Back to (sort of) real life

Christmas is over... no New Years Eve parties (but there will be NYE and NYD cooking)... into the home stretch of 2008. Still work-less this week, but today was a Sunday as usual and back to getting the grocery shopping done and making dinner.

I actually bought the stuff yesterday to make some scampi for dinner, but then I got Pressed Almond Duck on the brain and we ordered Chinese food. Note to self for next year... if you're going to get the taste for Chinese food the week of Christmas again, be smart and get it on Christmas Day and not two days after, when the good chef is likely enjoying his time off and a lesser chef is manning the kitchen. Not the best take-out we've gotten from that one place (the only place around here that has Pressed Almond Duck).

But, tonight... on to the scampi!!

The mis....



Some nice bread and langostines (size of a shrimp, more like the taste/texture of lobster) I got at Trader Joe's, butter, garlic confit and the garlic oil you get while making garlic confit, and pasta. Oh, and shrimp stock.

Hello... what is this??



Chicken breats in the crock pot. My mom is doing a "post-holiday Holiday Gathering" with my dad's side of the family next Saturday. She's doing some pulled beef, I'm bringing some pulled chicken, all for sandwiches. I'll also br bringing the mountain of crackers and the remains of the Reuben dip that I have stashed in the freezer right now.

Back to the scampi......



Confit garlic in some melted butter. Time to smoosh!!



I usually just go at it with a fork. Works for me.

Half the garic/butter mixture was smeared on the bread.....



And the bread gets wrapped in foil and goes into a 350 degree oven for ten minutes all packaged up, then ten minutes unpackaged/unfolded. You can broil it after that if you want the extra crispy top. I usually don't bother.

Woo hoo.... equipment porn... the new Le Creuset in action!!!



The pasta was either really broken when I poured it outta the bag or I totally overboiled it... it was just falling apart. This was not my best scampi.

Cooked the pasta, drained the pasta, then did the sauce in the same pot... the shrimp stock, some pasta water, the rest of the garlic butter, a big pinch of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Boil it down to the desired consistancy, add the pasta back in, and......



Looks pretty, but all in all, not my best scampi. I think it needed a LOT more salt. The langostines were already cooked, but they were actually kinda mushy and not very good. Oh well. Life goes on. At least we had an excuse to polish off some of the leftover tiramisu. Funny how life works sometimes.

I did want to get a start on some veal stock today... but frankly... I was just too lazy. And persistance paid off... after getting yet ANOTHER disk from Netflix of Footballer's Wives, Season 3 that didn't work in the main DVD player, my computer DVD drive, or the computer room DVD player, I finally tried it in the bedroom DVD player and it works just fine. Luckily that is also the most portable of the DVD players, so I was able to hook it up downstairs and I am currently enjoying the first part of season 3 in all it's trashy glory.