Life goes on around the new place. I was just sitting in my study, preparing to post this, and the lights went on and on, apropos of nothing. R and I had a theory that the mysterious lights going on and off (mostly on) were related to the downstairs remotes for the tv and the downstairs fan light. But he hadn't used either one. I had turned off the fan, though, and this was followed with a little flurry of on and offs till it finally settled down to a steady beam without the fan, all by itself, apparently. Odd.
I am enjoying initiating my kitchen though. Since I did not go to a seder this Monday or Tuesday (though I will be going to one next Monday with the choir, as I did with my dad last year), I have been cooking fairly elaborate dinners this week to make up for that and feel the holiday spirit. Eating at Passover can be a bit boring and bedraggled since there are so many things (grains, flour, soy sauce) that make for interesting eating that one cannot eat. So making a fuss over meals is a way to make that seem less onerous.
Yesterday, despite working till 6 or so (conferencing with CSU students after class, which ended at 5:30), I made a trout with almonds and matzo ball soup. The matzo balls (as usual) didn't turn out well. I never boil them long enough, but it was long enough to make a mess on the stove when they boiled over. Today I roasted a chicken, covered with a marinade of sorts of my own devising: olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and parsley all processed together and poured over the bird before I cooked it. It turned out lovely and moist. I stuffed it with my mother's matzo stuffing. The smell was heavenly and reminded me of her so much! She wasn't an enthusiastic cook. There were the same 5 or so dishes she made over and over, but she made them well. She liked to open packages. I guess I take after her in this because I served the chicken with my favorite Trader Joe's package of golden potatoes and wild mushrooms. A bit more upscale than the packages she used to open!
Tomorrow I will make another one of her dishes: Passover salmon croquettes. Another favorite! I'll probably roast some potatoes with the left over rosemary to go with it. And asparagus, though I don't know what I'll do with them. Maybe just steam them with some garlic.
2 comments:
Shades of Proust! Those smells...
What does your electrician say?
The electrician says he's sure it's the neighbors' devices and remotes interfering. But he says he can go up into the attic if we'd like and see what danger lurks. I'm afraid to say yes. It's been expensive enough.
I forgot to add that I put sweet lemons (like meyer lemon, but I think a slightly more perfumed variety) --zest and juice--into the sauce on the chicken. I should have used them on the asparagus today though; I used butter and garlic, and found them a bit bland.
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