About
Food is all about balance. Not too salty, not too sweet, with just enough spice to knock at the door, but not so much as to overstay its welcome. It’s a push-pull tug of war on the palate, but when the right combination is struck, few other things can compare. Like food, my life right now is about hovering around an invisible median: Be polite, but don’t be a pushover. Be feminine, but don’t be helpless. Be hopeful about the future, but don’t be quick to make plans that are surely subject to change. Be smart, but don’t be a know-it-all. But sometimes I wonder if my middle-of-the-road attitude about everything doesn’t actually inhibit me from being totally passionate about any one thing. Maybe my supposed favor for logic and reasoning is really just a disguise for my fear of total spontaneity. Maybe one day, in a moment of total clarity, I’ll decide the answer. For now, less thinking and more eating. And cooking. But mostly eating.Following
Ok, I just have to say one thing about all of these recipe collections I’m sifting through in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner:
While I understand the need for no-fuss, quick and easy recipes on a usual night, the holidays are the few occasions in the year when it’s okay to pull out all the stops. Spending 30 minutes on a meal is fine when you only have 30 minutes to spare. But if you know the day’s coming up, you have the day of Thanksgiving off, why not put in the extra effort? Let’s be real, a 30-minute meal might taste good enough, but it’s never going to taste as good as it would have been if you had put in the time.
Glitter cupcakes and happiness at Spot. Out of this world.
The glitter came out of a bottle labeled “Disco Sparkle.”
Panko-Crusted Chicken with Mustard-Maple Pan Sauce. I’m still trying to use up ingredients that I already have in my pantry/refrigerator. There’s nothing I can’t stand more than having to purchase 1,000 new ingredients for a single recipe. The only thing that I had to buy for this one was the maple syrup, and I’m pretty sure that I could have substituted honey for that if I had wanted to. So, so easy. Panko crumbs add such a light, crunchy texture that you can’t get with other types of breading.
On the side: Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Apple with Bacon (no recipe for this one). Brussel sprouts are one of those veggies (along with butternut squash) that I never ate when I was growing up. My only exposure to these mini cabbages was through TV shows where the kids complained about eating them and slyly fed them to the family dog. That’s how it went down every day at dinner in an American household, right?
Apple Pear Tart. My first pie dough using both butter and shortening (usually I use only butter). Shortening, in addition to creating a flakier, more tender crust, is also easier to cut into the flour. I also think it makes the dough more pliable and easier to roll out before it goes into the pan.
Yesyesyes, I know that shortening = trans fat. I felt a little guilty buying it at the grocery store, I have to admit. But geez, I’m conscientious about avoiding trans fats in everything else, and I friggin run 15-20 miles a week. So I think I deserve a free pass for a 1/2 cup of shortening in my pastry dough. Plus, I skipped over the regular Haagen Daazs for the low-fat frozen yogurt to make this a la mode.
Tomorrow, I’m going to wrap this sucker in bacon and deep-fry it in peanut oil.
This is why I love internet radio - I had forgotten about this gem until it came on.
A little race! Let’s see if the man or woman’s version gets the most reblogs. Most reblogs is the worse arguing gender.
Contestant one: the women
I think the chart may be missing the part where a woman says, “No I’m not mad.” But we all know she really is. And men: You better know she is, too.
