Food, glorious food

I finally made it back to the stove.

After a long day of walking the city, I came back to my hood to do a big grocery shop.

Ahh, so nice to have fresh goodies in the house!  But before putting them away, I cleaned out the fridge – ooh, there’s that lovely chicken chili I made last week and the pesto pasta that I thought we finished…

Then I put everything away.  With one small cupboard and one small fridge, this always means that I have to take out the majority of the items before I can make room for everything.

Really, it’s a whole thing.

Two hours after I had come through the door, everything is finally put away and the kitchen looks pristine.

It’s now time to make dinner.  I pull everything out and start the assembly.

My menu for tonight is:

- Roast skinless, boneless chicken breasts stuffed with wild leeks, fresh basil and lemons.

- Boiled new potatoes with olive oil and fresh dill

- Organic kale with garlic and horseradish

- Chopped salad of romaine, yellow peppers, endive and radish

I was tempted to do a big soup as well, but all that chopping and cooking took another hour or so, and I had started on a dessert (yes, I’m trying to learn to bake) that is going to take a couple of days, because you have to let things cool in the fridge in various stages. So despite how tired I was from the whole process, I was very close to just cooking all night.

However, I remembered that there is still tomorrow and Monday is a holiday here, so I may take a couple of hours in the afternoon to do something slow-cooked.

It is so good to be home, cooking again.  I am like an actor who just found out she got the part.

Tonight’s audition: finish the 3-part dessert (it’s a surprise), homemade soup (I think something minestrone-esque) and something from the new Jamie’s America cookbook.

Sayonara

I will have had Japanese 4 out of 5 nights by the end of tomorrow.

I reviewed a Japanese restaurant Friday night, went to one with friends for dinner Saturday night, cooked at home last night (potato leek soup from scratch, chicken with homemade barbecue sauce, rice, veg and salad) and then am going to a Japanese restaurant with 2 book clubs tonight and back again with 2 book clubs tomorrow night.

Similar to the “5 Indian Restaurants in 8 Days” bit in my book, I have had the opportunity to really compare and critique various techniques and dishes.  The only difference is that I think I could have a Japanese meal every day.

Hey, I’m working on it…

Clubbing

Tonight I’m doing up my notes for our book club meeting tomorrow night (I’ve yet to start the ones for my other book club…) and I’m grinning like a crazy person.

Because not only do I get to eat and write about food for a living, but I get to read books about it and then meet with a bunch of folks to talk about it – over a meal.

Ahhh.

And in rereading sections of books about food, I assess and reassess my opinions, my patterns and sometimes even the dishes I make.  All based on things I’ve read.

I wrote awhile ago about making a cabbage dish around the frenzy that is St. Patrick’s Day and just a few nights ago, I went out and got celeriac, after skimming a recent article about how it doesn’t get enough love, and made a beautiful, velvety soup, daubed with fresh herbs and fresh ground pepper.  Now thanks to our most recent book, The Tenth Muse by Judith Jones, I’m craving James Beard cookbooks and simple American food like liver and onions and the hearty dishes of Miss Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock.

I learn something new out of each book and it turns out, I put it to the test in the kitchen, long after the book has been read and put aside.

I fully intend to make some of the recipes from the book – Frozen Maple Mousse, Sorrel and Leek Pancakes and Martha’s Paprikash with Little Dumplings.

But just you watch. I’ll go to the meeting tomorrow and we will be spouting a flurry of ideas, with exchanges of ingredients, books and recipes flying across the table.

And in a few days, weeks and months, somehow it will all end up as dishes being simmered on my stove.

Super size it

As you know, I don’t bake.

So when I make something dessert-ish, I use a mix.

Recently, I made cornbread for when company was over for dinner.  Normally, I do make this from scratch, but the other stuff I was making was pretty time intensive (top sirloin roast, cabbage soup, layered salad with homemade dressing, sides, etc.) so I went with a mix.

The package instructed me to use 2 cups of the mix, along with water, eggs, and the usual suspects.

After portioning out 2 cups worth, there only remained 1/3 of a cup.  So not only can I not make it again from this package but I’d have to get out the ol’ calculator and figure out how much water, egg (can you do an eighth of an egg?), et al I’d need.

Last night, I make an exceptional quinoa salad (I don’t know how it came out so well or why my meatloaf was “the best ever.” ).

Anyway, I had got it from an organic market so it came in a box with instructions.  Put one cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water…

It left me with less than 1/2 cup of quinoa left!

Argh.

Same with my wild rice.  I always have to buy another package before I can use the last bit up.

I know companies have to adhere to weights and sizes and such, but if you can’t just do one or two servings, don’t do it at all.  I’ve got 2 small shelves in which to keep my pantry stocked.  I don’t have room for 2 boxes or bags of one thing.

I’ve got to wait before making more cornbread or quinoa, which means I’m less likely to make it.

We buy our eggs 18 at a time, so there’s no chance of running out (with all this cooking I’m doing, you wouldn’t believe how quickly they go).

I’d buy these mixes any bigger if they made ‘em, but then, where would I keep them?

All I’m asking for is enough to make it once or twice, not something nasty in between.

Can you imagine if nail polish came only enough to do your nails one and a half times?

‘Nuff said.