January 2012
33 posts
3 tags
Early to Bed, Early to Rise
He’s probably dreaming about dragging each pear out of the fruit bowl by its stem and flinging it off the kitchen counter with a satisfying thud. The little fucker.
5 tags
Take That, Tollhouse
I usually halve cookie recipes as I don’t want two or three dozen cookies lying around to A, be consumed at will and B, go stale and end up being tossed. That is, until now.
Last week I stumbled upon The Pastry Affair’s brilliant suggestion to freeze cookie dough. Simply make an entire batch of cookies, roll them into balls, freeze them on a plate for about an hour (or more, no ...
6 tags
Chewy Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sometimes you need a chocolate chip cookie. No way around it, it’s the only thing that’ll do. Perhaps I’m confusing “chocolate chip cookie” with “something sweet.” All I know is last week we were jonesin’ hard for chocolate chip cookies.
Every night I promised to make them after dinner. Every night the clock struck 8 and then 9 and then...
6 tags
Dice, Julienne, Brunoise
In other news, I started a cooking class last week. The class meets on Monday nights and is a ton of fun. It’s something I promised myself I’d do to further my skills since I decided against culinary school.
In preparation for class I did a little DIY knife skills class with my friends Valerie and Rebecca. We considered various knife skills classes in town, but they were...
5 tags
The Big Jump
This week has been NUTS. On Monday evening I got a call asking me to come in for an interview first thing Tuesday morning. The alarm went off at dark o’clock to give me plenty of time to shower and blow dry my hair and freak out about what to wear and get there with time to spare. The interview went well and I was really taken with the place. I left feeling excited and hopeful.
...
4 tags
Curry Two Ways
I cracked open a can of coconut milk and attempted to make curry for dinner twice last week. Both times were pretty meh. Not bad, not good. No burst of flavor.
The first time I simmered coconut milk with green curry paste and peanut butter, alongside broccoli and eggplant and mushrooms and bok choy. I served everything atop garlicky black rice. The second time I omitted the peanut...
3 tags
Sunday Morning at Grand Central
Not the most artistic shot, but it’ll do.
6 tags
Hey Buddy
When the creatures are happy they squeeze their little fists open and shut, methodically stretching and coiling their fingers. Similar to purring, it’s a sign of contentment. Usually, this squeezing is done against our bodies, on our thighs or arms as they lay in our laps or arms. Here Taco is splayed on his back, fists stretching and clenching in ecstatic anticipation of the...
3 tags
Now That's What I Call Startups
Stop whatever you’re doing and check out Now That’s What I Call Startups. Stat.
You’re welcome.
8 tags
Curried Green Goddess Soup
Upon my return from New York I had a refrigerator full of rapidly-expiring produce and a hankering for something healthy and homemade. That, and a jar of green curry paste I was itching to crack open. Emboldened by my ginger miso carrot soup success I envisioned similar flavors with a green curry base. And dove right in.
As with the original green goddess soup I made, this soup was quite...
5 tags
Udon Done Right
Some nights neither of us feels like cooking. Those nights result in chicken nuggets (Morningstar’s vege version for me) and oven-baked fries or some sort of green vegetable simply sautéed with garlic or ginger or soy (or all three).
Some nights I luck out: I don’t feel like cooking and the landlord does. Those nights are udon nights. Behold:
You can see why I clamor for...
5 tags
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That...
The January book for From Left to Write is Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. Quiet seems to be creating quite the fuss in the media, and for good reason: Cain is challenging the notions that A, introverts are few and far between and B, creativity typically occurs in group settings. Her article in last week’s New York Times, The Rise...
3 tags
Ellie
One of the highlights of my trip to New York was meeting Ellie, born to my friends Lisa and Brian. Two weeks old tomorrow, she was eight days in this photo. Talk about beyond precious.
4 tags
Double Trouble
Who, us? Break into the closet and kick everything off the shelves? We would never.
6 tags
Touch of Grace Biscuits
Before I left for New York, I made Food52’s touch of grace biscuits to perk up our week. I have to say, I was disappointed. These biscuits require quite a bit of coddling (literally), as you form their shape via tossing spoonfuls of dough in flour, rather than the traditional rolling and cutting (which is why these were so appealing in the first place). Sadly, said coddling gets you...
4 tags
Bride-to-Be
Freshy’s bridal shower was Sunday. Stacie made her a hat using all the ribbons from our gifts. I can’t wait to watch her sport that thing down the aisle.
6 tags
Pardon Me While I Stuff My Face
Guess who arrived in New York bright-eyed and bushy-tailed! Or rather, sleep deprived and stiff from the drive.
My eating tour of Manhattan is mapped out and ready to roll. Now I just need this freezing rain bullshit to stop.
First on the docket: Le Silhouette. I sure hope I packed my eating pants.
3 tags
Gussied Up Leftovers
Leftovers got a facelift for yesterday’s lunch: cedar-planked salmon, roasted fingerling potatoes, sautéed spinach, homemade biscuit, over-easy egg, fresh sliced avocado. Bangin’.
6 tags
Pesto Pasta & Herb-Panko Chicken
The manlover isn’t always big on pasta but he does like him some pesto. I’ve made us fresh pesto before, but this time I cheated via leftover premade pesto we’d ordered at a restaurant as a dipping sauce for pizza crust. This pesto boasted a richness mine normally doesn’t, as it incorporated parmesan. (I withhold said parmesan in deference to the landlord, who...
4 tags
Cold Medicine Clarity
One of the perks of dating the landlord is there is a doctor in his immediate family. While I hate to abuse the privilege, having someone look at you in your free time on a Saturday afternoon is pretty nice.
I came down with a cold on Tuesday night; by Friday afternoon I thought I was on the upswing and all but had those cooties beat. Apparently sharing a bottle of wine and then a few beers...
7 tags
Ginger Miso Carrot Soup
I made Smitten Kitchen’s carrot soup the other day thinking it would be tasty but I was blown away by how abundantly tasty it actually is. The ginger adds a delightful zing. The miso imparts a wonderful depth of flavor. The sesame oil gives it a nice nuttiness. It’s warm, comforting, and somehow both light and clean and substantial and satisfying at the same time. Perfect...
5 tags
Grumble Grumble
I SAID FIVE MORE MINUTES.
2 tags
Man Food
Brussels sprouts sautéed with pancetta and fried garlic. Accompanied by Diet Sunkist. Does the body good. (Or so I hear.)
2 tags
Shit Girls Say
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-yLGIH7W9Y&w=560&h=315]
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Psycho Kitty
Usually Taco is the one chasing ghosts around the apartment but apparently Frank decided to lend his help to the cause.
Anonymous asked: Why are you embarrassed? I think you did the right thing buying the kid food. He was probably not actually expecting anyone to buy him food, and he was probably embarrassed of his situation. It sounds like he was going to cry and didn't want to do that in front of you so he split. I think what you did was beautiful. Do not doubt yourself like that.
6 tags
Lemon Cake
This year’s Christmas dessert table boasted quite the spread: pear cranberry gingersnap crisp, chocolate chip pumpkin bread, Aunt Beth’s unbeatable apple pie, and lemon cake. The first three fell into place pretty easily. As for the fourth, I knew I wanted something fruity rather than chocolatey but knew I wouldn’t have the time (or oven space) required for a pie on...
4 tags
Sickies
I feel like a NyQuil commercial, only without the relief at the end. Sneezey, sniffy, achy, runny, hot, cold, uncomfortable, and unable to breathe without sounding like an asthmatic in labor. Ugh. Barely slept a wink. Somebody put me out of my misery.
5 tags
Dumpling Fest
The landlord and I said au revior to the holidays with a little homemade dumpling fest. We bought wonton wrappers and made half a dozen different fillings from the ingredients in our fridge: chicken and pancetta for him, scrambled egg with a hot chili pepper for me, caramelized onions, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and carrots for both.
Preparing the various fillings was the most...
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Salty Praise
“Dude that sage salt you made is fucking amazing on fish. Like real good. Best seasoning I’ve ever had, you should sell that stuff. You’re definitely shipping some more of that stuff down here real soon.”
Someone tell Morton there’s a new competitor in town. Parz thinks my salt is the shit.
5 tags
Spinach with Sour Cream Dressing
I came across a recipe for beet greens with sour cream dressing on Food52 this morning and it was pretty much the only thing I could think about for the rest of the day. It looked so simple and delicious. I had to make it immediately.
I went grocery shopping this afternoon but decided against buying beet greens in deference to the two and a half pound bag of spinach we have in the fridge. ...
5 tags
Two Years Later
I purchased this box of mochi two years ago in Chuzenji-ko. They were packaged to have a longer than average shelf life, although said shelf life was definitely shorter than two years. I finally unwrapped the box and confirmed as much last night, which in itself was something of a waste. I should have kept it as art or something. So pretty. Those Japanese really know how to wrap a...
3 tags
Rough Life
We aren’t the only ones glad we’re back in town. Frank dove headfirst into our duvet and conked out on the spot (but not before inhaling half his weight in sardines). Being locked out of the bedroom for the better part of the week is apparently not up to someone’s living standards.
