December Night Sky

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow, gave a lustre of midday to objects below, when what to my wondering eyes did appear, but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.    

-'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Clement Clarke Moore 

         

12-11-19 Full Cold Moon

The full moon you will observe in the heavens this evening is called the Cold Full Moon.  It is characterized by the arc of its trajectory across the sky which allows it to appear above the horizon for a longer period of time. 

Because of its close association with the winter solstice - and the shortest of daylight hours - the Mohican people called this the Long Nights Moon.  Ancient European pagans also associated this with the solstice calling it The Moon Before Yule.   

For your best view of this beauty be sure to catch the moon rise tonight.  The Moon will attain its peak of fullness at 10:08 this evening.  To the casual observer the moon will appear full Thursday evening as well. 

Fingers crossed for clear, cold viewing tonight.

 

Burning Down The House

Yeah, there's been a dust-up over Donald Trump's breaking bread with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes.  I was not surprised.  

Then he called for the suspension of the Constitution of the United States and reinstatement as president.  I was unsurprised.  

This is what Trump does.  Testing the limits of outrageous behavior is his most endearing personality disorder.  Gaslighting his antagonists too.  He is a master at disrupting the news cycle.

Then there came the Kabuki theater and the ensuing dance.  Asked about this last week and over the weekend a few establishment Republicans expressed shock and called for an apology.  Several sounded perturbed.  A remaining couple implied this was fatiguing.  Yet most all were uniformly silently noncommittal and tiptoed evasively around the subject matter.  You'd think there was a booby trap tripwire in the room.  Is this because they are afraid?  That would imply they are cowards.  Are they waiting for another shoe to drop?  That would imply they know more than they admit. 

But I digress.  Enough with any baseless speculation.

Of critical importance is this:  If anyone thinks any of this has diminished Trump; they didn't read the memo.

Donald Trump is going to be the 2024 GOP candidate for president.  That is a fact, Jack.

Trump lost the last three election cycles and depending-upon the outcome of today's Georgia runoff, may have not only have delivered Joe Biden the senate on a silver platter, but committee control as well.  Nevertheless, he's declared his candidacy and will be the nominee. 

The 2024 election - especially the run-up - is certainly going to be interesting.

I can barely contain my enthusiasm.

Read more about the impending arson over at The Bulwark....

Yes, He Will Burn It All Down

_____________________________________________________________________________

There is a population of conservative Republicans, center-right individuals., and independent-minded voters who place a high value on facts and the truth. Marginalized because they refuse to embrace baseless conspiracy theories nor demonstrate sufficient fealty and obeisance to the former guy - exile is their cross to bear. 

The Deer Camp Chronicles

 

A fifth for sheepshead

Quote Of The Day

Well, I see good things about Hitler… I love everyone, and Jewish people are not gonna tell me ‘You can love us and you know what we’re doing to you with the contracts, what we’re pushing with the pornography.’ 

But this guy that invented highways, invented the very microphone I use as a musician.  You can't say out loud that this person ever did anything good and I'm done with that.  I'm done with classifications.  Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler.

- Kanye West

 

Asian Fusion Comes To Deer Camp

Some of my readers know that we eat pretty good at deer camp.

In keeping with this week's home-cooking theme this is a recipe worth sharing. There was a fair amount of improvisation but if you like following directions here goes:

 

Venison Yakamein Maui Nui

 

Ingredients

 

● 2 venison tenderloins

● 1 small onion, finely chopped

● 1 green bell Pepper, stemmed and seeded, finely chopped

● 1 large celery stick, finely chopped

● 2 garlic cloves, minced

● 1 Tbsp Creole seasoning

● 8 cups Maui Nui venison broth or low sodium beef broth

● 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

● 2-4 Tbsp soy sauce

● 3 hard-cooked eggs

● 2 - 10 oz pkg Japanese Udon Noodles

● 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

● 2 Tbsp neutral oil (avocado or sunflower), divided

● Ketchup and hot sauce (optional)

 

Directions

 

To a large stock pot add 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat.

 

Add half of the meat and cook until browned all over. Remove from the pot and set aside. Add remaining oil and the rest of the meat. Cook until browned all over. Remove from the pot and set aside with the rest of the meat. 

 

Cut/slice the cooked tenders into small pieces.

 

Add a touch more oil if the pan looks dry. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook until the onion to just about translucent. Be careful not to let the vegetables brown, lowering the heat a bit if necessary.

 

Add the garlic and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Then add the Creole seasoning and mix thoroughly. Cook for 1 minute.

 

Next, add broth, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and reserved meat and any accumulated juices. Raise the heat and bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and cook at a gentle

simmer for 10-15 minutes.

 

Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Drain when ready and set the noodles aside.

 

When the meat is tender, check the broth for seasoning, adding more soy or Worcestershire sauce as needed.

 

Peel the eggs and cut them in half lengthwise. Divide the noodles among large bowls and add an egg half to each bowl. Ladle the hot broth and meat into each bowl. Scatter the green onions over each serving and drizzle with a few squirts of ketchup and hot sauce. 

 

Improvisations included the addition of three types of Asian mushrooms, a carrot in lieu of a green pepper, substituted Lawyer's all-day homemade pork broth, fresh baby spinach, and a couple of big double fistfuls of frozen Korean pork pot stickers to bulk-up the dish to a heartier level.

 

Pro Tip: Marinate uncut, hard-cooked eggs over-nite in a brine of Sake and Miso.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Friday Music

Illinois native John Prine is an American folk singer-songwriter, composer, recording artist and performer.   He’s known primarily for songs mixed with social observations and commentary and both sadness and humor from his own life experiences.

Fair and Square was released in 2005 as Prine's 15th studio album also winning a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Crazy as a Loon.....

Underrated

I've never made these before and cannot recall eating them.  Although I have been told they are delicious.

Beef short ribs.

Inspired by one of my favorite YouTube channels I decided to make these in the forno for friends recently.  Moreover, I sourced grass-fed beef short ribs from a local farmer.

Bringing the forno online

Mise en place

Searing

Mirepoix

Making it come together - starting with a 375 F "falling-away" oven for a four hour braise

Served with seared brick oven asparagus and duck-fat-fried crashed potatoes  

A resounding success - score another dish from the brick oven.  Our guests declared these among the best they've dined-upon either at home or in a restaurant.  Beef short ribs are seriously underrated.  I'll make these again

And if you're looking for naturally-raised, locally-sourced meats you can learn more about Sunset Farms here.

Instructions below