Cooking time

Here's a quick report amidst the New York stuff to mention what's going on this week in D.C. Monday was lodge night. We initiated six new Entered Apprentices, including our friend, actor/dancer Scott. I played mostly Mozart and Haydn, plus a little Sibelius and sang a little Mendelsohn aria from Elijah.

For dinner, Robert and I fixed cream of crimini mushroom soup, seven large pot roasts, a heap of roasted vegetables (new potatoes, carrots, onions, and cabbage), store-bought dinner rolls, and for dessert a great big banana pudding. Simple fare, but it had a favorable response.

I tried the new mini-Nilla Wafers, but I think next time I do a banana pudding, I'll use the regular wafers. The little ones just didn't soak up enough of the liquid to be useful.

I did the pot roasts with my prime rib technique where I cover the beef with kosher salt, coarsely ground black pepper, and fresh rosemary, then put them in a 500º oven for 20 minutes before reducing the heat to 325º for the long-term roasting. I also made a big batch of beef gravy, but it decided not to boil or thicken until practically everyone was done, so I didn't serve it. Eh. The challenges of cooking for nearly three dozen.