. . .and Today

Tonight, I cooked a couple of recipes from The Silver Spoon, a book that has been used in Italy for years, but was only recently translated for us lowly Americans. It is full of very simple recipes (and some not so simple ones) that Italians use daily. I picked a seared rosemary porkloin cooked in butter and olive oil recipe and an accompanying potato dish recipe for dinner tonight. Some photos are posted below.

Finally, I made good on a recipe that began about a week ago. Tina's birthday gift cookbook, from which I gleaned a pickling recipe and a butter making recipe, also had a bacon recipe in it. The curing took a week and the final step, the smoking process, was completed today. Here's what the finished product looks like. I will let you know how it tastes soon.

~Josh

Dinners Yesterday. . .

Last night, Tina made a wonderful Indian meal: Beef Buffad. It consisted of beef, onions, peppers, ginger, and various Indian spices. It turned out very good. I took some "foodie" style photos of the primary ingredients and have posted them below.


We bought the peppers at a local Indian market called Ker's. It is located in this little pocket of Indian businesses up by Miramar.

I failed to take a picture of the finished product, but you can imagine what it must have tasted like. . .or not.

~Josh

. . .and After

The bandana lasts but one day.

~Josh

The Buttermilk Conundrum

After April, Dan, and I made butter, we were left with buttermilk. So, rather than throw it out, I put it to use in some scones. A little flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, butter, and buttermilk, and suddenly you have buttermilk scones (a.k.a. buttermilk biscuits). Add some homemade butter, some of mom's apple butter and wild grape jelly, and some french pressed coffee, and you've got a pretty good breakfast.

Otto's Impending Haircut

Though Otto is never enthusiastic about the possibility of a haircut, there is always a marked difference in what he looks like before and after. The above picture is before; tomorrow I will post the after.

~Josh

Boots

These were issued 13 years ago. They're good boots.

~Josh

Fruits and (Pickled) Vegetables

The first of our tomatoes were plucked from the vine today. There are many more in various stages of ripeness, but these are the first. I also harvested some massive onions. Okay. . . So they're the smallest onions ever, but that's what we got. I'll be starting some herbs this week to fill the empty pots on the balcony.

For my birthday, Tina bought me a cookbook that goes into curing and pickling, so I took the opportunity to tackle some of the recipes in the book. My sister-in-law, Tina's brother, and I made some butter and I began the process of curing some pork belly. In seven days, I should have bacon. I also pickled some green beans (pictured below).


Finally, I began a sponge for some ciabatta that I'll be baking tomorrow evening. I'm looking forward to fresh bread with homemade butter (and maybe a slice of tomato).

New Bikes and Tina's Rough Intro

Well, we finally replaced the old Cannondale that showed up missing not long after we moved in (and we bought it a friend). Here's Tina's bike:


I think it's the first bike she's had since she was a young teenager. Of course, the introduction was a bit rough. About fifteen minutes into our first ride, the rear wheel came off, went askew, and threw Tina in a bush. Besides tearing her shirt, cutting her back, and bruising her butt, she came out unharmed. I think she was a bit discouraged (maybe more so after I told her it wouldn't be the last crash), but she got back on the next day (after I took the bike back for a new quick release and derailleur hanger). Here's my new bike:



So, here's the first ride we took. It was Tina's first time and we went about seven miles. I promised her that the soreness would go away and I think it has.

When I went with Tina, I tried to avoid the big hills, so I decided to aim for them when I went out on my own. Needless to say, it has been awhile. Here's the route I took: