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Weekend culinaria and apartment hunting
Oct. 5th, 2008 08:55 amLast night: Shrimp risotto. A simple risotto flavoured with white wine and saffron with a a couple of handfuls of shelled, raw medium shrimp and the zest of a lemon stirred in a few minutes before the end.
Tonight: Lamb shanks. This started life as a Jamie Oliver recipe but I'm not sure it really is anymore. Take six lamb shanks and brown in olive oil. Remove from pan and add two onions, six carrots and half a head of celery all diced and six crushed cloves of garlic. Cook until starting to caramelize. Deglaze witth a slug of balsamic vinegar and several glugs of white wine. Add six anchovies, a 28oz can of diced tomatoes and herbs of choice (fresh thyme today). Replace lamb shanks and simmer until the meat is falling off the bone. Adjust seasoning.
Yesterday we did our first serious looking for a new condo. We saw four places at various points along the lake but clearly one pays a lot for a lake view in a newer building and those buildings seem to be spending a lot on showy extras we don't really need like flashy lobbies. The one place we saw and like was in the Merchandise Lofts. This is a former Simpson's/Sears warehouse which has been really nicely converted. The whole place has a cool vibe and the unit we saw had lots of space and made good use of it. The building has a real gym which I would actually probably use. It's also the first condo building I've been in in ages where the average resident seemed to be younger than me! I think the search is going to refocus on lofts and give up on the lake.
Tonight: Lamb shanks. This started life as a Jamie Oliver recipe but I'm not sure it really is anymore. Take six lamb shanks and brown in olive oil. Remove from pan and add two onions, six carrots and half a head of celery all diced and six crushed cloves of garlic. Cook until starting to caramelize. Deglaze witth a slug of balsamic vinegar and several glugs of white wine. Add six anchovies, a 28oz can of diced tomatoes and herbs of choice (fresh thyme today). Replace lamb shanks and simmer until the meat is falling off the bone. Adjust seasoning.
Yesterday we did our first serious looking for a new condo. We saw four places at various points along the lake but clearly one pays a lot for a lake view in a newer building and those buildings seem to be spending a lot on showy extras we don't really need like flashy lobbies. The one place we saw and like was in the Merchandise Lofts. This is a former Simpson's/Sears warehouse which has been really nicely converted. The whole place has a cool vibe and the unit we saw had lots of space and made good use of it. The building has a real gym which I would actually probably use. It's also the first condo building I've been in in ages where the average resident seemed to be younger than me! I think the search is going to refocus on lofts and give up on the lake.
