Day 6.

I'm home sick with a cold. So much for eating healthy! All kidding aside, this cold is not kicking my butt as they usually do. Maybe it's the organic honey in my green tea. maybe it's the lack of chemicals in my diet. I'm not sure why, but I'll certainly take it.

Even feeling the way I do, I had to dress and move my car. I was in a 2 hour spot last evening and had to find something for all day; the woes of urban living. Sometime before 8 am I have to move it again to accomodate the street sweepers. There's excitement in this tale, though. It was easier to button my jeans. These jeans were fresh out of the wash, as snug as they're going to be and, BAM, they buttoned with no tugging. I may be on to something here.

Last night, coming home from work sick, I started cooking. I heated my Dutch oven and melted a tablespoon of fresh pork lard. I hadn't smelled that in a long time. I quickly seared the short ribs from The Local Butcher Shop. When the ribs had a nice brown on them I poured a pint of fresh beef stock over them and popped the pot in the oven at 325. I stirred them around after an hour and again after 2 hours. I took the lid off for about 15 minutes and continued to let them braise. They were gorgeous and the aroma  was decadent. I dug into one and let the flavors assault my tongue. I hadn't added any seasoning. It was pure beef; juicy, succulent beef. The remaining ribs are picked apart and ready for sandwiches tomorrow. I poured all the juices back into the jar they came from and refrigerated it. The marrow from the ribs melted into the stock along with that tablespoon of lard. I'm not sure what to do with that yet, but inspiration will arrive, I'm sure.

Today I'm making a whole wheat focaccia for my short rib sandwich. I can't think of a better thing to do on a rainy day while I'm home sick.