Beauty For Ashes

I have been tryinig to enjoy a world that looks like black and white photos the last couple of days.  We have had heavy fog that freezes onto the trees, bushes, fences etc., and it makes for some fantastic negative space photos as well as some unbelievable gray scale photos.  Here is a link to a couple of pictures I’ve taken of the trees around my house.  They were not taken with a black and white setting, they just look like it.  Stunning, non?

In other topics…I am on a search for some new music.  I love music like most people in this world but am in a rut so now I’m asking for ideas.  I have been in the mood for tight harmony that is new and hip, kindof like this song by Imogen Heap.  it’s called Hide and Seek.  I don’t understand most of what is being said in the song so I looked up the words and again don’t understand what the heck the meaning of the song is but the sound is right up my alley.  I think I might need to go back to college and contemplate my belly button a little more to understand some of the vaguery.  I used to be on top of it but my world is now measured in concrete thoughts and actions as per the status quo of mommyhood.

Also, on the Today show about a month ago, there was a musical guest on for Matt Lauer’s 10th Anniversary Celebration and he sang accompanying himself on the piano.  I loved the song and have heard it before but for the life of me I can’t remember the artist or title.  I believe the date was January 5th that he was on the show and in the Today studio.  I have heard the song associated with the Today Show before but don’t know the word.  I know it’s a long shot but if you have any idea would you let me know.

Also, I spent most of yesterday making Greek food for dinner.  I have been in the mood for Gyros lately and found some good recipes to make Gyro meat, Pita Bread and Tzatziki sauce.  The meat turned out terrific but the pitas weren’t so good.  I think I have decided to try and figure out a lower fat version of the meat and buy the pita’s from the local Greek restaurant down the road.  The Tzatziki sauce turned out wonderfully and I can think of a couple of different things it would taste good on.  I was shocked when my entire family loved the meal.  Usually C hates anything out of the ordinary.  Maybe he liked it because I didn’t feed him much all day and he was so hungry he would have eaten the furniture… who knows?

Here is the recipe for the Gyros and Tzatziki Sauce.  The Gyros meat is rather time intensive but I think with a few substitutions, I have written what I’d like to do at the bottom, the time to make it could be cut down my quite a bit.  The Tzatziki sauce is simple, light and spring like. 

Gyros

1 ½ lb. shouder lamb

1 lb. beef chuck

1 pack of bacon

¼ c. dehydrated onions

1/3 c. water

1 tbs. salt

1 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. black pepper; coarsely ground

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. hot paprika

½ tsp. cinnamon

2 cloves garlic pressed or minced

2 tbs. vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Blanch bacon for 3 minutes in boiling water and then drain on paper towels
3. Rehydrate onions using the 1/3 cup hot water
4. Using large hole plate on meat grinder, grind lamb and beef together.  Then using small hole plate regrind meat one to two times more.
5. In small bowl mix together 7 dry spices
6. Sprinkle spices over ground meat and mix thoroughly
7. Add garlic and oil to meat mixture and mix thoroughly
8. Line the bottom and sides of a loaf pan with bacon and pack meat mixture in over the top.  Press meat in and then cover top with bacon
9. Place filled loaf pan in hot water bath that reaches ¾ of the way up the pan.  Bake for 30 minutes then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes.
10. Remove pan from oven and remove loaf pan from hot water bath and place on wire rack to cool.  Cover with aluminum foil and compress on the top with 2 lbs. of weight.  Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate the meat.
11. Meat is best if left to temper in the refrigerator for 12 hours before reheating and eating.
12. Thinly slice meat and put on pita bread with tomotoes, onions, tzatziki sauce and feta cheese.

Tzatziki Sauce

1 c. plain yogurt

1 clove crushed garlic

¼ tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tbs. chopped fresh mint leaves

1/8 tsp. dill

½ large cucumber – peeled and finely chopped in food processor

1. Use cheese cloth to strain the yogurt over a bowl for 3 to 4 hours, until most of the water has drained.
2. 2. Press excess liquid out of the shredded cucumber.  In a medium bowl, stir together the cucumber and strained yogurt.  Mix in the garlic, salt, pepper, dill and mint.  Chill the mixture for 1 to 2 hours.

Next time I make it, I am going to completely omit the bacon, use olive oil instead and possibly not use the lamb and use our very lean hamburger instead.  Ultimately, I would like to try making this with ground chicken and see what it would be like. 

 Hope you all have a terrific, warm day.  It’s not warm here and I am convinced that hell is made of frozen fire and as cold as can be.  I don’t like being cold even if it’s pretty outside and yet I am still going to go walk….crazy I know.