Breezy

Gainesville

The wild weather passing through our area actually did wake me up briefly. It sounded like a hurricane moving in, wind and rain in gusts, but of course did not last that long. By the time I swam up to full consciousness, the front had passed and it was just very very windy. The yard and the neighborhood are littered with small junk, twigs and clumps of Spanish moss. It was a good thing that the wind was mostly with me when I struggled to get my shopping cart from the door of Publix to my car. Supposed to be in the 40's again tonight.

We did not fully get the message that taxes did not have to be postmarked til Tuesday, and so labored over them tonight. My mixed status as wage earner, pensioner and social security recipient made things very complicated. With any luck, it should all even out next year. And we're actually done a full day early! Here's the article that clued us in-- a nice snapshot of today in Gainesville.

I am bonding with my new Cuisinart (her name is Louisey). The fish dish turned out to be another perfect learning experience: two lemons and two onions sliced, baked for 40 minutes in white wine and thyme, then fish added for an additional 15 minutes. I figure messing with the machine probably added 15 minutes to the operation, but mainly that was because I was still learning how the she works, all the various locking tricks. It was worth it, though. The slices were beautiful, and just what this recipe required.

Later tonight I used her again to make an herb butter for tomorrow night's steaks. It was such a small batch that it probably would have been better made in the mini that I use for small sauces and pastes. At any rate, I have a nice little log with lots of fresh thyme at the ready in the fridge.

The tax exercise interrupted the kitchen cleanup-- I still need to get out there and get at least the hand-washable things done. If I don't, Bill will happily do them along with his morning breakfast routines and never complain, but I feel guilty. I like to leave him a clean kitchen and shining sink for his early morning.

The pasta recipe scan looks fine and very readable on the blog, Sandy. Thanks! It does look good. I haven't yet found a whole wheat pasta I like, but we use Dreamfield brand low carb pasta, which I actually like better than ordinary pasta. It looks like it would be perfect for that. But about julienning-- the frakkin' matchstick things. Is the scary mandoline the only way to go? Can one manipulate the slicer blade? Or do the various Cuisinart julienne blades do a reasonable job?

Sorry to hear I missed something about Sweet Jane on TV, but glad both Mom and Sandy saw it. I finished reading the letters this afternoon, and was suitably pissed that she lived in an era of such primitive medical care. Imagine what she might have written, given an another ten to twenty years. Recently heard from a friend that a quote from "Emma" on dancing was featured prominently at a dance event. I predict that a major Austen craze is about to erupt. I'm not a trend-setter, by any means, but I seem to be a harbinger of sorts. Ironic, since my preferred stance is to take up trends once they have become passe. And how convoluted is that.

BTW, thanks for the printer image of me playing the guitar on the deck in Shannondale, Mom. I think you tried to hand it to me in Alameda, but I didn't manage to get it packed. Sorry! Bill loved the picture, which he'd never seen. It is rather nice: Portrait of the Blogger as a New Bruce Fan.

I will post the official Marcella recipe later, but really, it's just 3 oranges, 6 radishes and 1 cuke, all sliced, 6 mint leaves torn into pieces, olive oil, lemon juice, salt. I adore it, and eat any leftover the next day first thing.

Need to go see what I can do about that kitchen.