Eat, Play, Fun
I’d almost forgot how fun it is to cook. It had been a while since I was in the kitchen slicing and dicing. It’s almost as fun as eating. And drinking. This time around I cooked a few things I’d done before, Pan-Broiled Steak (Bifteck Sauté Au Berre), Potatoes Sautéed in Butter (Pommes de Terre Sautées) and Stuffed Mushrooms (Champignons Farcis). The only difference was I finally got to use my melon baller on my potatoes.
Major Bummer x 2!!!!!!!!
Mexico lost to Argentina. USA lost to Ghana. TOTALLY SUCKED! I thought cooking might get me back to feeling good and it kind of did. I made Breast of Chicken with Cream (Supremes De Volaille A Blanc) along with, what’s turning out to be a recurring dish, Buttered Rice with Mushrooms (Riz Duxelles). Only one other thing would have gotten me feeling better, and it happened later that day. I was out of my bummer mode.
Father’s Day And The Worlds Tastiest Artichoke Dip
With all good intentions I thought I’d cook something French for my Dad but it just didn’t happen. So I took over the grill and it made me realize I also need to work on my grilling skills. But it was a good Father’s day even though I charcoaled most of the meat.
On a side note, a friend made the most amazing Artichoke, Garlic and Cheese dip. Absolutely the most delicious thing I’ve ever had. (My taste buds may be a little biased cause I really like this friend a lot!)
Rosemary, Dahlias And Other Things You Can’t Help But Fall In Love With
Rosemary for smell. Dahlias for sight. And Butter because it makes everything so damn delicious.
Inspired by an idea to start my own herb garden, I took a trip to a nursery on Marina Del Rey and discovered living breathing beautiful plants that inspired me, somehow, to deviate from my original idea; to cook straight from the cookbook. So I deviated. Not by much but enough to make me say “omg, I think I’m actually learning a thing or two”. So I went back home and I made Hamburgers with Onions and Herbs (Bifteck Haché A La Lyonnaise) strickly by the book. But then I made Potatoes Sautéed in Butter ( Pommes De Terre Sautées) which I’ve done before, but this time I tied a Sage leaf to it. NOT SURE WHERE THIS IS GOING. BUT I LIKE IT.
Learning To Trust
I dread when a recipe says “season to taste” because I think I lean towards the salty and I’m afraid to make everything too salty. So I usually taste but don’t season. This time it was different. I tasted the Beef Sauté with Red Wine, Mushrooms, Bacon and Onions (Sauté de Boeuf a la Bourguignonne) and I seasoned. Tasted again and seasoned again. Then tasted once again. And seasoned once again. Then I tasted and it was savory. The Buttered Rice with Mushrooms (Riz Duxelles) was pretty good too.
Happy Mother’s Day
This year I decided to do something different for my Mom. I had her chill out and I took care of breakfast. She’s all about pancakes so I made her French Pancakes (Crepes). I did two kinds of batters. The first Crepe Batter (Pate A Crepes) I used to fill with Eggs with Bacon, and Chorizo with Beans (Ok. I admit it. I made the Chorizo and Beans more for myself). They turned out to be more or less a Burritos, but a pretty good Burrito non the less. The other batter was a Light Batter for Dessert Crepes (Crepes Fines Sucrees) which I filled with Custard Filling (Créme Patissiére) and Macerated Strawberries and Bananas. She was happy and so was I.
Guilty Conscious
I felt kinda bad because I goofed around this weekend and didn’t get around to cooking a single thing. I ate lots of stuff but nothing I made. So today I did something about it. Something in the form of Puff Shells (Choux). Using a Cream Puff Paste (Pate A Choux) and a Custard Filling with Beaten Egg Whites (Creme Saint-Honoré) I made Chocolate Cream Puffs. I was back with a vengeance. I set a new personal record for “most eggs used in a single, simple dessert”: 10 eggs with 3 additional egg whites. My cholesterol filled conscious was free and happy once again.
Making The Workplace A Sweeter Place
Not because I made a Mixed Fruit Tart (Tarte Aux Abricots) that consisted of a Sweet Short Paste (Pate Brisée Sucrée) and a Custard Filling (Creme Patissiere) and took it to my job to share with my co-workers. But because I think curvy women are also sexy. And I’d like to believe I contributed a bit to curviness today and that’s SWEET!
WWJD
What would Julia do if she had a friend come over and she cooked the most delicious Cuban Chicken with Rice (Arroz Con Pollo) and Black Beans (Frijoles Negros) she had ever tasted. And as if that wasn’t enough, White Chocolate Covered Strawberries for dessert. That was the predicament I found myself in. I decided to compliment her masterpiece with Tomatoes Stuffed with Bread Crumbs, Herbs, and Garlic (Tomates A La Provencale) and a Blackberry Flan (Clafouti aux Mures). I think Julia would have been happy. I know I was!
Happy Easter!
This was the day I wanted to prepare a really special dinner but my buddy invited me to spend Easter with his family. To not go empty handed I made Creamed Cucumbers with Mushrooms (Cocombres Aux Champignons Et A La Creme). I got side tracked and they never reached their destination.
