RoundAbout San Diego

Alex and I had our St. Patrick's Day dinner last night. My traditional corned beef and cabbage is a little different from the usual and takes quite a bit of time to prepare so I didn't have the time to make it during the week. I've been making this dinner once a year for over 8 years and it's now got to the point where I can't remember how I came about this recipe. I've fiddled about with it only a little since I first made it and I no longer have a written recipe so the following is a little touch and go.

Corned Beef and Cabbage



1 packet corned beef
Large pot of cold water
8 slices bacon
2 large onions
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 russet pot
1 lb carrots
1 large head of cabbage
1 carton low sodium chicken broth
1 cup white wine
1 cup juice from corned beef

Place corned beef in large pot of cold water and bring to boil. Drain, and using same pot, add enough cold water to cover corned beef and bring to simmer. Simmer, covered, for 2 - 3 hours.

Cook bacon in large frying pan until crisp and golden brown. Remove and crumble. Chop onions and then fry in batches, on a low heat, in same frying pan until brown and carmelized. This can take up to half an hour for each batch. During the last minute of cooking add garlic and stir until fragrant. Stir in bacon and turn off heat.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Quarter, or cut into several wedges, the cabbage. Place in a very large roasting pan. Peel and quarter potatoes and place alongside the cabbage. Peel and slice the carrots and scatter over the cabbage and potatoes. Sprinkle the onions and bacon over everything. Heat the chicken stock, wine and some juice from the corned beef and pour over the cabbage and potatoes. Seal with aluminum foil and put into a 350 oven for about an hour.

Servers 4-6.

As this cooks in the oven the flavors from the bacon and onion will cook into the potatoes and cabbage. This is an artery hardening meal that is too hard to say no to.

Potage Crecy from Blue Kitchen was the other recipe I did while Klaus was here. I forgot to mention it before so here it is. This creamy soup is ideal for cold winter nights. Even though we didn't have any of them while Klaus was visiting, it still made us feel warm and good all over. This would be good as a starter soup for a nice dinner or part of a main meal with a salad and some nice bread.

Potage Crecy

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek, white and tender green parts, rinsed and sliced [see Kitchen Notes]
3/4 pounds carrots [about 5 or 6], diced
3/4 pounds russet or Yukon gold potatoes, diced
2-1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
1-1/4 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves [or 1/2 teaspoon dried]
1 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
additional fresh thyme leaves, for garnish

Heat a dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat. Melt butter and combine with olive oil. Add leeks and sauté, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add potatoes and carrots and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add thyme, cover the pot and simmer until carrots and potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Purée the soup in a blender or food processor, in batches, if necessary. [Alternatively, use a handheld immersion blender in the pot.]

Return puréed soup to the pot. Add half-and-half, lemon juice and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper to taste [using a light hand, depending on how salty your chicken stock or broth is]. Bring to a simmer until just heated through. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh thyme leaves or parsley. Serve.

Remember to check out the kitchen notes on Blue Kitchen's web page.

While Alex was hard at work on the bathroom I thought I'd make some cookies - not something I do very often. This recipe came from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine, November 2008. The recipe calls for yellow cornmeal and I had it in medium grind which left the cookies a little grainy. If I were to make them again I would try a finer grind. I'm still picking the grains out from in between my teeth as I write. They were not overly sweet, which I like, and all in all I quite liked them.

Cornmeal Cookies



1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal and salt; set aside

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture, mixing just until combined.

Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, about 2 inches apart, onto two large baking sheets; flatten slightly with floured fingertips. Bake until edges are golden, 14 to 16 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies immediately to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Makes 26

Alex spent the day working on the new studs and the plumbing for the shower unit. He did a fabulous job feeding the hot and cold pipes through the new studs and neatly soldering all the joints.

Went to Terra last night for happy hour. We had our rehearsal dinner there all the way back in June, 2002. We've been back many times since and the menu has changed often but we still get the quality and atmosphere that we like. Happy hour starts at 5:00pm Monday thru Friday and although it offers a fairly decent menu we still order from the bar menu.

Last night we started with ginger chicken potstickers and garlic french fries. The potstickers were served on a bed of asian slaw which offered a great sweet and spicey crunch. The garlic french fries were loaded with chopped garlic and a spicy seasoning. We finished up with the seafood sliders for me and the pulled pork sliders for Alex. Everything was so good and I'm sure we'll be going back soon.

Another Fred joined the Boese/Walton critter household today. We came home to Fred the lizard, sunning himself on the patio.



It was quite long and beautifully marked.

Rocky's Crown Pub is the most perfect neighborhood bar with the best burgers in San Diego. Unfortunately, it's not located in our neighborhood. Alex and I had to drive to Pacific Beach (PB) to meet Charlie and Danielle for burgers and beer on Monday night but we're glad we did.

Rocky's is a bar (not a restaurant) and really, really, small so getting a seat can be touch and go. The service can be a bit slow but if you're hanging out having a beer with friends it really isn't that big a deal. The menu is basic - burger or cheeseburger; 1/3lb or 1/2lb; onions (grilled if preferred), tomatoes, and green lettuce. Fries can be ordered on the side. A decent, but small, beer list. You need to be 21 to get in and they take only cash - no credit cards.

The burgers are amazing. Thick, and full of flavor, the juice dribbles down your chin when you take the first bite - Mmmmmm! One of the rumors going around is that the beef is mixed with butter before being cooked - way to go Rocky's. The only downside to Rocky's for me, is their fries. They are just very so, so.

More fabulous reviews and a few pictures can be found at http://www.yelp.com/biz/rockys-crown-pub-san-diego and
http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2006/12/its_burger_week.html

Rocky's consistently ranks as # 1 or 2 for the best burgers in San Diego. At the moment they are my #1 choice. Will keep you updated as I burger-taste my way around town.

After a busy day working on the bathroom we had a simple dinner with pre-made sweet and sour tempura chicken from Trader Joe's, rice, and these really delicious green beans. The chicken just needed to be baked in the toaster oven, the rice I had to make on the stove top because my rice cooker gave up after over 20 years of use, and the green beans took all of 30 minutes to make from start to finish. I found the recipe in last week's food section of the San Diego Union Tribune and they got it from "The Roasted Vegetable" by Andrea Chesman.

Soy Roasted Green Beans

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar or dry sherry
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs green beans, ends trimmed
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 deg. Lightly oil a large roasting pan or two large baking sheets. In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and garlic. Arrange green beans on roasting pan or baking sheets in a single layer. Drizzle the sauce over the beans and and roll until evenly coated.

Roast about 15 minutes until well browned and tender, shaking the pan(s) now and again to ensure even cooking. Serve with pepper to taste.

4 large servings.

While Klaus was here I tried my first Blue Kitchen recipes. Here is the recipe for Leeks with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette that I served with grilled chicken. Check out the web page for a picture of the leeks.

Leeks with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette

3 leeks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup chicken stock [or vegetable stock—see Kitchen Notes]
1/2 cup water
1-1/2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Trim roots if overly long, but leave enough to keep bases intact. Slice off most of the green tops. Slice leeks in half lengthwise. Rinse under running water, gently fanning layers to wash out any trapped grit. Leeks like to grow in sandy soil, so you need to clean them carefully.

Heat a sauté or frying pan large enough to hold leeks in a single layer over a medium flame. Add oil and butter and swirl together. Arrange leeks in pan, cut side down, and sauté, turning occasionally with tongs and spatula, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Handle leeks gently when turning to keep as intact as possible.

Add stock, water and 1 tablespoon parsley to pan. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and cover pan, cooking leeks until tender, about 10 minutes. Arrange leeks on a serving platter, cut side up. Add lemon juice and mustard to pan, whisking to combine. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper [use a light hand with the salt and taste before seasoning—your stock will provide some salt]. Pour vinaigrette over leeks and sprinkle with remaining parsley. Serve immediately.

Terry B, author of Blue Kitchen, always finishes a recipe with tips in his 'Kitchen Notes' section. What makes Blue Kitchen so much fun to read is that Terry B always has a story to go with his recipes.

Klaus spent a week with us and he went home nearly a week ago - we really miss him. He and Alex got so much done working together although none of it was really on the original 'job list'. It started out with the discovery of large amounts of dry rot in the studs and floor boards. Even Boo was cautious while checking it all out. You could put your finger through parts of the wood.



We (and in this case I mean Alex and Klaus) started pulling up some of the floor boards and Boo immediately wanted to go underneath the house.



The next problem to arise was the total blockage of our sewer pipes. Alex needed to do some basic plumbing to remove some old pipes and discovered the drain from the kitchen to the main sewer was almost completely blocked. It's amazing how many pipes were beneath the house that needed removing and they are truly disgusting to see.



Here you can see how completely blocked some of the drainage was. I'm amazed that the kitchen sink drained at all.



While digging around under the house Alex came across this mummified rat which he touched with his bare hands - eww! When we first moved into the house we would hear creatures running around through the walls and in the attic and wondered what they were - now we know.



Alex and Klaus made a great team working together to replace all the pipes so I could come home from a hard day at work to wash the dishes. I was so thankful that the water drained quickly and I could get the job done much more quickly than before.



I was especially proud when Alex agreed to share his toys with Klaus, albeit with strict supervision.



After their careful measuring it was great to see things coming together - here is a new vent pipe for the toilet being put into place.



Next it was time to remove the rest of the floor boards so a completely new floor base can be installed. Having no floor at all will also make it easier for Alex to do some more electric work and finish up the plumbing.



Here you can see how neat and tidy the pipes look - I feel as if I should dust them and keep them looking clean for as long as possible.



And here's the man, the guy that can do it all, the one who's going to continue the work until Klaus can come back to help us out again.

A week ago Ann and Diana came over to toast our newly finished bathroom and they were really surprised that we had already started on the masterbath. We had a great happy hour (or more) with some appetizers and plenty of wine.



As usual things quickly got out of hand and after toasting our new bathroom with champagne everything went downhill.



Well, we weren't really that bad... but almost.

We recently bought a new bed to replace the one that Charlie took when he moved in with Danielle. We decided on a queen size bed from IKEA and it is now ready for the arrival of Klaus next week. We have so much planned for him that I'm sure he will be collapsing into bed every night with a great sense of relief that the day is over.



Although it's a tight fit we have set up a chair for reading or just for throwing his clothes on at the end of the day.



We hope Klaus will be comfortable while he's staying, and working, with us.

We are exhausted after a busy day pulling down the ceiling. Alex actually pulled it all down but I did help in the clean up.

Here we have Alex hard at work and, through no fault of his own, exhibiting a huge fashion faux pas with his dark socks and sneakers because I hadn't done any laundry this past week. He's hugely embarrassed! Well, I think I'm more embarrassed than he is.



He did such a great job and after we (and I do mean 'we') cleaned up this is what we are left with - a completely empty room.



We are well on the way to our new bathroom.

I was so surprised to find my first rose of the season in the backyard. I never do anything to my feeble little bushes thinking that each year will be the last for them - but they continue to thrive, somewhat.



Looks lovely on the fireplace mantel

Came home to a great sight on Friday - the bathtub and toilet were in the back parking space.



The bathroom was looking pretty empty.



Unfortunately, what is a remodel without some rotted studs? And no, I'm not talking about Alex!