'shrooms!

Mushroom soup, approx. a 2 hour recipe from the Daily Soup cookbook.

Delicious? Yes. Laborious? Yes! Worth it? ...?

recap

Thursday night we saw Iraq In Fragments over on campus. It was good, especially in feeling unlike a documentary, which it happened to be Academy Award nominated for. See it if you get the chance.

Friday night we drove up to Easthampton, had dinner with Rebecca and Heather, and all went to see Camera Obscura at the Pearl Street Nightclub in Northhampton. It was great but it started promptly and we arrived fashionably late and didn't get as much show as I would've liked. Live and learn. The openers that we completely missed were the Essex Green. I purchased a CD from each band and we were off into the arctic night.

We stayed at Rebecca's overnight and had a leisurely morning of coffee and bagels and kittens. Heather headed out to get to a yoga class and the rest of us went to Webs. I am currently knitting a hedgehog. 'Nuff said.

Sunday we went to the gym, bought groceries, and then watched VHS Prime Suspect tapes from the library.

Good night.

Look! Mount St. Peanut!

Wha?, originally uploaded by doctorhectic.

...and it's erupting with flavor!

Ewww

Ewww, originally uploaded by doctorhectic.

$titch 'n' Fish

Valex and Heather attempted to stop by the weekly meeting of the Middletown SnB on Saturday meeting, but we saw noone there. We still had a fine time, and maybe next time we'll send out word that we're planning on attending.



Also, there is a battle raging over the "term" Stitch and Bitch, which is the title of this very popular book, Stitch 'n Bitch, but also has been layed claim to by a different company that wants to clamp down on the term useage and stop individuals and groups from using it to describe their little, or not so little gatherings for knitters. There is, of course, a boycott, let me be clear here, NOT OF THE BOOK BY DEBBIE STOLLER, but of the bullying company that claims they have the rights to the phrase. Anyway, the Middletown group (which meets in Cromwell?) has changed their name from Middletown SNB to Knitting in Middletown or some such thing due to the fact that bully has been shutting down Yahoo! Groups with the term in their title, etc.



After knitting time, we hopped in the wagon and headed north, to Wethersfield. Our destination was City Fish Market, where we procured catfish, salmon, tuna, and mussells. We steamed the mussells on Saturday night and ate them with olive oil ciabatta for dinner. The catfish is in the freezer, awaiting it's BBQ sauced fate, and the salmon I marinated overnight and broiled for last night's dinner. Poached is the easiest, but broiling is a very close second. The marinade included, but was not limited to, soy sauce, smashed garlic cloves, rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, toasted sesame oil, ginger slices, and salt and pepper. Served with yukon golds and a salad topped with a tomato ginger dressing I got at Bliss Market, which is where we stopped right after City Fish.

Sunday was all brunchin' and nappin'.

Poachers

Salmon, pears, that pretty much sums up my poaching experiences. But it's so easy, and the results are so tasty, everyone should poach.

The salmon poach used for that last post was from Cook's Country magazine, with my modifications for missing ingredients.

2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup vermouth (called for 1.5 c white wine)
liberal sprinklings of dried dill (called for 4 sprigs fresh dill, plus 1 T chopped)
1 lemon, sliced
salt
6 c water

and for the sauce

1/2 c yogurt
1 T drained capers, chopped
1 T + red wine vinegar (called for 1 T lemon juice)
pepper

and approx. 1 1/2 lbs salmon filet (or filets), skin on (so it doesn't fall apart in the poach)

First list goes in the pot, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer for 15 minutes. While simmering is happening, combine sauce list in small bowl + salt & pepper to taste. Set aside. After 15 minute simmer, add salmon(s) to pot and cook until salmon is opaque, 8 to 10 minutes. Any and all veggies in the poach can be served alongside, OR combined with other side dish.

This was delicious, but if you've never poached, just try this:

Get salmon filet(s), not steaks. Place in large stove top pot, just barely covered with water. Turn heat on high, bring water to a boil. Once you hit boil, turn off heat, remove pot from burner and cover. Let sit for 10 minutes. Drain. Done. Eat.

Or chill the salmon and have it with bagels and cream cheese, or on/in a salad. Or eat some hot/warm and chill the leftovers. If you can boil water, you can prepare some of the tastiest salmon. Yes, it is boiled meat, which doesn't sound like the best idea, but it works with meat from the sea. Or the lake, river, bayou, whathaveyou.

Dinner is served...via AMBULANCE!

What's that????



Just like the title says...



...dinner is served. Poached salmon (poached in vermouth, water, carrots, onion, dried dill, fresh parsley, salt) with green beans and Yukon gold potatoes. The sauce on the side is yogurt with minced capers, more dried dill, salt and pepper.



OK, it wasn't SERVED via ambulance. Here's the story. My new Sub wagon had it's unveiling today at work. Stephen, not a co-worker exactly, but my buddy at work, shares my enthusiasm for station wagons, but he wasn't too excited about me getting a white Subaru ("piece of junk!"). Clearly, the only way to rectify the situation was to make it a STATION WAGON AMBULANCE, which Stephen and I had previously agreed was one of the finest kinds of station wagons. Noble, virtuous, small and white, clean and bright. I asked Scott for some red vinyl crosses so that I could properly present the wagon to Stephen upon his arrival. Turned out great. Stephen warmed right up to the Sub, with the crosses. VIVA VINYL!

100% socks!

Sock #2 complete. Now there are two.



They go with my new glasses.



and my new wheels!

New wheeeeee!lls

Tropical getaway

IMG_0400.JPG
Originally uploaded by doctorhectic.

Back from Vermont, where there was much eating, drinking, and playing of pool. Also, a hot tub. There was no skiing, but nobody really noticed. I have many photos, they will be available soon.

Pictured is the birthday cake (carrot, w/cream cheese frosting) that Val made for Heather. It was a smashing success.

Vermont is very scenic, and the town we were nearest to, Wilmington, was historic and quaint and all those things you look for in a quaint historic New England town. Also, excellent old cemeteries. Again, photos to come soon. Uploading to flickr has not been smooth tonight.

This week, I buy a car. I have a small holding deposit on a 1996 Subaru Legacy Wagon, which I think I will like very much. I wanted a wagon last time I was car shopping, but I didn't find exactly what I was looking for then. Now I have this, which comes to me highly recommended by birthday Heather. Thank you birthday Heather.

Back to work, slackers!

Vermont

...means cheese, Ben & Jerry's, breweries, and snow for skiing 60° and rain. I think I'll learn to ski another weekend. But I'm still going to Vermont for them other things.

50%

SOCK!
Originally uploaded by doctorhectic.

One half of one pair of socks I am knitting. Big, chunky, wooly, man-socks, from a book I got for Xmas, titled Knitting With Balls - A hands-on guide to knitting for the Modern Man.

Some of the patterns look great, some have the standard "cool pattern, terrible yarn color" problem, and some just will never be made. I also, with the help of Expert Knitter Mrs. Cupcakes, corrected several typos in the sock pattern. Numbers are very important in knitting, and when those numbers are wrong it screws up all kinds of things.

HAPPY 2007!

from the King of Swedecakes!

Mii

Mii
Originally uploaded by doctorhectic.

My Wii avatar, but I didn't need to tell you that. IT LOOKS JUST LIKE ME! Mii! Wiiiii!