Shrove Tuesday Porn

Lent begins today, as is my perennial wont, I will be forgoing lamb. This year will have less hardship in that than most, as I will be in Korea for half of lent, and and so the odds of my being tempted with the wonderful lamb of spring will be less.

But last night, last night I made food.

Roast leg of lamb (and one rack of frenched ribs. I wanted to do enough rack to feed everyone, but at 10 bucks a lb. a reasonable quantity was prohibitive, as we can expect at least eight people for dinner. Maia bought me a rack as a present; a way to remind myself of what I am giving up, for reasons of ease I will freeze it and have it after Easter). The lamb was marinated in lemon juice, with garlic and rubbed with oregano before roasting.

Tzaztiki (yoghurt, garlic, cucumbers; peeled, and cut into chunks, and cumin)

Salad (bermuda onion, red and yellow tomatoes, cucumber,shredded basil, sliced, feta, and a drizzle of olive oil [Jo¨aue;lle, a local press, grassy with yellow notes and bite, which the tomatoes mellowed] and feathered oregano).

Braided egg bread

Experimental potatoes. We got more oyster mushrooms in the veggie box. I recalled the wonders of mushrooms in Ukraine and decided I could try to fake this some. Chopped about a cup, covered them with cream and put them to simmer; with a pat of butter. As they shrank, I added more mushrooms. The potoatoes were boiled, and then riced, when a 9x9x4 casserole was half-filled I started building a well. When the casserole was 3/4s filled I put the mushrooms in the well. I then covered it.

About 20 minutes before the lamb was done I put the casserole in the oven. When the lamb came out, I switched the oven to broil. When the top was browned (about 10 minutes, the rack was low, because the roasting pan for the meat was tall) I took it out.

It was good. Maia made strawberries and cream for dessert.

Ironies

I used Ash Wednsday as an excuse to go to Mass. One doesn't really need an excuse to go to Mass, but as I wanted to attend at the Mission (Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, the fifth Mission built in Calif.) and today being a minor Holy Day (not one of obligation, but one of fasting and abstinence) they chose to have a special service for the grammar school. That meat I didn't have to get out the door by 0630, nor miss the basic Aikido lesson at 1800.

I got there half an hour early. Read the missal, browsed the hymnal (dreadful stuff) and watched them set up.

The mission church is interesting. The pattern is a V, not a cross, and while there is a nave (evident by the better door, and it's postional relation to the rest of the mission) there isn't a front. The altar is angled to face between the sections.

The walls to the sides of the altar space (the sanctuary is off to the side, outside the altar rail, it's very strange. I don't know if this is the way it was built, or a more recent change) are frescoed in a pleasant trompe l'oeille of raised panels and Doric columns. It's pleasing to the eye.

But they use microphones, despite the spendid acoustics, and small space.

Being a service for children, some of the structure was a tad different. The most shocking was the reading of the Gospel... it wasn't. The priest paraphrased Matt 6:1-7. OK.

The first reading was from Isaiah, the prefiguring of "the least of my these".

Which was good. The homily was well done too. The priest did a nice job of weaving the internalising of the first reading, and the gospel (the scond reading was left out) and the idea of lent, as a time of growth; like the springtime it takes place it. But I was amused.

The main point of the Gospel reading was to not strumpet one's faith. To not parade on street corners, to not be boastful of one's charity, nor to fast with lamentations of one's suffering.

All the while knowing that everyone who recieved the ashes was going to wear them until the wore off. None of us was going to step outside the church and take out a handkerchief and clean our foreheads.

As I left there was a woman taking a picture of the mission. She then asked the ladies who were outside why they were wearing ashes.

I went to get some breakfast, and was asked by my waiter if I'd gone to church early. There wasn't much of the ashes left on my forehead, my hatband had reduced it to the smallest of smears, almost hidden by my hair (and if I'd not been sitting in one of the high tables, so that I was at eye level to him, he might not have seen it at all).

So perhaps today I am not laying up stores for some time in heaven (or, as is more likely, shaving time off my stay in purgatory) but rather it must be it's own reward, as I; with the start of the lenten season rejoice, and am glad, for this is the day the Lord hath made.

It don't rain but it pours (Updated)

Lord, I hope I'm not jinxing this.

In January I applied for an exchange program. The odds were slim. One, they wanted E-7 and up. I'm an E-6. Two, it's an exchange, and my unit had nothing to offer (no training to occupy a British MI troop for two-weeks).

Today I got mail telling me I am supposed to go to Inverness from 23 Jun to 08 Jul. Frabjous day. I was bouncing about the house, gleeful and loud, pumping my fists and bellowing pointless ejactulations.

Then I read the memo that came with it. I am supposed to be at a conference in Little Rock, and arrive on 31 Mar. Fly in the ointment. I am also supposed to be in Korea until 01 Apr.

Right now NGB HQ is closed, so the problem won't be addressed at all until at least tomorrow. I am willing to fly from Seoul to Little Rock, to come home early, so as to return (even if as a legal fiction) to my Home of Record on the way to Little Rock. I am even willing to skip the Korea mission altogether. This sort of deal isn't likely to come my way again, and (for all the Korea Mission looks like a lot of fun, it will) I really want this one.

So, if you think good thoughts will help, send me some good thoughts.

(Update: Not being able to make the conference in Little Rock isn't a show stopper, so it looks as though I am going to be spending the Solstice in Inverness)

For those who like perversion

This is food porn, of the gonzo variety (courtesy of matociquala

Avacado buttercream frosting (from Alton Brown)

8 ounces avocado meat, approximately 2 small to medium
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Peel and pit the avocado. Place the avocado into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment along with the lemon juice and beat until lightened in color, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time and beat until smooth. Add the lemon extract and mix to combine. If not using right away, store in the refrigerator.

For me, I'll say that if you are using right away, psychiatric intervention may be in order.

From a practical point of view, I reccomment caster sugar, which I found some of in SOlvang, and you can try to find by looking at India Tree, Gourmet Spices and Specialties or calling them at (800) 369-4848. For those of you in Seattle they are at 4240 Gilman Place West #B, Seattle Wash., 98199.