Monthly Archives: March 2009
The Funny Part about Blizzards.
There I was, standing, waiting for a bus. Any bus that might take me closer to home during the tail-end of the late-season (and much-needed) blizzard along the Front Range of Colorado. And finally, there one was. It wasn’t the normal one, but the driver said he’d take me to Boulder station.
As I stepped up the stairs, I realized I was surrounded by bus drivers. You know, because it was change of shift. It felt like something out of a movie or a dream.
And oh my goodness, for the ten-minute ride, I laughed my ass off along with the two other passengers this driver picked up on the way.
“Arapahoe & Folsom. Over there’s the Planned Parenthood. I know you’re too afraid to ask.”
“Even if you fail your driver’s test, you’re still allowed to drive a Subaru in Boulder.” (Boulder Subaru drivers are a big joke to some people. Not necessarily to me, as my boss, friends, and even my husband have driven one at one point or another. This was pretty funny, though.)
“Welcome to Boulder, where you might find people biking during a blizzard.” (This is very true – I work with someone who commutes solely by bike and bus every single workday.)
This was a bright, hilarious spot in an otherwise frustrating day featuring four hours of commuting and six hours at work not knowing whether I’d get home tonight. (I did.)
Oh and Boulder – they don’t call it twenty-five square miles of reality for nothing.
Shanked.
Last Sunday, I prepared a new crockpot recipe for lamb shanks. While they were delicious, the real star of the meal was the new brussels sprouts dish I made. Here are recipes and pictures for both:
Lamb Shanks in Tomato Sauce (adapted from The Gourmet Slow Cooker by Lynn Alley, serves 2)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon ground allspice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons agave nectar
- 3 dashes Angostura bitters
- 2 lamb shanks
- salt and ground black pepper
- 1 large yellow or white onion, chopped
- 1 16 oz can crushed tomatoes
Mix cinnamon, cloves, allspice in small bowl. Add olive oil, agave nectar, and bitters and mix well.
Sprinkle lamb shanks with salt and pepper, then rub spice mixture on shanks.
Put onions in a single layer in crockpot. Place lamb shanks on top of onions.
Spread tomatoes over shanks.
Cook for 6-8 hours on low or until meat is falling off the bone.
I served this on a dinner plate with roasted fingerling potatoes:
Pan-roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Pine Nuts (adapted from several recipes, serves 2)
- 4 slices bacon, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 dozen brussels sprouts, halved
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and set aside.
Cook pine nuts in bacon fat until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Heat olive oil along with remaining bacon fat. Add brussels sprouts and saute until tender, about 20 minutes.
Add bacon and pine nuts back into the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Pour apple cider vinegar into mixture and cook for an additional five minutes.
Serve on salad plate.
Quarterback Controversy (Broncos).
Jay Cutler has every right to have a bruised ego. New coach walks in, wants the QB he worked with last year instead of the one who has showed some promise here in Denver.
Granted, the Broncos haven’t had a great record since Cutler became the starting quarterback, but that’s not all his fault. The defense has struggled and I still don’t understand why Pat Bowlen didn’t hire a defensive-minded coach to replace Mike Shanahan.
I think Josh McDaniels was taught well by Bill Belichick in New England… at least to be kind of an ass. I’m going to have a hard time cheering for the Broncos this season with him at the helm.
(Hey Jay, I think there’s a need for a quarterback like you in Chicago…)
