Homemade

I'm off work today, as is most everyone I know. I am making homemade beef stock this morning and it smells so rich and heavenly in the kitchen. I had about 6-7 pounds of beef short ribs from the last cow my parents butchered. I'm not a huge fan of any ribs, but I am a huge fan of good soup and homemade stock makes all the difference. So I have a big pan of ribs, carrots, celery, and onions roasting in the oven at 450 degrees for 1-1/2 hours. Everything will then be transferred to a stock pot: add water, bouquet garni, and the bits from the roasting pan that I will deglazed with some red wine. Simmer for 3 hours. I plan to make French Onion soup, perhaps tonight or else on New Year's Day.

I do want to try to eat healthier in 2007. No more fast food. At all. I also want to try to start a dinner co-op, but that is going to take not only a commitment from me, but at least 2 other people/couples. Basically, each of us cooks enough of one dinner dish to share with 2-3 other families. This way I only have…

Aw, bloody hell. The smoke alarm is going off. That thing is so freaking sensitive. I hate it. There is no smoke in the house, nothing has boiled over, but it seems like any time my oven is set to 450 or above, it goes off at some point. AND it isn’t the type I can just pull a battery out of and be done. Somehow it is wired to the entire house. I need to investigate the basement or call the guy we bought the house from and see what the deal is because it is driving me CRAZY. I have to open the front and back doors and turn on the ceiling fan and the stovetop vent to get it to quit ringing.

Anyway…the dinner co-op would mean I have to cook less during the week, but still get to eat home cooked meals. And we would be introduced to a wider variety of recipes and foods. For me, cooking extra on the weekend is no big deal. I often will end up making a huge batch of soup, pasta or roast of some kind that ultimately end up as leftovers anyway. I’d rather share it with more people—and get to try the cooking of others too. We’ll see. Like I said, it would probably take some research, trial and error.

I’m into the third essay in the Best Food Writing of 2006—and loving every morsel.