I enabled Google Labs in G-mail and now have a literal "task" bar, filled with ideas for to-be-written blog entries. Readers, all three of you, I promise the mental gears are in motion to provide posts that are more than just pictures and instructions.
Emotional upheaval is behind the dearth of material in January and February. I sadly have one fewer friend in my social circle, and for a while it looked like my relationship was going to end -- on Valentine's Day no less. I won't get into the reasons why publicly (to protect the innocent), note the fact to express relief, and focus on the positive, namely legal, VD experiences.
We celebrated Valentine's Day a day early at AJ Maxwell's Steakhouse, arrived twenty minutes early, and sat at the bar while our table was prepped. I ordered a ten-gallon martini, which I knew was going to be the end of me, and Current had a vodkatini.
I had the Louis XIV, filet mignon with foie gras in port-wine sauce. He had sirloin, and we shared steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes. We both thought we had the better meal. And after reading about foie gras in the Village Voice, I don't feel as bad enjoying it. The superb service from the bartender, host, and waitstaff made me feel like royalty -- it was a VD celebration after all -- and the fifty-dollar gift certificate from Restaurant.com ensured that going Dutch doesn't have to hurt the queen's wallet.
On Valentine's Day proper, we went out on a "couples' dinner" with poker buddies and other acquaintances at Fiore. The table shared excellent bottles of wine and a large plate of lightly battered fried calamari and crispy zucchini. We both stayed light with our entrees: my spinach ravioli in a butter-sage sauce was a perfect portion after pigging out the previous night and satisfied both the taste buds and tummy, and his pizza bianca (sans sauce but with prosciutto) was also a filling yet not overwhelming meal.
We also finished watching the first season of Dexter, and I can say without reservation that the series is much better than the novel -- Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay -- on which it is based. Lindsay is not a bad author nor did he write a bad book. The series remains loyal to the beginning of the book and the spirit of the story; going on wonderful tangents with supporting characters is something a first-person narrative cannot do, and the screen elaborates where the novel does not. Bravo to the writers and people behind the novel who put it in the right hands at Showtime!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
"the rules" of cooking
The cooking bug bit me two nights ago, and I made roasted butternut squash in apple juice with chicken rubbed in paprika, thyme, and tomato paste. It sounds easier to cook than it was -- the kitchen was like a crime scene with tomato paste in place of blood -- and though I wasn't entirely disappointed with the outcome, the meal's just not worth the effort.
Finding this article in my Google Reader yesterday morning was pretty entertaining because of rule number seven:
1) I kvetched once the Pyrex pan was in the oven: "I am not making that again, unless it comes out and you'd pay $100 dollars for it in a restaurant."
2) I yelled at the chicken fat under my nails, at the tomato paste between my fingers, at my gorgeous Wusthof knife for not adequately cutting off the chicken skin.
3) I left a mess of pots, pans, and tomato paste in the kitchen sink, a testament to the operation.
4) Current cleared the table instead of me! My mind was hopelessly elsewhere, probably thinking You are never making this dish again or You are going to have nightmares of chicken fat and tomato paste or Lost is such a stupid program.
In other words, I am a bad first-date girlfriend. This guy, though, you should see him in action! He wooed me last year with a meat sandwich to die for. I still remember his flawless preparation, nonchalantly caramelizing onions and pan-searing the steak as if second nature. I'm jealous.
That's not to say that I can't whip up something yummy effortlessly, as I did last Sunday withpoker bowling buddies -- ravioli with roasted broc -- but what I have in terms of fearlessness with experimentation I lack in style. Practice makes perfect, hence my proclivity to keep trying.
After work on Wednesday I went to Whole Foods on the Bowery because the one in Union Square is always packed. Finding the chain's Lower East Side location bare made for happy browsing and shopping. I chose this recipe because it looked simple: few ingredients cooked all in one dish. Though I was concerned about the butternut squash when I couldn't get pre-cut pieces, prepping the veggie was a breeze compared to the tomato-paste fiasco.
• olive oil cooking spray
• 4 cups peeled, diced butternut squash
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 pound skinless chicken drumsticks
• 1 pound skinless chicken thighs
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and gather all the ingredients:
If you were unable to get pre-cut butternut squash (or want to save money by buying a whole one, I assume), then follow these easy-to-follow instructions, and you'll be left with a bowlful:
Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Add squash, apple juice, garlic, salt and pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of thyme. Toss gently or use a brush to combine:
In a small bowl, stir together tomato paste, paprika, remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme, and salt:
Good luck rubbing the chicken pieces with the tomato-paste mixture. Arrange on top of squash in a single layer:
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes. If desired, line a serving platter with noodles or cooked brown rice, then top with squash and arrange chicken pieces on top.
I was so fed up with the process that I forgot to take a picture of the final product and captured the leftovers:
Finding this article in my Google Reader yesterday morning was pretty entertaining because of rule number seven:
7. Don’t let him help with the washing up.This advice is for first dates (who the hell makes dinner for a guy on the first date?), but I still find it laughable because I completely do not follow that rule when I cook, particularly that night, because:
WHAT?! He should help clear up if you’ve gone to the trouble of cooking a meal for him, right? Wrong. When you invite people for a meal, do you expect them to load the dishwasher? No. And we don’t offer to do it at other people’s houses either. One key objective in cooking for a date is to make you look like a capable, efficient hostess who hasn’t slaved too keenly over a hot stove all day. It must look as though you have whipped up a delicious spread without skipping a beat, AND without making a massive pile of dirty pots and pans. You are not auditioning as his housekeeper! Incidentally, clear up mess and conceal the work you’ve put into the meal BEFORE he arrives.
1) I kvetched once the Pyrex pan was in the oven: "I am not making that again, unless it comes out and you'd pay $100 dollars for it in a restaurant."
2) I yelled at the chicken fat under my nails, at the tomato paste between my fingers, at my gorgeous Wusthof knife for not adequately cutting off the chicken skin.
3) I left a mess of pots, pans, and tomato paste in the kitchen sink, a testament to the operation.
4) Current cleared the table instead of me! My mind was hopelessly elsewhere, probably thinking You are never making this dish again or You are going to have nightmares of chicken fat and tomato paste or Lost is such a stupid program.
In other words, I am a bad first-date girlfriend. This guy, though, you should see him in action! He wooed me last year with a meat sandwich to die for. I still remember his flawless preparation, nonchalantly caramelizing onions and pan-searing the steak as if second nature. I'm jealous.
That's not to say that I can't whip up something yummy effortlessly, as I did last Sunday with
After work on Wednesday I went to Whole Foods on the Bowery because the one in Union Square is always packed. Finding the chain's Lower East Side location bare made for happy browsing and shopping. I chose this recipe because it looked simple: few ingredients cooked all in one dish. Though I was concerned about the butternut squash when I couldn't get pre-cut pieces, prepping the veggie was a breeze compared to the tomato-paste fiasco.
• olive oil cooking spray
• 4 cups peeled, diced butternut squash
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 pound skinless chicken drumsticks
• 1 pound skinless chicken thighs
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and gather all the ingredients:
If you were unable to get pre-cut butternut squash (or want to save money by buying a whole one, I assume), then follow these easy-to-follow instructions, and you'll be left with a bowlful:
Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Add squash, apple juice, garlic, salt and pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of thyme. Toss gently or use a brush to combine:
In a small bowl, stir together tomato paste, paprika, remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme, and salt:
Good luck rubbing the chicken pieces with the tomato-paste mixture. Arrange on top of squash in a single layer:
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes. If desired, line a serving platter with noodles or cooked brown rice, then top with squash and arrange chicken pieces on top.
I was so fed up with the process that I forgot to take a picture of the final product and captured the leftovers:
Sunday, February 08, 2009
omelet disaster
Next in the series of Cooking for Two: tomato-avocado omelet.
Ingredients:
4 slices of bacon
1 large tomato, chopped
1 small avocado, sliced
1 tablespoon green onions or chives, minced
4 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
¼ teaspoon salt
ground pepper
splash of Tabasco
1 tablespoon butter or a generous amount of olive oil
Optional:
2 English muffins
weird-flavored cheese (Yancey's Fancy does the trick)
It is imperative to keep everything in twos to keep both omelets even!
Fry four slices of bacon on low heat; flip as needed:
While bacon is cooking, slice an avocado, dice a tomato, and chop up a handful of chives:
Take off bacon when crispy and place it on a paper towel to absorb the grease:
Sauté tomato pieces in small amount of bacon fat until tender:
Crack eggs (two per omelet); add milk, salt, pepper, Tabsasco, and whisk:
Crumble bacon:
Add eggs to two pans to make two omelets that finish at the same time. The pan that was not used to fry bacon should be coated with melted butter or olive oil to help the "flip." When you include all the ingredients -- avocado, tomato, bacon, and chives -- and flip, it'll look like this:
If you don't have enough lubricant, you'll end up with this omelet disaster:
Buñ is disappointed:
Serve with toasted English muffins with horseradish cheese (broiled for two minutes):
Ingredients:
4 slices of bacon
1 large tomato, chopped
1 small avocado, sliced
1 tablespoon green onions or chives, minced
4 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
¼ teaspoon salt
ground pepper
splash of Tabasco
1 tablespoon butter or a generous amount of olive oil
Optional:
2 English muffins
weird-flavored cheese (Yancey's Fancy does the trick)
It is imperative to keep everything in twos to keep both omelets even!
Fry four slices of bacon on low heat; flip as needed:
While bacon is cooking, slice an avocado, dice a tomato, and chop up a handful of chives:
Take off bacon when crispy and place it on a paper towel to absorb the grease:
Sauté tomato pieces in small amount of bacon fat until tender:
Crack eggs (two per omelet); add milk, salt, pepper, Tabsasco, and whisk:
Crumble bacon:
Add eggs to two pans to make two omelets that finish at the same time. The pan that was not used to fry bacon should be coated with melted butter or olive oil to help the "flip." When you include all the ingredients -- avocado, tomato, bacon, and chives -- and flip, it'll look like this:
If you don't have enough lubricant, you'll end up with this omelet disaster:
Buñ is disappointed:
Serve with toasted English muffins with horseradish cheese (broiled for two minutes):
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