I have figured it out

As I am sure you have all noticed, I haven't been writing much. Today I finally figured out why...(and this is purely an excuse, not a reason), winter. One of my biggest inspirations for this blog is the garden. Right now, my garden needs a lot of attention and some warmth and until it receives those two very important things, it will look like a vegetable graveyard. The snow killed everything. My neglect let it rot. It needs help and I really don't want to go out there until it stops being FREEZING cold. I feel bad that I let it go and I miss the warm days when I could walk out back and pick a salad. Every time I look out the window, I get a little sad.

Also, winter means eating winter foods. Pork, roots, squash, brusselsprouts all make up the heavy diet of now. Don't get me wrong, I love all of that stuff, but I have to admit that I am ready for some fresh lettuce and cucumbers chilled in the fridge.

One thing I did during this hiatus was spend my birthday at the Cochon 555. A pig competition that pitted 5 great local chefs against each other for the title of "Prince of Pork". I was totally over pigged and I think I ate about 1/2 cup of brain mousse garnish. Above is the picture of the best things there, a bacon cone filled with bourbon and bacon ice cream topped with candied bacon. One bite of pure perfection. Also, if you haven't seen them yet, Vosges makes a bacon and smoked salt milk chocolate bar that is to die for.

It will only get lighter

This is a reminder to us all that the winter will end. It will be light and warm again. This was a snack that I picked out of the garden last summer. Everything was a little warm from the sun, except for the lemon cucumbers that I ONLY eat chilled. And if you know me, you know that I dipped all of this in some bad ass ranch dip. I can't wait until I can can work outside again. There is so much to do. So many plants that need to be ripped out out of the beds to make way for new growth. Next month, seeds will need to started indoors. It is looking pretty dreary out there, so I won't show you any picture of the garden in it's current state. but I will post a bunch as I start to get it ready for the spring.

Just remember, June really isn't that far away....right?

Coastal Question

I am curious if there is any ethical question in me writing about the restaurant where I work. Really, I eat there almost every day and have for a year. I think that lends a sort of "back bone" to my opinion and if I have only nice postitive experiences, I can't see getting fired over some free advertising.

With all of that being said, I almost never eat dinner at work. My general goal is to be out of that building before the evening hunger pangs set in. I eat lunch or "blunch" food at my desk thoughout the day and after being at work all day, well... I just want to go home and be comfortable. Every so often, for example tonight, I stay and eat dinner and I have yet to regret the choice.

Chow Foods restaurants are consistantly being praised for their breakfast and lunch, but I rarely read reviews about dinner. Tonight, my dinner was fantastic. I didn't eat it at my desk, so the environment may have been a factor, but you can't dispute a beautifully cooked scallop.

Everything on my plate was cooked perfectly. It was seasoned just right. It was artistically displayed. It made enough of an impact on me that I HAD to write about it immediately upon returning home. I ate every bite, finished before it got cold and if you know me, you know that I never ever do that. I haven't had a meal that I liked that much in a long time (home cooked excluded).

So, there it is. A complete distruction of objectivity. I just couldn't help myself.

Silver Spoon Crepes

This is kind of a duel post, half about the best cookbook ever and half about the crepes that I made out of that very same book. The Silver Spoon is an Italian cookbook with hundreds of recipes for every possible ingredient or situation. There are complete menus, simple basics and interesting flavor combinations that range from 15 minute meals for one to all-day family creations. The chapter on "Variety Meats" is a keeper. I made an oxtail recipe one cold afternoon and it was fantastic.

One night, I needed a snack. A sweet snack that tasted good and was warm and comforting. It was between sweet cream biscuits and crepes. I decided to go for the crepes. The recipe was much easier and less time consuming. There was a basic crepe recipe in the Silver Spoon book and I made it.

It was the easiest, most well explained recipe I have ever used and it worked like a charm. I made a small batch of perfectly round, golden yellow and thin pancakes. They were slightly sweet with the tiniest bit of egg-y goodness. I truly believe that they would have been good with any filling. Savory or sweet.

I put apples in mine. I sautéed the apples in a little butter, a smattering of sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. They were honey crisp apples so they really didn't need much sugar. This whole process took me less than 30 minutes and I know it would have impressed anyone, even if they were more culinarily adept than I.

Yay!!! Finally....

Merry Holidays everyone. I got a computer!!! Get ready for some posts. This is a zucchini that we grew and forgot about. I didn't find it until I started pulling up some plants after the frost hit the garden. It is huge. Twice as big as my cat. I have no idea what to do with it? Is it going to be gross? Is it rotting on the inside? Can I shred it and make zucchini bread? Does anyone have any ideas?

I will start posting every day now to make up for lost time. I have a lot of projects to talk about.

It will get better.

Hi. I have been working hard, cooking a lot and getting things done and since I am still without a computer, the blog is still suffering. This is just a heads up to say that I will start posting regularly after the holidays and I have a HUGE back log of pictures and kitchen adventures to share. The garden is done now except for kale and herbs. It is too wet out side for anything else. I am going to get some cabbages and fava beans in the ground for the spring.

I stewed it.

The stew turned out pretty good. The meat is tender and falling apart, the veggies are cooked perfectly and the gravy is wonderfully reduced. There is only one problem, the flavor is flat to me. Maybe it was just because I tasted it all day while it was cooking, but there was no depth to the end product. I used so many different flavors and tried to layer them, but I am still missing something. It is missing umami, the savory deliciousness that only a demi-glace and a good red wine would have added. Next time, I will get it.