On Saturday I had to run some errands-that gold dress had to go to the dry cleaners, some groceries needed buying, and I needed a few picture frames. It was a typical blustery Fall day, and as I drove, leaves rained down on the car and bounced off, splintered, to the piles by the road. A good CD was playing, I felt calm, and as I drove I realized:

I am ok.

For the first time in months, the depression, the anger, the bitterness, the apathy...it had all drained away.

I am ok.

And this past weekend I was motivated in a way I hadn't seen in a long, long time. Angus and I attacked the house, the arrival of the two new couches energized us and turned the living room from University Chic to a proper living room. We moved the TV to the opposite wall. We hung lights in the kitchen to brighten it up. I tackled the unpacking still left from the States (Dear TSA: Thanks for the little note you slid into two of our three suitcases. Oh, and that note that you put in the big suitcase? The note explaining the bag had been searched? Yeah. You put that in the bottom of the case, next to where the deluxe version of Over the Hedge I'd bought Jeff for Christmas was. Yes, was. The DVD-the edition of which we can't get over here-is gone. Thanks for the note explaining how you're keeping me safe, I honestly do appreciate it, but can I have my DVD back now?) I cleaned the bedroom and bathroom from top to bottom. I hacked at the garden.

And it felt good.

I am getting ready for Christmas, too, and the advent calendars I'd ordered for Angus and myself arrived.

(No, we're not using them until December 1.)

And above all, I got heavy with the cooking.

On Saturday I baked a Sour Cream Coffee Cake.

I laughed to the DVD of Elf as I baked it. I have watched it no less than 6 times now, and I can see it's not going to get boring anytime soon. I pity anyone that has to live with me for the next 6 weeks.

Then I made a massive meal for the boy and I (although I had a tofu escallope, instead of the pork.) Angus got pork roast stuffed with apple and onion stuffing, and we shared an artichoke and potato gratin, as well as Brussell sprouts.

The pork was a lot of work, but turned out well (according to Angus' taste buds).

The potato and artichoke gratin hit the right notes. Cheese? Love it. Potatoes? Love it. Artichoke? Love it.

And I know most people hate them, but we both love Brussell sprouts. It's Brussell sprout season, and they'll be on the stove a lot from here on.

And we had wine, ate a big meal, worshipped our TV in a sparkly living room on our new couches, and I felt ok.

I felt ok.

Finally.

Time and all that jazz...

-H.

Recipes-if you're interested-in the extended version. Coffee Cake

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the streusel:
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

For the glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons real maple syrup

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or two loaf pans.

2. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

3. For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts, if desired.

4. Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean near the center.

5. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.

Pork Roast and Apple Stuffing

5 tablespoons butter
1 apple - peeled, cored and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups water
5 cups dry bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 (3 pound) boneless rolled pork loin roast

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the apple, onion, celery, and walnuts, and cook 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Mix in the applesauce, water, and breadcrumbs. Cook and stir until the breadcrumbs have absorbed the liquid. Season with cinnamon, kosher salt, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger.
3. Unroll the pork roast, and place in a baking dish. Spoon the stuffing mixture over the roast. Arrange any excess stuffing around the roast. Roll the roast so that the fatty side is on top, and tie with kitchen twine.
4. Bake 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Artichoke and Potato Gratin (an altered James Beard recipe)

1 can artichoke hearts (6 real artichokes can be used if they're in season)
2/3 cup light creme fraiche
1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 medium potatoes
4 ounces Fontina cheese, grated

1. Slice the artichoke hearts 1/8 inch thick. Combine the creme fraiche, garlic, salt, and pepper in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and let reduce slightly. Slice the potatoes 1/8 inch thick. To prevent discoloration, hold them in cold water until you are ready to use.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Brush a 5-by-8-inch loaf pan with olive oil. Drain the potatoes and layer 1/4 of them in the loaf pan. First setting aside about 3 tablespoons of the cheese, sprinkle 1/3 of the remainder over the potatoes. Put 1/3 of the artichokes on top of the cheese. Repeat layering the potatoes, cheese, and artichoke chokes, in that order, two more times. Cover with a final layer of potatoes and pour the cream mixture over everything. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the potatoes am tender. Remove the foil , sprinkle the gratin with the 3 tablespoons cheese that you set aside earlier, and return the gratin to the oven for another 5 minutes or until the cheese has browned.

3. After you take the gratin out of the oven, let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting. Run a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the gratin, cut it into four servings, and remove the slices with a spatula.

Posted by: Everydaystranger at 09:01 AM | Comments (21) | Add Comment
Post contains 1355 words, total size 8 kb.

1 Thanks for the recipes! The coffee cake looks especially inviting. Hubby and I love Brussell sprouts as well, but I only have two pretty basic ways of preparing them. :/

Posted by: pam at November 13, 2006 10:30 AM (l6NIn)

2 Good for you! I'm saving the coffee cake and gratin recipes - they look wonderful!

Posted by: Hannah at November 13, 2006 11:34 AM (5w+E2)

3 Pam - go to allrecipes.com and search for shredded brussell sprouts - they are to DIE for!

Posted by: Ronda at November 13, 2006 01:56 PM (KZcwU)

4 i'm so glad you included the coffee cake recipe because i was about to ask for! it looks soooo good. glad you're feeling ok

Posted by: geeky at November 13, 2006 02:50 PM (ziVl9)

5 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Over-Hedge-2-Disc-Special/dp/B000F2VZCA/sr=8-2/qid=1163434904/ref=pd_ka_2/203-6517861-7822350?ie=UTF8&s=dvd will be released in the UK Dec 4.

Posted by: donna at November 13, 2006 04:26 PM (4dWnl)

6 Looks like you are a really good cook. I just got a really good recipe for brussell sprouts with bacon - Yummy! I still would like to get that recipe for the mushroom and stilton galette. Thanks for sharing these!!

Posted by: kimmykins13 at November 13, 2006 04:47 PM (QW8XY)

7 Just FYI, it's Brussels sprouts with an s. Named after the Belgian city of Brussels.

Posted by: Jennifer at November 13, 2006 05:09 PM (V45OB)

8 so glad you've gotten a chance to experience "normal" again. it's a good feeling. thanks for posting the recipes. I was wondering what to make for dinner, and that meal looks like sex on a plate!

Posted by: Myles at November 13, 2006 06:23 PM (eo55L)

9 Ok is a wonderful thing, believe me. I've been going through my own little thing lately, and I'm kinda missing "ok". I adore those advent calendars... I've been cheating the last two years by getting the cheap cardboard ones, but they aren't easy to find around here.

Posted by: amber at November 13, 2006 06:48 PM (5PLeA)

10 Yum! except for the BS. I just can't eat those. But rest assured that I have a date with trader joes for the makings of that gratin. We loves artichokes and potatoes and cheese....

Posted by: caltechgirl at November 13, 2006 06:53 PM (/vgMZ)

11 Jennifer-actually, it's spelled both with and without the s. Both are acceptable spellings. Donna-I saw that, too. Still, depressed about losing my copy, especially since Target told me it was the Deluxe DVD edition exclusive to Target. Target wouldn't lie, right? Right? We usually just boil up the sprouts with salted water, although at Christmas we chuck chestnuts into them.

Posted by: Helen at November 13, 2006 07:42 PM (JkZAx)

12 That may be true, but in either case it only has one L.

Posted by: Jennifer at November 13, 2006 08:16 PM (V45OB)

13 Thank you for your comment on Flickr... he actually caught some youths hotwiring my car from outside of our house, unfortunately 17-year-olds in suburban Nottingham carry knives these days and got a stab in the arm for his troubles. So we are moving to the country as soon as we can sell. I grew up around farms, cows and sheep and nobody I know was ever stabbed. And he will get more than a cuddle when his arm is better Those recipes look lovely, darn the American measurements though!

Posted by: Alice at November 13, 2006 08:35 PM (Nw0jp)

14 Jennifer-true. Feel better now? The essence of this post is that I'm getting over a massive depression. This might come out harsh, but I think I'm struggling a bit to see how or why you think pointing out spelling mistakes is integral here. Not like I'm likely to be discussing sprouts here again, anyway.

Posted by: Helen at November 13, 2006 09:19 PM (JkZAx)

15 YUMMMy! you are doing really really well with that camara. Both you and your food look scrumptious. ahem, scrumpptious..(an extra p for jennifer..hehe)

Posted by: j.m at November 13, 2006 09:59 PM (k3v0Q)

16 Dammit Helen! Some people around here are trying to lose weight, and your gratuitous flashing of food porno in front of me is making my taste buds masturbate! I'm on the next flight to your place for dinner! And I'm one of the weird ones that love good Brussels sprouts (even though they give me gas).

Posted by: diamond dave at November 13, 2006 10:08 PM (12GB3)

17 The foods look yummy (no matter how you spell them) and I am feeling contented that you are OK!

Posted by: kenju at November 13, 2006 11:57 PM (L8e9z)

18 Hi - I've only posted once before, but have been reading for a while now. I just wanted to offer my services if that link isn't the DVD you were looking for, then I'd be glad to help you. I have to go to Target next week, and would be glad to pick up a new one and send it off to you. Just let me know.

Posted by: Terry at November 14, 2006 04:13 AM (Eodj2)

19 Drooool. Ah, m'dear, the photos and recipes are lovely, and I'm remembering a certain tale of "Christmas Yet To Come" (he was the slobbery one, wasn't he?) and how those Christmases may be coming sooner than you hoped. (And I am intensely jealous of those Advent calendars, because as an apartment dweller I have to watch my level of stuff. We don't have enough storage *now*!)

Posted by: B. Durbin at November 14, 2006 05:35 AM (tie24)

20 If I eat Brussels sprouts, my whole system shuts down for five days. Beard and nails don't grow; nothing moves forward biologically speaking. I can still rift and taste their bad selves on the fourth day! No-sir-eee, I'l have the ham and cheese potato[e]s, thank you very much:-)

Posted by: Roger at November 14, 2006 04:12 PM (eFBfX)

21 Tried the grantin with califlower instead of potatos (South Beach-afied) - yum yum yummmy thanks for the recipe!

Posted by: Casey at November 17, 2006 01:08 PM (0M9ku)

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