E has been working on fixing our floor and reinstalling the bookcase that does double duty as railing above the stairs. This is a project probably long overdue but he has done a really nice job on it. The floor no longer has a gap and the bookcase is getting beefed up with trim to make it look more built-in. This bookcase is where I have been keeping my cookbooks and also my to-be-read and recently-read books. In the process of taking it out to fix the floor, we had to box up the books and that has given me a chance to cull the stack. Unfortunately, I really like looking at, collecting and dreaming of using cookbooks so probably none are going away. I look forward to putting them neatly back on the shelf and organizing them, though.
Spring-like weather means longer walks and I had been enjoying the morning walks in the sunlight, though now that daylight savings time has started, that will be over for awhile - back to darker walks before work. Whoop-de-doo, it will be light later into the evening. DST is dumb. We took some longer walks the past couple days (I took a day off from work Friday just 'cuz) with our Nordic walking poles - 20-40% more energy burned just from walking I would already be doing. I love the new poles and can feel that I am working muscles I don't normally use much when "regular" walking - arms, different leg muscles and core.
I finished 2 more books on the same day again. Both really spoke to me where I am and how I feel right now.
Books 10 and 11
The Necessity of Empty Places by Paul Gruchow has been on my list to read since I read a chapter of it for a writing class in college. It is essentially a collection of essays but are all connected by common theme - appreciating some of the vast seemingly-empty landscapes that we often overlook, with the eye and voice of a naturalist. I love how Gruchow starts with a broad view - the sweep of the prairie, the spans of alpine tundra, the vast sandhills of Nebraska - and then turns it inward or microscopic. Self-reflection or reflection on the American population at large is common. Snippets of history might pop in - of the land, of a particular animal, of an explorer who recorded the area. What may look like an endless empty nothing is teeming with flowers, grasses, bugs, birds and other animals. If you are a person who disdains description and who needs a central cast of characters, a plot with a conflict-climax-resolution, chatty dialogue, this is not the book for you. I will not pick this book for book club (I could almost hear at least one person saying that they flipped through the long pages of description, not realizing that the scene IS the main character), but I loved it so much and can't wait to read more by this author.
Book 11 was The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking. Hygge refers to finding comfort, pleasure, and warmth in simple, soothing things such as a cozy atmosphere or the feeling of friendship. Ironically, I read the book about hygge in a most un-hygge way - electronically. I almost never read books on tablet or phone but found it the easiest way to get this one.
The author's main point was that the concept of hygge explains why the Danes end up at or near the top of every "most happy" list year after year. I think we all have learned to live a little more hyggelig during this pandemic - taking more pleasure in the simple things. Home-cooked meal, small gatherings, board games, comfort items like blankets and hand-knit sweaters or scarves, books and a crackling fireplace. These are all things I appreciate and turn out to be very hygge. I was living hygge without even knowing it. I think these last lines of the book summed it up nicely:
...hygge is about making the most of what we have in abundance: the everyday. Perhaps Benjamin Franklin said it best: "Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day, than in the great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom."
Speaking of comfort in the everyday, we tried a recipe that was easy enough for a week night, and yet had enough potential for fancy that you could serve it to guests, too. Recipe is from Whatsinthepan.com, and I served it with mashed potatoes and a veggie on the side. Filling and delicious, and as I said, easy yet slightly fancy.
Recipe 10 - Boneless Pork Chops in Creamy White Wine Sauce
4 boneless pork chops (I only had 2 so that is what I made - I trimmed off the fat and mine were rather thick so took a bit longer to cook to 145 degrees internal temp/done)
2 T butter
Dredging mixture:
1/4 C all purpose flour
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder (I didn't have onion powder so used an additional 1/4 t garlic powder instead)
1 t Italian seasoning
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Sauce:
2 T butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T flour (or use leftover flour from dredging which is what I did)
1/2 C dry white wine (I used cooking wine so I didn't have to open a bottle of "real" wine)
lemon juice (the original recipe says "1/4 lemon (juice of fresh lemon" which I didn't understand at all - I used about 2 T lemon juice)
1/2 C chicken stock or broth
1/2 C heavy (whipping) cream
1 t Italian seasoning
4 sprigs fresh thyme - leaves only (I used a 'shake-shake' of dried thyme instead)
Whisk together in a large bowl all ingredients under "dredging mixture" above. Dredge chops thoroughly in the dry mixture, then heat 2 T butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat (next time I would use medium - I think the pan was too hot and the butter got too dark too quickly). Once hot, sear chops by cooking for 3-4 minutes per side for a total of 6-8 minutes. First side on medium high but then reduce to medium for 2nd side (see my note above). Remove pork from heat and transfer to a plate. Cover to keep warm.
Return skillet to heat, add 2 T butter and minced garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes on medium (my garlic never takes as long to cook as recipes say - be careful not to burn it or let it get too dark). Add flour to the butter/garlic and blend it in. Next start pouring in wine while still on medium heat - about 1 minute (mine started foaming a bit and binding/thickening which was fine). Add chicken stock and heavy cream. Squeeze a little bit of lemon into the pan, add thyme and Italian seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 2-3 minutes. Taste the sauce and add more seasoning, if necessary.
Reduce heat to low and return pork chops to pan. Depending on thickness of your chops, you might just need to heat them a bit to make sure they are done (cook pork to 145 degrees internal temp, per my internet search). Drizzle some of the sauce over chops and reheat on low for 2-3 minutes or until done.
We had a lot of extra sauce - E has been having a little with his lunch baked potato and chicken.
