Snowmageddon in the Garden

Crazy amount of snow. Our snow plough guy couldn't even plow our driveway because the snowplows did our street and there was a wall of snow that his plow couldn't handle. The photo shows the garden shed at the end of the garden. The birdhouse in the middle of the garden is under at least 4-5 feet of snow. There is a pond somewhere in there as well as tables, chairs, and raised stone beds. It's a long way yet to spring... Jesus.

"How Did You Lose Your Hyphen, Possums?"

Awesome night the other night...It was Tim's birthday, so I took him out for dinner to one of his favorite Thai restaurants. Thai restaurants are taking over the neighborhood near our apt in the city. We have Yum Yum One, Yum Yum Two, Yum Yum Three and Pam's Real Thai and Pam's Real Thai Encore. Seriously, these people need to be a little more creative with their franchise. We went to Yum Yum Two for a change and had a couple lychee martinis. Tim ordered his favorite entree there - Drunken Beef ( I thought that was my nickname?). I had something... I really don't remember after the second lycheetini. It was spicy.

Then, I took Tim to see Michael Feinstein and Dame Edna in "All About Me" which opened this week. We had first row orchestra seats and it was totally worth it. I have had a crush on Michael Feinstein since the 80's and I absolutely love Dame Edna. Michael's voice amazes me and DE can make me soil my Depends. Great combination. I actually got to shake her hand from my seat and both Tim and I were handed gladiolas for the gladiola sing-a-long. Hilarious. Tim loved it.

(500) Days of Winter

We were getting onto 87 thruway and as we were going through the tollbooth, Tim and I had the following conversation.

Tim: "Do you think the tollbooth guy knows we are gay?"

Jeff: (I glance at him and notice the subtle Gaultier lip gloss and then look down at my orange Prada sweater and Etro striped shirt), "Of course not, we are in a pick up truck."

We decided this weekend that we weren't going anywhere and that we were going to watch a lot of movies and read and live off of what was already in the pantry. Of course, we knew that we had half of the butterscotch triple layer cake in the freezer still. That would get us through lunchtime on Saturday at the very least.

We watched five movies this weekend - "Last Tango In Paris" (What was Marlon Brando thinking?), "Outing Riley," "Shelter," "Harlan County" (Documentary), "(500) Days Of Summer" - (the cutest movie ever).

I cooked dinner and would have made made my Italian mother proud - Baked oregano chicken with potatoes and onions.

Recipe:

3 Chicken breasts

2 White large onions

6 Russet potatoes

Garlic Cloves (to taste)

Oregano

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil

1. Slice potatoes into thin slices and line the baking pan.

2. Slice onions and scatter among potatoes.

3. Place chicken breasts on top of potatoes and onions.

4. Dice garlic and sprinkle on top.

5. Sprinkle oregano, salt and pepper throughout.

6. Drizzle olive oil and toss.

Bake for an hour covered with foil. Uncover foil and bake for additional 15 minutes.

We had that for dinner Saturday with a slice of the leftover butterscotch cake. That cake is deadly. Deadly, deadly, deadly.

Snowbound with full stomachs and lots of entertainment - Perfect weekend!

Pork Loins and Butterscotch Cake Recipes - Yum!

BRAISED PORK LOIN FILLETS WITH PRUNES AND CREME SAUCE

Yield: 6 Servings

18 large dried pitted prunes

2 C dry white wine, preferably a Vouvray

6 loin pork chops, 1 1/2-inch thick, fully trimmed, boned and tied

Canola oil

1/4 C each diced carrot, celery, and onion ( mirepoix)

2-3 T unsalted butter

1 C heavy cream or creme fraiche

2 t red currant jelly

1 t lemon juice ( only if using heavy cream)

1 T minced parsley

1. Simmer the prunes in the wine over moderate heat, covered, until plumped and tender, about 10 minutes. Reserve the wine.

2. Saute the fillets in the oil until they are a rich golden brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer fillets to a plate. Add the mirepoix and the bones to the pan and saute to brown lightly. 8 to 10 minutes. ( Additional oil may have to be added to keep the mirepoix from burning).

3. Add the wine from the prunes and deglaze the pan. Place the pork fillets on top of the mirepoix ( the liquid should come part way up the pork chops), cover and simmer gently over very low heat or until the fillets are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 5 to 8 minutes. Place the fillets in an oven pre-heated to 325 degrees and immediately turn off the heat. Meat should be cooked within 10 to 15 minutes. Take care not to overcook the pork. Use tongs to transfer the meat to a heated platter and remove the strings. Arrange three prunes on each fillet, then cover the fillets with foil.

4. Pour the rest of the contents of the pan through a fine mesh strainer, pressing down on the vegetables to extract all of the juices. Return the juices to the pan and reduce by half rapidly stirring and scraping any brown bits that cling to the pan. Add the cream and continue to boil down rapidly until the color becomes a light beige and the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

5. Whisk in the jelly and continue to cook, whisking, until the jelly is dissolved. Taste and correct seasoning of the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the fillets, sprinkle with minced parsley and serve.

BUTTERSCOTCH PECAN CAKE

Serves 12 to 14

When browning the butter for the frosting, wait until it turns a deep, dark brown before removing it from the heat to ensure a rich, nutty flavor.

FOR THE CAKES

Vegetable oil cooking spray, for pans

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 teaspoons course salt

10 ounces (2 1/2 sticks ) unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 cups packed dark-brown sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 teaspoons rum, preferably golden or dark

1 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature

FOR THE FROSTING

12 ounces unsalted butter ( 3 sticks), 1 stick left whole, 2 sticks cut into small pieces, softened

2 cups packed dark-brown sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon course salt

20 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

FOR THE BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE

2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar

3 ounces ( 6 tablespoons ) butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cups pecan halves, toasted and chopped, plus more halves for garnish

1. Make the cakes. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat three 8 by 2 inch round cake pans with cooking spray, line with parchment, and coat parchment. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Beat butter and brown sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then add vanilla and rum. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 2 additions, alternating with buttermilk. Raise speed to medium high, and beat for 2 minutes. Divide batter amoung pans.

3. Bake cakes until golden brown and testers inserted in centers come out clean, about 40 minutes. Transfer pans to wire racks, and let cool slightly. Invert cakes onto racks. Let cool.

4. Make the frosting. Melt 1 stick butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until dark golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add brown sugar, cream and salt, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer to a mixer bowl, and let cool.

5. With machine running, add remaining butter, a few pieces at a time, and beat on low until incorporated. Raise speed to medium, and beat for 2 minutes. In another bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners sugar on medium-high until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add brown-butter mixture to cream cheese, and beat until smooth. Cover, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours ( or overnight, beating on low speed before using).

6. Make the butterscotch sauce: Mix sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and whisk in cream. Return to heat, and cook for 2 minutes. Let cool slightly.

7. To assemble the cake: trim tops of two cake layers and top and bottom of third (this will be the middle) to create flat exposed surfaces. Brush 1/4 Cup plus two tablespoons butterscotch sauce on cut sides. Let cool. Spread 1 Cup frosting on 1 layer, then place middle layer on top, sauce side down. Spread 1 cup frosting on middle layer, then place third layer on top, sauce side down. Spread 1 cup frosting on top and sides. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

8. Using an offset spatula, spread remaining frosting on top and sides of cake. Press chopped pecans on side, and garnish top with halves. Transfer cake to a serving plate or cakestand. Refrigerate until firm. At least 4 hours ( or up to 2 days, covered).

Is that a cougar in the kitchen?

After years of enjoying culinary escapades cooking over Sterno, propane, and a campfire plus relying on the kindness of strangers, now it was payback time - specifically with our friends and neighbor's M and M. M's birthday (the second M, not the first) was the moment to pull out all the stops. Since my cooking abilities were questionable, I married up so that I wouldn't starve to death or poison our neighbors.

Tim went to culinary school in between his career in finance, travel marketing and health services. (See attached resume). Having performed many duties at Peter Kump's Cooking School, including plongeur and stagier, he is a great chef. ( In case Padma and Tom are reading). Tim tells me he is a "cougar" in the kitchen ( for all you Top Chef fans). I really don't know what to think about that - he is younger then I am?

Menu du Jour:

Caponata - Italian, eggplant relish

Braised Pork Loin Fillets with Prunes and Creme Sauce

Sauteed Swiss Chard

Scalloped Potatoes with Leeks and Gruyere Cheese

Butterscotch and Rum Triple Layer Cake with Roasted Pecans.

Now I had my doubts about the prune creme sauce as well as the 8 sticks of butter used in the cake. We were either going to put M and M on the toilet or in the grave or both. We spent the entire day cooking and baking and finally exhausted from licking the remains of the frosting bowl, various spatulas and mixer attachments - at the end - there was this beautiful, frosted, pecan encrusted cake on the kitchen island looking amazing!

Dinner was a huge success! Despite the fact that prunes and I don't agree. Tim is willing to alter the recipe slightly for me next time. However I have attached both original recipes - so enjoy! (See next post).

Nothing could be finer then to be in Boviner

Bovina Center, NY... what was I thinking? It was post 9/11 and I was sick of the city and wanted someplace to get out of Manhattan. Tired of Fire Island, expensive shares, and the people that it attracted... I just wanted some place to spend my summers where it was quiet, beautiful and nowhere near Manhattan. I loved camping and spent the first couple of summers dealing with tent worms, black flies, Lug-a-loo, amazing blue skies and green forests. By the end of my second summer, I was totally in love with this place but it was getting a little bit lonely. How was I supposed to drag a guy up here and not scare the Hell out of him when I handed him the Lug-a-loo?

Then I met Tim.

Adorable, funny, HOT ( Tim told me I had to add that), and a good sport...I dragged him up the first couple summers and we built our first gardens together and had campfires and lay wrapped together in sleeping blankets, looking at the stars. In 2009, I sold my West Village apartment and we moved in together into Tim's apt in Manhattan and built a house in Bovina. This blog is about our experiences here.