CHRISTMAS 2009 FAMILY DINNER MENU

Christmas 2009

Dinner Buffet

Aperitifs & Drinks

Seasonal Recommendations: Negroni, Raspberry-Cranberry cocktail, Old Fashioned

Sparkling: Cava (Freixenet brut, Rondel brut), Champagne (Francois Montand brut)

Beer: Leffe Blonde, Harp, Flying Dog (variety), Stella Artois

Wine: Shariz, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet, Zinfandel

Kibbles

Bagna Cauda, baguettes

Jefferson House plate: celery, scallions, radishes, olives, pickled onions, peach-nut bread

"Dipping" oil with crusty bread, carrot nubbies

Ham and cheese focaccia

Classic Swiss fondue, breads, apples, cauliflower

Cheese Plate A

Valdeon (Cow and Goat's milk from Spain: blue cheese wrapped in grape leaves)

Old Amsterdam (12 month old gouda from Holland)

White Stilton with cranberries (England)

Champignon Brie (double cream from Bavaria with mushrooms)

Chèvre (Sonoma County, CA, very mild, very creamy)

French baguettes slices, Flatbread crackers, Pickled golden raisins, Poached Figs stuffed with Cream Cheese and Wrapped with Prosciutto, (also, non stuffed, non wrapped), candied spiced pecans

Cheese Plate B

Sliced bars of cheddar, jalapeno jack

Ritz crackers, olives, Honey roasted peanuts

Entrees

Baked D&W Whole Ham
Boeuf Bourguignon (from Julia Child's "Mastering the art of French Cooking")

Home made Pierogies: potato/potato-jalapeno cheese, sautéed onions, sour cream

Individual vegetarian quiches

Baked acorn squash w/ apple, cranberry & walnut "stuffing"

Salads

Roasted red beet salad, feta cheese, candied walnuts

Fafalle salad: garlic, olive oil, shaved parmesan, baby spinach, cannellini beans, cracked black pepper

Oaxacan shrimp: tomato, orange & lime juices, cilantro, olives, avocado

Radiccio and orange salad, almonds, golden raisins

Breads

Assorted rolls from LeBus

Desserts

Individual Tiramisu and Peach Melba

Cookies: Biscotti, Hawaiian tartlets, Pizzelles

Walnut tart

New York style cherry cheesecake

Truffle cups in 3 flavors: 
Orange peel-Star anise/Juniper, Lavender-Elderflower, Coconut-Raspberry

Earl Grey latte

Decadent hot chocolate (72% Belgian chocolate)

Coffee (Starbucks French roast)

Orange Peel-Star Anise Truffle Cups

A Truffle Cup is my name for a 2-layer mini dessert of light panna cotta over chocolate ganache. Although panna cotta is typically made with heavy cream, this version presents a lighter approach as a contrast to the heavier chocolate layer.

This recipe describes an orange panna cotta over a star anise ganache, but it can be modified for any number of possible flavors. Part of the fun is to experiment with your imagination and your tastes.

For more background and inspiration, see http://cpronchik.blogspot.com/2009/12/truffle-cups.html

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate (morsels or pieces from a large block)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. soft butter
• 2-3 star anise pods
• 1 cup milk (1 2 or 4% but not skim)
• 1/2 tsp. dry gelatin
• 1/4 cup sugar
• orange peel from 1/2 orange

Directions

Make the chocolate layer

Place cream and star anise in a pot and warm it, then turn off heat, place a lid on pot and let the spicy brew steep for 10-15 minutes, like it was a tea. Strain out the spice and return cream to the pot. Reheat over medium flame until scalded. Remove from heat, add chocolate and mix until melted and thoroughly combined. Stir in butter. Pour equal amount into 7 small glasses and refrigerate.

Make the Panna Cotta

Bloom the gelatin by placing 1/2 tsp. in a small cup with a tablespoon of the milk. Stir or otherwise cajole the gelatin so that all of it receives some liquid. Heat the remainder of the milk in a pot with the sugar and the orange peel. When the sugar is dissolved, turn off the heat and let the orange peel steep for 10 minutes. Remove the peel, and combine the milk with the gelatin (add a small amount of warm milk to the small bowl and mix thoroughly, then pour into the pot). Stir until the gelatin is completely melted and combined. Reheat gently if necessary. Cool milk mixture to room temperature and pour some over each of the cold chocolate cups so that there is an equal amount of each in each cup. You will have extra panna cotta, which you can chill and enjoy separately.

Return cups to the refrigerator and allow panna cotta to set up. Decorate with a thread of candied orange peel.

Boeuf Bourguignon

Julia Child’s Recipe Copyright © 1961, 1983, 2001 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted by arrangement with the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.

Verbatum from the cookbook: 

As is the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguignon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and can well be the main course for a buffet dinner. Fortunately you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated. 

Boiled potatoes are traditionally served with this dish. Buttered noodles or steamed rice may be substituted. If you also wish a green vegetable, buttered peas would be your best choice. Serve with the beef a fairly full-bodied, young red wine, such as Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, Bordeaux-St. Émilion, or Burgundy.

Ingredients

• 6 ounces bacon
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil
• 3 pounds lean stewing beef , cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 sliced carrot
• 1 sliced onion
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 3 cups full-bodied, young red wine , such as a Chianti
• 2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 cloves mashed garlic
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• Crumbled bay leaf
• Blanched bacon rind
• 18 to 24 small white onions (or a bag of frozen pearl onions, thawed), brown-braised in stock
• 1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms , sautéed in butter
• 1 pound small whole carrots, carrots you have turned or those little nubbie, manufactured things in a bag that everyone eats at parties and thinks actually grow in that shape
• Parsley sprigs (optional)

Directions

Remove rind from bacon, and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef. 

Dry the stewing beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon. 

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat. 

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. [see NOTE 1] Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees. 

Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily. 

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed. 

When the melt is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan [see note 4]. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat. 

Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

For immediate serving: Covet the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley. 

For later serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

Cooks notes:

1. I recommend USDA prime angus chuck
2. To simplify the step where the flour cooks, add it to the beef, after it has browned and been returned to the pan. As such, you can skip the oven browning and keep the temperature at 325.
3. For wine, Who can afford a whole bottle of Burgundy for this dish? Instead, I used a jug wine - Carlo Rossi Chianti, and it worked well.
4. It may not be necessary to strain the sauce and remove fat depending on how thick the liquid is and how well you trimmed the meat.

Pierogies

Traditional Polish/Ukrainian stuffed pasta; Recipe recreated from genetic “memory”

Ingredients

• mashed russet potatoes (stiff mash)
• pasta dough (I used 2 eggs for 3 cups flour and enough water to create a dough - but I think the eggs were not necessary. No salt of course)
• grated jalapeno jack cheese (other cheeses including cottage or farmer’s cheese, and blue cheese are good too. Do not use mozzerella, american or swiss)

Directions

Boil the potatoes, mash them with some butter, salt & milk, then let them cool. Mix in the cheeses.

Make the dough in a food processor and use a pasta maker to roll it out to a consistent thickness (setting #5). Cut the dough using a round dough cutter such as a large glass - or a stainless steep drink shaker.

Place a large tablespoon of potato mixture in the center of each dough round. Wet half of the circumference with water and fold the dough over, crimping it together with your fingers (or using a fork). Be sure to exclude all air from the center. Repeat until you've used up one or both of the components. Raw pierogies should be set aside on a tray in a SINGLE layer - on in layers separated by waxed paper until the next step. Sprinkle with flour if the dough is in any way, sticky.

Heat a large pot of water to simmering and add pierogies, a few at a time. Keep the water just shy of boiling - pierogies are cooked in a few minutes, when they seem to float below the surface. If you want, you can flip them once or twice to keep you less bored.

Just before serving, fry the pierogies with onions in butter. Serve immediately with sour cream.

[NOTES:  Pierogies can be made with any number of other fillings including sweet potato, apples, sauerkraut - even cheesesteak. Go crazy ! The picture above shows a slightly overcooked pierogi. Better they receive a light, irregular browning, than this more uniform fry.]

Oaxacan Shrimp (Shrimp with Orange, Tomato, Lime. Olives and Avocado)

I made this one up, so it may be difficult to capture the exact taste. The concept is based on a style of Mexican cuisine that combines sweet, sour & briny flavors in fish dishes. Perhaps more directly, I based it on SANGRITA, a tomato-lime-orange juice drink that I sometimes sip with tequila. 

Although this dish was prepared with cooked shrimp, I have used the same approach in a modified manner for shrimp ceviche. 

Ingredients

For each pound of cooked, large shrimp (16-20 size):

• fresh lime juice  (1 large, ripe juicy lime or 2 smaller ones)
• tomato paste (1/2 can)
• orange juice (fresh or ‘not from concentrate’), maybe a cup or so
• red onion
• green olives (from the olive bar, not a jar)
• cilantro
• 1-2 avocado leaves (dried or fresh)
• kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper
• 1 avocado
• OPTIONAL: capers, sliced serrano chiles, freshly grated horseradish, tabasco sauce

Directions

Thaw shrimp if frozen. Cool if cooked. 

Meanwhile, mix orange juice with tomato paste to uniformly thin it out. Add lime juice and adjust for taste. There should be a balance of concentrated yet distinct tastes and acidity. If too sour, add OJ. If too sharp, add tomato. If too sweet, add lime. If it tastes raw or immature, you may be screwed by immature limes (a fairly common problem on the east coast).

It may also help to drink some tequila while seeking a proper balance. (Note that this advice also applies to life, in general.)

Add shrimp to the juices. Add thin slices of red onion. Remove stones from olives and break them in rough sized pieces. Add avocado leaf and cilantro; season to taste.  Add shrimp and allow them to swim in the mix, refrigerated, for 4 hours or so.

Just before serving, adjust for taste again. Slice a RIPE avocado and season it with salt, pepper, tabasco, lime juice. Add it to the shrimp with more cilantro and serve in a large, hand blown Mexican margarita glass.

Sangrita

• 4 parts tomato juice (fresh squeezed is cool)
• 2 part orange juice
• 1 part lime juice (fresh and ripe of course)
• several slices of serrano chile

Poached Figs, Stuffed with Cream Cheese and Wrapped with Prosciutto

The genesis for adding this to the Christmas menu was a dinner at Tinto (A Jose Garces restaurant in Phila.) in March, when I ordered these as one of the tapas that our group shared. The figs at Tinto were great but I would say there are 3 main differences between my version and those of Jose Garces.

1. His were wrapped with Serrano ham, not prosciutto (of course)
2. Mine do not cost $10 for 3
3. Mine are better

Ingredients

• Dried mission figs, de-stemmed
• Port wine
• Red wine
• Orange juice
• Sugar
• Pinch of salt
• Cinnamon stick
• Vanilla
• Cream cheese
• Prosciutto

Directions

(Sorry but I have no idea on the specific quantities of each ingredient.)

Pour some port in a pot and warm it (how much has to do with how many figs you plan to make). I used a 10 year Spanish tawny port because it was Christmas but I think any port will work as well. Add the figs to the pot, then add some leftover red wine, orange juice (a glug each) and teaspoon of sugar and a whole cinnamon stick so that the liquid covers the figs generously.

Optionally... add a meager pinch of salt. I believe a few grains of salt in anything sweet really helps to expand the flavor. Just a touch, though - if you can taste the salt, you’ve added too much!  Also, if you really want to splurge, add a vanilla bean here and skip the “spash of vanilla” step at the end (however, I just think this is a waste of a vanilla bean).

Cover pot, bring it just to a slow boil, then immediately turn the heart down so the liquid barely simmers. Poach figs for an hour or so with a lid on, checking occasionally and adding water if the liquid drops below the heads of any figs. During this time, the figs will slowly soften and swell. 

When they seem right (soft and swollen), remove the lid and reduce the liquid over a low heat (keeping the figs in the liquid) until reduced to a syrup (but not too thick). Turn off the heat, add a splash of vanilla (real vanilla of course) and let the figs cool in the syrup with the lid on.

When cool, remove figs from the syrup and slice each one part way through. Stuff with cream cheese and wrap with a thin piece of prosciutto. Serve as tapas or as part of a cheese plate.

Bagna Cauda

Modified from a Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello

Ingredients

• Olive oil 
• 8-10 cloves garlic, peeled, some cut, some slightly smashed
• 2 anchovies (flat fillets in oil were used, salt cured are better)
• Large pinch chile flakes
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Pour 1/2  to 3/4 cup olive oil in a 1 quart pot and heat over moderate flame. When the oil starts to warm up, add garlic and turn the flame down. Add the anchovies and cook on low heat until the garlic becomes golden brown and the anchovies dissolve. 

At this point, add chile flakes and cook for a few more minutes until they toast up. Turn flame off. Add more olive oil and salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to a fondue pot and serve with a loaf of crusty Italian bread.

HELLO JOE

Here's how the conversation with my brother-in-law Joe, went this morning:

*** home phone rings ***

Me: "Hello"
Unidentified caller: "Sharon ?" (Sharon is my daughter)

Me: "Who is this?"
Caller: "Joe"

Me: "Something wrong with your ears this morning?"
Joe: "I thought I was calling Sue's cell phone."

(Sue is my wife)

??????

Just to state the obvious, please note that Joe thought he was calling Sue, but when a man answered, thought it might be Sharon (um..... because Sharon was at work with Sue today because... it's take your daughter to work day? ???).

Forget the fact that Sharon doesn't sound like me and my voice has never been confused for a 34 year old woman.

Me: "See-ya"
Joe: "I gotta get going, bye"

PREVIEWING CHRISTMAS DINNER - #4 BIG ICE !

Last month, I attended a private party at the Franklin Mortgage and Investment Company in Philly. Not much to say about the food because their focus was on drinks - each, mixed and served in an old fashioned, circa pre-prohibition way.

FMAIC is one of a current trend of bars, tap rooms and restaurants that want to refocus our drinking energies back to the classics. This is something I can support because at my house, I never saw a reason for this to be out of style.

Each of the drinks they served me was tasteful (and potent) but what really impressed me - as I drank my Old Fashioned - was the ice. Specifically, the size of the ice. It was like I had an iceberg in my glass. An iceberg that occupied much of the glass (which works fine with a drink such as an old fashioned).

When I mentioned my fascination with the ice to the bartender, she told me of how they make a special effort with their ice. Just as in pre-prohibition days, FMAIC chips away at large blocks of ice, shaping chunks into "cubes" that custom fit the glasses they will reside in. It was cool. It was special.

And so we will have BIG ICE too.

PREVIEWING CHRISTMAS DINNER - #3 Truffle Cups

The truffle cup idea came to me as a way of satisfying that final craving for something sweet and rich after the meal to top off everything else you just enjoyed. Think of it as the wafer-thin mint in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life .

Think of it also as a two part truffle of contrasting textures and harmonious, yet distinct flavors, deconstructed and served in a small glass. The lower portion of the truffle is a medium firm, semi-sweet chocolate ganache made of equal parts (by volume) dark chocolate and heavy cream, and a smaller portion of butter. The upper layer is a panna cotta - sweetened and lightly gelatinized 2% milk.

Some of the flavors we are considering for the ganache include Star Anise , Almond Butter, Rosemary , Lavender and Raspberry. And for the panna cotta: Vanilla, Coconut, Orange peel, Chai and Elderflower . The truffle cups pictured above are vanilla-rosemary.

As you have read, these are not to be taken lightly. I wouldn't say they were 600 calories each, but they are rich. And unlike the man in The Meaning of Life, we would be much happier if you did not explode after eating one.

PS - I have temporarily dropped the protection on this page so you can comment on these blogs without having an account.

PREVIEWING CHRISTMAS DINNER - #2 Decadent Dessert Drinks

Before I give you an idea of what else we will be eating on Christmas, let's talk about desserts - or more specifically, dessert drinks. Non alcoholic ones.

We are experimenting with creating some intensely rich versions of coffee and tea.

1. Tea latte

A version of what Starbucks began selling this year (click ). Something they called a London Fog, but has since disappeared. A tea that actually got me to drink tea. The approach is something like this. Place an Earl Grey or a Chai tea bag, maybe 2, in a large cup with a tablespoon or so of simple syrup. I've used an orange syrup in the past because I had it, but a regular simple syrup is just as good. Fill it 5/8's full with 2% milk (5/8's is the critical point... yes, I'm not serious). Or use 4% if you must. Steam the drink, using an espresso steamer until it is hot, aerated and richly foamy. Remove from the steamer and allow the bag to steep as long as you want, then pull it out and enjoy your drink.

2. Hot Chocolate

The real stuff. This 2 step process is the current thinking, but the experimentation continues and the final approach may be significantly different. First, leave all that instant hot chocolate, 75% sugar bullshit in the cabinet (or like I do, at the store) and take 4 ounces of a good quality, dark chocolate. Chop it finely and set it aside while you scald a cup of 2% milk. (Scalding being the process of bringing milk to the verge of boiling and stopping.) Add the chocolate and whisk until it melts and is smoothly incorporated in the milk. You can drink it at this point or Step 2, take it to the steamer for some aeration or for an addition of some steamed milk. Dust with cocoa or cinnamon and drink up.

Note: For real hot chocolate, most cookbooks call for 2 oz. per cup. I made some with 3 oz. per cup last week and it was rich - but not decadent. I'm thinking 4 oz per cup is the answer but as I said, the experimentation continues.

Seriously, both of these drinks are more of a dessert than a casual drink.

FINDING NATURE IN MY ORANGE -or- THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD, GOES IN MY MOUTH

Oh Clementine, my little girl

Flown to me from around the world

Loosely robed in an orange skin

That shrouds the worms that lie within

Clementine oranges - such as the one pictured here - are on SALE this week at GIANT supermarkets for $4.99 a box. Your actual results may differ from mine and I do not guarantee that you will be as lucky as me in winning the worm lottery. And to be fair, I guess I should disclose that the other 9 segments of this clementine were worm free (at least at a visible level). But not real sweet.


Mothers, please act accordingly and responsibly when you pack these little treasures in your children's lunches(*).

(*) Maybe I digress, but is there a mother out there - anywhere - still making a lunch for her child to take to school?

PREVIEWING CHRISTMAS DINNER - #1 Boeuf Bourguignon

IF you saw the movie, "Julie & Julia", you will recognize this dish immediately. It is one of the quintessential dishes of classic French cuisine and central to the movie.

And if you haven't seen the movie or don't know what boeuf bourguignon is, it is a combination of bacon, red wine, aromatic vegetables and flavorful beef which after hours of braising, becomes fork tender and sweet from caramelized vegetable sugars. It is rich, cozy and satisfying.

After we saw the movie this summer, we decided to make it a central point to the Christmas Dinner buffet. The recipe will be from Julia Child's "Mastering The Art of French Cooking".  I have included a link below in case you want to give it a try yourself.

Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon

INSTALLING SOME DRYWALL - Me And The Deadmen

For everything we try to accomplish, there is a probability for success and a probability for failure. The problem I was having today was that no matter how much I considered the challenge of installing a few pieces of drywall on the ceiling, and no matter how long I developed my strategy, I could not improve my perceived odds beyond a 30% chance of catastrophic failure - a failure in which the 4 x 8 sheet of drywall would come hurtling to the ground in pieces. Like the Hindenberg... as in, "Oh !  The Humanity !!!!".

But I am happy to say that today, I succeeded. Don't know about tomorrow but here were the steps of the journey:

STEP 1. After measuring the length of the ceiling and the cutout needed for the roof window, and orienting to the spatial challenge of cutting on the floor opposite to and at right angle to the ceiling, do it 5 more times before cutting to get it to work out the same way twice in a row (turns out I am bad at this). But, finally, convinced it is right, cut the drywall and attach the spine you designed (to give it strength when it is picked up).



2. Set up the supporting cast of chairs and ladders, along with a ledger board at one end of the ceiling that will support the end of the drywall as it is being raised up.

3. Pick up the drywall, turn it over and lift it onto a few cow chairs.

4. Say a prayer, have good thoughts in your head and slide, drag, carry and coerce the board over so that it is under the section of ceiling where it will be installed.

4a (not pictured) When you realize that you have the wrong end toward the wall, spin the flippin' thing 180˚ with all the grace of the hippos in Fantasia - because it isn't too stable you know and you have to use your head (physically) to balance it. But, eventually, you get it done.

5. Somehow, lift one end up and rest it on the ledger board, just below the ceiling. Then after holding it up and moving the ladder over with your feet, rest it momentarily as you reach down for the deadman and - hoping you measured its required length adequately, lift the board with one hand and prop the deadman to the spine, pushing it the remainder of the way to the ceiling.

5a. (not pictured) Pause and allow your arms to recover, drain some lactic acid, regain their strength.

6. From the middle, press the board against the joists and begin installing the 1 1/4" drywall screws at the spots you measured and X'd out. Thank Bob Villa and Norm Abrams that the X's line up to the joists. Continue screwing until you feel the board is fully supported.

7. Release the spine from the board, remove it and install all remaining screws.

8. Step back, admire your work and treat yourself to a caramel macchiato at Starbucks, knowing that next time, you'll remember to orient the board properly before lifting it.

Post script:  In my opinion, this is crazy to do by yourself. But somewhere between liking the challenge, not wanting to trouble my friends, and deciding it didn't make sense to rent a lifter for a few sheets, I decided to go for it. Two of the keys to the success were pre measuring and marking the spots where the drywall screws go AND marking middle lines on the board and the ceiling so you can easily see that you are placing the first board in the right spot.

Tomorrow, we'll try to duplicate the results with sheets #2, 3 and 4. Wish me luck !

BUILDING A ROOF - BY THE NUMBERS

In the mid 80s, I built an addition on my house. As much a solution to a space problem as a response to a primitive driving force (man must build), and with the assistance of my kids, wife and other family and friends, it came to be and we enjoyed living in it.

Over the years however, things happened to make me want to make significant changes. The section of the roof that was flat never took on the upper deck I envisioned. Instead, it became a continual maintenance effort. The other section of roof with the large roof windows began to break down too as one by one, the insulating vacuum between the double panes of glass failed. And it was not soon after that that rain water began to leak into the roof.

So it was time to do some more building.

Last summer, an assemblage of my children, family and friends took on the main section, replacing the flat roof with a 4 in 12 pitched, trussed roof, in 2 days. Sure it took another 6 months to complete the interior, but the main effort was completed in an efficiency driven weekend.

This year, I didn't want to trouble others so I took on the smaller section myself - and I completed the exterior deconstruction, redesign and construction in 4 1/2 days. Educated as a mathematician, and often prone to counting things as a form of "entertainment" (alright, it might be a little OCD too), I offer you the following summary of my effort.

23 - (estimated) number of times my head glanced the incoming electrical lines

0 - number of times I died by electrocution (ahh! the magic of insulation)

1 - number of mosquitos killed while extracting blood from me

3 - mosquitoes that got away with a free meal

1 - time I walked into a temporary support structure that I installed - not surprisingly, this number corresponds with the number of bloody gashes in my forehead

17 - approximate number of minor new holes, cuts and slits I put in my hands and arms

1 - number of times a branch of the friendly hemlock tree blindsided me and whipped across my eyeball

1 - number of 82 pound packs of shingles that I carried up, unopened, on a ladder to the roof, before I changed my strategy

3 - number of times I said "holy shit" as I carried the bundle of shingles

1 - extra trip to Lowes needed (for more roofing nails)

36 - total number of hours spent in 4.5 days, working on this phase of the project

2 - number of guests appearances made by helper bees to assist in small but critical ways (Sharon, Sue)

10 - number of RITALIN I should have taken to keep me focused and to avoid errors due to mental distraction, fatigue, whatever

1 - number of RITALIN actually consumed

5 - number of errors I corrected or talked myself out of

1 - number of problems I said, "fuck it" to

16 - combination of ibuprophen, aspirin and naproxin consumed to stave off tooth pain during the project

1 - number of root canals I had on the monday following the project completion

0 - number of times I banged my thumb with the hammer (hey, this was not a 3 stooges episode)

2 - number of times I did yell out due to something physically bad happening to me

5 - (at least) number of totally gruesome things I visualized, which involved self maiming and/or trips to the emergency room - but avoided through good technique but also because of the awareness raised by my visualizations

10 - number of fingers still remaining at the end of the project in spite of the amount of sawing performed

1 - number of supernatural, time slowing, ninja-type moments I experienced as I moved my head faster than the high speed nail that shot toward my face when I mishit it

3 - number of times a nail in a board at the wood supply area snagged and ripped my jeans before I took my hammer and smashed the ever living shit out of it.

1 - pair of jeans tossed in the trash at the end of the work

I know at this point, you're expecting something like... "satisfaction at the end... priceless", but actually, I'm just tired and cranky and trying to recenter myself, so I can finish up all the little nit-wit stuff (and inside work) that is necessary to complete the project.