svn: Unrecognized URL scheme 'https://svn.web.server'

I checked the output of ’svn ––version’ and verified that subversion didn’t have anything configured to handle the http[s] protocols. (Our old server was using the svn+ssh.) A couple of web searches later, I found that I needed to use the Neon or Serf ports (or both). Since Neon was listed as one of the defaults in FreeBSD’s subversion Makefile, I modified our /etc/make.conf file to require Neon:

.if ${.CURDIR:M*ports/devel/subversion}
WITH_NEON=foo
...
.endif

Subsequent rebuilding of subversion pulled in the Neon port, as expected, and ’svn ––version’ now lists ra_neon as the module handling http and https schemes. Success!

• 2 jalapeño peppers, roasted and peeled
• 1 “Big Jim” pepper, roasted and peeled
• 1 chile relleno pepper, roasted and peeled
• 2 lbs ground chuck
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• ½ onion, minced
• about 1 dozen cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce (we used Fire Roasted Chipotle)
• 1 cayenne pepper, minced
• 1 pepperoncini, minced
• 2 Tbsp homemade chili powder
• ½ Tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• ¾ tsp oregano
• ¾ tsp salt, to taste
• 1 can (12 oz) beer

Fire up your grill and roast the peppers. You want the skin to char, so get the fire pretty hot. Be sure to pierce the peppers! Otherwise they tend to burst. Once the peppers are nicely charred all around, place them in a paper bag, fold it closed and let them sit on the counter for 20 minutes. Meanwhile…

Over medium-high heat, brown the beef in a large casserole. Drain the excess fat and lower the heat to medium-low. Add the garlic, onion, tomatoes and sauce. The roasted peppers are probably ready by now, so scrape the char off and removed the stems and seeds. Mince all the peppers (roasted and fresh), and add to the beef. Add chili powder, cumin, paprika, and oregano and mix well. Pour in the can of beer and adjust heat to fast simmer. Add salt to taste. Let simmer for at least 30 minutes.

I’m not going to post the entire recipes, only our modifications. I’ve written before (and I’ll write it again) — if you’re even moderately interested in cooking, you need to buy a copy of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”! We got the two-volume hardback edition from Amazon for about $40 IIRC. Probably one of the best bargains ever.

Here are the changes Barb made to Suprêmes de volaille aux champignons, MAFC vol 1 pg 269:

• “at least four times” the mushrooms called for (Barb really likes cremini mushrooms, can you tell?)
• substitute lemon pepper for black pepper
• use garlic salt instead of plain salt
• add a bit of Tabasco sauce to taste

I made Gratin de chou frisé aux oignons based on the gratin d’épinards (spinach) recipe, MAFC vol 2 pg 360:

• obviously use kale instead of spinach
• added a dash or two of Tabasco with the salt and pepper

I didn’t take the time to cut the stems out of the kale, and this was a mistake. It didn’t taste bad, but the texture of the stems was a bit odd. Next time I’ll take a few minutes to trim the kale before blanching it.

Anybody who’s seen “Julie & Julia” knows that boeuf bourguignon was one of the uncredited stars of the show. It wasn’t terribly difficult to make, although it took almost four hours — some of the most excruciating time of our lives, while we smelled it cooking! This one recipe is totally worth the cost of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”.

I don’t see how we can possibly make every recipe in this book, because we’re going to be making this one pretty often! Barb just finished the last of our Christmas leftovers, and she’s already hinting that she’d like me to make it again, preferably tonight.

I had been planning on making a longer-cooking chicken dish, so I started cooking that first. Big mistake! The chicken was ready quite a while before the other two dishes. I should have started the risotto first, then got the water boiling for the peas, then started the chicken.

I made the chicken with hot paprika, which was a bit too spicy for Caitlin and even Barb to a lesser extent. Next time, I’ll try half hot paprika and half normal.

Barb suggested trying shallots instead of onions for the chicken. And the risotto. And the peas. (Barb really likes shallots!)

I used 2 cups of chicken stock and 1 cup of white wine in the risotto, came out pretty well I thought.

Last night we made our first two recipes from MAFC, and they were both fantastic!! I made supêmes de volaille aux champignons (chicken with mushrooms and cream sauce) while Barb was busy with gratin mornay de brocoli (broccoli with cheese sauce). Our timing was off–the chicken was done long before the broccoli, and it smelled too delicious for us to wait until both were done. Barb took pictures of each dish, which I’ll post later.

I’ve added “mafc” as a tag on this blog, and I’ll be posting our adventures with these books under that tag. I won’t be posting any of the recipes from MAFC, so do yourself a favor and buy these books!

The only difficulty I found with this design is the feedpoint. Stripping the insulation mid-cable is a little fiddly, but a sharp knife does wonders. When I soldered the coax (RG-58), I should have done the shield first–it was a bear to solder the (stranded) shield once the center conductor was already attached. A pair of “third hands” may have helped.

• 2 cans (~14 oz ea) non-marinated artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, and chopped
• 1.5 c mayonnaise
• 1 can (~5 oz) diced green chiles, drained
• 1.5 c parmesan cheese
• (optional) 4 jalapeños, seeded and chopped

Mix all the ingredients and add to a buttered casserole dish. Bake in a 325˚ oven for ~30 minutes.

• Make stuffing
• Get mac-n-cheese ready for the oven
• Make pie crust(s) dough
• Hard-boil the eggs for deviled eggs
• Make another pumpkin roll (Barb thought the first one would disappear too quickly)

And finish cleaning up the house!

• De-bone the turkey (which has been defrosting in the frig since Saturday)
• Make turkey stock with the bones
• Make the cranberry sauce
• Mix up the spinach dip
• Try the pumpkin roll recipe (in case it doesn’t work out, we have time to do something else tomorrow)
• Cornbread (for our stuffing tomorrow)

We also be making mashed potatoes with our dinner tonight, since we need some leftovers to make poppy seed rolls.