Potpourri for 400, Alex

<sigh> Back to work, after a couple of excellent days off. It wasn't too bad, though, because we had plenty of people there. Since I had yesterday off, I dodged the usual Tuesday meeting, but there was so much to discuss we had a second meeting today. Drat! It was okay, but it never ceases to amaze me how we can get so hopelessly off-topic. I want to yell, "This is not the issue!" Sheesh.

So Hillary pulled out a win in New Hampshire. We'll see what happens in the coming weeks! I believe Michigan is next, but most of the Democratic candidates aren't on the ballot there.

I had a nice email from our friend Kim today, and among other things, she asked how the Braciole turned out, and would I put the recipe up here? It was yummy deliciousness, and yes, I will! She mentioned that if something is overly complicated, she tends not to make it. I'm exactly the same way, and if I see something that has more than 10 or so ingredients, I don't want to mess with it. This wasn't difficult, but it was a little time-consuming, so it's nothing I would make on a workday (unless you got it all ready to go the night before and turned on the crockpot in the morning before you go to work).

Braciole

2½ pound round steak, ¼-½ inch thick (I used a sirloin, because that's what I pulled out of the freezer first)

½ pound Italian sausage (I used mild)

1 Tsp dried parsley

½ tsp oregano

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

1 tsp salt (I left this out)

*Sauce*

1 16-oz can Italian tomatoes (I used plain diced tomatoes and added basil and Italian seasoning)

1 6-oz can tomato paste

1 tsp salt (I left this out, too)

1 tsp oregano

Trim fat off of meat; cut into 8 even pieces (I ended up with 7). Pound until very thin. (Try for an eighth of an inch.)

Brown sausage; drain. Combine with parsley, oregano, garlic, onions, and salt. Spread each steak with 2-3 Tsp of sausage mixture. Roll tightly and tie with kitchen string; place in crockpot. Combine sauce ingredients and pour over rolls.

Cook on low 7-10 hours.

Mangia, mangia!

A note on the salt--I tend to leave it out or lessen the amount when I'm cooking something like this. I prefer to limit the added salt (most canned goods already have plenty) and add it later if needed. I can't recall if I added some salt to this when we ate it--probably, but not much. Also, I had a little too much sausage mixture to fit in all of the steak rolls, so I just piled it on top as part of the sauce. It was fine. ALSO, if you'd rather not use sausage, I saw some recipes online that use a cheese mixture for the filling. I bet that would be yummy, too.

Oh, and be sure to remove the strings from the rolls before eating them. <grin>

Staying in the Italian vein, tonight I'm making baked ziti, although I'm using penne instead. I wouldn't normally make Italian 2 nights in a row, but I have some fresh mozzarella I need to use. I started using fresh mozzarella a while back, and I buy it when it's on sale--I love the stuff, and I think it has such a different flavor from the other kind. Mm, I'm getting hungry.

Guess what came in the mail today?

Yippee! I've wanted this for some time, and they finally dropped the price, so it's mine, I tell you! Yep, 16 DVD's, the complete series, plus a couple of bonus discs, one of which includes "Live at the Hollywood Bowl." I'm excited to watch the Fishslapping Dance again, among so many other favorites.

We also got the first 3 "Die Hard" movies, and our 2008 Bad Cat calendar came. I think we're set for the year!

Finally, a couple of pictures. When I got home today, the sun was shining in on our upstairs wine rack, and the colors were so beautiful! The word that sprang into my mind was "jewel-like." What do you think?

Tags: Braciole recipe, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Die Hard