Weekend, in brief

Friday:

Went to NYC. Assisted kylecassidy in taking these photos (though he and Colin did the bulk of the work):



Had dinner with Kyle, dressdragn, Team Mexico, Team France, and various other luminaries. Ate some terrible, terrible things, but also some incredibly delicious things.

Saturday:

Moderated a panel on steampunk in anime with 2muchexposition, planetx, jaborwhalky and G.D. Falksen. Went well. Grabbed a quick lunch, then headed in to run the Yume Cup* dress rehearsal. It was a great success -- first year the event has ever finished not just on time, but even early!

Afterwards, I went to a fun party on the upper east side, where silly hats were worn and a lot of Queen, Bowie and cheesy 70s stadium rock was sung.

Sunday was much more laid back. I helped out a little bit with the Neo-Victorian fashion show, but otherwise I just bummed around, had some drinks with teams France and Mexico, and caught an early train home.

*Big ol' fancy costume contest.

Dinner

I kinda want to take a nap when I get home, then wake up and order some ghetto chinese, devour it, and then go back to sleep again. Alas I have laundry to do, litter boxes to change and a distressingly expensive Delmonico steak in the fridge that I just can't let go to waste.

I think I will do a poor man's version of a traditional mushroom sauce for the steak. Instead of duxelles and port wine and shallots I'll have to use baby 'bellas and shiraz and onions and garlic. I could do a quick herbes de Provence and bacon gratin or garlic potato mash for the side, but I might be too busy/lazy, plus I am desperately low on cheese. We'll see.

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No word of lie, this is the most beautiful cut of meat that I've ever cooked. It is totally worth the $15. Local small organic farms FTW!

ETA: Steak: Perfect. Mushroom sauce: Perfect. Potatoes in butter sauce: Perfect. Holy shit this is like my mouth having an orgasm.

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The recipe is simple:

Heat a large nonstick skillet very hot, until water dances across the surface. Throw on your steak, which you have allowed to sit at room temperature for at least a half-hour and salted and peppered to taste. Assuming it's not super-thick, cook on one side for four minutes, and turn it over and cook on the other side for another four. Test for doneness. Assuming it's ready, set it aside on a plate and cover it with tinfoil for at least ten minutes to rest.

Add some olive oil to the pan, and throw on half a chopped onion and eight chopped baby bella mushrooms. Salt and pepper lightly. Cook for three or four minutes, and then add a cup of red wine and a few splashes of balsamic vinegar. Cook until it's reduced to a minimum of liquid, almost a syrup -- at least five minutes, probably more.

Pour it over the steak, and dig in!

The potatoes are easy too:

Boil five small to medium potatoes. Once soft, remove them from the heat, drain them well, and smash them in the pot in which they were cooked. Don't mash them completely, just crush them so they're popped open and in a few chunks.

Meanwhile, melt eight tablespoons of butter in a small pot, throw in four cloves of crushed garlic and a quarter onion, chopped. Cook over very low heat until garlic and onions are browned and tender. Add a teaspoon of herbes de provence, stir and pour the butter onto the potatoes. Mix gently and cook them for three or four minutes over medium heat.

This is probably the unhealthiest thing I've cooked so far, but I only had a little bit of it. It's rich enough that it will last several days if you ration it out.