Scar!

Oh my heavens, I am so remiss in blogging. I have so much backed up blog fodder, it's going to take ... a great deal of restraint not to go any further with that metaphor.

Sorry about that. Anyway, the big news! A little over a week ago (2/5), as I was leaving work, I was in my first ever major car accident. I am, as most of the people who read this blog know, completely fine physically, but my beautiful six-month old Hyundai Sonata is, well, "worse for wear."

Synopsis: I was driving in the far right lane on Indianapolis Blvd. It was snowing. To my left was an Acura, to my right, a Shell station. And as we went along, the driver to my left decided it was time to buy cigarettes RIGHT NOW and turned into the Shell station, taking me along with him. Which had not been a destination on my itinerary, to say the least.

So a week later, having had a number of conversations with insurance companies, independent assessors and appraisers and the body shop recommended by the Hyundai dealership, the damages are looking like they will total somewhere between $4,000 - $6,000. There is denting all along the driver side, especially in the front and rear panels, a headlight is popped out and broken, a hubcap is cracked, and the driver's mirror was snapped off clean, which needless to say has made driving on the highway lately very anxiety inducing.

Should everything go according to plan, the insurance company and body shop will be in communication today and sort everything out that I might drop my car off tomorrow and pick up a rental for the interval. Meanwhile, 'Shark' (thus named by Daisy for his dorsal fin-like satellite radio antenna) has been rechristened 'Scar', and I am spending a lot of time looking over my shoulder.

And the moral of the story is, you should quit smoking. RIGHT NOW.

Oh Noes!

For a brief moment this morning, I was overcome with fear and panic - we are out of coffee! But, I soon found the emergency reserves hidden away on the top shelf. Whew! Close one.



(I apologize for the bootleggy nature of this clip, but the Broadway version of this song is spectacular, even in this difficult to discern detail version.)

Slow Cookin', Fast Eatin'

Certainly the best investment anyone in this household has made this year has been HBC's purchase of a slow cooker (along with this book.) We have become a family of slow cooking fiends, having already produced about eight different batches of savory goodness, including a million bean soup, a North African beef stew (with cumin, cinnamon, and dried apricots), and a sauerkraut and beef stuffed cabbage. Most of these have been the masterful Mama at work, but I have tried my hand once or twice, and yesterday brought my own personal triumph - Black Bay Corn Chowder.

I knew just reading the list of ingredients that this would be absolutely delicious, but having completed it in all its slow-cooked glory I now deem it my favorite soup ever. When I am offered my last meal, I would like a rare Kansas City strip steak, some mixed greens with a balsamic vinaigrette, and a bowl of this soup. (And, of course, a Talisker, neat, with nice IPA as a chaser, but as most last meals are a 'death row' deal, this seems an unlikely grant.)

I seem to be the only one raving about it - Mama was pleased but not gaga and Miss Marguerite went quickly from very excited to disquieted. (D appears to be going through a textural/aesthetic food phase - often things with a heterogeneous appearance or offering a varying mouth feel are rejected despite flavor.) In any case, the crowd was supportive enough that I shall certainly make this dish again.

Without further adieu, the Recipe!

Black Bay Corn Chowder

• 8 strips bacon, cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 & 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• Tabasco sauce
• 4 cups diced potatoes (red, Yukon gold, fingerling, or white creamers), skin-on
  
• One 16 oz pkg frozen petite white corn, defrosted
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt

cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Add the onion, celery and thyme and cook over medium-high heat until the onion begins to soften. Add the flour and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 3 minutes. Gradually add the broth and 8 drops of Tabasco, whisking until smooth, and bring the mixture to a boil.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the potatoes and corn. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 to 7 hours.

at the end of cooking time, stir in the cream, cover the slow cooker and cook on low for an additional 30 minutes. Season with salt and Tabasco.

serve the chowder hot.