Last night I went out to Dali with a friend - hadn’t been in a long time, so it was perfect timing. We started with Pato Braseado (duck in berry sauce). Julio had them pick out the largest leg/thigh combo for us and it was perfectly cooked.
Also Patatas Alioli, chunks of roasted potatoes with a garlic-caper alioli drizzled on top, and Croquetas de Jamón, which was fried croquettes of Serrano ham and Manchego cheese served with an amazing tomato jam.
Second round was Gambas con Gambardina (deep-fried Saffron Batter Shrimp with a garlic-parsley Mojo sauce) and Solomillo en Tostada (beef tenderloin on grilled toast with roasted red pepper…extra Mojo is great on this!)
Libation was Dali’s red sangria, and dessert was Churros with Catalan Crema and chocolate sauce for dipping, and Cuarenta y Tres.
Let’s just say I slept in today. LOL There was a good regular season ending by the Patriots today.
Easy dinner tonight - a tub of chili pulled from the freezer, put on top of some elbow noodles as my stepfather always did, topped with grated Rum Runner cheese from Whole Foods and a hefty dollop of sour cream.
My DH cooked an Iowa beef sirloin tip roast sous vide for 36 hrs. We served it like prime rib au jus with horseradish cream. Sides were bakers, blue cheese wedges, and a crappy frozen creamed spinach. Some shortcuts are not worth it!
Another year in the books. Some tough times with Mom, but she’s doing so much better, for which I’m ever so thankful. Busy at work, which is better than the alternative, right?
The days continue to move forward, I continue to get older, life continues to throw wrenches. But as Patches O’Houlihan said, “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.” So I’ll keep dodging those wrenches.
Other than seeing Mom earlier today and dropping off donations at the Salvation Army, I spent it planning a NYE dinner. A quick cheese and fruit plate to Scooby Snack on during the afternoon - Manchego, membrillo and Marcona almonds, a nutty, buttery creamy Brillat-Savarin, crackers, nectarines, kiwi slices and red grapes.
Since I didn’t get a chance to make it for Christmas dinner with Mom, I chose to make a Beef Tenderloin steak with Cognac Cream Sauce (more medium than medium-rare, but it was still very good!), roasted baby potatoes, and green beans with toasted almonds. A very good 2011 Brunello di Montalcino as the libation.
One of my favorite Chinese dishes Mei Cai Kou Rou [梅菜扣肉]. A somewhat labor intensive dish, but so worth it. It’s pork belly that has been blanched, fried and then steamed to produce a very silky and soft texture that almost melts in your mouth, paired with sweet/savory dried and preserved mustard greens in a soy based sauce. Pairs really well with rice!
This is actually my second attempt. It’s such a complicated dish that I had to stop and start, re-read instructions my first time. This time was a lot smoother (and less painful, after knowing to watch for the popping oil when frying…), but it still takes a good 1.5 to 2 hours to prepare, and the mei cai (preserved mustard greens) has to be soaked for at least a few hours, preferably overnight. Apparently I still stink at dicing the mei cai, as it was still extremely long strips.
Got back from cali yesterday afternoon, for about 48hrs in nyc before going to philly early morning on the 2nd.
There was seriously nothingness in my apartment, went to the nearby grocery for essentials and decided i could definitely take down an entire bunch of cilantro in two days Needed a big salad after all day of random snacky things while traveling.
There’s cucumber, olives, some chickpeas and lettuce under that cilantro pile somewhere
Had a big honeycrisp with almond butter and my tea late night.
NYE in nyc is a disaster of epic proportions, i’m usually still in CA, or a friends little party- seems everyone is traveling this year and I’m getting old and lame and am perfectly content staying in away from the cold rain and wind and crowds of drunk idiots.
Stopped at the decent grocery this afternoon and decided i needed stewed cabbage. That odd recipe i make with lots of tomato paste, onions, garlic, chopped tomatoes, caraway seeds, peanut butter, cider vinegar, lots of black pepper, and shredded thin cabbage. I was multitasking and apparently opened a can of hominey, not white beans. Shrugged and added it in- why not? Simmered for a good long time.
Not photogenic but really delicious. Kombucha a la carte as my bubbly tonight.
Happy New Year to all!! I feel so lucky to have such a fantastic group of inspiring supportive and kind friends here
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meatn3
(equal opportunity eater in the NC Triangle)
705
Well said!
A forum that started from frustration has turned into a really nice thing!
Smoked West Indian ham with pineapples - since I bought the spicy ham smoked and cooked, the pineapple was more for decoration , instead of syrup, I used honey.
LOL There was a good regular season ending by the Patriots today. 
Needed a big salad after all day of random snacky things while traveling.
