Ten on Tuesday

10 Things to do on a Rainy Day:

1. Curl up with a good book.
2. Bake cookies.
3. Take a nap.
4. Watch a movie.
5. Get some sewing done.
6. Organize the junk drawer.
7. Read, then recycle magazines.
8. Clean out a closet.
9. Update my website.
10. Make something crafty.

My pity party

Today BJ called to tell us his plans have changed. He was supposed to be moving to San Diego in a few weeks. He was in the process of leasing a one-bedroom condo 10 blocks from the beach in Oceanside, CA. It sounded wonderful. After almost two years in Winterhaven/Yuma he was a little tired of the desert. The job opportunities in Yuma weren't great for Lauren so I'm sure they both looked forward to a larger metropolitan area.

So in a quiet way he stated that the company decided that they didn't want to send him to their San Diego project. For a brief moment I was worried that he would be out of work, considering the economy these days. Then he dropped the other shoe, they were sending him to Oahu instead...wow. How incredible. He would be leaving April 5th to start work on April 6th. We were both so happy for him. Both him and Lauren were excited about heading to paradise.

After chatting for a while, we hung up and both Jeff and I were enjoying, more like basking in BJ's success. It's so thrilling to see our kids happy with how things turn out for themselves. We are lucky that all our kids have these great attributes and have good lives.

It wasn't even 5 minutes later when the phone rang. Our neighbor, Sharon wanted to stop by to show me a letter she got from work. We both worked for the same company until she was fired. Apparently she stays in contact with some of her coworker friends who keep her informed of things going on at work. She took the opportunity to call work and try to congratulate someone on a new opportunity. They didn't like her calling, thought it was weird and reported her. So she got a cease and desist letter that she wanted me to read.

It was terrible for her. She didn't understand the ramifications of her actions. Even though she was trying to be nice, the fact that she got fired made people uncomfortable about taking her calls. So she came over for comfort. Plus she just found out she wasn't getting the job she recently interviewed for. At that moment I wished I could have fixed everything for her. She is trying so hard yet she failed to get this new job. To top it off her son was fired from his job, so there's even less income in her household. I hugged her then she left.

One moment we are celebrating a success another we are comforting a failure. The mood in the house changed so rapidly, the feeling was palpable. For a second, I felt like the bad things were happening to me...and I have enough of those. As I wallowed in my own self-pity the guilt kicked in for being so selfish. But really, why can't we just enjoy some happiness for a little while longer? Why does it never last?

Ten on Tuesday

10 Things I'm Looking forward to this Summer:

1. Sturgis, baby, Sturgis!
2. Summer sunrise runs.
3. Motorcycle rides.
4. Swimming with Chloe.
5. Backyard dining.
6. Gardening.
7. Bonfires.
8. Farmer's markets.
9. Festivals (concerts & fireworks).
10. Barefeet.

Yum

As I sit recovering from the effects of a light dose of anesthesia (no, I will not discuss my medical condition here), I popped the movie Julie & Julia into my dvd player. It was such a good movie on so many levels. It's a feel-good film with one of my favorite stars, Merly Streep. The woman is so versatile, and she pulls off Julia Child so well. At least that's how I see it from my memories of watching the real Julia on PBS.

I love writers, blogging, cookbooks, cooking, history and New York which are all represented in this movie. It has inspired me to get her cookbook. I need to make boeuf bourguignon. I need to cook like Julie and Julia. All I have to say is Yum.

As is the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguignon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and can well be the main course for a buffet dinner. Fortunately you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated.

Vegetable and Wine Suggestions: Boiled potatoes are traditionally served with this dish. Buttered noodles or steamed rice may be substituted. If you also wish a green vegetable, buttered peas would be your best choice. Serve with the beef a fairly full-bodied, young red wine, such as Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, Bordeaux-St. Émilion, or Burgundy.

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

Kitchen Supplies:
9- to 10-inch fireproof casserole dish , 3 inches deep
Slotted spoon

Boeuf Bourguignon:
6 ounces bacon
1 Tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil
3 pounds lean stewing beef , cut into 2-inch cubes
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. flour
3 cups full-bodied, young red wine , such as a Chianti
2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 tsp. thyme
Crumbled bay leaf
Blanched bacon rind
18 to 24 small white onions , brown-braised in stock
1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms , sautéed in butter
Parsley sprigs

Directions: Remove rind from bacon, and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.

Dry the stewing beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmersvery slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily. While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.

When the melt is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

For immediate serving: Covet the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.

For later serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

Copyright © 1961, 1983, 2001 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted by arrangement with the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.

Ten on Tuesday

10 Songs I'm Embarrassed to Like:

1. Every Morning by Sugar Ray
2. How Bizarre by OMC
3. It Never Rains in Southern California by Albert Hammond
4. How Long by L.V.
5. Save a Horse by Big & Rich
6. Hooked on a Feeling by Vonda Shepard
7. Woman in Love by Barbra Streisand
8. Mandy by Barry Manilow
9. Said I Loved You but I Lied by Michael Bolton
10. Dancing in the Moonlight by King Harvest

International Motorcycle Show - Rosemont

We headed to the International Motorcycle Show early Saturday morning. We took our time heading towards Chicago. The weather was decent enough to make it an easy road to travel. No snow, no sub-zero temps like the last time we attended this show. We got to Embassy Suites and checked in to our room. It was a lovely room, quite large and clean. I define clean as a non-smoking room that really feels like no one smoked in it. The air was fresh in this room.

We unpacked our things, hung up our dress clothes for our dinner plans at Morton’s and headed over to the show. We walked through the skywalk to get over to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. As it turned out, the skywalk was a very round-about way of getting there. We could have easily went out the front of the hotel and over to the show which was a much more direct route.

We handed over the tickets we bought online glad to know online ordering was not only a cheaper deal, but also more convenient based on the long line of people waiting to buy their tickets.

We got inside and immediately received a Progressive Insurance tote bag to store all that fodder we knew we would pick up along the way. We stopped at booths that had tire changers, exhaust systems, batteries, trailers, chocks, GPS holders, electronics devices, and custom painted bikes. There were plenty of vendors selling helmets, jackets and chaps, boots, and other clothing. We looked at some items made to protect in colder weather, but we already have everything we need at home, it was more of a fact-finding mission to see what new things are available.

We stopped to grab a pretzel and beer while perusing the leather goods available for bikers. We looked at jewelry and scarves found in a section of the convention center dedicated to women bikers. There were also displays of antique bikes – and not just Harleys, many brands, including some I’ve never heard of were there. Most major bike manufacturers, Indian, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Victory, and Harley were all there. Not only could you sit on motorcycles, you could also check out the ATVs. There were quite a few to choose from.
My favorite thing is to pick up information on rides. Most pre-planned rides are charity events and we like to use them as opportunities to see new parts of the Midwest. I got brochures on a brain tumor ride in Madison in August, and Illinois Veteran Memorial ride in June, a disabled children benefit ride in Elgin in May, and a homeless Veteran benefit. It’s good to have options.

We didn’t buy much. Jeff got a set of stretch rubber luggage straps. I thought about buying a scarf but nothing really held my interest. After going through the entire event a second time in case we missed anything, we headed back to the hotel. We put on our swimsuits and headed to the pool. The hotel hot tub was horrible so we swam some laps in the pools to stretch our legs, dried off, and then went back to the room to change. The hotel has a free happy hour and we met some friends there. It was nice to share the day with friends from Milwaukee. We had a few margaritas and shared shopping stories. It was hard to imagine that we wouldn’t run into each other at the show. There were lots of people there, but even though the place is big it’s not that big - I mean we walked through all the aisles twice.

After happy hour which was actually two hours, we went back to our room to get dressed for dinner. Morton’s has a dress code so I put on a nice skirt and we walked through the back of the parking lot to get there. It was a mere 300 yards away and that was a good thing since I was wearing high-heeled boots. The place was fantastic, we were treated like royalty. My Morton’s review can be found at www.sunshinekaty.yelp.com .

Sunday morning we got up and went back to the pool to swim lots of laps. Morton’s was so good it put us in a food coma for the rest of the evening. Now was the time to work off the calories. We stopped for coffee at the breakfast buffet then went to the pool where we spent 45 minutes swimming laps and every lap felt great. It was like we were renewed and ready to start the new day. We got dressed and met our friends for breakfast. Embassy Suites includes a nice hot breakfast that includes fresh made omelets. It was a good start for our drive over to IKEA for some shopping. IKEA is a fun place filled with inexpensive, sometime cheesy housewares. I like to think of it as an adventure in home accessorizing because you never know what kind of deals you will find. I spent $95 on cute things, like serving dishes and votive candles. Jeff bought a new cutting board for the kitchen since mine cracked.

After all that shopping we were still home by 1:30 Sunday afternoon. It was a good weekend that we will repeat again next year.