It\u2019s Best Friends Day!<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, there is indeed such a day that celebrates and honors that special person that fate threw in your path, and changed your life forever.<\/p>\n As it should be celebrated. A best friend<\/strong> is a soul mate. A life mate. A gift from the universe. Someone who sticks by you through thick and thin, through victory and defeat, through glorious first kisses and crappy boyfriends, through your first sip of a vodka tonic and holding your hair up whilst puking said vodka tonic. Through sneaking out, playing hooky, and getting tattoos. Through weddings, babies, and hitting 40.<\/p>\n And how do I know this?<\/em> Because I am lucky enough to have one such person.<\/p>\n When I met K<\/strong>, in high school, a million years ago (29 years ago to be exact!<\/em>), she seemed so different from me. She was athletic and strong and didn\u2019t seem to be scared of a thing. She was confident about her ideas and her plans. \u00a0In my eyes, she kicked ass.<\/p>\n I wasn\u2019t really much of an ass-kicker. I was happy being happy. I wouldn\u2019t say that I was completely a crowd-follower, but I certainly wasn\u2019t a boat-rocker or a line-crosser. I was shy, although maybe I didn\u2019t always seem that way (hello extroverted introverts!!<\/em>).<\/p>\n Perhaps\u00a0it was these differences that drew us together, but it was our similarities that kept us there.<\/p>\n (Although maybe\u00a0our differences as well, as I can\u2019t imagine her spending as much time as we have together with anyone who was as competitive as she is! Fyi, I have zero competitive bones in my body. Even playing Monopoly causes me pain.)<\/em><\/p>\n She was goofy and fun and loved to laugh. She was smart and we could talk for hours on end. She cared about the bigger things in life but also knew how to enjoy the little ones. She believed in things that were larger than us. She was kind and good and a defender of those who couldn\u2019t defend themselves.<\/p>\n And those were all things I\u2019d like to think I was too to some extent\u2026or at least aspired to be.<\/p>\n Now we are old fogies that still laugh at the things only we laugh at. We still talk for hours on end about things both larger than ourselves and simple joys. She is still kind and good and a defender of those who can\u2019t defend themselves. She is still just as competitive as I am not. I\u2019m still not a boat-rocker, preferring to change the world in my own little ways, one home cook at a time. She\u2019s authored her first<\/em> book<\/span><\/a> (yes, in my heart I know there are more to come!<\/em>) and is already changing the world around her.<\/p>\n We are still the girls we used to be, but, also better<\/em>. Through lessons we\u2019ve learned in life, experience, time, travel, growing up.<\/p>\n But, through it all, still us<\/em>\u2026best friends<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n (I think we definitely can hold our liquor better now though)<\/em><\/p>\n This dish is included in K\u2019s book, Book of 40<\/strong> (represented by a fabulous illustration by Justine Racho<\/a><\/span>! I love it!<\/em>). The book compiles 40 ideas inspired by K\u2019s\u00a040 years of life, represented in 40 creative collaborations. It is inspiring and thought-provoking and, as K has always done, deals with thoughts both larger than us (It\u2019s important to find a place to meet God regularly<\/em>), and issues closer to our regular lives (It\u2019s important to learn about money<\/em>). Things practical (To-do lists have power<\/em>) and playful (Let your geek flag fly!<\/em>). I assure you that there will be at the very least<\/em> one thing here that will hit home hard (at the very least!<\/em>).<\/p>\n But first\u2026the recipe!<\/em><\/p>\n \u2013 Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper, then dredge lightly in flour. You don\u2019t need to follow us anywhere on social media to join this giveaway but if you\u2019d like to learn more about Book of 40<\/strong><\/em> you can check out the website here<\/span><\/a> or @bookof40<\/span><\/a> on\u00a0Instagram. If you\u2019d like to follow either of our journeys\u2026mine in the kitchen, and K\u2019s in the garden, I\u2019m @chichajo<\/span><\/a> on Instagram and she\u2019s @greetingsearthgirl<\/span><\/a>. But again, it\u2019s absolutely not\u00a0required to join this giveaway (I promise<\/em>)! Friendship is never forced, as they say!<\/p>\n To my dear K, and to all of you best friends out there, who staunchly believe in the magic of love and friendship, happy Best Friends Day!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/80breakfasts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/DSCF7811-683x1024.jpg\")
Do you know what today is?<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/80breakfasts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/DSCF7847-1024x683.jpg\")
This post, and this recipe, is for her. This is my mom\u2019s Osso Buco<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, which is one of K\u2019s\u00a0favorites. Which I made for her when she first moved away from home. Which you can see in this long-ago blog post<\/span><\/a> (before SLR\u2019s! excuse the photos!)<\/em>. I am reposting it here, as, I believe, it deserves a reposting, and in honor of my very best friend in the universe.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/80breakfasts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/DSCF7956-1024x683.jpg\")
So to celebrate Best Friends Day with all of you we will be giving away 5 copies of Book of 40<\/strong> to 5 lucky readers! Details below\u2026<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/80breakfasts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/DSCF7782-1024x683.jpg\")
Beef Osso Buco<\/em><\/strong>
(heavily adapted from the Osso Buco in Better Homes and Gardens Italian Cook Book<\/span><\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n
\u2013 Place a heavy bottomed pot (a Dutch oven would be great if you have one<\/em>) over medium high heat. Add a couple of generous glugs of oil and swirl until the bottom of the pot is covered in a thin layer. When the oil is hot add the meat and brown on all sides. Do not over-crowd the pan or you won\u2019t get a good sear. Do this in batches if necessary.
\u2013 When all the meat is browned, remove from the pot and set aside.
\u2013 If the pot is looking a little dry, add another swirl of oil. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook until the onion and celery are tender.
\u2013 Return the meat to your pot, nestling the pieces among the vegetables.
\u2013 Stir in the tomatoes, water, wine, orange juice, bay leave, orange peel, lemon peel, beef bouillon, thyme, and a dash pepper.
\u2013 Bring to a boil then reduce the heat.
\u2013 Cover and simmer on low heat until meat is tender (the original recipe says it should take 1 \u2013 1 \u00bd hours but ours takes approximately double that since we use beef instead of veal\u2026just cook it gently until it\u2019s really tender<\/em>).
\u2013 When your osso buco is almost done, check seasoning and adjust to taste with some salt if needed.
\u2013 When the meat is tender, sauce has reduced and thickened, and flavors have intensified, then you know it\u2019s done! You can serve immediately but it does benefit from sitting overnight in the fridge.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/80breakfasts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/DSCF7835-1024x683.jpg\")
Some notes:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/80breakfasts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/DSCF7858-1024x683.jpg\")
Oh, and a word on gremolata.<\/em> I don\u2019t actually have a fixed recipe for it, although it is pictured here. I usually just wing it\u2026adding more of one or the other of its three magic ingredients until I have the taste and aroma I like. But this\u00a0is generally what I do: I chop a small handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves. I chop about 1-2 cloves garlic. I zest 1 lemon. Then I toss all three together on a chopping board and chop them together until I get something that resembles what you see in the photo here. Chopping them together, I feel, is the magic last step that fuses\u00a0their flavors into a cohesive gremolata, as opposed to just lemon, parsley, and garlic mixed together. In any case, it is the perfect foil for the richness of this stew.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/80breakfasts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/DSCF7846-1024x683.jpg\")
The Giveaway:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
Related<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n