Weekend Wrap-Up (May 8-9)

This past weekend was a non-project weekend, but that doesn't mean that Tom wasn't busy in the kitchen. I'm a 'late' sleeper on weekends (until 9 am) but Tom is up at the crack of dawn- sometimes before. When I wake up, Tom's already gone running, been to the farmers market and the grocery store, baked a loaf of bread, ground some meat, and made us breakfast. I'm not exaggerating, its pretty unbelievable how productive he is while I'm still sleeping. This works out for both of us- I'm not in his way while he's doing all this, and I don't have to hear the inevitable swearing or freak outs. If you've never heard someone yell 'F*** you!' to a fridge, come on over Saturday morning around 6 am. You won't be disappointed.

This weekend, we went to a Mets game, Tom had a basketball game, and we rode our bikes. But here's what he still managed to make on a non-project weekend...


- Buckwheat Pancakes
- Sauerkraut
- Ginger & Honey Ice Cream
- Pizza with Spinach, Spring Onions, and Pork Cheek Rillette on a Kolsch-Yeast Crust
- Rhubarb Thyme Jam
- Maple Bacon Corn Muffins
- Hot Dog Rolls
- Hamburger Rolls
- Hamburgers with Cheddar, Sauteed Spinach, Spring Onions & Bacon
- Blue Potato Oven Fries
- Grilled Asparagus
- Bean Puree (for my lunch during the week)

That may or may not sound impressive, but did you know he cured his own bacon? Or that he made the crust himself from one of the many dough starters that live in our fridge? Or that the sauerkraut is fermenting in our cupboard? It smells terrible when its almost ready- at first I thought we had farty cats, but it was the sauerkraut. Here's the sauerkraut and the rhubarb jam:

We have about 30 Ball jars in multiple sizes. I wonder when he's going to start canning, although he's told me that he's afraid of doing it wrong and getting botulism (although that didn't stop him from cooking chicken sous vide in a Ziploc bag). I didn't taste the jam, and the sauerkraut's not fermented yet (not that I eat it), so Tom will have to report on that.

The maple & bacon corn muffins were really good. You won't get muffins like that from Panera Bread- but I haven't been there in years, so maybe they do have stuff like that. If they do, I guarantee you they're not as good! They were sweet and savory, which is a nice way to wake up!

The only real drama this weekend happened during Sunday night's dinner of hamburgers, potatoes and asparagus. When Tom tells me he's making burgers, I get a little worried because something inevitably goes wrong. Its usually one of two problems:

1. he didn't pack the meat enough so they fall apart when he tries to flip them in the pan
2. the burgers are more done than he wanted

Tom crisped up the bacon, made the potatoes, sauteed the spinach and onions, and put the asparagus on the grill. The burgers went in the pan and held together ok when he flipped them- problem #1 averted. Then he worried they were getting too done, and the asparagus wasn't going to be done in time. He managed to get everything done- the burgers made it on the plate successfully with the sides.

We sat down to eat, and problem #2 came up- Tom's burger was ok, but he worried mine was too done. I assured him multiple times it was fine, and even had him examine it, but I don't think he ever believed me that I was ok with the doneness of my burger. I thought it was good, not too pink but still juicy, and it tasted like a burger- what else could I want? Tom said that he could have used more salt, but it wasn't a big problem- phew.

Tom finished his burger and then things went downhill fast. He realized he forgot to put the bacon on the burgers.  He forgot the bacon! It was the end of the world! I still had almost half of my burger left, so I put the bacon on it and let him have a bite to try to calm him down. I know that he was mad at himself for forgetting the bacon, but I still heard about it for awhile. I can only hear him complain about the same thing so many times before I start to get annoyed, so I've learned to steer clear when he gets in one of his moods. So I vacuumed while he did the dishes and grumbled to himself.

The rest of the food was pretty uneventful (but still good) and turned out the way he hoped. He was even pleased with his ice cream, which happens about 50% of the time (up from last years approval rating).

Tomorrow we are getting the meat order from the CSA. Brace yourselves:

- 6 lb mutton shoulder
- 5 lb bone-in ham shank
- 2 lb pork belly
- pork jowl
- eggs
- chicken feet
- chicken backs

Our freezer is full, so I have no idea where he's going to put all that. The lamb is bigger than he wanted by 2 lbs, so maybe we're having a lamb sausage party soon? Wish us luck...