Random Notes and Pictures From the Sandwich Life

1. Ernie and I both have Facebook pages but Ernie only checks his once a year, on his birthday. Actually I'm the one that does that too. Not that the man isn't ON Facebook, he just used my account. Occasionally he'll make a comment with the helpful addendum, "Oh, and this is Ernie." I just roll my eyes.

Yesterday I logged on to Facebook only to find that I had a message that "Rat has accepted your friend request." Hmmm, I thought. I called Ernie and said, "Did you send a friend request to Rat Scabies?" He said he did and I said, "well, thank you." God I love that man. And now I'm friends with Rat Scabies. Life is often very, very good.

 
2. Exciting library haul!

3. You can never have too many hot dogs in the sky.

4. Forgive the lousy picture, but damn I love Van and Karin's door.

5. The Brussels sprouts won the dinner competition last night. Nice little roasted red potato from Farmer Greg, and roast chicken were not TOO far behind, but the Brussels sprouts had an easy lead.

Now I must admit, it didn't hurt that the sprouts were little beauties from Greg, but the recipe was delightful and simple. I guess it didn't hurt that they called them bar snacks either...I'm easy.

Bar Snack Brussels Sprouts Steeped in Olive Oil and Fish Sauce

Kosher salt
Brussels sprouts, trimmed at stalk end
Extra-virgin olive oil
Vietnamese fish sauce

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and season with coarse kosher salt until as salty as the sea. We encourage you to actually get a spoon and taste the hot water for salinity. It’s the only way to know what you’ve got in the pot.

Add the brussels sprouts, and cook for about 10 minutes, until they are just cooked through. Still firm but not al dente.

Drain sprouts, and quickly transfer to a heatproof shallow bowl, and while hot, douse them with good-quality olive oil and sprinkle fish sauce over them judiciously. Stir, and taste one. Add another splash of fish sauce, if needed, and let the sprouts cool completely, resting and steeping for an hour or so, before serving at room temperature.