Happy Birthday to Me

That's right. Today is my 42nd birthday.  I'm wondering what kind of day it will be.  Two years ago I spent my 40th birthday in the microbiology lab until 10pm.  Last year I was in the Respiratory lab all afternoon. Can't even remember what I did that evening.  No labs this year. No work.  Just a play day.  I'll be reporting in as the day unfolds just because it's a mystery to me too. The only plans I have right now are lunch with Aunt Miranda and Cousin Ann. 

I'm interested in seeing what life brings today because normally my birthday depresses the hell out of me and I hate celebrating. I'm usually in a bad mood until the sun goes down and then I perk up a bit.  It's not an age thing, it's a what have I accomplished with my life thing. I know I've done fine in my careers as far as hotels, cakes & catering, and now the hospital.  It's the one big one, the elusive one that gets me down. Each year, I think "But I haven't published a novel yet."  True again this year. I still don't have the first draft finished even, but it's halfway there and I can see the good in it.  I've published a recipe of my own in a national magazine this year. That's a step in the right direction.  I've published one of my best poems in an incredible medical literary journal.  I'm proud of that.  I didn't win but I got decent reviews for my best script so far in a well-respected screenwriting contest.  I published scientific research in national respiratory care journal, that's a major accomplishment and honor.  (Thanks to Aaron and Doug, the world's greatest program/clinical directors!)  All of that helps dull the edges this year.  It tells me that I can do this but I have to work incredibly hard this year to get that novel finished and marketed, to start writing new screenplays using all the skills I've learned from the first ones, and to keep plugging away at the small projects: articles, essays, and poems.  I have to keep sending projects out no matter how many rejection slips I collect because I have taste now for when they say "Yes."  I know I can do it.  I just have to keep plugging away every day.

So this year isn't as bad as the birthdays in the past.  I was even "up" enough last night that I made my own birthday dinner: Strip steaks with goat cheese and mushroom merlot sauce, spiced roasted fingerling potatoes with spiced yogurt dipping sauce, fresh steamed broccoli, and homemade bread.  I'm even making my own birthday cake, which I'll be posting later.  I'll be blogging about them all as I have time this week.  Today we'll start with the steaks...

Strip steaks with a dollop of goat cheese, and a thyme, mushroom, merlot sauce.

 

The steaks with its sauce using bay leaf and fresh thyme is my entry this week in Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen's Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Ulrike of Kuchenlatein. Swing by after Sunday to see the great round-up of herby deliciousness.

The sauce started with a cup of Australian merlot and and a handful of vegetables in a medium saute' pan over medium high heat, reducing to a cup and a half.  At that point I put the steaks under the broiler on the bottom shelf, leaving the oven door cracked so the smoke wouldn't build up too much.  The steaks were seasoned with salt and pepper only. When you have a good steak, you don't need a lot of frills to season it.  While I finished the sauce, the steaks broiled for about 7 minutes on each side, coming up to a temp of 120 degrees. After resting for 5 minutes atop the stove, the internal temp had risen to 140 degrees and were a perfect medium when we cut into them. 

Gene was thrilled, by the way, it was meat day for him.  He got to eat all of his and half of mine.  I don't usually let him have that much red meat because of his heart history, but what the hell, it's my birthday.  He can have all the steak he wants. Today.

Classic Red Wine Sauce  with Glenna added extra Mushrooms:

from The New Best Recipe by Cook's Illustrated

Wine Reduction:

1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 small shallot, minced

2 small white mushrooms, finely chopped (I actually added a full 8 oz of mushrooms, quartered, and saute'd them separately and did NOT add them at this point because I didn't want them to cook down too much.)

1 small bay leaf

3 sprigs fresh parsley

1 cup red wine (I used an Australian merlot)

Sauce:

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup beef broth

3 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, minced

Satl and Pepper to taste

Heat the carrot, shallot, bay leaf, parsley, and wine in a 12-inch nonreactive skillet over low heat. Cook, simmering, until the entire mixture reduces to about 1 cup, about 15 minutes.  Strain through a fine mesh strainer and return liquid to heat and reduce by half.  Remove bay leaf.

Note: before I started the wine reduction I saute'd the 8 oz mushrooms in a little butter and set them aside so they wouldn't overcook.

Here we differ in our directions.  In the original recipe it says to deglaze the steak pan with the broths and then whisk in the wine reduction.  I broiled my steaks so there was no steak pan. Instead I used all beef broth, skipping the chicken broth, and whisked the broth mixed with 2 tsp corn starch into the wine reduction.

Bring to a simmer and whisk in the pieces of butter, one at a time, until the sauce is thickened and glossy. Add the thyme, salt and peper, reserved mushrooms.  Serve immediately.

Makes about  2 cups sauce with the extra mushrooms I added.

Comments

[Ulrike]

Happy Birthday and thanks for your WHB entry!

[Jeff]

Happy B-day cool kid!! I find that life is a work in progress...so don't be down about your book...I think it's pretty cool that you are writing one and will expect a signed copy when you are published!

[Pamela]

Many Happy Returns!!! Hope you have a great birthday!

[Glenna]

Thank you all! It was a good day.

[Kalyn]

Happy birthday! Your dinner looks great. Think how few people in the world have even started a book, so just let go of the timetable.

[Glenna]

Thanks, Kalyn. I know I'm making strides but it gets me down on that one day. I just have to keep my nose to the grindstone.

[Helene]

Happy birthday and many happy returns. Your dinner looks yummy!! :))

[Sue (coffeepot)]

Happy Birthday Glenna! A little belated but heartfelt!

[Glenna]

Helene and Sue--Thank you!