Leftoverpalooza continues:
Broccoli risotto
Leftover prosciutto
and
a new-to-me salad from one of Hetty McKinnon’s books: lentils (which I haven’t eaten in like 20 years), golden beets and an herb-stuffed yogurt-based dressing. The grocery store only had super-expensive, sad-looking organic beets, so I used some leaves of radicchio instead. I’ve been CRAVING bitter things with all this indulgence. The lentils reminded me why I never eat them.
Loquita https://www.loquitasb.com/ is a well established Spanish tapas style restaurant in Santa Barbara which is covering a range of “classic” dishes. Most of these dishes were well executed and tasty (but we would love to see restaurants serving paella with socerrat which really adds much more flavor to the dish).
I’ve not had a croqueta yet that I liked, but both of those sound great. The octopus and shroom dish are also calling my name!
I’ve never gotten “into” lentils either. But the rest of the salad ingredients sound like they’d go well with farro or wild rice in place of lentils, for a grain salad warm or chilled.
I would love the instructions for the brie in sourdough, if possible. It looks wonderful.
Would you please share with me how you make your cognac cream sauce. That sounds so good. I have never had it and want to do so by making it. TIA
Here i am again, Linda, asking for the recipe you mentioned: Dinner was made using my trusty Mueller’s elbow noodles recipe from the 1970s.
I am hoping it is the recipe I used to use that was lost during a move. I have looked and asked for that recipe so many times during the years since the move. Asked Mueller’s several times for it and they never sent the correct recipe. Even went on line to the - well can’t remember his name now. It was Uncle something. TIA
Reading my past NYE posts in FB Memories, I’ve almost always had a look-back and I try for a positive look-forward. So for this year, here it is (it’s long; feel free to TL;DR it):
I lost another kitty companion.
That never gets any easier.
But I managed.
But I got another who has certainly livened up the place.
What would it be like to have Buster, Alfie, Finnegan and Murphy here all at once?
Pure insanity! But I’d love every minute.
And I’d manage. (Except having to clean the litter box. 
)
I had to deal with a flood at my workplace and help move 26 employees to temporary space within less than a month.
I managed with the help of key coworkers.
Several weeks later, I lost almost 80% power in my townhouse ) for 10 days during a hot holiday weekend and the days thereafter.
I managed. And fans helped in my bedroom.
I turned 65yo.
Had to apply for Medicare A.
Not much I can do but manage, right?
I’m officially an Old.
Although I don’t feel it.
At least until my knees, back, and feet scream bloody murder. Then it’s like WTH? I’m not THAT old!
But I keep on keeping on, and I manage.
That’s what we do as our lives move on. We manage.
Today, I managed to ignore the calendar was turning over a new page, and went with a favorite meal:
Duck breast with blackberry sauce, toasted Israeli couscous with shallots and dried Fine Herbes, and steamed asparagus.
There was wine, and there will be Cuarenta y Tres for dessert.
I suspect I won’t stay up until midnight, because…Old.
But I’ll manage.
Wishing you all a very happy, safe, and loving New Year.
Do you want to retire soon??
You can never get back the sleep you miss by staying up too late.
Happy New Year!
I started long ago with this recipe, with modifications:
Ingredients quantities I use are:
2 Tbsp (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 teaspoon (packed) brown sugar
1/2 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup canned beef broth
1/2 cup Cognac or brandy (I use a good VSOP cognac)
1/4 cup whipping/heavy cream
And you’ll need to simmer for at LEAST 45 minutes to reduce appropriately). Epicurious’s w0 minutes is serioysly a bunch of hooey, and they never should have published the recipe with that reduction time.
I also continue to simmer over ver low heat after the heavy cream has been whisked in, to further reduce and thicken.
This has the majority of the ingredients as was on the Mueller’s box from the 1970s. The cheese change-up and Panko mixture is my own.
Baked Mac & Ham & Cheese
Adapted from the Mueller’s elbow noodle box from the 1970s
1-1/2 to 2 cups dry elbow noodles
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour, more if needed for roux
1-1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2-1/4 cups milk
2-1/2 to 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or a mix of cheddar and Gruyere OR Havarti OR Monterey Jack cheeses; use your favorite cheeses that combine in taste and melt well)
2 cups chopped ham (I buy a packaged honey ham slice or ask the deli to slice a single 3/4" thick slice. They’ll look at you weird, but who cares?)
2/3 cup Panko crumbs
**1/2 Tbsp dried parsley **
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cook elbows to just al dente and drain.
Combine Panko, parsley, garlic powder, and paprika in a small bowl and set aside.
In a 2 qt. saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in half of the flour, and all of the mustard and s/p to form a thin roux. Whisk in remaining flour, cooking for a couple of minutes to remove the flour taste. Roux should be gathered together in small balls under your whisk; add more flour if needed.
Add milk slowly in 1/3 cup increments, whisking constantly until slightly thickened each time. Once all milk has been added and you can see the mixture is slightly thickened, add cheese, a handful at a time, whisking to melt the cheese at each add until it’s at a desired cheese sauce thickness. You might not need all of the cheese for the sauce, but you’ll use it up later.
In a 2 quart casserole dish, add drained elbow noodles and chopped ham, stirring a bit to mix it up. Slowly add cheese sauce until all noodles and ham are coated with sauce. Mix carefully with a wooden spoon.
Sprinkle Panko crumb mixture over top. If you don’t use it all, put into a small baggie for later use.
Bake mac and cheese for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is lightly bubbly.
Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
I honestly can’t see myself doing so so until at least 70yo. I need the routine of getting up and going to work. Yes, I could volunteer at an animal shelter, or work P/T, but I like what I do and I’m good at it, despite my complaints about it. LOL
#shellybean mentioned tamale pie up thread so that was what I made tonight. Also some roast squash with local-ish hickory syrup
What is hickory syrup? Is it like maple syrup? I’ve never heard of it.
Made squid stuffed with pork, chives, mushrooms, and glass noodles. Jasmine rice and peas to go with. Happy New Year’s Eve!
First dinner meal of the new year will see 1/2 of our kids and that family coming over for a simple pasta bake, garlic bread and green salad to eat, kid’s champagne to drink and lots of board games and such. We have lots of saved up bubble wrap to jump on outdoors on to make lots of noise. We do this for Chinese New Year, too. It works best on dry, flat linoleum floirs, but we don’t have those in our house.
Happy New Year to all!
NYE dinner ! Mom had a friend over so I made them grilled pork chops, green beans and butternut squash roasted with thyme and rosemary. Also homemade applesauce.
For dessert, Meyer lemon tart.
See y’all in 2024!!
Every time I’m at the local UPS store my PIC has to stop me from buying an entire roll of the big bubble wrap 
