of football and frugality

Holly-moly. Cold was what it was this morning. Five degrees when I stepped out of bed at 4:30 this morning. It had risen to nine degrees by the time Sharon drove me to work an hour later. The parking lots and empty streets were desolate tundras.

Momentum (and computer results) slid in favor of Oklahoma Football fans last weekend. Super Sam went airborne more than once and handed the Pokes a healthy defeat. All due respect, however, to the Cowboys, who gave the Sooners their most exciting challenge this season and played and excellent game. The Cowboy's newly expanded stadium looked pretty sweet too. The big 12 championship game this weekend will be exciting again for me and will, I predict, lead to the Sooners playing Florida in the National Championship game January 8th. Stay tuned.


Did I say that I made ricotta last week? It turned out great, and it seemed to get better a few days later. I'll probably need to make sure the rest of it gets eaten this weekend. To get the best of it's flavors, let the cheese come to slightly cooler than room temperature before you eat it. It will stay fresh in your fridge for about five days. Here's the recipe.


Ricotta

Makes approximately 12 ounces of cheese

1 cup heavy cream
2 quarts whole milk (organic is best)
5 lemons (for 1 cup lemon juice)
1 cup buttermilk
pinch of salt

1/4 cup heavy cream to fold in after the cheese has been hanged

Tools needed: citrus reamer, sauce pan, cheese cloth

Ream the lemons; set juice aside.

Bring cream and whole milk to a boil. add lemon juice, buttermilk, and salt. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stir until thick. The mixture will be watery with clumps of curd.

Place a colander in the sink and line it with about four large layers of cheese cloth. Carefully pour the hot cheese into the cloth lined colander to drain. Gather the corners of the cheese cloth; knot the top and hang over kitchen sink (I use a piece of kitchen string to hang cheese from the faucet) Drain 12 hours.

Using an electric mixer or simply a fork, whip additional heavy cream into room temperature ricotta until it is the consistency of soft ice cream.

Around the country, and I assume the world, the art market is behaving like most other markets. Business is down and collectors are cautious. It may be a necessity for an artist to create, but it is not a necessity that the fruits be purchased. Noble ideas will endure but the electric bill must be paid first.

If frugality isn't a requirement and you're looking for something interesting to do this weekend; it's Nobel Week in Stockholm. Laureates from around the world will be partying in white ties in the rarefied air of Swedish food markets, sampling Swedish meatballs with lingonberry preserves and cucumber salad. The Prizes will be awarded on Wednesday 10th, concurrently the Peace Prize will be awarded in Oslo. I understand that nearly 20% of the Swedish population watches the awards ceremony on television. Rooms with a view of the harbor at the Grand Hotel begin at $593 a night.

We have a 25-inch Phillips Magnavox TV that is about 10 years old. On Monday, we attached a digital converter box to it in preparation for the analog sign-off on February 17th. After a bit of trial and error, and a brief tutorial from a 14 year-old via Youtube, we switched on the set and the converter box and beheld the razor-shine of pure digital imagery that poured from our old TV. We are still using an analog antenna to capture the signal, but we now have about 15 channels compared to 5. The picture is flawless and free. Why don't we pay for cable? Eh.

Tonight and Saturday night, Denver kicks off the Christmas season with the Parade of Lights. It's always cold and you have to wait close to an hour before the parade makes it's way to where Sharon and I stand on 16th street. But, we haven't missed the parade for 7 years running. It's fun to be out with thousands of our neighbors celebrating and it gets us pumped up for the holiday. We're gonna decorate our own house for Christmas tonight after happy hour. Cheers.

Have a good weekend everyone, and Godspeed, John Glenn,


Dave