a new year's lobster for every pot

simmering lobster shells with some savories for stock. we are having lobster risotto for our new year eve dinner. the idea struck when i got my ass down to dominick's and the rack of lamb i was looking for cost more than a couple of frozen lobster tails - and was basically the same size. frozen lobster... i've never had it before but how bad could it be in some creamy rice?

i made lobster stock the last time we had everyone over for lobster at my mom's. was it a birthday? can't recall. it came out beautifully - the key is to brown the shells nicely for the flavor before simmering. my parents froze the stock and parceled it out over a couple of different gumbo batches. my, the depth of flavor. and to think we would always trash our shells without a second thought.

so here we are, lobster shells a'simmerin, lobster meat cooked and cut up, bubbly in the fridge. trevor is furiously studying for the bar (and furious at last check in) so i'm keeping to myself, chopping and humming and cooking and probably stanking up my entire floor.

happy new year!

evanston - first days

first evening alone in about 11 days. not that i'm counting, but one doesn't blog much when there are only two of you and no TV. i'm remedying that soon. the TV part, i mean. trevor thinks it's weird that a journalism student doesn't have a TV. i think it's weird to have free cable TV and no TV. either way, we end up agreeing on most things, and having a TV is one of them.

this year was my first christmas away from my family. not that big of a deal, surprisingly. i love christmas so i thought i might be feeling bummy about it, but i emotionally detach pretty well when i need to. trevor's family is actually great, so we had plenty of nights by the fire with his family and the doggies. xmas day was anti-climatic as it always is - spent at his uncle and aunt's place with a few uncles and cousins and more dogs. football was on so i was left to my own devices with the younger cousins and sisters. i think i like the wind-up to the holidays - the shopping and prep and food and hot drinks. the actual day is just icing.

it has snowed - or, more accurately, precipitated - for the past 7 solid days. i haven't let it keep me inside. upper 20s and 30s farenheit is nothing when you are anticipating -10, -20, -30 which should be arriving shortly. i guess i'll start feeling the shock of the move at a later point, but truthfully evanston and the surrounding suburbs of chicago are incredibly diverse, so i don't feel that out of place. nothing like the monstrous anglo wasteland called denver. there are asian markets and asian restaurants, women in burkas picking produce next to korean grandpas. it all feels quite natural. next week, when the weather clears a bit we're hoping to explore chicago's chinatown and little italy for some eats.

i'm having a harder time adjusting to being a student again. 10 years past graduation is a long time to be out of school. i finally got my shit together this week and ordered the software, electronic toys, and books. i read through my syllabi this morning and started to realize that i'm actually going to be in school again. kind of a mind bender.