In Love with My Brown-Eyed Boy

November 26...I'm almost there with a post a day for the month of November for the NaBloPoMo Challenge! Tonight, I'm accepting the Weekly Writing Challenge: Haiku

"We blog for a million different reasons, but in the end, we’re all storytellers. Creative Writing Challenges are here to help you push your writing boundaries and explore new ideas, subjects, and writing styles...In this week’s creative writing challenge, we’ll step toward verse to try our hand at writing haikus. Haikus are a great way to warm up to your writing projects. The short form, combined with simple line and syllable constraints, helps you to work your mind in a new way, as you embrace brevity in a bid to create vivid imagery."

A plea to come play

Soft brown eyes speak more than words

So much love to give

Kitchen Closed

Sorry, but I was asked to inform you the kitchen and blog were closed today.

It's Friday and we just couldn't get inspired.

However, to make this blog post official, I was nominated to answer the BlogHer NaBloPoMo Daily Prompt for today...

If you could quit one bad habit instantly without difficulty, which would it be?

That would most likely be shaking my head in public and flinging my drool.

Especially in confined outdoor patio areas where people are enjoying morning coffee.

Love,

           Trapper

Dear Starbucks: Please Hire My Mom

Dear Starbucks,

Mom told me she applied for a job in your Legal & Corporate Affairs division and has a phone interview in a few days. When she came home this afternoon, I wanted to express my support and let her know I would be very happy living in Seattle. I was trying to think of a way to give her a positive sign to express my good feeling about this job, and then I saw it...the leftover coffee cup from this morning's coffee. I ran through the door, snatched it right off the table, gave her the look, and flew back outside. She didn't come chase after me immediately - not until she had her camera. She was smiling at me, playing my game, and snapping photos. I think she recognized what I did was somehow a positive sign. It also gave her the material she needed for Day #5 of NaBloPoMo.

I think mom's ready for a change of scenery and we've been seriously considering a move to the Pacific Northwest. But we need a job first. I would love the weather in Seattle...rain...snow...bring it on!  When it rains here, I sit out in the middle of the grass and soak it all in. What's that quote?  “Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...It's about learning to dance in the rain.” I'm all over it.

We would be an awesome addition to the Starbucks' corporate family. Mom truly enjoys trademark law. She is also a huge fan of your coffee and has frequented Starbucks in Coronado almost every morning for 10 years. She orders a grande dark roast in a venti cup (FYI, it's the same amount of coffee as a venti, with room, but doesn't cost as much). On weekends, she often treats herself to an Italian roast on the Clover®, or the more expensive roasts when she earns a free drink on her Gold Card.

I don't think I've missed a morning visit to Starbucks, ever...well, not since I came to Coronado when I was 10 weeks old. The regulars have watched me grow from 35 pounds to just over 160. Steve, who doesn't even like dogs, offers me a bite of his banana every now and then. When Jim heard how much I like whipped cream, he started ordering whipped cream on top of his coffee just so he could give it to me. The mayor of Coronado knows me and follows our blog.

We used to live closer and walked over every morning, but now we live near the bay. We tried Tartine for coffee, but it just wasn't the same.  I like to ride over in the car and then go for my walk down by the beach after mom gets her coffee. We'll probably need a bigger car if we move to Seattle.

We always hang out on the patio for a while. I've made lots of friends the past two years. I am gentle with the rat dogs and kids absolutely LOVE me.

I stretch out in front of the store and welcome all your customers. Don't you think I would make a great  mascot? Mom keeps telling me I need to start earning my keep. That Bank of America commercial has Benny, the Newf who eats couches. Starbucks could have me.

Thank you so much for considering my mom's application and she looks forward to talking with you later this week.

I'm sorry I chewed up one of your cups.

Best regards,

Trapper

Puppies and Pasta

My puppy, and pasta coated in Mario Batali's Ragu Bolognese - two comforts that helped me get through another week of drama with a certain man acting like an immature boy. Trapper and I are pounding the pavement in Coronado in search of our own little cottage or bungalow so we can get moved, lick our wounds and start anew. Single again at 50...oh boy! I think I'll stay away from Match.com this time ;-)

Ragu Bolognese is a ragu made of layers and layers of flavors. Ragu Bolognese is made differently by every single grandmother, or mother, or daughter, or son who learns about it. It is delicious and it is absolutely the building block of some of the greatest dishes in all of Emilia–Romagna. - Mario Batali

I spent Sunday in the kitchen, preparing a double batch of Mario's ragu bolognese and a carrot cake for Mom's birthday. Both turned out fabulous, if I do say so myself. There are a few versions of Mario's bolognese out there, on Food Network.com, Epicurious.com, and a YouTube via a Wine Spectator video of Mario himself in the kitchen. The versions vary slightly in the quantities of ingredients and cooking times/methods. Pancetta is used in place of ground beef in the Food Network version I followed, but it's a little more expensive to go that route, especially when making a double batch requiring 2 lbs of ground veal and 1/2 lb. pancetta. The Epicurious version is closest to Mario's version on the video, but varies in some of the the cooking times/methods.

Mario Batali's Ragu Bolognese

Mario demonstrates preparation of his Ragu Bolognese in this Wine Spectator video on YouTube. I've summarized the steps below, but it's very helpful to watch, especially to see how brown he allows the meat to become before adding the tomato paste. I would have never taken it to this level without watching this first.

Video Notes: 
This isn't a sauce to make if you're in a hurry if you want to make it the correct way. The recipe begins with the use of lipids, a combination of extra virgin olive oil and butter, which will give the sauce a velvety texture. The next layer is the mirepoix (carrot, celery, onion and garlic). You want to sweat the vegetables without allowing them to brown or discolor (if they discolor, you should throw them out and start over). Next is the meat - a combination of veal, pork and ground beef. The meat is cooked for quite some time, over a slightly lower heat, to render off all the fat and allow the meat to brown. After about 45 minutes, you will be able to hear a crackling noise in the pan telling you the meat is no longer braising or boiling. At that point, using a wooden spoon, move around all those brown, sticky bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, which add another layer of flavor. Next, add the tomato paste. This is probably the single most important cooking step - allowing the tomato paste to cook with the meat slowly, for about 30 minutes, allowing it to caramelize and intensify the sweetness of the tomato flavor. The bottom of the pan will be slightly scorched, but that's what you want. The addition of the milk at this point will act as a deglaze. It will take about 45 minutes for the milk to totally evaporate. Following evaporation of the milk, add a relatively dry white wine and reduce until evaporated and the alcohol has cooked off. At this point, turn the heat down to low and cover the pan so the liquid doesn't cook off and the sauce doesn't become too thick. After about an hour, taste the ragu for seasoning.

Mario Batali's Ragu Bolognese

Slightly adapted from Wine Spectator video, Food Network and Epicurious

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons butter

3 medium carrots, finely diced

1 medium onion, diced

3 ribs celery, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

3/4 pound veal, ground

3/4 pound pork, ground

3/4 pound beef, ground (ground chuck)

6 ounces tomato paste

1 cup milk

1 cup dry white wine

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cooked pasta

Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating

Preparation:

In a 6 to 8-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrot and garlic and sweat over medium heat until the vegetables are translucent and soft, but not browned, about 15 minutes. Add the veal, pork, and beef and stir into the vegetables. Lower the heat slightly and cook, Continue cooking, stirring occasionally to keep the meat from sticking together, until well-browned and all the fat has cooked off, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Add the tomato paste, stir to incorporate, and cook slowly for about 30 minutes. Add the milk, stir and scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan, and allow to simmer another 45 minutes. Add the wine, simmer about 10 minutes until reduced, decrease the heat to low, cover, and simmer for another hour. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from the heat.

When ready to serve, transfer the pasta directly out of the boiling water into the saucepan with the appropriate amount of the hot ragu bolognese, and toss so that the pasta is evenly coated. Serve with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Tagliatelle alla Bolognese - Mom's Birthday Dinner on her balcony

Leftover sauce can be frozen for 2 months.

Strozzapreti alla Bolognese - Leftover bolognese with a handful of pasta a few nights later

My other comfort - Trapper at 9 months

Trapper with Mr. Platypus