Satisfying Saturday

I woke up at 5:20 AM on Saturday. I wasn't sleepy, so I got up and made a pot of coffee. I drank a cup posting my Blog entry for Friday. Then I got to work. I stripped the bed and put the sheets in the washer.

I'm not sure who pissed who off, but the cats kept fighting. They were ambushing each other, over and over again (and over my loud objections).

I emptied the dishwasher and thought about breakfast, but decided another cup of coffee sounded better. Once it was light enough, I noticed we got a light dusting of snow last night. In fact, snowflakes were still falling although the sun was shining. I raced from window to window to see if I could find that most elusive of things: a snowbow. It only stands to reason that, if it rains when it's sunny and you get a rainbow, then if it's snowing and the sun shines, there should be a snowbow. Right? (Okay, so I might have just made that up...)

About 9:00 AM, after I made the bed up, I decided I was tired of being in my bathrobe, so I showered and shaved. For some reason, I couldn't get the thought of the snowbow out of my head. So, I did what I always do: made it into a poem and posted it. It's called, ironically, "The Snowbow." I wrote it for small children so Melissa, please read it out loud to Gavin.

Okay, that's enough lollygagging! Time to clean the house!! I did the living room first. I dusted, then vacuumed and swept and finally dust mopped it. I finished up just as Saturday Morning Over Easy ended. Then I cleaned my bedroom.

I measured out a cup of frozen peas and put it in a sieve to thaw. I took a break to eat lunch (Ken's "Zuppa Toscana" soup which was excellent!!!) While eating, I watched my two hours of Saturday cooking shows (Jamie Oliver, Aida, Giada and Ina Garten). I was half way through Ina's show when the doorbell rang.

It was Jake and Carla, who were dropping off some beef stew. Now, this is beef stew I am interested in. Let me set the stage: it's a weekday and they want to make beef stew (which I would only attempt on the weekend. The tough stew meat has to cook long enough to break down, you see). But, what they did was, Jake seared the meat before going to work and put it in the crock pot, along with some chicken stock. He didn't want to add the vegetables as he likes to "interact" with the food. So, that night, Carla saut�ed some onions, celery and carrots. That got added to a pot with the slow-cooked meat and juices and some peeled, diced potatoes. Once everything was cooked and they hit it with fresh herbs and some lemon, they ate it.

Jake swears it is better than my recipe (which I have testimonials from Blog readers, BTW). So, I promised to try it and let them know. If it is that good, I may have to change my recipe!

They departed and I went to make the chicken fried rice. Now, I have the cooked long-grain white rice that has been chillin' in the fridge for more that 24 hours (Jake and Carla said the refrigeration and the rinsing have something to do with the consistency the rice needs to be when you fry it, BTW). I also have the de-boned rotisserie chicken that is now thawed and chopped (about two cups). I cut up three scallions (white and green) into thin slices. I also beat three large eggs until just blended. Then I put together the sauce: 1/4 cup of oyster sauce and two tablespoons of soy sauce (I use naturally brewed, either Kikkoman or Tamari).

So, I took my 12-inch non-stick skillet, sprayed it with some oil and put it on medium-high heat. When the skillet was hot, I added the eggs, swirling them around to make sure they coated the whole bottom of the pan. I cooked them without stirring, adjusted the heat as necessary, until the eggs were firm and cooked through, but not yet beginning to brown. Then I slid the eggs onto a plate to let them cool. When they were cooled, I sliced them into small pieces.

I returned the skillet to the stove, added some sesame oil and turned it on high. When the oil started smoking, I added the peas and scallions and cooked them, stirring constantly until the scallions were limp (about one minute). I stirred in the rice (break up any clumps), the sauce mixture, the eggs and the cooked chicken until everything was well mixed. I continued to cook and stir until the rice was heated through (about two minutes). Then I put it in a bowl to cool. This is not for eating now, but for next week's leftover lunches and dinners.

But, of course, I had to taste it. So, I filled a small bowl, added a bit more soy sauce and dug in. Damn! That's good! The only thing I think I will do differently when I make this again (and I will) is to add some bean sprouts and maybe some fine chopped mushrooms. Other than that, this is as good as any fried rice I ever got at a Chinese restaurant.

At 7:45 PM, I was hungry, so I warmed up that beef stew and cut some of the Italian rustic bread from Westborn. Another excellent dish! This is a banner day for food on San Jose!!

The meat was perfectly tender and I see what Jake meant about the vegetables. With mine, the veggies get "heavy" during the long cooking time and the gravy quite thick. Jake and Carla's veggie were cooked through, but much lighter, somehow. And, the gravy was just a little thinner, perfect for sopping up with the bread.

I wandered in to see what was on TV. I ended up taping the boxing on HBO and watching "The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers" again. I love those movies, but when it was over, it was 11:45 PM!!