and i will talk about this year... if there was something to talk about

Super Bowl chili above.  With cornbread muffins and Surly Darkness.

As an app/side, we tried version two of the sausage burgers from before.  This time, sausage meatballs on a mushroom with basil and carmelized onion.  Reduced balsamic over that.

Um... I'm not sure what these are, Food Diary.  Probably a faulty linked image from another site.  Maybe your computer has a virus or something.

Everyday is like Sunday

Dear Food Diary,


There are things we've seen, or partially seen, that we'll always wonder about -- times where we caught a passing glimpse of something beautiful (or horrible) and quickly turned our heads.  Instead of facing the full glory of the mysterious, we backed cautiously away.


Lots of these choices, or non-choices, are life-changing.  But some just leave gnawing, insignificant questions -- questions that could have been easily answered if we had just chosen to step towards the unknown.


For instance:  Two years ago I was in line at Cub Foods behind a guy who had a cart full of beef jerky and disposable cameras.  That's it.  Two-dozen packs of beef jerky and three disposable cameras.  




Look what I've eaten recently:

That's homemade pork sausage on top of a grilled portabello mushroom, on a bun with reduced balsamic vinegar and a tomato slice.  Also some potatoes.

I like food. Food tastes good.

Dear Food Diary,


Following a few boring food weeks, Sarah has been on a crazy recipe-creation kick.  Let me show you them:

That's a relatively standard crab cake (crab meat, mashed potatoes, scallions, cilantro, lime zest and minced chili, panko-crusted & pan fried) on top of a spectacular asian spring-greens salad with sweet quick-pickled red onions and mandarin oranges.  Her dressing was one lime's worth of zest/juice, the rice-vinegar & sugar pickling brine, soy sauce, mandarin orange juice, and olive oil.


It was great -- a sweet, crispy, tangy, slightly spicy feast.  


Tonight, she made a greek turkey-burger.

Unfortunately, turkey isn't all that photogenic.  But the burger was delicious.  Ground turkey tends to dry out, so Sarah increased the moisture content by grating a quarter onion into it and adding worchestershire sauce & lemon juice.


Last week we fell back on one of our favorite standbys: turkey potstickers and non-fried fried rice.

These snakes get high:

(Just Like) Starting Over

Dear Food Diary,

It's a new year -- a new decade -- and here we both are, having each survived thus far.  I guess congratulations are in order...  I'll be waiting for those.  You know where I live.

So what have you missed?  Well, I built a fort.  Actually it was more like I built a two-foot wall and dug a three-foot hole, but some people liked it.

We were down in the Hinter, at Sarah's parents' place.  We'd expected to be snowbound, but the snowpocalypse that was promised crept quietly by.

Anyhow, along the way I had a hand in a great Christmas dinner, and I used the other hand to carve a roast beast.

I made fresh horseradish by grating a root, mincing garlic, and adding a mix of rice-wine/apple-cider vinegar.

After dinner, we performed the traditional Christmas experiments with water and money.

Besides the science, Christmas magic! (awwww)

 

Monday I went to see Fever in the Ox and got to hang out with lots of people I know (plus some I didn't, and a couple I thought I did but didn't).  It was good to see and interact with everybody.  Also good to see Fever rock it out.

 

Dylan and MacKenzie were back in town briefly (I saw Dylan at the Fever show, in fact), so on the night before New Year's Eve, Sarah and I went with those two and Christian to the Shorewood Bar and Grill.  The name is a little misleading, since the place is Greeker than shit and super-delicious.  Great gyro meat there and an awesome scallop appetizer. After Shorewood, we played Rock Band at our place then later tried to hang out at The Otter, Grumpy's, and Our Bar, but found them all lacking in one way or another, so we ended up at Perkins, where I ate yet more (albino mozzarella sticks and a very solid chocolate shake). 

That's probably your favorite part of the story, huh, Food Diary?  Or the part you hate the most.  I can't even tell with you anymore.  I feel like we need to reconnect (or never see each other again).  Let's make that a goal for the rest of the year.  Deal?

All in all you missed out on some fun times, but I'm glad I didn't.  Maybe this'll be the decade where I make an effort to join people out in the world and have fun with them.

'Til next time (if there is a next time),

Matt

Monday to Sunday I hit all the clubs

Dear Food Diary,

I went to a Christmas party last night and ate one of the following things.  Guess which.

 

You said it was like Christmas, but you were wrong.

Dear Food Diary,

For all you know, I haven't eaten in the past ten days.  Let's keep it that way.
There may have been a bucket of cookie dough that I saw and interacted with in some way.

I've been down in Albert Lea and over at work.  I went to a show at a place full of stuff like this:

I ate this:

Festive!  And this:

Both were lovingly crafted by Sarah.

I have nothing else to report at this time.

Your pal,
Matt

I'm tired and I want to go to bed.

Dear Food Diary,

Why don't we have one more drink and go down and cut that shark open?