Captain’s Log 5,905
I am having visitors! YAY!
Anneke is coming to visit in January! YAY!
Two amigas causing trouble in Iowa a few years ago. We were going kind of fast. Look at how hard Anneke is hanging on to the “oh shit” handle! And her hair is blowing in the wind.
And Penny is coming in February! YAY! She comes every year for a business trip but we still have loads of fun!
A few years ago when I went to visit Penny in Montana. We went to Yellowstone and found some bison! And lots of other things.
And…..old pal Minnesota Merle might swing by in February for a visit too!
YAY! I haven’t seen Merle for 23 years. When I first met her, I was kicking around a soccer ball with her son who was about four years old. He is a man now. With kids of his own. How does that happen? It seems like only yesterday.
And dinner guests next week. Good thing I bought some paper towels to keep my house sparkling clean for all this activity!
Life Aboard the HMS Pie Rat 
I was feeling guilty for not stopping by timely to read and comment, but I see Dangerspouse took over and stirred the proverbial and literal pot. In the meantime – enjoy your company!
How come I always have to do your job, huh? Next time get here in a more timely manner, slacker. Sheesh. You leave radio and you forget all about the concept of a hot clock.
Nice try. I’m here when I can be, between the job, penning a suspense book, and working with a toddler grandchild who’s learning to read at the same time he’s being potty trained. Oh, and studying for server certification. What’re YOU doing, slacker?
NewWifey(tm). It’s Sunday.
Well that accounts for five minutes. What about the rest of the day?
You ain’t seen Poolie all day, right?
All day. Yawn. Stretch. Look like Scarlet O’Hara.
You’re on the east coast. Poolie’s on the west. Not buying it.
Low blow! Well, perhaps I shouldn’t say blow.
Husband-ish duties.
He will just shrug.
Hot clock? Please enlighten us.
Hot clock = tight time schedule, literally to the exact second. When you’re in broadcasting, being one second late means one second of dead air. In the right market, that can mean unemployment.
Yikes!
Oh, I shall!
Now that was a tour de force! I want to get you a zucchini thing that makes zucchini noodles. Do you have one?
Hi Susanna – do you mean me, or Poolie?
I’ll assume you addressed that to me since we all know how much cooking Poolie does (let’s see: lemonade and…um….).
So, thanks! It’s not really a tour de force, though. It’s one of those dishes that looks waaay more impressive than it is. Really, at it’s heart all it is is slicing whatever you have flat and then layering them one on top of the other. Even when I made hoity-toity terrines in restaurants that took 3 days to prep, that’s all it was – just taken to the n’th degree.
Ooo, I’ve seen those zucchini noodle machines on infomercials! Do they work? I’ve long been making wide zucchini (and cucumber, and etc.) noodles by running a Y-peeler down them. It works great for tagliatelle style noodles. But nothing smaller than that. I’ll have to research the one you’re talking about and see if it looks worthwhile. Thanks! 🙂
Ha ha ha! I thought you said “tailgate” style. For football games.
*pats the poor little retarded girl on the head*
What do I know? Not much!
Dangerspouse I am delighted to receive correspondence from you. You are award winning funny and I love reading the banter between you and Poolie. Of course I saw the infomercial about 3 am one night but when I get the info again (yeah, sure) you will definitely receive along with Poolie a zucchini noodle machine to make delicate noodles worthy of offering at a gathering of the daughters, balancing plates on their knees, of the American Republic of Georgia.
Everyone needs a zucchini noodle machine.
*gasp!*
The Daughters of the American Republic of Georgia? Oh my god – those bitches wouldn’t let me join because they said my pimento cheese was too runny! (And also because I live in New Jersey.)
If I make zucchini noodles in hush puppy sauce though, they’ve GOTTA let me in, right? Especially if I wear my hoop skirt and best taffeta. Woo hooo, y’all!!
Thank you thank you thank you O’ Susanna!
I think Mississippi might be an easier chapter for you. Or the Order of the Eastern Star (wives of the Masons). Then again, there’s always the convent.
No, I tried the convent already. Got a nasty habit.
But you must have looked adorable in your wimple.
I did. They seemed more interested getting me in the rectory, though.
Makes sense.
Mr. Danger loves presents!
Yeah, but he’s TERRIBLE at sending return gifts. Just terrible. 😦
He is. I’m still waiting.
The stupid puppies keep dying before I finish taping the box shut 😦
Try kittens.
Let the Games begin!
Game on!
I made a completely vegetarian vegetable terrine that was better than you or anyone else reading this has had in the last 7 lifetimes, and I thought of you. NewWifey(tm) became pre-orgasmic just looking at it. I know this has nothing to do with your entry, but that’s just the way it goes sometimes. Oh, and we had lots of wine with it too.Raven’s Wood Shiraz. I don’t know if you could tell. There’s like, half the terrine left if you can get over here in the next hour. Do try. I’ll send you an e-mail pic to convince you to hurry.
What the hell – bring Anneke and Penny too.
Dear DS: I am not a vegetarian but a big fan of ratatouille, which I make all the time But I have never made a terrine. Would you share the list of included veggies so we can have a better idea of what your masterpiece actually was?
He will regale you!
Brace for regaling:
In a nutshell:
I stovetop grilled slices of eggplant and zucchini. Then I roasted and peeled two red peppers, and cut them into wide strips. Then I layered them into a bread pan until it was full, along with layers of goat cheese and fresh basil leaves. It was: layer of eggplant, layer of zucc, layer of red pepper, layer of basil, layer of cheese, repeat. (I also ran a layer of eggplant leaves up and over the side, folding them over the top so the whole thing looked encased, as you can see.) Then I wrapped it in plastic wrap and foil, placed another bread pan on top with a weight in it, and let it sit in the fridge over night. We had it for lunch when I got home the next day.
Now, in more detail:
I used a standard sized bread pan, not a terrine pan per se. To make unmolding easier I lined it with a layer of foil AND plastic wrap.
For that size pan I used two medium eggplant, which I cut lengthwise into fairly thick slices (I used the trimmings and small amount of excess to make a Thai eggplant stir fry, which is an unnecessary detail but it feeds my ego to impart it.)
I lightly scored each slice then salted them and let them drain on a rack for about an hour, then rinsed them and compressed them under a heavy weight between towels for 15 – 20 minutes.
I cut the zucchini (1 med-large one) into thinner strips, but didn’t do any other prep.
When my grill pan was hot I brushed each slice of eggplant and zucchini with a mixture of EVOO and a lemon juice (about 4:1), and grilled on each side to the point you can see in the pic. Then I let them cool.
The red peppers were prepped by putting them, whole, on a half-sheet and sticking them under the broiler until they absolutely blackened solid on all sides. Those were then put in a bowl with a towel over the top til they cooled, at which time I peeled the black layer off.
The very first layer to go into the loaf pan was eggplant – SIDEWAYS. I draped them up an over the sides, with the draped part getting folded over the top at the end. Then I laid down a long slice of eggplant on the bottom to both cover any gaps, and to look good when it was unmolded upside-down at presentation.
I took all the basil leaves and bruised them to release their flavor, but otherwise left them whole.
The cheese I used was Boucheron goat cheese, which is pretty widely available I think. But if you can’t find it, and good semi-firm cheese would work. I bet mozzarella would be excellent even.
I didn’t really use any other spices, since I had fresh basil from the garden. I was worried about that at first, but when I tasted it I realized it was the right decision. The grilling flavor stood in for spices just fine.
I made a nifty fusion style vinaigrette of lime juice, tarragon, olive oil, honey, Korean bean paste, and a little mustard to emulsify it, to serve on the side. I liked the way it brightened the dish, but my wife thought it didn’t need it and masked the subtle seasoning of the terrine.
I also grilled a few small sausages, split them, and served them on the side of the plate. I thought the contrast was very nice, but obviously that’s optional. And in my case, the bread was also since I’m going low carb. But my wife said she preferred it without bread regardless. But I’d still serve it to guests anyway.
Glad you asked!
🙂
Thank you for your generous reply! Including the technique/instructions is not only helpful but inspirational. I will gather courage and give it a whirl. The photo is downright mouthwatering. I’ll bet Poolie the Pirate is out at the Farmers Market right now scoring eggplant.
Glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you make it. No need to gather courage. Just veggies. If you DO make it, post a pic! And one final thing: recipes are the refuge of uncreative cooks. If you can’t find an ingredient, don’t like an ingredient (or several), or just happen to spot something else that looks good, don’t be a slave to the instructions. I didn’t use a recipe when I made this, I just grabbed what looked good at the market (other than the eggplant, which I went in with the intent of buying). Anything not too watery will work if it’s layered, compressed and chilled. Have fun, and don’t sweat it, and it’ll come out great!
I was challenged by a Facebook friend to name the five favorite cookbooks in my library. I don’t have any cookbooks.
Lol! None? Hang tight, I’ll mail you out your new 5 favorites. (Or I can just give you 5 titles and you can lie and tell her they’re yours. I do it all the time, and they ain’t never caught me yet.)
I just cook. I make up stuff. Send me a lock of your hair instead. I will frame it.
Ok, but wash it first. It gets matted up inside that thong, you know.
Ewwwww! Oh ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Got me!
Wow! That was quite an answer!
I’m married. I got nothing else to do with my day.
You have a point.
Oh yeah, here’s a pic to help visualize what I mean: http://dangerspouse.diaryland.com/images/veggieterrine3.jpg
🙂
Oh yum!!!!!
Will you cook for me when I come visit?
You know I would. I can’t believe you’d eat bacon wrapped lamb chops, though! Wow.
Booger
Oh, you want an appetizer TOO?
Stuffed into olives, please.
Duh. How else.
Are you back to work yet? Just wondering why you have all this time to snap around here. I love having you here! Love it. Just wondering how things are going with you.
Awww, thanks for that! Yeah, I’m at work. But just for a few more minutes. I go home at noon (Eastern). Had a fair amount of time free today, as all the networks were covering the 9/11 ceremonies. Mixed blessing. Things are otherwise going ok at DangerHouse, thanks! Just the usual paternity suits and bear attacks. Life in the big city, y’know….
And now, I’m outta here. Have a great day, kid. Thanks so much for letting me hang out here and hijack your blog this morning 🙂
Love having you around, my friend.
And don’t forget Valerie! I’m going to my brother’s in November, so I was kind of thinking next March sometime – call me crazy, but I have a great fear of flying during the winter …that the wings of the plane would need to be “de-iced” before take-off and they would freeze up again and I’d go down with the plane…like I said, call me crazy!
Valerie, winter is when you WANT to go to San Diego!
Wow…It sounds like Poolie’s Pop Inn…..
Time for you to make your reservation, kiddo!
YAY
YAY!