Going Gluten-Free

For weeks, my mom has been begging me to come up with a menu to serve at her Christmas Work Ladies Lunch she's throwing for some of her co-workers. The only problem is, that one of her co-workers doesn't eat gluten. I gotta say, no cookies, cakes, baked goods, most soups, and any number of things that have gluten in them has gotta suck!

This is a perfect time to try out my skills, especially since this meal is inspired by the one and only Julia Child. I am making Cream of Mushrooms Soup, Sauteed Spinach Quiche, House Salad, and a luxurious Vanilla Creme Anglaise with Fresh Berries.

I started the Creme Anglaise the night before so that it would have time to set in the goblets I served them in. It was not as difficult as I thought that it would be, although I think that having a candy thermometer definitely helped a lot. I had to cool down and reheat the custard like 3 times to get it to work right. No fear! It was phenomenal.

The salad was plain tomatoes, lettuce...you know the typical salad. The Mushroom Soup was amazing too! The secret to great mushroom flavor it to squeeze out the mushroom essence to release its aroma and flavor into the soup.

The Spinach Quiche, you know I love quiche, was a real winner. S even loved it and she hates spinach. Sauteing blanched spinach with butter and shallots can really work wonders to mask the rotting smell of cooked spinach.

A Christmas Feast

This is the first year that I have completely been given the role of Christmas Cook. Actually, I think my mom was happy about that. So that I could finish in time and not be rushed, I had to start on Christmas Eve to prep.

First, every year we make coffee cakes for ourselves and for our neighbors. My mom also insisted that I make my Dark Chocolate Chip Biscotti. So two pints of sour cream, a dozen eggs, 5 lbs of flour, three batches of Aunt Margaret's infamous Lazy Day Coffee Cake and Two batches of biscotti later, I was done.

Now to the tart. I really think I outdid myself. I started and finished making the tart dough and the Vanilla-Rum Pastry Cream for the tart the night before. Today, decorated the tart with two kinds of fruit, sliced pears with cinnamon, ginger, and a drizzle of honey and lemon (to keep the fruit from oxidizing) and sugar-lemon macerated raspberries drizzled with white chocolate. A tip for drizzling chocolate chips...use a double broiler and add a little corn syrup. The tart ended up being the most flaky-delicious masterpiece ever! Dad said it was better than my favorite restaurants.

Now to the prime rib standing roast. Mom and I packed it with a crust of salt and baked it for hours. Coming off the bone scrumptious. There were lemon-thyme roasted potatoes that were superb as well as some simple broiled tomatoes and Aunt Pet's Parker-house Rolls. I'm getting really good at those.

So yummy I think I am going into a food coma.

Provencal Soup with Pistou

Although the recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking is not called Provencal Soup with Pistou, the name escapes me right now, so it'll do.

This soup basically boiled vegetable soup with a kind of tomato pesto-Parmesan paste added in at the last minute. Let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS!

Although at first it was not very salty and it needed some freshness, after the tomato addition with a little lemon and some more salt, it was really refreshing. I sprinkled a little bit of extra Parmesan on top to finish. Served with crackers and peanut butter.

Mustard Broiled Chicken Breasts, Cauliflower Gratin, and Wild Rice

My first new recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by the one and old Julia Child. I love Julia. If fact, I am pretty sure that I was born in the wrong country. I should have been French. My inspiration for this meal came because I am currently reading Julie Powell's Julie/Julia Project Book about cooking her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Julie Powell and I have a lot in common. For one, we both love Julia Child, we both have PCOS and we both were stuck in a rut of life. So, here's to Julie and Julia.

I made Chicken Diable or something like that. It was great except the only problem was that I made chicken breasts, not a whole broiled chicken. I didn't adjust my recipe timing exactly right. Obviously, I didn't bake it for like an hour, but I cooked the chicken through so that by the time I needed to baste it with the mustard and breadcrumbs and re-broil it, it got too dry. Ugh! I hate dry chicken. I am so much better than that. The chicken was ok, it needed more mustard. I'll remember next time to half the fat and double the dijon mustard.

The cauliflower was good. It needed some salt, but my Dad said that he actually liked it. He also went back for seconds. That's saying something because my Dad can't stand cauliflower.

The rice, well I cheated. It was from a box mix, but pretty good.

All in all, not a bad tribute to my role models.

Experiments in Baking: Part 3

Sweet Potato Pie.

I am a huge fan of this root vegetable. The experiment is that I am making an all butter pie dough from scratch and trying to get a flaky crust without shortening. Also, I am making the pie filling without a recipe, just making it up as I go with a little help from The Flavor Bible.

I had the potatoes already boiled with sugar syrup. I mashed and combined them with milk, sour cream, cinnamon, ginger, Dijon (interesting), salt, lemon juice and rum.

For the pie dough, I was careful to keep all of the butter and equipment super cold by putting them in the freezer. When I started to bake it, I got a little worried that the butter wasn't mixed enough. It looked like beurre manie. But in the end, I achieved a perfect golden brown flaky flavorful and pretty pie crust.

The filling itself wasn't that great. Edible, but the crust must have absorbed some of the sweetness. Next time, I'll add more syrup and some whipped cream.

But there was somebody who really liked it a lot. And that was my parent's dog. She jumped onto the counter and ate some! Haha!

The Skinny Chicken Cordon Bleu

Yeah right, a healthy chicken cordon bleu. Ok maybe I fudged just a little bit, but I still think my take on it was an out of the park success that left me licking the pan I cooked it in.

Traditionally, this dish is a breaded and pan fried and/or baked chicken breast filled with Swiss cheese and ham. I started by butterflying chicken breasts and seasoning with pepper. For the filling, I put strips of prosciutto (everything tastes good with prosciutto) and slices of Gruyere (my new favorite cheese). I sprinkled with dried parsley.

To form the stuffed pocket in the chicken, I rolled up the breasts and secured them with toothpicks. Since I didn't have breadcrumbs, I salted, pepper, and basted them in olive oil. I then seared them closed so that I could remove the toothpicks. Into the oven they went for only 17 minutes. OMG, the most delicious thing ever. I swear, I am forever going to make roasted chicken like this. It's possible that this could be the best substitution I ever made!

Anyways, after 5 minutes of cooking, I had the idea to lay cheese on the top of the breasts. I opened the oven door and quickly lay on the cheese. Good idea!

Served with my favorite olive oil-black pepper Indian rice. This was truly unforgettable. I never say this very often, but I am so talented!

Tomato and Feta Broccoli Pie

Best. Invention. Ever.

Christmas break is coming up fast and I have so much stuff that I am really having to get creative with all of my ingredients. I am trying not to go back to the grocery store unless it is for product. Tonight's menu...(inspired by Everyday Italian) Tomato and Feta Broccoli Pie.

I started with leftover broccoli and marinara from like three months ago. Tossed with some pepper, added a little Parmesan and Feta Cheese and a slice of prosciutto ( I have way to much of this to know what to do with all of it, so it is probably going to be in everything). Added parsley and covered with pizza dough. Sprayed with cooking spray and topped with a little Parmesan.

OMG!!!!! I am so amazing... who knew that tomatoes and broccoli were a magical paring? The crust was like a pizza pot was incredibly flavorful and crispy! So delicious. I have outdone myself.

Not Your Mom's Quiche

If I haven't already mentioned it, I grew up HATING eggs. In fact, my sister's first full sentence was "Sidney like aggs, Sances no like aggs!". Well, I hated them up until I tasted this! My favorite comfort food in the entire world, hands down, is quiche.

I used to teach at a cooking school and was inspired to try the Quiche Lorraine that my students and I made. I confess, I was too chicken to try it at the time, but it looked so good that I had to make it for myself. The first quiche I made was inspired by Julia Child, God I love her! She hit the nail on the head.

This one had just Swiss Cheese and a milky egg custard, but you know me. I love to be creative in the kitchen. Before long, I started to make quiche out the wazooo! My favorites have included a Sauteed Mushroom and Red Onion Quiche, a Broccoli and Prosciutto Quiche, and a Bacon Quiche Lorraine.

There are two secrets to a really great quiche. One, use a half milk and half egg ratio. It becomes like a custard that is not too egg-y, but more creamy. Make sure that the milk you use is 2%. Skim does not set right. Anything above 2% is too fatty. 2% has the perfect flavor and texture. Two, have two layers of cheese. Surprisingly, it is not really the amount of cheese, but where you put the cheese. After pre-baking the crust, add a layer of Gruyere (you can use Swiss, but Gruyere is better) cheese directly onto the crust, then add the fillings and the custard. Top with an additional layer of the cheese.

I bake until the top is golden brown and the Gruyere gets crusty. OHHHH! C'est magnifique!

Experiments in Baking: Part 2

PIZZA! Ok, so it's not 100% an experiment in baking because I've made it before like 100 times, but this time I did try a honey wheat crust and used a granite stone to get a wood-fired brick oven taste. And I made a stromboli for the first time.

There really isn't one secret to a great pizza...I like to think that its several combined together to make one exceptional.

1). Make it unique...the regular cheese and pepperoni is soooo boring

2). Make the crust ahead of time. Yes, a crust made a day in advance will have more flavor because it has fermented longer. Also, adding olive oil to the dough adds crispy texture and a little sweetness.

3). The Sauce: I layer mine like this. Tomato sauce, garlic salt, basil, parsley, and thyme, and then Parmesan cheese.

4). Super hot oven...like 500 degrees and use a pizza stone spread with cornmeal. Using this get a restaurant style crust that a regular 350 degree oven and a baking pan can not beat. Added bonus is that it cooks in about 10 minutes!

Every time I make pizza, I try to do something a little bit different with the toppings and I have a few favorites:

Ratatouille Pizza topped with Gruyere and Romano Cheese and drizzled with Olive Oil

Meatball and Parmesan Pizza, BBQ Chicken Pizza topped with Jack and Cilantro,

Crispy Olive Oil Pizza topped with olive oil (not sauce, which makes the bread super
crispy) Roasted Red Pepper, Italian Sausage, Red Onion, Garlic, and Black Olives,

Tomato, Prosciutto, Goat Cheese Pizza topped with lots of fresh Rosemary, Basil, and Parmesan! Italian Sausage also works great here.

This the first time that I have ever used Goat Cheese. My mom hates it, but she still ate it. Goat Cheese, I have been told by some, tastes like feet. I disagree, but it can be strong; you have to know how to use it. Here this cheese I find works better than Ricotta. It has the creaminess and richness of Neufchatel cheese, but it the strong aftertaste is cut by the acidity of the tomatoes. And it has more flavor and is healthier than Ricotta.

Everybody loved it. I may or may not have licked my plate....YUM!

Better Than Boxed Mac N' Cheese

I love carbs. I love cheese. So what could be better than Macaroni and Cheese, especially since my mom gave me about 20 lbs of elbow macaroni...the inspiration for last Thursdays house dinner.

Surprisingly, the last time I ate Macaroni, I was like 14. Let me say this, although a belief that Kraft Blue Box Cheesiest is ok when you are a kid, one day you grow up and realize that really, Velveeta is one of those weird man-made substances, like Plutonium or Crisco, that should not be tampered with. Processed cheese sucks.

So, im my quest to use all this elbow pasta, along with a really old can of evaporated milk, I figured homemade Macaroni and Cheese is the way to go. I didn't really look at a recipe, I just ran with what I had. Scary, considering I didn't even know how to cook with the evaporated milk, what it tastes like, or how old it actually is.

I started making a roux with butter, added the flour and then the milk. I added some real milk too, to help it thicken. The mix was this pale yellow-orange color, to my relief. It actually looked like cheese sauce even though there wasn't any cheese in it. C asked why it was orange, I lied and said that I put ground mustard it so she wouldn't freak out. Anyways, I added grated sharp cheddar cheese, only a little. Then mixed and poured over the pasta.

I resembled Velveeta in look and texture, but the taste surely beat the hell outta any boxed mac n cheese out there! SOOOO good. Served with a salad and will definitely make again, minus the evaporated milk.

Soupe Du Jour: Chicken Noodle

So, according to the brilliant weather-person this week, we were supposed to have cold weather. Like an idiot, I planned my Thursday menu around this...like the weatherman ever gets it right! But Chicken Noodle Soup it is.

For some reason, this soup always reminds of French food. Maybe it's because my inspiration for inventing this recipe actually came from one of Julia Child's cookbooks. She says that house soups originated from what people have on hand. Well Julia, this is what I got on hand...elbow macaroni (glamorous right?), lots and lots of carrots, canned chicken (YUM...not, about a shot of leftover wine, some stale bread, and some assorted fresh herbs.

I swear, it sounds silly, but I make THE BEST Chicken Noodle Soup ever. The secret, or actually many secrets, is that after I saute my mirepoix of leeks (sometimes onions), carrots, and celery, I add about a shot of champagne or white wine for sweetness. Then, for the stock, I actually use about half chicken and half beef. I find it adds a depth to soup that chicken just can not satisfy alone. To finish, I add about a tablespoon of sour cream that adds richness! SO GOOD. YES, you can get excited about soup.

Serve this with a grilled cheese sandwich (made with real sharp cheddar cheese, not that imitation crap) on a baguette and you have yourself a healthy, delicious, and childhood comforting food!

"...And In the Morning, I'm Making Wafflessss!"

Well, more like for dinner. But hey, great movie! Anyways, as you may have guessed, I made waffles for dinner. Not just any waffles, but cinnamon waffles with a raspberry syrup and some oven-baked-bacon.

My mom used to make pancakes or waffles with sausage or bacon nearly every Sunday morning up. The recipe she followed didn't have any milk, but called for sour cream instead. It gives you a richer, tangier, more dense, yet still soft batter. PERFECT! But you know that I can't follow a recipe, so I had to add some cinnamon, which added a little sweetness and nicely complemented the raspberry syrup.

The raspberry syrup (although it would have tasted better with fresh berries), I made off the top of my head using raspberry preserves that have been sitting in my fridge since last October when I made my mom's birthday cake. I just made a simple caramel syrup (alla Julia Child's Kitchen wisdom) and added some raspberry preserves.

Voila!

The Dreaded Souffle

So...

Since I have been feeling more ambitious in the kitchen, I decided that it was time to try the dreaded souffle. Deflating, dense, and able to stump even the most accomplished of cooks, the souffle has this myth that it is one of the most difficult culinary feats to pull off. You can't open the oven door or it will deflate, you need to make sure that your egg whites puff and are stablized, etc. I have heard it all.

For this mission, I had my trusty Julia Child cookbook handy; there is no way that I am gonna try and get creative on this one: Savory Cheese Souffle.

As I read the directions, it doesn't actually sound that bad. Julia offers tips and hints. For instance, vinegar and salt can be used to clean the egg white beating bowl to get rid of grease that will inhibit egg whipping and stablized the beaten whites. She says nothing about not opening the oven door, to my surprise!

So I made the souffle-based bechamel sauce, added the yolks, whipped the whites and poured it into a lined and collared souffle dish. 25 minutes and 5 peaks later, the perfect souffle emerges. Yes its a little soupy at the bottom, but the top is magnificent, airy, cheesy, gooey, and rich. Mmmmmmmm.

I think I am gonna change my mind about eggs not being a good food. Ever since I was 2, I hated eggs. The only "good eggs" were in cookies and cakes and at best French Toast. Today I still think that eggs are not the greatest food on the planet, but properly cooked and seasoned in a quiche or a souffle, can make a fine meal aside a green salad.

Going Salt-less

Last night, I invited one of our neighbor's over to dinner. She has this dog, Annie Oakley which my grandma has kinda bonded with. She likes the dog because her family knew the real Annie Oakley back in the day. Every time she sees L.H. and Annie, she talks about how Annie got more money for her bird kill because she could shoot in in the head and not mess up all the good meat. So anyways, that's who came to dinner. Little did I know that L.H. does not eat SALT!!

WOW! I think most cooks would scream if they were not allowed to cook with salt. I mean, salt....everything has salt. Try and think of ten things that don't contain any sodium...or would not taste better without that addition?! I can really only think of a few things that I would never add salt to: strawberries, some alcoholic beverages. My list ends there because salt brings out natural flavor of other ingredients and cuts heaviness and richness of certain food.. It can be loud, as in potato chips, or you might not even know its there (as in a lot of chocolates).

So as you might imagine, I freaked out. That is, I looked at it as a challenge. I think a lot of times, people rely on salt as a crutch. It covers up mistakes or adds flavor to something bland. So my job last night was to create a meal completely salt-less that didn't make anybody miss the NaCl.

Here was what I cooked:

Green Salad- Romaine lettuce with cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots, croutons, and these pecans that I tossed in paprika, dried mustard, and red pepper (these make the dish!)

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Sauce- marinated pork in onions, garlic, rosemary, sage, pepper, allspice, olive oil, and lemon; served with a blackberry and port reduction.

Baked Potatoes -with the works

Pound Cake- with macerated strawberries and whipped cream

Nobody missed the salt!

Experiments in Baking: Part 1

Ok, so I can never keep with one project too long. I am like 2 months late in posting. Long story short, I think I am just going to blog about generally all things culinary. My job as a cooking instructor at the YCA has made me more ambitious.

During the summer, I have been working with kids teaching them how to cook. Along the way, I have developed my culinary skills as well. I bake a lot of fresh breads make pasta and pizza doughs. I improvise/mostly improve where I think the recipe falls short in the flavor or technique department. I can chop a whole onion into uniform cubes in under 90 seconds. Anyways, I feel so confident in the kitchen.

I just got this amazing new book. NOT a cookbook, but a book about flavor combinations that helps you create your own recipes and amp up the volume on ones you already have. Example: Yesterday I made braised pork chops with a red onion and balsamic reduction, served with cauliflower au gratin. No recipe, just my own inspirations. It was wonderful! The first non-restaurant pork chop I have ever tasted that was juicy and moist! I think I will be blogging a lot about those whims of creativity.


Tonight however, was a French pastry experiment: Profiteroles with Fresh Whipped Cream and Chocolate Sauce. I must say, I out did myself. Pate a Choux is a French pastry base for cream puffs and among other things beignets and eclairs. I always thought it would be hard, and well it was not easy. I had to start over cuz I did not read my recipe right. 1/2 cup flour ≠ 2 tablespoons flour! But when I fixed it, the profiteroles turned out beautifully!

The heavy cream, although stubborn, eventually submitted to the whisk and whipped up. And the chocolate sauce I literally poured out and licked off the plate! Bon Appetit! Soooo delicious!

Baked Chicken is so NOT Boring

Yes. I know. Baked Chicken. It might remind you of a rubbery, flavorless, dry paste made hardly any better doused in Ranch Dressing.

BUT! Not my way. How does this sound? Chicken basted in an herbed butter draped in prosciutto slices over a bed of caramelized onions. I am salivating just talking about it.

So not boring served with my Great Aunts fresh parker-house rolls, bacon flavored green beans and fresh cherries! YUM!

Chocolate Hot Pots

Today is my grandma's 85th birthday. My Aunt Cara is in to visit as well. Needless to say, on her special day we took my grandma out to dinner at this special Italian Restaurant called Vincent's. I had my go to staple, Spaghetti and Meatballs. You can always tell if a restaurant is good by its spaghetti and meatballs...excellent!

The real treat is what I made for dessert. I have tried before (and failed to make) Chocolate Lava Cakes. Once time I did succeed, in the best fluke turned favorite, to make Brownie Goop, a fudge-y, halfway cooked gooey brownie.

This time, I tried a recipe from a show I saw on TV. Of course, I tweaked it by using dark chocolate Ghiradelli chips. Also, we only had whole wheat flour so I used that instead. The recipe called for "Beretta Superfina", or superfine sugar. You can actually make it, I learned at the culinary school, by putting regular sugar in a food processor.

The cookey sticky Chocolate Hot Pots were better than I could have ever imagined. I served with a dollop of frozen Cool Whip (not my choice, but its what my mom wanted). I have outdone myself!

Fire Hazards Revisited

So, remember how I always talk about fire hazards? I think I need to be either "re-certified" or fired. One or the two.

Let's being here. My sister left the fresh bagels from Panera Bread in the cold oven because "the microwave was full!" I turned on the broiled intending to preheat if for the stuffed zucchini I was serving. Two minutes later...gigantic flames leaping out of the oven. I was clueless and hysterical. Running around like "O my gosh, what do I do!" It never occurred to me to close the oven door or get towels to smother it!

Luckily Dad came to the rescue and put it out. How many people do you know that have to vacuum out their oven? Well we did. On the bright side, dinner was good.

Lasagna, Lasagna, Lasagna!

It's been a while since my last post.

Tuesday night, JK, one of my really good friends, came over for dinner at my house. She recently came home from Spain and was feeling depressed after her study abroad was over. JK told me that her host mom in Spain used to make this wonderful vegetarian lasagna...her favorite meal.

Because I thought maybe it would cheer JK up and bring back happy memories, I decided to surprise her by making my own version of veggie lasagna, with zucchini and eggplants. Although the recipe I used was not a Williams-Sonoma recipe, it was a recipe from an actual restaurant.

It ended up taking like 4 hours to make, but it was well worth it. The lasagna had two sauces, a spicy marinara and a bechamel. The combination of the two was a like a parade in your mouth!

Long story short, JK loved it; it was a hit!

The following day, my mom had bunyon (yes bunyon) surgery and our neighbor brought over dinner. You guessed it, she brought lasagna. This one had spinach and I think goat cheese it it.

Needless to say, we will be eating lasagna for like a year, but that's ok. Like I always say "Freeze it!"

St. Paul Underclassmen Appreciation Dinner

Yesterday evening was the first annual St. Paul Underclassmen Appreciation Dinner for SMYRT. The juniors and seniors of SMYRT prepared and served dinner by candlelight to the freshmen and sophomores. TE and I were in charge of dessert. I spent all day at a friend's house baking tiramisu and gourmet chocolate chip cookies for an elegant Italian evening affair to remember.

Putting me in charge of dessert is a dangerous thing; I end up eating half of it before it reaches the table. To go along with the Italian bistro theme, we decided to make tiramisu, which I have never made before, but I love it. Although technically it really was not tiramisu because we used a cheesecake layer instead of ladyfingers, everything else was amazing. This is the first time that I have ever made homemade whipped cream and I have to tell you that I did not know what I was missing out on! Mocha-y chocolatey creamy goodness.

Because some crazy people do not like tiramisu (they are pretty much crazy), the second dessert we made were chocolate chip cookies. But not just any old chocolate cookies. Wolfgang Puck's white and dark chocolate chip cookies... I think they are the best that I have ever eaten!

Dessert was definitely a hit, and the evening a success and the SMYRT leadership expressed their thanks to all of the underclassmen for their service this year.

Hunter's Style

Today was a good day. I am not sure why becuase I didn't get any good grades back, no classes were cut short, and the guy that I am crushing on did not ask me out. It could be lunch with BM. Or maybe its that and a combination of the first offically documented dish from The Essentials of Mediterranean cooking. Not exactly my first shot, but what the heck, you gotta start somewhere. I am thinking, yes combo!

Tonight, it was Chicken Cacciatore with Polenta. I had never eaten polenta before this dish. It sorta like a cross between porridge and grits, and if you have never had either of those before...its really a fancy word for some cornmeal added to boiling water and cooked until smooth (topped with Italian cheese, of course!) They turned out ok, a little salty, but yummy just the same.

Now for the Chicken Cacciatore. The excerpt from the cook says:

Cacciatore, or 'hunter's style', origianlly referred to the traditional way of preparing venison with wine, wine vinegar, rosemay, and garlic.

I really made it with tomatoes, wine, onions, green bell peppers, and mushrooms. All sauted separately in a pan and served over the polenta. I must say that I was impressed, with the recipe yeah, but also with myself because I can NEVER follow a recipe. I did this time, with the exception of a substitution of Parmesan for Fontina Cheese in the Polenta.

YUM-O!

Best Thing I Ever Ate....Snacks

Today was a rather sucky day. Major computer problems (which I am extremely prone to), bad exam grades, you get it. But whenever I seem to have the worst days, one thing never fails. It is my go-to snack. Nutella and peanut butter and graham crackers!!!

Mmmm...in fact peanut butter and just about any other food seem are perfect...PB&J, PB and strawberries apples or bananas, PB and caramel. The list goes on. Peanut butter and chocolate are a match made in heaven. Add some graham crackers (secretly, I buy the off brand and they taste exactly the same) and uuuuhhh, SO GOOD!! The added bonus: it is good for you.

One of my past professors, Doc Wilkins, sent this link to me about Reeses, which I am not a huge fan of, mainly because they can be really greasy after the oils separate, but none-the-less, it gets my point across:

Doc Wilkins> from back in the day ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJLDF6qZUX0

Me> Is that how guys picked up girls back in the day ;)

Doc Wilkins> yeah and we'd take them out for a malted at the corner drugstore after the sock hop too

Fire Hazards

I never joke about fire hazards. That is very serious business. The old 1970's dryer that we used to have in our Dexter house died on us last semester because the belt wore out and it stopped, preventing a fire. Our kitchen, which has squirrels in the attic above it, trips a breaker at least once a week whenever the microwave and toaster are going at the same time. They are no laughing matter.

But seriously, my friend Kim's 21st birthday was today and she had never been to a Japanese Hibachi Grill before. It was my first time too, and I never really believed what people said about it singeing off eyebrows until I firsthand experienced it.

The restaurant, Haiku Sushi and Hibachi Grill, was not too bad. But it took some convincing me beforehand. I always like to look at menus before I go to a restaurant. Get a feel for prices, plus it always takes me a million years to find the perfect balance of flavor, price, and noo too unhealthy-ness. Imagine my surprise when I looked up the restaurant and I found that it had VERY (I mean like 2 days before) been closed down for serious health code violations. Imagine my surprise when I saw it recieved a 58/100 rating and was scheduled to reopen today! Yikes. I have learned in food microbiology that health code violations are nothing to kid around about either.

When we finally got to Haiku, we set up around the table and ordered. I got edamame, which I love, a cheap, healthy, and yummy option. The chef setup and performed all sorts of fancy tricks and throws with eggs and onions and knives and FIRE. The kind of playing with matches your food that your mom always tells you not to do...well he did it!

My edamame... so delicious! It was an interesting experience that I surely won't forget.

Dairy of a Professional Eater

I love to eat. I am sure that most people probably say this, but really they are lying. I love every part of food, from going to the grocery store to cooking it to savoring each crumb on my plate. Really, food is my favorite extra-curricular activity and if I am not studying, then I am probably eating or thinking about it.

For a college kid, I have a highly refined pallet (ie: Ramen Noodles are gross and if I had to choose between going out to get pizza and beer or eating a coq au vin at a French Bistro, it would be the bistro every time).

Recently, I have gotten into a lot of experiemental cooking, and believe me...most of the time it works out...but occasionally there are epic disasters. More about those later.

I am pretty adventurous when it come to trying new things, but by far my favorite cuisine is Mediterranean...French, Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, even North African. After trying a few recipes from a cookbook I recieved for Christmas with spectacular results, I have decided to chronicle my adventures. With only a hole in the wall oven and stove in a tiny college kitcken, I hope to somehow come out not only more skilled and creative, but also to remember the days when I had to make some gourmet meal with only a corn tortilla, Cheerios, an apple, and some peanut butter.

As they say on the Iron Chef "Allez Cuisine"!