Elementary, My Dear

We headed out into the ill 7-degree wind today to grab a bite of Five Guys comfort food and then to a matinee of Sherlock Holmes. The movie was fine, not brilliant, not bad. It had the typical Guy Ritchie flourishes and the appropriate grimy visuals of 1800s England. The highlights by far were the two lead performances of Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law as Holmes and Dr. Watson. Their witty portrayals lifted the entire film out of the mediocre category. Food figured throughout from a mere meal to actually being part of the deductions....an egg and honey recipe, a favored fish and chips made with a special beer, olives and nuts offered by the femme fatale and some tainted wine.

We finished out the day whipping up some homemade turkey noodle soup. We used the smoked turkey Keith's Dad sent home with us. Celery, carrots, onions, thyme, parsley, chicken stock, noodles and smoked turkey and simmer away. No recipe followed. We were unsure of the smoked turkey but it actually kicked up the flavor well. We also made one of my favorite sandwiches...Barefoot Contessa's goat cheese and roasted red pepper sandwiches. Herbed goat cheese, fresh basil, roasted red peppers, a balsamic vinegar mixture, a happy handful of capers and crusty ciabatta bread. Keep in mind that the recipe says to create the vinegar mixture and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavors meld. We didn't do that and it was still marvelous but I'm sure allowing the mixture to "breathe" would even be better. Here's the link to the recipe...


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-pepper-and-goat-cheese-sandwiches-recipe/index.html