To cook or not to cook...

Like mwr, I've also made a food resolution for the new year. I was forced to amend it slightly, however, when I realized I had made a rookie mistake. My resolution, to "cook more," was far too general and provided me with more than a little wiggle room. A wishy-washy, ambiguous resolution like this would have made it far too easy to claim success next December. I recognized that I needed some parameters.

SO. My new resolution is to cook once per week. It's shameful to acknowledge that I currently cook far less often than that, but at least I have an excuse for myself. I eat out ALL THE TIME. I don't even have to wonder where all my money goes, because I already know. RESTAURANTS. I love food too much to subject myself to my own cooking when there are so many amazing restaurants and tantalizing dishes to sample in this city. Why would I make myself veggies and rice when I could have Butternut Squash Risotto Croquettes? It just doesn't make sense.

Well, I suppose all that is about to change, depending on the strength of my motivation to actually go through with this. I truly enjoy cooking, and even if I'm not talented enough to whip up something Lodge-worthy, I miss the experience of creating something savory and delicious in my own kitchen. My only consolation is the fact that I have continued to bake regularly, mostly just because my cookies and assorted baked goods are simply unrivaled...haha. Still, whether it was just laziness or the seduction of the thousands of restaurants in the area, this no-cooking era must end.

When and if I cook this week (...maybe I should just cook once every two weeks...), I'll probably use this handy link from my friend R to warm myself up to the big leagues again...

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/dining/18mini.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=bittman%20101%20recipes&st=cse

Johnny Cakes get you early

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Food resolution 2009

Okay, so generally I like to have 10 things that I want to be working for going at once. Then when any single one fails I don't mind so much because I've got nine other to distract me while I find a replacement. This goes with food too. I'm no spring chicken, so I want to start eating with an eye to potential heart failure and metabolism loss. I want to cook all the time. I want to learn to be a thrifty chef for when I have to start paying back student loans. But! I just read a cheesey inspiring thing on the intorweb about picking a single goal and sticking to it and stoking the fire; so I think I will throw those things under the bus and stick to a single goal in hopes of achieving it. So, my food resolution for '09 is *drum roll* Eat new things! I am in a major cooking rut. I've described my predilection for routine eating. I also want to make tempeh tacos every night. They are delicious and all, but I think the more I try to cook different stuff the more my cooking brain will develop. Then, when I'm in a real pickle I can macguyver my way into a delicious meal when confronted with the sparcest of pantries. So there it is guys. I hope you're excited to see a bunch of craziness on this blog over the next year because Z's brie-cheese block was amazing and I would never have made it in my rutty state.

spicy tortilla soup

a while ago, i decided that it would be fun/beneficial to try being vegan for a month. i needed to wait until the holidays were over so that i didn't have to forego such treats as greek salads from greek isle, delicious sandwiches from wildflower cafe, and p's mom's homemade white cheddar mac & cheese. well, we just got back last night and i had my first vegan meal: spicy tortilla soup. i took it pretty much directly from this recipe, except my grocery store did not have vegetable broth so i had to use a broth/water mix. i also omitted the toppings, but i can totally imagine the soup being a little better with them.

here are some pictures:



the first time i've ever had the opportunity to use my immersion blender!



all done!

Veggie Inspiration

Like C and her masterful artichoke portrait, I have given this photograph a place of honor in my kitchen. During an internship in upstate New York, my roommates and I stayed in nightmarish quarters in the basement of a bed and breakfast. Inexplicably, this faded poster was displayed in a broken frame (part of which is visible here) in the kitchen, hanging sadly by a bit of wire. We took a photograph, and that picture is currently displayed in my NYC kitchen. If I have anything to say about it, it will grace the kitchens of all my future living spaces. I love its hideousness beyond measure. It seemed somehow worth sharing...

Lessons for 2009: texture is important

Well, our year began without a bang, without a fizzle, without even a drizzle! Z and I stayed in this year and when we woke up the following day the water no longer worked in our house. It was dreadful, but all is well now and to celebrate we decided to cook. We had purchased some badly needed supplies earlier (a real mixing bowl since our plastic ones seemed to disintegrate), a whisk, a spatula, and one of those awesome 4 sided graders so I decided that it would be nice to use all of them. I also got a parking ticket the other day, so I wanted to cook cheaply. It was difficult, but then I realized that I could make a weird frittata thing. Here is what I did:

1. Into the huge mixing bowl (check) I graded (check) a potato and a sweet potato. I think threw some pre-graded cheese in and some spices (salt, pepper, cayenne).
2. I cracked 4 eggs into the bowl and whisked (check) the stuff together.
3. I threw some oil into a large pan and then spatula'd (check) the entire mixture into the pan. Here I did what I could to flatten things.
Then I let the whole thing fry (covered) for a while.
4. After it seemed ready I flipped it and put it back in upside down. The flipping part is a lot of fun, though people who write about cooking online seem to think it is difficult. Maybe there are a lot of disabled people blogging about cooking. If they can't use their arms very well then it would make sense that they have a hard time with the flipping. Otherwise I just don't know. All you do is get a plate ready and take the whole pan and flip it over so that the weird eggy pancake thing lands on the plate. Then slide it back into the pan upside down.
5. After a very little bit so that the other side was cooked through I slide the whole thing on a pan.
6. Then I realized that I had forgotten to put peppers and onions in. I had planned to do this and felt really stupid for not doing it, but that sort of thing happens to me a lot when I just decide to make up some food idea without a recipe. It wasn't too disastrous because i threw a little extra cheese and some salsa on top and covered the plate for a few minutes so that it would get all melty.
7. I ate most of it. That is a lot of food to eat most of, so it must have been pretty good. I like eating plate-sized round things a lot.

I'm going to take a moment here to reaffirm the importance of texture in eating. If I were more into it I would try to describe what an eggy pancake feels like, but I don't think I am. It feels really good though. Better than quiche, even a fresh one.

Z made an even more delicious thing though. It was pastery-wrapped brie that had been baked. All kinds of delicious things had been drizzled all over the inside and the outside before cooking: syrup (from the Adirondacks), rasberry jam, and some other stuff. When it came out it had to cool for a few minutes and then it was a delicious cheesy-sweet blob. I ate part with just the pastry, part with apple, and part with cracker. I also loved brie for the first time ever. Turns out that is brie is warm and melty instead of cold and buttery I like it a lot. The taste is amazing. Once again, texture makes all the difference.

So, 2009 is off to a good start now. I have successfully gotten myself to like brie. One of my new years resolutions is to make homemade mayonaisse and not be grossed out by it. This condiment seems so disgusting to me, but it is used in so many things that are so delicious. I think that I limit my options too much by looking at thing, seeing the word 'mayo', and turning away in disgust.

tortellini soup

unfortunately, i don't have pictures of this drunken concoction. after three lodge iced teas and countless beers, i was very hungry. mike and i went to hana and purchased spinach cheese tortellini. i did not have any tomato sauce, so we (mike) had to get inventive. he should probably be writing this post, because i have no idea what he put in the sauce besides: tomato juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. in the end, it was more of a soup than a sauce. it was ridiculously spicy and ridiculously delicious.

(i am purposely not writing about the AMAZING butternut squash risotto croquettes. i'm in connecticut and do not have my camera cord!)

happy new year, everyone! brace yourselves for an epic holiday food post when i return.