Let Them Eat Steak

Dear vegetarian readers,

You may want to leave for a minute or two ...

Please come back soon.

Kthanxbai.

Love,
Elizabeth

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I miss steak.

Other than key lime pie, there is no food I love more than a hunk of red meat.

I am an unabashed carnivore and suspect that it just is in my genes. (Seriously, I come from a long line of meat-eaters.)

I love it rare and just about five minutes past breathing.

I love the smell of it cooking and the smell of it on my plate.

I love to marinate it and to eat it plain.

I love it hot right off the grill or cold from the refrigerator the day after.

I love filets and rib-eyes and over the course of a few days, I'd bet I could do some serious damage to a porterhouse.

Mmmmmmmm.

And not only does steak taste good. (mmmmm steak....), somehow, it's always wrapped up with goodness, too.

(To wit: When Husband and I were first dating, I'd come over and while the meat was marinating, I'd chop up vegetable to put on the grill and we'd visit. And for as long as I've known him, we've eaten some form of steak at least twice a week...mmmm steak...)

Up until now...

Here it's mega expensive and the cuts are just not that good. But lately, we've been having such sunny weather. We have a slightly rusty grill on our tiny little back deck. And, Husband invited one of his colleagues home for dinner.

So last night, when the three happy coincidences merged, so we decided it was time for steak.

When looked at piece by piece, the evening was a slight disaster.

I misplaced the lettuce and bought blocks of lighter fluid instead of actual fluid lighter fluid. The timing of the fire in the grill was a little off, so the steaks were a little overcooked and the grilled veggies were a little undercooked. The roasted potatoes could have used less salt and about ten more minutes. And when it was time to make the brownies, I forgot the egg.

When looked at as a whole, the evening was a complete success.

The food was okay, but the company was good. We had loads of beer and a nice bottle of wine with dinner. Kenneth, our guest, lives in a hotel for the work week and was longing for a home visit. Conversation was lively and for most of the time, borderline hilarious. And the men and the dogs walked around the corner and got me an egg.

It couldn't have been better. And did I mention the steak? mmmmmmm...steak

And afterwards, Husband and Kenneth got out Husband's latest toy...*

Kenneth appreciating Husband's sick beats



Husband trying to share, but really longing to get back in the driver's seat.



And then there's me...




*For those of you who don't know, Husband used to be a DJ with these guys He's old school in that he usually works with turntables and vinyl. He pretty much skipped the next level ---abandoning the vinyl for CDs--- and somewhat reluctantly, he moved to the next generation, which is all digital. Right before we left the states, he bought himself a schmancy machine that produces the same effects as working on a turntable as well as working with CDs, but uses MP3 technology... (No, I don't totally understand, but it's cool. Kenneth is a DJ, too and wanted to check it out...)

Fish and Guests

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Whenever I tell people that we live in a renovated sardine factory, they inevitably ask "Does it smell like fish?"

And the answer is "No. No more than a renovated factory loft in SoHo smells like sewing needles or the sweat of exploited workers."

Norway is so far north in the world that over the course of the year, the amount of sunlight varies radically depending on the time of year....In the winter, there is very little sunlight, often just four or so hours. And those hours can look like twilight when the sun doesn't get very high over the horizon.

In the summer, there can be as many as 18 or more hours of sunlight...

Also, it rains. Alot.

So, having dark sleeping quarters is just as important as having ample windows. So you can both soak up as much sun as possible, while still having enough darkness to sleep.

Which are only part of the reasons why I love our house. It's on a hill, so the downstairs, which is storage, sleeping and bathrooms is pretty dark. Then upstairs is an open layout with high ceilings and windows 3/4 of the way around.


(No, all that furniture is not ours. Neither is the dog. His name is Rufus and belongs to our landlord's girlfriend. Lille and Milo will be here soon...)

Plus, it has a red and blue door. And you're welcome anytime.