UNI Game

Attending the UNI game was a hoot. We had a delicious Bloody Mary; saw the swanky rooms at HotelRED, thanks to Mr. J.R. generously sharing his reserved room; watched an exciting game at Union South's Sett; and enjoyed some lovely company.

And Miss Erica even sported gameday wear. (Note the Panthers shirt, the Badgers hat, and the purple beads: I was trying to pre-empt any sort of confrontation with an inebriated fan from either side.)

All Hallows' Eve

Day of the Dead Woman and Binder Full of Women

Pimpy the Clown admiring the Binder of Women

Summer Recap

J.D. prepping our picnic at APT

I love the above pic of J.D. I know he doesn't like having his picture taken, but I have to make this exception. Look at his adorable little smile.

APT

Cedar Falls

These are just a few shots of trips to Cedar Falls this summer.

Adventures in Stock Land

<in Julia Child's voice> You start with the vegetables (celery, onion, carrot, garlic).

Then you add a pile of sage that's been hiding in your freezer for longer than you want to admit.

And then you toss in a carcass of some sort (I believe it was fowl in origin), also dredged from the frozen depths of the freezer.

Larp

I've been yearning to make this for ages. I used to have a version of it at Chee Peng Palace, a Thai and Laotian restaurant in La Crosse. Unfortunately, it no longer exists. I think they made a beef version, it was called larb, and they served it with this divine purple sticky rice. I haven't perfected the purple sticky rice yet and this was a pork version, but it was pretty darn good. The recipe's below.

Belated Fireworks + Eggs Benedict

At the beginning of September, I visited the Daleys in Lake Mills. A small group of us had a lovely dinner and then built a fire and watched the belated fireworks (they were rescheduled from July 4th because of a burn ban). The next day, Mr. Daley treated us to eggs Benedict. I hadn't had that decadent treat since childhood, and that was at a Perkins. I'm not sure if that even counts since some of the party-goers said that restaurants often use a mix for the Hollandaise.

There are conflicting versions of eggs Benedict's origins, but at a basic level, it consists of two halves of a toasted English muffin topped with ham or bacon, poached eggs, and Hollandaise sauce. Hollandaise is one of the five mother sauces of French haute cuisine, and it consists of emulsified egg yolks, butter, lemon juice, salt, and white or cayenne pepper.

Feting and Salads

Greek salad

This summer when it was excruciatingly hot, I was really into salads. I can't recall which recipe I used for the Greek salad, but here's one from Epicurious if you're interested in concocting it.

Salade Nicoise

Again, I can't remember which recipe I used for my somewhat modified salade Nicoise, but here's a basic recipe from Melissa d'Arabian of the Food Network.

Richard III

Last Sunday, we went to see Richard III at American Players' Theater in Spring Green. It was very warm, but once I reached a sweaty threshold, I just dealt with it. Besides, we had a wonderful performance to distract us. I'd never seen that play before, and I was very impressed. It's such an intense story, and I want to learn more about the historical figure of Richard III (versus the highly fictionalized account concocted by Shakespeare). Next on my watch list is the 1995 adaptation starring Ian McKellen, which takes place in 1930s Britain.

And of course the food: We had a lovely picnic with soppresata; prosciutto; cold lentil salad (recipe from A Sweet Pea Chef below); broccolini, mushroom, and mozzarella salad (recipe also below and was recommended by Mr. Beau); multigrain baguette;

Noshing in Phoenix

Mmm...pho

Fair readers: I have been neglecting you. I'm so sorry. What can I say? It's summer.

These picks are from a few of the places I ate during my last visit to Phoenix in May...I think.

Break(fast) Dancing

Just a simple little shot of a breakfast (almond butter on an English muffin and topped with sliced strawberries; espresso) I constructed at work one morning.

And this dish (scrambled eggs with mushrooms and kale) paired with coffee to provide us with a leisurely weekend breakfast at home.