The Muppets -- Bohemian Rhapsody

Thanks, Janine, for just the smile I needed today.

David Byrne: Playing the Building (BBtv)

Just in from Cousin Jeff. Interesting concept, creepy sounds.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Thanks for the Grub

Word from Bottlebee, and a gift, too!

Many thanks for the cooking spice he sent along from one of his favorite Manhattan shops!! Apparently, that busy man has been thinking about recipes for the blog and dreaming up a few new ideas. I told him I may try to help him along if he can jot down an idea or two.

In the meantime, here's a non-turkey gift for you on Thanksgiving Day, just in case you missed it the first time.

x-x-x

OSSO BUCCO

This stew of marrowbones is a family favorite, made for guests or just us two. It serves 3-4, or 2 with plenty left over. Find yourself a good butcher and take it slowly, and it may well become one of your favorites, too.

Ingredients:

4 2-inch thick cuts of veal shank

Balsamic vinegar

Flour, salt, pepper

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 rib of celery, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 parsnip, chopped

1 turnip, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup low-salt chicken broth

1 cup white wine

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried

I bought the meat at the Pennington Market for $9.99/lb. Many recipes call for using tomatoes, but my wife prefers not to -- she dislikes the way the tomato flavor dominates. Instead, we add winter vegetables (parsnip and turnip, both $1.99/lb), and sometimes mushrooms. She also insists, as she always does with any meat, that the veal be marinated in balsamic vinegar, even if only for a few minutes.

Sometimes I use a cast-iron Dutch oven for this recipe, as it can be used on the stove top for browning and in the oven for baking. If I’m making too much to fit in my Dutch oven, I’ll do the browning in a cast-iron skillet and the baking in a ceramic dish with a lid. It is important that the shanks fit in the vessel in one layer.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Tie the shank pieces with butcher’s string to keep the meat on the bone. Marinate the meat in balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle it with salt, pepper, and flour. Brown the shanks in batches in the butter & olive oil over medium-high heat; this should take about 10 minutes. Remove the meat to a plate. Cook the vegetables in the fat until the onions start to turn color. Add the garlic to the vegetables. Pour in the can of chicken broth and the wine. Add the bay leaf and thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn off the heat. (Transfer the mixture to the oven-proof vessel, if what you’re using on the stove top is not oven-proof.) Arrange the veal shanks in one layer on top of the vegetables. The liquid should cover the bottom 1/3 to 1/2 of the shanks. Bake in the oven, covered, for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Done properly, the meat will be very tender, falling off the bone. Remove the bay leaf and carefully cut off the twine with scissors; try to keep the shanks intact. We like to serve it over couscous, with a gremolata topping.

Gremolata Topping: 3 tablespoons parsley, minced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon lemon zest 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Mix ingredients in a serving bowl and place it on the dinner table to spoon on top of the osso buco.

This recipe can be scaled up to serve larger groups, as long as you have enough covered baking dishes. Make one veal shank piece for every diner, plus a few spares: You don’t want to run short. It yields delicious leftovers, too.

What do you like best about the Athenaeum?

from my alma mater, Goucher College

T Rox

It may be rock and roll heresy to say so, but Mick Jagger doesn't have much on Marc Bolan in this 1972 performance of Jeepster. Thanks, Pags!

Staying in the Pink

Note to self while straightening papers up: Having a bunch of Susan G. Komen bookmarks all around the house does not ward off disease. Finish scheduling routine health-care screenings.

Music, and Wonderful Roses

Here's a little sugar to sweeten everyone's dreams. G'night, all.

Believe It!

This just makes me smile. Thanks for posting, Cormac.

Ain't No cure for the Mid-Semester 'Flus

This break brought to you by our sponsors, intermediate algebra and H1N1. If you're the praying sort, please say a short one for Mom, who definitely has H1N1 influenza. And I wouldn't mind if you crossed your fingers that I got through this academic year unscathed and healthy, too.

I'll be back at ya with 'tude and tunes when things ease up a bit -- or if somebody posts a great video online I can't help but share.

The End of Two Glorious Seasons

Here's to all those who voted, and all those who rooted!

What Time Is It??

It's election time -- Election Day, to be exact. We're been in the seasion for a while, but this is when we need you to turn out and vote.

I ask for your support for Pennsylvania's entire GOP judicial slate -- candidates remarkable for both their excellence and their diversity -- and I ask you to turn out in support of terrific Republican candidates for local office if you happen to live in my tiny burg of West Norriton. We've got a tremendously hard-working team here.

In response to recent ads I've seen calling for "balance," I'd ask that you consider the way our federal government is structured with three separate branches. While I appreciate the right of each party to make the case for its candidate, nowhere is it written that the bench must swing politically with each election. In many cases, such as this, it can be beneficial to have that balance be ensured by retaining existing judges and considering other candidates according to one's voting criteria. As a Republican I am happy to support a Republican slate, but I would be impressed with our ticket even if I were not.

Whatever your political stripe, I ask you to read up (cramming may be necessary), ask questions and -- as always -- vote once and vote well.