Brisket, Books and Movies

Still plowing along with Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin. So much happens in this book – it’s not the most exciting one so far in the series, but there is action and many important revelations. It’s taking me longer to read this book as I don’t sit down each night and put some book time in. Hopefully on vacation I can get quite a bit reading done.



I am on the list for a digital copy (delivered to Kindle) for World War Z. We watched the movie recently. It was good. It wasn’t awesome, but good. Doug on the other hand said it was disappointing but he has read the book. I find that if you read the book first there is a high chance you won’t like the movie. What is it with Hollywood and directors changing everything about a perfectly good plot?

Such as, the second series of Game of Thrones/ Fire and Ice series. Damn! How could they change so much in the HBO production when there were crucial plots (from the book) needing to be told? Don’t get me started, because I may have a spoiler and that wouldn’t be fair to anyone reading this if they haven’t read the books or watched the show. The books are amazing, I will say that.

Since we don’t have live feed TV we get our movies via Netflicks DVD delivery. Always behind the rest of the pack in movie watching but I think more people are sick of paying cable or satellite fees and dumping the whole package. That’s what we did. Never have regretted it. We catch up on a series or show if we choose and don’t care if it’s been out for years. It’s all new to us!

Within the last month we have watched Mud with Matthew McConaughey (not action filled but a good story), Ironman 3 (eh…shrugging shoulders upward) and the last season of Deadwood.



Deadwood was supposed to run 5 seasons. It quit after 3 seasons so….there are a few unresolved storylines. It interested me enough to request a history of the town’s formation. That was a tough group of men and women to survive such harsh and brutal environments. We enjoyed this series quite a bit but if you are easily offended by swearing, skip this one.



Ok, to the Brisket.



My first experience cooking one and it was all good. It’s something I order fairly regularly at BBQ joints and I am pleased to say, our version came out quite tender and flavorful. There is another brisket in the freezer and next time, Doug will cook it on the charcoal grill.

For this Texas Oven-Roasted Brisket:
The rub was simple to toss into a bowl. From there, just massage it into the fat and beef side. Hands on time is about 10 minutes. I love a meal you don’t need to tend constantly. This is a weekend meal (for us) unless you have several hours to be home. I don’t like going away for extended periods with the oven cranked up so this is certainly a weekend or day off “project”.

Texas Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket

Ingredients

2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 bay leaf, crushed
4 pounds beef brisket, trimmed
1 1/2 cups beef stock

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Make a dry rub by combining chili powder, salt, garlic and onion powders, black pepper, sugar, dry mustard, and bay leaf. Season the raw brisket on both sides with the rub.



Place in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour.

After that hour passes, add beef stock and enough water to yield about 1/2 inch of liquid in the roasting pan. Lower oven to 300 degrees F, cover pan tightly and continue cooking for 3 hours, or until fork-tender.
Trim the fat and slice meat thinly across the grain. Top with juice from the pan.



That was a lengthy post but, it's what we are up to at present. Hopefully with vacation week we will get a bit of work done around the house, reading and playing. And of course, good food and wine figures into all of our vacations!

Hope all is well in your world and you are having fun.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo for the Weekend Wine Review

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is an Italian wine from the Abruzzo region of east-central Italy. For me, it’s also unpronounceable …that does not keep me from giving this wine a big A+
What a winner in taste and value. We bought the large bottle and have been pouring ½ liter servings in a carafe. It’s seen us through brisket (very good pairing) and leftover Carnitas.




Great mouth feel, not especially fruity and certainly not sweet. I am not a fan of sweet wine…unless we are talking dessert wines such as a Sauterne. Oh, that’s very nice with a chocolate cheese cake or hot brownie. I digress…………… Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is a good value and will be restocked at our place. Holds up well to recorking but drink up within a few days of the initial opening.

If I were sent a bottle I wouldn’t say no :-)

Digging in the pantry - Presenting Bacon and Lentil Soup

It's October. I expected cooler weather. I have been deeply disappointed. Truth be told, it's usually a false hope (on my part) because in northern Florida, we don't see cool temps until the third week of October. I'm all about boots and sweaters - guess we live in the wrong part of the country for that, right?

Another thing I like about cool weather is settling down with hearty bowl of soup. We eat soup all summer long, hot temperatures or not, but there is a deep satisfying feeling having a bowl in late Fall.

The Donna Hay theme for week two at I ♥ Cooking Club is From the Pantry.



The only thing I modified was tossing in some shredded carrot and a teeny tiny bit of leftover chicken.

Bacon and Lentil Soup
From Fast Fresh Simple

Ingredients

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 rashers bacon, finely chopped
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
¾ cup red lentils
5 cups chicken stock
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
Finely grated Parmesan and sour cream, to serve

Method

Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Chop the bacon and onion.



Add the oil, onion and bacon and cook for 4 minutes or until lightly browned.
Add the thyme, lentils and stock, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils start to break down.
Stir in salt and pepper.
Ladle between bowls and top with Parmesan and sour cream to serve.

Stop by next week for a Donna Hay breakfast theme post, here and at I ♥ Cooking Club. Also, can't wait to share my first experience roasting brisket. It was easier than I thought and I have to share this recipe with my daughter-in-law. It's wonderful.

I am sharing this with Beth Fish's Weekend Cooking Series and Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Sunday .



Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

Wool Gathering

At a glance, this looks like a modest little blanket chest, nothing remarkable or special about it.



For me, it’s a tangible piece of my childhood. It evokes memories of my idyllic upbringing in southeast Pennsylvania. I can visualize it in our home in Brookhaven. Small as it is, I actually fit inside that little box once upon a time. I climbed in to hide from my brother during a rare game of hide and seek. He was 11 years my senior so we didn’t play very often. Roughly 24 years ago, my father brought the toy box down on one of his annual visits. He brought it for our baby…...our baby who will be 25 years old this year. Where did all that time go?!

Now I have the privilege of passing the toy box on my son and wife for their little baby. The blanket on top was crocheted by my grandmother, Margaretta Wynyall Dalton Jackson, as a gift to our son when he was only 4 months old. It was meant to be given to him when we arrived for a much anticipated visit to PA but unfortunately, I fell seriously ill and the trip was canceled. Nana never did see her great grandchild as she passed away before we could get up there. She’d be thrilled to know that blanket was going to her great great grandchild.



Let’s see if I can get my crocheting skills up to par with Nana’s excellent stitchery. My stitches are just not as uniform but…winter is coming, so I will surely crochet more in the colder months. Practice, practice and more of the same.

This is my grandmother. Her photo sits near one of my grandfather, he's the soldier on the far left. His photo was taken during WW I.


There is so much family history I hope to record for this grandchild. Maybe they will love knowing about their roots... and maybe not. My Nana imparted so many stories about the family and gave me a great start with genealogical clues.

Growing up around old people is surely what caused such an interest in family history, roaming through graveyards (we were certainly there often enough) and the occasional predisposition to coin old fashioned phrases.

If only I had a dollar for the times my son would say, "Uh..mom...the 1860's called" and mock my use of tom foolery, ne'er do well, a stitch in my side and the like .....okaaay...I am back to the wool gathering now, aren't I?

So...anyway.......coming up I have book and movie talk as well as a contribution to this week's Donna Hay theme at I ♥ Cooking Club.

See ya later!

Montes Cabernet Sauvignon is the star of Weekend Wine Review

This one will impress you. This long legged wine has a rich, deep ruby coloring. It entices you with dark cherry flavors and hint of vanilla. Robert Parker rates this one a 90. Well done.



A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon with 15% Merlot, this Chilean wine is a great buy at under $14. Stocking up next time we shop.

A Good Year for Food 'n Flix

Would you like to watch a movie and read a book with me? It’s my turn to host at Food ‘n Flix and I selected A Good Year for this month’s film.

For me, the appeal of this movie is wine, French food, Russell Crowe and a fantasy come true. I think there are many of us who have had, at one time or another, dreams of being an ex-pat. The country is whichever one you read about passionately, mentally planning vacations and well…we all have different aspirations but you get the idea.

Being a fan of Peter Mayle’s book, A Good Year, I was excited when this film came out. If you have read the book and not seen the movie, a warning here....it doesn't follow the book. At all. Ok, there is a character named Max Skinner and he does go to France.



Here’s the gist of the story line..........

After years of no contact with his Uncle Henry, London investment banker Max Skinner learns he’s inherited his uncle's chateau and vineyard in Provence.

Max spent summers of his childhood at the chateau, learning to play chess and listening to his Uncle’s stories and advice. He goes to France with the sole intent of selling the property. But after some time spent preparing the chateau, getting it ready to show………he realizes this laid-back lifestyle, the food and people have a great appeal. Now his childhood memories, the beautiful woman Fanny, and an American claiming to be Uncle Henry's illegitimate daughter make him evaluate his future.



Aaron Eckhart originally had a role in this film, but dropped out. Personally, I think Crowe is a better fit for the character of Max Skinner.

Some quotes I like:

Max Skinner: Look, I wasn't joking about what I said before about the wine they make here. It is not - I repeat, NOT - first class. Will that affect our price?

Charlie Willis: Well, how bad can it be?

Max Skinner: Uh, well, it gives you a blinding headache and it makes you angry... I can't imagine the damage a second sip might do.

Charlie Willis: Well, we'll just have to make sure our buyers don't know anything about wine. We'll concentrate on the Americans.



Christie Roberts: Are your memories of my father good?

Max Skinner: No they are extraordinary. My uncle loved women, although no one for a long time, and he never married. He loved England, yet lived in France. He was an adventurer, yet all my memories take place within 100 steps of this spot.

Ready to watch this movie? - How to participate in Food 'n Flix

1. Watch the chosen film A Good Year. It's most likely available at your local library if you care to check it out. After watching the film think about what you'd like to prepare. What dish are you inspired cook, bake or prepare after seeing some gorgeous French countryside and watching a few foodie scenes?

2. Post about it on your web site with a link back to THIS post and a link to Food 'n Flix. Use of the Food ‘n Flix logo is optional.

3. You must post must be current (done during October 2013). And of course we don't mind if your post is linked to other events. The more the merrier!

Email your entries to me at: hexandkobe (at) yahoo (dot) com and include:

Your name
Your blog's name and URL
The name of your dish and the permalink to the specific post you're submitting
Attach a photo of any size, though 500 to 620 pixels is ideal (or just give me permission to “grab” one from your post)
Indicate “Food 'n Flix Submission” in the subject line
Deadline for submission is: October 31, 2013.

When I am ready to post the inspired dish I will also link up to my book site Novel Meals with a book review of A Good Year. But that's just me....you don't have to read the book, just get the movie and play along for Food 'n Flix. Let Russell Crowe take you to France for an adventure :-)