Keeping on schedule...

I'm giving it my best shot to keeping on schedule all the things that I have to do for our Christmas Celebration.......

I can say that I was busy making pork broth that I am going to make into gravy for Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day dinner.  I went to the Hong Kong Market today and purchased 3 pork necks, 4 pork spines, and 2 pork ribs.  The butcher cut everything into 3-4" pieces which was really great.  I had Vincent carry up the "Baby Bath", our 13 1/4 qt. Staub Round Cocotte, it weights almost 23 pounds, and I say we could have bathed Gabriella in it when she was a baby.

I read awhile back that it adds more flavor to the broth if you roast the bones for a little bit, then you put them in the pot with your root veggies, onion, and garlic.   I roasted the bones in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, I roasted the veggies also, thinking that maybe it would add another dimension to the broth.  I put half the meat and vegetables in the pot added parsley, sage, oregano, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, bay leaves, salt, and peppercorns.  I then put in the rest of the meat and veggies.  I put it on the back left burner on our stove because that one is the simmer burner with the lowest BTU's.  It has been cooking away back there for about 4 hours now, I will keep it on for another 2 or so hours.  Tomorrow when it has cooled, I will skim the fat off the top and put through a sieve and cheesecloth. 

We will be having Fresh Ham on Christmas Eve and it is very, very important that the gravy be delicious.  I'm still on the fence about making Turnip Potatoes, both Kiki and Andrew love them.  I saw some nice small ones today....I guess I will go and get them.

Back to the broth, I added 4 celery stalks, 4 large carrots both cut into 3 inch pieces.  I also added 2 medium onions, 2 shallots and about 6 garlic cloves.  After everything was in the pot, I added enough water to just cover.  I think the hardest part was lifting the pot to put it on the stove.  This is where the pot filler would have come in handy....

It really is looking quite yummy....

 I also needed to make the pickling for the cucumber salad, and it has to be cold when you add the cucumbers, so I made that also, tomorrow when that is cool I will add the sliced cucumbers.  I can't wait to have them.

Of course, we will be feeding Kathy......

Enjoy