ANOTHER VISIT TO SCOOPY, AND A YUMMY NEW RECIPE

Shortly after we moved into the loft, Margaret and Ian issued a welcome dinner invitation.  What a meal: braised short ribs accompanied by endive, apples and grapes cooked together in butter until caramelized (with plenty of vino, of course).  The short ribs were delicious, but the fruit-and-vegetable accompaniment garnered the most interest and compliments. 

Consequently, I was intrigued to find a recipe for “Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pear and Shallots” in “Power Foods”, a cookbook put out by the editors of Whole Living Magazine.  I had a pear in the fruit bowl and a 2# bag of Brussels sprouts… no shallots but half an onion… and a few lonely carrots - so decided to give the recipe a try, with a twist.  Delicious – so good we had it again last night. 

Before you hold your nose, roll your eyes, and dismiss a dish made with Brussels sprouts… have you had them roasted?  Tender, but a little firm to the bite, with a rich caramelized color and flavor?  Like cabbage, Brussels sprouts are smelly and mighty unappealing when (over)boiled; roasted, they are an entirely different experience.  So good, you won’t even think about how good they are for you! 

Here is the recipe, which I have also added to the recipe archive way down the left hand side of the blog.  The first night I made the recipe, we had the sprouts with grilled Steelhead trout; last night, we had chicken meatballs in curry sauce on brown rice (photo).   

We made another trip out to RV Renovators yesterday, where the renovations continue to move along.  The big, old, dusty, heavy TV that used to hang over the dashboard is out (sitting on the kitchen floor), and the TV cabinet is in the shop for a remodel.  Rumor has it that the new shelf to go behind the sofa is complete, but it had not yet been installed.

After a long and helpful (we learn something new each time we visit) conversation with Jerry, we got down to our business: turned on the refrigerator so it will be cold when we move back in, then made templates for two throw rugs.  We took our large carpet scraps back down the street to Mesa Sales (where we bought the carpet), along with the templates, and paid a small fee to have the carpet scraps cut and bound to the shape of our templates.  One rug will go near the accelerator and brake pedals, a pad for the driver’s heel; the other will cover the cockpit carpet, at the top of the entry steps.

Still to be done: resealing the roof and cleaning/resealing the skylight; caulking the kitchen sink; installing the new TV, the new shelf, the sofa and the cockpit seats.  Jerry thought the renovations might be complete on Wednesday (tomorrow!!); Friday would be fine with us (and ahead of schedule).  We’ll be visiting again Wednesday, helping everyone stay on task.  :)