snowangel

The verdict is in. These were, accoring to those who have been eating these for many decades, "the best ever. What is your secret?." I didn't want to let tell that a couple of big dollops of Tabasco Chipotle were the trick, but I finally fessed up. THe lutefisk, over enough potatoes, and with enough melted butter and cracked black pepper, were "heartwarming." Now, if I could only learn to like one of my sister's in law...but I don't think that's something that a condiment will fix.

At our In-Law gift thing tonight, I gave micoplanes. I am temporarily the goddess.

So, I used the recipe provided above by lorea. This recipe coincided almost exactly with that in the Lutheran Church cookbook my mother got in 1957, except that one called for a meat grinder, not a food processor. Then, my MIL called and "reminded me" that she uses a gravy, and favors Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup. Well, I just don't have any, and my trip to the liquor store, passing by the grocery store indicated I didn't want to get anywhere near that store. So, time to improvise. I have onions. I have shallots (which I used). I have butter. I have flour. I have been stock (highly reduced. I have cream. I have dried porcinis. So, there it was. The roux. The stock. The re-hydrated porcinis. Some cream. Some salt, some pepper. It lacked punch. So, time to improvise even more. Added a couple of dollops of Tabasco Chipotle. Bingo! The meatballs are in the gravy, sitting in the garage (this time of year, our second garage serves as a fridge when the one in the house is full of other stuff). Paul said, after a tasting -- "these are going to put my mother to shame." A different kind of trouble. When this was done, I made some larb to take as an appetizer for tomorrow evening's festivities. And about 12 dozen cookies.

Has Don noticed the pizza stone? (my kids are screaming for a snow day; they didn't get one last year)

We, too, do the lutefisk thing on Xmas Eve (with the in-laws). Ironically, we used to do oyster soup. Now, don't get me wrong. I love oysters. I just don't like them floating in warm milk (with nothing else). They reminded me of snot balls. So, one year, Paul suggested we do something different. So, lutefisk and swedish meatballs. Lutefisk? I put it on boiled new potatoes, and smash the whole works together. Lots of melted butter, some white sauce, and an astonishing amount of cracked black pepper, and you hardly know it's lutefisk. Heidi (my child with disabilities) loves it. It's white (her favorite food color). It comes with butter and potatoes. It's easy to eat with a spoon off her scoop bowl. It is what it is. I eat it once a year. I'll eat anything. Except lefse. That stuff leaves me cold. A cold, potato crepe with butter and sugar. ????? I think this year, I'm going to tote along a bottle of Tabasco chipotle and see what it does for the lutefisk. I'm taking roasted carrots (a favorite of mine) and a great salad with spinach, pomegranite seeds, candied pecans with a nice dressing. I'm also bringing swedish meatballs, and have resisted the temptation to substitute larb balls.

I made larb again yesterday. Leftovers make a great breakfast. So, I'm supposed to bring swedish meatballs to Xmas Eve dinner. Do you suppose they'd notice if I substituted Larb Balls?

Lid. Cookie sheet. Half sheet pan. Bottom of a bigger skillet. Lids are easy. Hell, a hunk of sheet metal from our garage would work. A piece of glass. Whatever. OK. So, you've inspired me to take on the chicken challenge. I don't have a deep fryer, nor do I intend to get one (I don't have enough outlets unless I cut into the walls). Assume I can just use a nice, heavy bottomed stock pot and a Taylor candy thermometer? (No high tech stuff that requires batteries here.) Can't wait for your "eating cold fried chicken over the kitchen sink tomorrow" report, Marlene. Get the boys into this and their opinions, too, please.

Why, Larb, of course.

Glad it's a go. Can't wait for reports.

Thanks for solving tomorrow night's dinner question, Rachel and Jason!

It is bitter cold today. There is a serious wind chill. But, just about this time of year, it is the first day of winter. We have just about achieved the longest day of the year. Light will reappear. Who as it that said "within the start of season is the beginning of it's own end" (or something akin to that). So, days will get longer. Weather will get warmer. And, someday, I will once again bath in the lake at The Cabin under northern lights. In the meantime, I am braising pork. Hoping it warms up a bit so I can successfully smoke some butt for New Year's Eve. I have no experience with smoking in my Weber Kettle when wind chill's are way below zero.

I would just stick it out in the garage. It's too cold right now on the deck. So, you don't have a pizza peel. Many great suggestions have been offered; I use a cushionare cookie sheet that I hate for anything else (it doesn't have sides, but that's not why I hate it). Just see how much money we have saved you? No need for a pizza peel!

I learned today that I can knit and cook at the same time. Actually, knit and watch the candy thermometer. Knitting was circular, knit only, just working on a heel flap. Oh, and I was talking on the phone at the same time. Gotta love multi-tasking.

Works great, IMHO. (had leftover beef larb for breakfast today. Strong, plain coffee is an "interesting" accompaniment for larb. )

Now that Diana is older, I remember what my mother said. "When your kids are old enough to be home alone, you don't want them to be home alone." Come to think of it, I still remember the names of the kids I knew in HS whose moms weren't home after school. Now, back to food!

When your husband asks if it's new just say "this old thing? I've had if for ages. I was just waiting for the proper moment to use it." ← So, just how often does Don look in the oven? Remember "I've had it for ages." For my kids, at Christmas, ages is just a few minutes!

Pizza stone. Pizza stone. (at any kitchen stuff store) It will not be unused; you just leave it in the oven all the time!

We're kind of fond of the Barilla pipettes.

Strikes me you need to go out tomorrow morning and get a pizza stone. Breakfast? Coffee and a cigarette for you, I suppose? For the lad, how about bacon, scrambled eggs and toast?

Xmas, blogging and showing the house? Of all of these, showing the house is the absolute worst. When we did it last year, they always called with about a 10 minute warning on a muddy day when the kids were home from school having a snack. I had read things about food smells in a house that is being shown. They recommend stuff like bread baking, cinnamon, etc. The afternoon we sold our house, I had been doing the braised bacon from Zuni Cafe cookbook. So, I get The Call -- that someone's going to be there in 10 minutes. Diana got busy and cleaned, I stuck the bacon into the garage, got kids ready and got out of there. The house smelled heavenly. In fact, at the closing, the buyers commented on that wonderful aroma!

If it's below zero, it's time to sharpen the hooks and think about ice fishing while one is braising (and the ice on the lakes is getting nice and thick).

Glad your up at it again, Marlene. And, any topic with bacon in the subject line really gets me going . This is a busy (and potentially emotionally charged) week for many of us, and thanks for taking this one one!

No way. Too far from The Cabin. My stock certainly cooled quickly on the deck .

It's our first subzero night of the season. It started out beautiful and sunny, about 30 (F). We are now down subzero and plummeting fast. I'm reminded tonight that we have many of those brittle nights to come. That season during which those lovely greens in the market can flash freeze in the trip from the market door to the car. So, as Paul and I (the first really cold night in our first house), run around and make sure everything is buttoned up tight; listening to how often the furnace runs; run to garage to get shims, chisels, screwdrivers -- to tighten up the latches on the windows that just aren't right and are letting in too much cold air), I ponder, as I do at this time every year, just what does one do in the kitchen to keep body and soul warm? The sun hangs low during the day, 'tis the season when sunny days are harbinginers of cold, cold, cold. I quick scurry through the deep freeze and freezer reveal a chuck roast and several bags of chicken bones. So, tomorrow, is it stock or a braise? So all is out, and I will make stock and braise tomorrow. Perhaps bake some cookies as well. Use up those last apples from the orchard and make a pie. So, when it gets really cold, what do you cook? Cold makes me want to cook more than ever.

I have just made larb. 3 pounds of ground pork worth. Were my camera charged up, I would post a photo of this beautiful mound.