atonement

i wish that every one of us, who writes in these pages, could have that moment, captured in lynn redgrave's closing soliloquy, where everything is finally seen with such clarity as to render the distinction, between life as we've lived it and the truth as we've written it, completely unnecessary...

A-h-h-h...

Dinner is almost ready and the whole house is filled with the dark, sweet aroma of an old-fashioned roadhouse/tavern. It's a beef, beer and onion stew that's been simmering in the oven for a little over an hour, now.

Usually, when I do an internet search for a recipe, I plow through a dozen or more of them before I find what I think I'm looking for. Even then, I often combine elements of three or four of them to get what I really want.

This one was different. I typed in a couple of the main ingredients and got what I was looking for on the very first hit. The only thing I added was a half pound of shitake mushrooms, sliced.

The recipe allowed considerable lattitude on the beer, calling only for something "full-flavored," so I used a bottle of Saranac Black & Tan. (Of course, I tried drinking the stuff and it's way too dark and heavy for me but it's absolutely perfect in the stew.)

Even before it hit the oven, I knew I had a winner. After the beef and onions and mushrooms are browned on top of the stove, and the parsnips and beer and red wine vinegar are added, the aroma is magnificent.

Gotta go mash the potatoes, now, because that's what the recipe calls for it to be served over. I'm guessing a nice egg noodle might serve as well. Really lookin' forward to this one...