I invited David Shea, owner and chef of Applewood, to come in to our home and conduct a cooking lesson with M for her birthday. It was a great two-hour lesson. David was very laid back and taught M a lot of good tricks. We had striped bass on creamy polenta with orange/grapefruit supremes salad and jalepeno/onion relish. The ribeye was served with cruchy kale and onions with a beurre fondue. More photos.
Category: DIY
Detect DTMF Tones for Mom’s Phones
The battery on my mom’s cordless phone is almost gone so it’s time for a new one. She has a 1-800 calling card number and code programmed into the phone, but she lost the print information years ago. So, I used this “Detect DTMF Tones” site to decode recordings that I made of the numbers. Now she can get a new phone (or maybe Santa will bring one) and reprogram the calling card numbers for several more years of telephonic bliss.
A New Bench
Patio Update
A Great Dinner
Last night we had a slow food feast to celebrate V’s last days in America. While cooking we snacked on some romano and membrillo (quince paste). For an appetizer, M made sea scallops with beurre blanc sauce and red pepper shrimp served on mango and avocado slices. This was followed by V’s saffron risotto (made with Jiloca saffron and marrow instead of butter). Following the risotto, we had pork tenderloin made by C, which was brined for one day and coated in a dry rub for another. It was grilled and served with a wedge of iceberg and a blue cheese dressing. The wine, Selvapiana Fornace, was made by J. The veal, chicken, onions and carrots in V’s risotto stock were used to make a bollito. For dessert we had preserved figs served with a generous slice of pecorino romano. You’ll notice that none of these dishes has been adorned with any adjectives — had I started using them I would have run out of superlatives. My contribution? I lit the grill, took pictures, and ate.