Notes and asides...

From a dead-tree journal entry dated December 1995: "By the time you notice you've having a bad invoicing month, you've actually had a bad invoicing month." I say this a mere 15 days into January, a month that threatens to make last April seem prosperous by comparison.

Perhaps it's all for the best, however. Housekeeping - of both the computer and household kind - keep me busy, at least between catnaps and sessions trying to make sense of an RFP. Otherwise, I have found myself with a astonishing inability to nap or concentrate or focus mentally this past week. Unless the mental equivalent of lightning strikes tonight, I'm all but sure to declare a bye in this week's LJ Idol.

It turns out our other renter - the one whose deal fell through a month or two ago - has found a new house and is set to close at the start of February. That really turns on the heat, as I am not at all sure how long we can afford to pay three mortgages with no rental income to offset them.

Maybe that's what's been eating at me?

Cheers...

Recipe found on a lone index card...

The recipe is for a soup called "okroshka," a Russian soup (at least I've had it in Russia, and eaten it at Feht's). I don't think it's an authentic recipe, because as I understand it, real okroshka is made with kvas, a fizzy drink fermented from bread (but not the ersatz soft drink-y liquid commonly sold in Russian stores in the US).

I found the recipe on an index card, written in my mother's hand. I have no idea how it came to be lying on the floor, but I'm happy I "rescued" it before it found its way to the trash. I figured I'd transcribe it before I lost it, especially since it seems pretty easy to make.

Okroshka

2 c cold diced meat (almost any kind can be used: beef, veal, tongue, ham, chicken, duck, or 2 kinds)
3 tb minced scallion
1 t minced tarragon
1 t minced dill
1 t salt
1 t sugar
freshly ground pepper
3 tb sour cream
1 t prepared mustard
1 t lemon juice
1 t vinegar
2 small cucumbers, diced
1/2 dill pickle, diced
1 c consommé (white or canned)
1-1/2 c dry white wine
1/2 c ice water
1 c sparkling water
1 c crushed ice
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

Begin by putting minced scallions, tarragon, and dill in a large bowl. Add salt, sugar, dash of pepper and mash well with a wooden spatula. Add mustartd, sour cream, lemon juice, and vinegar. Stir thoroughly. Put in diced meat, cucumbers, and pickle (peeled and diced), consommé, wine, and ice water. Chill at least 4 hours.

Add sparking water, crushed ice, and hard-cooked eggs just before serving.

The recipe doesn't indicate how many may be served.

Did I mention this is a cold soup? <grin>

Cheers...