn't really what happens when I cook - but indicative of how I feel things are going when I cook.  

Comments

[Rob]

Sorry to hear about Eddie: still, when one door closes and all that. Virgin's loss is your kitchen's gain.

Funnily enough I recently posted not only a recipe but an American recipe. You might enjoy it.

And I tagged you guys with a meme but it's rolled off onto the archive now. Now you have a little breathing space I'd be interested in (both) your contributions.

[Barrett]

Summer has hit full force here in California, so I've been out 'experimenting' on the BBQ. Tasha and I found some wonderful recipes:

Lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and shallot marinated lamb chops on the grill...... YUM.

Artichokes, halved and steamed, then drizzled with liquid smoke and sprinkled with sea salt, then grilled.... wonderfuly smokey and divine.

Caramelized bacon wrapped fillet mignon. THIS one was great. Cook the bacon in the microwave for one minute between two stacked plates. This keeps the bacon from curling, and also renders a lot of the fat out of the bacon. Then dredge one side of the bacon in a mixture of sugar and pepper. Season the steaks with salt and pepper, then wrap the bacon around it, sugar on the outside. Secure with toothpicks. Grill, with a slice of bacon folded on top of the steaks (this keeps them really really moist). Half-way though the grilling process, take the bacon off the top, and grill it directly on the grill. Serve the steaks, with the grilled bacon crumbled on top...... ok, now I'm hungry again...

[Chip Clark]

Barrett... my dear, dear friend.

1 - the weather here hasn't been condusive to BBQ's - although fires in Monterey area might not be the best idea either (at present).

2 - Artichokes can be had, but nothing of the quality of the Castroville ones so we've tended to avoid them.

3 - I'll expect at least one lovely meal when we come in September... even with all the other festivities going on.