Old School

Morning earworm: First Train Home, Imogen Heap. Was listening to this yesterday while working in the Bunker.



The new rig is up and running, about 99% functional - a bit of programming and a final bug or two to work out today, and it debuts tomorrow night. That contact cleaner is amazing stuff - worth the 60 mile drive to get it - lol. This whole process represents stepping simultaneously forward and back - an upgrade to old school :D In many ways it is casting off option anxiety; my rigs have traditionally been rather elaborate affairs, able to create myriad sounds and effects that I virtually never used. When I got into the current band, I deliberately stripped way down - one guitar, one multi-processor and one amp. This latest incarnation, while technically larger, is actually simpler still; with only a few stomp boxes (individual effects on the floor) and an older muli-processor. It doesn't make every sound under the sun, just a few absolutely killer ones. The tones are so fabbo, it makes me want to play, and that may be the biggest plus of all.

OK, enough with the gear slut talk - lol. In other news, I spent some equally enlightening time in the kitchen the last few days. I had JD leave "my" deer partly intact, to learn some basic butchery on my own. I have a functional working knowledge of the front shoulder now -chuck tender, shoulder roast, and shank meat, most of which is probably going to end up as stew or jerky. Today I get to tackle the south end - rump roast, top and bottom round, etc. Who knows, by next year I might be doing all of the cutting. Let him gut and skin it, and I'll take over from there.

Finally, on a more pleasant food-related note, this month's Saveur produced a quick and easy mustard-cream sauce which goes really well with both steak and venison, and probably anything else you care to slather it on. Heat up 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp canola oil in a cast iron skillet. Season your steak of choice with salt and pepper, and pan fry to desired doneness. Remove the meat. Deglaze the pan with 4½ Tbsp cognac or brandy, scraping up the yummy bits and cook for about 20 seconds. Remove from the heat. Add ¼ cup heavy cream, and 1½ Tbsp dijon mustard, whisking until the sauce just comes together. Stir in another 1½ Tbsp cognac / brandy, pour over the steaks, and serve. Garnish with pepper and fresh parsley.

Have a great weekend :D

There are three kinds of repercussions: the necessary, the unnecessary and the inevitable.