If Everyday were an Emergency

Emergency Whiskey Gift Box by Jamie Oliver.  It may be necessary to have one in every room.  (In case of emergency?)  More info here.

Job Envy: Anthropologie Buyer

Came upon this new show chronicling an Anthropologie buyer shopping the world.

Hot, Hearty Soup

Try this super simple squash soup to warm up a cold fall night.  It worked for me.  Really filling, too.

2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded & chopped
3 leeks, chopped
3 carrots, peeled
3 ribs celery, chopped
2-3 Tbsp. (each) butter & extra virgin olive oil

In large saucepan, saute vegetables with butter & oil for 15 minutes, until slightly softened.  Then add several sprigs fresh thyme & sage and enough cooking stock to cover vegetables.  Simmer until soft.  Remove any hard thyme stems.


In batches, puree in blender or food processor.  Add plenty of pepper, then salt to taste.  Garnish with herbs and/or parmesan if you're feeling fancy.

*I added toasted fennel seeds to the mixture before I pureed for added depth of flavor and complexity.

Travel: Hard Bound

Just finished editing and uploading my book "PARIS 2 ROME." It's mainly image based, but with excerpts from blog posts as well as a daily travel log. You can preview the book and its contents by clicking my blurb.com badge.

PARIS2ROME WES...

By L. MATTHEW TROTTER

Book Preview

Duck Night

3 days following the duck hunt, I gathered a few friends and a few more duck for a fall duck dinner.  Basically, we just filled the seasoned cavity with onions and apples alongside a few lemons, carrots, sage & thyme and roasted the waterfowl with a bottle of wine in a roasting pan for a couple hours.

Once it was cooked, we let it rest before carving it into thin slices.

Then it was served with some Mushroom Risotto and Parmesan & Bacon Sauteed Brussel Sprouts.  The sprouts were a hit (no kidding, they were cooked in bacon drippings).

Bacon & Parmesan Sauteed Brussel Sprouts:

Cook sprouts in boiling stock until tender.  (I used the leftover stock as the liquid in the risotto)  In a saute pan, render chopped bacon until crisp and browned.  Drain bacon and reserve drippings in pan.  Add cooked brussel sprouts to hot drippings in medium-high pan until browned and carmelized.  Season to taste.  Toss with fresh Parmesan and serve immediately.

Duck, Duck, Food

Took the gun up again this year for a second year of opening day duck hunting.  Not that I hadn't done this sort of thing before but that its significance has changed.  Sure I've prepared many a bird from the store and called it a meal, but the process of claiming it and making it my own is what drove me to do it again this year.

I only shot at one duck - early, maybe 9:30 - and that was it.  I spent the rest of the time relaxing in what peace the marsh offers when the background is filled with muffled gunshot.

I didn't miss any opportunities to document the event - something I'd grown up around but never considered for its interesting moments of accessible beauty.  And so often overlooked.  But I plan to carry that sense of beauty into the duck meal I share with friends tomorrow.  Can't wait.

My Ware on MyWARES

Was invited to join this site today.  Good stuff.

Travel Merchandise

Image for new product: available at holiday preview show.