Spring Cleaning Music

I'm cleaning out my to-do list right now, but this also works well for cleaning house.

A Made-Up Recipe

I made up a recipe. I have never done such a thing so I'm pretty proud. Now this recipe involves liver, and I realize that liver makes some of you gag. For your sake I will not make the photo large, and because even I don't need to look at liver large scale. I have loved liver ever since I remember, and for a while I was convinced that those who didn't share my love just needed the right recipe to persuade them. I've made such people Calves' Liver with Honey, and what I think is a delicious liver Pate, and yet they remain unconvinced. This is not the recipe that will convince them. It does taste like liver barely masked by a sweet, rich, earthy combobble of other flavors. This is basically just how I like liver lately, as in every day for lunch this week.

Liver Thing

2 strips bacon, chopped

1/3 red onion chopped

4 chicken livers, or about 1/4 lb, chopped

An earthy herb like marjoram, sage or thyme (I used about 10 sprigs of chopped sage flowers because that's what came in our CSA this week)

Salt and Pepper

Dash of Balsamic Vinegar

Half an Avocado

A Slice of Bread

Sautee bacon, onions and herb together (don't add extra oil yet, the bacon fat will give off plenty) for a few minutes. Add the liver, salt and pepper and sautee for another few minutes (maybe add a little olive oil if it's looking really dry and sticking). At the very end of the cooking add a few dashes of balsamic vinegar to just deglaze the whole thing. Turn out onto a slice of bread smeared with avocado.

In retrospect a sage blossom or two on top of that would have made it a bit more appetizing, but there it is. Liver goodness. (If any of my local girls want liver from Springfield Farm let me know and I'll order extra.)

Lists

Last night I turned in a whopper of a Hegel paper which means my first year of graduate school is almost over (one more week of some easy readings). I still woke up at 4 this morning panicked about typos, but I'm hoping that soon and very soon that pesky stress will begin to wear off. I am so looking forward to this summer. In preparation I'm making myself lists:

To Read:
The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken by Laura Schenone
The Original of Laura by Nabakov (I must admit I started this a few weeks ago, I was too curious)

Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbery
Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes

A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh

The Line by Olga Grushin
The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
Gravity and Grace by Simone Weil
Food Rules by Michael Pollan
I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb
The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy Sayers
In the Beauty of the Lilies by John Updike

Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro

To Cook:

(The boy's been a doll for cooking all year but our deal was if he cooked real food it could be plain jane. I've been filing recipes away all year for the day I take back the kitchen.)
Whole Fried Mushrooms on Toasts
Celery Root Risotto (I will make this up based on a dish we had at Cinghiale last week)
Straw Potatoes with Lemon Salt (put to use all the flavored salt I made for Christmas gifts last year)

Morning Couscous with Almonds and Coconut
Rosemary Potato and Chicken Pizza
Polenta with a Leek and Mushroom Ragu
Hashed Sprouts with Hazelnuts and Fried Capers
Kale Salad
Red Pepper Mousse with Garlic Toasts
Creamed Chard and Spring Onions (with steak on the side?)

Chickpea of the Sea Sandwich


To Do:

Picnics, picnics, picnics

Spa day at the Aveda School

Attempt Shakespeare in the Park again (Al Pacino's playing Shylock!)

Learn to drive a stick shift

Start herbal medicine course again

Learn to sail

Reorganize every room in the house

Keep doing yoga

Purge my wardrobe then restock it

Have lots of people over for cocktails on the porch

Sew pillows for the couch

Catch up on baby and wedding gifts

Take a second honeymoon

Make lotion

Make a big fancy dinner that includes the use of antique napkins, decanters, mother of pearl caviar spoons and port sippers

Sew pompoms on the curtains

That should keep me busy for a while.