didion likes to play with our cell phones. he is quite good at mastering functions we, frankly, didn’t know we had. but a one-year-old can be entertained by programming non-existent contacts and scheduling imaginary meetings for only so long. i knew we needed to kick it up a notch, so a couple of months ago, i downloaded some songs onto my phone. didion loves it! yesterday i downloaded songs to steven’s phone, and this morning, didion had both phones going simultaneously.
today steven and i spent much time and energy cleaning out grimy gutters and raking the last of the leaves. every year we stand at the curb, agog and amazed at how many freakin’ leaves come off our trees. i love those trees, but COME ON!
tomorrow a storm arrives. we are looking at rain and sleet. the rest of the week is rain and snow.
um, seriously, i made the BEST dressing/stuffing ever. i took my mom’s recipe, which is very good and i’ve made for a bajillion years, and tweaked it in all sorts of fabulous ways. here’s the recipe …
the stuff
1/2 loaf italian bread (or french baguette), cubed (1/2 – 3/4 inch)
1 cup unsalted butter
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried sage
2-1/2 cups celery, medium chop
1 medium (white or yellow) onion, medium dice
3 leeks, medium chop from white through light-green
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup parmesean cheese, grated
1/2 cup fresh parsley, fine chop
1 cup walnuts, medium chop
1 cup hazelnuts, medium chop
1/2 cup figs, roughly chopped
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
the how
several hours before making the dressing, cube the bread. do NOT cut off the crust! lay the bread out, flat, on a cookie sheet and let it dry out. you can speed this process up by putting the cookie sheet in a low-heat oven until the bread feels dry but not toasted.
melt butter in a large (12″) saute pan. (i have a 12″, 5 qt. pan that works perfectly for this recipe.)
add sage and thyme to melted butter. stir and saute for a couple of minutes.
add onions, celery, and leeks. stir and saute for a good 10 minutes … you want everything nice and soft.
stir in chicken stock, parmesean, and parsley. stir constantly so the parmesean distributes evenly.
add salt and pepper. (i like a fat teaspoon — or two — of salt and a good 20 grinds of the pepper mill.)
stir in walnuts and hazelnuts.
once nuts are distributed and coated, fold in bread cubes and, finally, the figs. be careful to fold! you don’t want to munch the figs.
once everything is heated through, you can serve it right out of the pan or stuff the bird or transfer to a baking dish and toast up in the oven. you can also nibble on it from the stove top as you make the rest of t-day dinner (not that i would know anything about that) …
this makes a lot of dressing, which is a good thing in my house. this recipe is plenty to keep a party of 8-10 people very happy.
YUM!
(by the way … this is how you clean leeks … (1) chop the unwashed leeks; (2) put chopped leeks into a bowl of cold water; (3) let leeks soak for a few minutes, gently swishing them around in the water with your hand; (4) transfer the leeks to a colander, being sure not to dump the now sandy water on them; (5) rinse the leeks in the colander with cold water; (6) drain.)
lordy, are we in a good mood over here at didionville! everyone slept in today! and what a difference a couple of hours makes!
steven and i are so damn happy and, yes, thankful for what we have … our little family here in the POK and our bigger families out west. we are bunkering in for the long weekend, just enjoying each other and gorging ourselves. we’re having a little different kind of thanksgiving feast, but we think it will still be good. here’s wants on the menu for today …
breakfast
bacon & eggs!!!
brunch, lunch, and afternoon snack
NACHOS!
dinner
tenderloin roast
mashed potatoes and parsnips with marscapone
roasted beets with balsamic reduction and creme fraiche
walnut and hazelnut “stuffing” with leeks
green beans with garlic
PLUS we are watching an ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT marathon! granted we have the whole series on dvd, but there is something extra cool about it actually being BROADCAST!
A few months ago, Leslie got an idea for braising meat from Alton Brown. She quickly took the recipe and made it her own with delicious results, adding the tender and flavorful meat to soup. This week, she climbed to new heights. We have been enjoying a chicken and vegetable soup that has been getting better every day. Though she doesn’t have the temperament (almost) and our kitchen doesn’t have the same rules, the quality of the soups has led me to compare her to the Soup Nazi. That way, when Izzie comes begging, I get to say, “No soup for you!”
i wrote a pretty darn good (if i do say so myself!) post at a candid world about paulson’s plan to use all $700 billion of bailout money to capitalize banks and consumer-credit companies. i think the idea sucks. also, i mention the NOT LEGAL move treasury made by amending the tax code so banks can avoid paying upwards of $140 billion in taxes.
i am posting here about it, because i want my friends and family to be educated on the crap-ass stuff that is going on re: the economy. essentially, the bush administration has zero skill in dealing with economic crises. hopefully, the obama administration will be able to right many of the wrongs.
i know the subject is dense and intimidating, but don’t be afraid to arm yourself with knowledge!
mike (pc over at the big stick) tagged me for a meme. the object is to write six random things about yourself and then tag six other people.
here are six things about me:
i would love to run a very small restaurant with my sister (auntie jen). i would handle all savories; she would take care of all pastries and breads. yum!
professionally, i can be scary, but i am a compassionate manager. i just want everyone to care and to do their best, and i think my capacity for empathy makes me able to help people do just that.
i can open doors (as in turn door knobs and pull) with my toes.
i am really good at getting the big picture, which is a right-brained thing.
i fervently enjoy calculus. calculus is a beautiful way to conceptualize the universe.
“chill” is my favorite atmosphere.
and here are my six people (the idea is to get people with blogs, but i’m picking friends of mine who don’t have blogs. just leave your six things in the comments. xo!) …
didion and i like to get bundled up in the late afternoon and go outside and crunch in the leaves and practice our walking. i just uploaded a set of pics from yesterday. it is so much fun experiencing the world for the first time with him. he is completely exhausting, but being worn out was never so satisfying!
