avocado

Virtuous post-workout breakfast: oatmeal with chopped pink lady apple.... ....and just a smidge of vanilla sugar and half-and-half surely can't hurt, right? Problem is, I sampled too much of the hot chocolate ice cream I was making for a dinner party and I wasn't really in the mood for oatmeal after that.

In Las Vegas, sushi restaurants refuse to do takeout because the quality degrades too quickly in the heat. This might be the case in other warm climates too, but we learned in the hard way in Vegas.

I've wanted to be a chef since age 10. From the beginning, my parents discouraged it, saying I needed "a real degree." Fair enough, I figured, I'd get a real degree at their expense, work in restaurants for cash and experience, and then pursue my passion. I went to college, studied journalism 'cause it was easy, with the promise of culinary school the only light at the end of the tunnel. My parents continued to strongly discourage it, reminding me that they hadn't written $80,000 dollars worth of tuition checks for nothing. "You'll never make any money, you'll never have a family, you'll never sleep, you'll become a smack addict," they told me. I succumbed to the guilt and accepted an offer for a "real job." Where am I now? Stuck in a job at a software company, just as broke as I would be as a rookie chef, and dreaming every day about a food-related career. Encourage her to try her hand. If it's not for her, she'll be weeded out quickly; my first kitchen job almost broke me, until I learned to swear.

Leftover mashed potatoes fried in bacon fat, topped with egg porn. Shameless.

Oh, K8, I've been there. "Hey, this sugar-free ice cream isn't half bad, and I can eat four times as much...." Famous last words.

^ "Doesn't look great"? Ling, that thing you just slapped together looks AMAZING! I can almost taste it, it makes me want a glass of milk just thinking about it...

My sister (I'm the cook, she's the baker) made panettone bread pudding for Christmas dinner, and I ate "the ends" of the loaf...and then some. The bread pudding did not turn out as well as she had hopes- it was undesirably soggy and custardy, as in too much custard and not enough bread. I don't think she realized just why there wasn't enough bread to absorb all the eggs and cream. Oops!

One of my favorites: salty, to mean "surly" or "contemptuous."

Lots of tea. Dark greens are good for the liver. Tomatoes, apples, broth soups, and other water-filled things to flush out toxins.

I got a Cuisinart ice cream maker, and also that new Cuisinart grill-griddle-panini press. Haven't used either one yet- they had to be shipped back from my parents' house and they haven't arrived yet. I also got the Silver Spoon cookbook. And the one I unexpectedly loved most- Rachel Ray's 365 Dinners cookbook along with a tshirt- her own label!- which is bright red and reads "MEATBALL" across the front in yellow letters. Suits me quite nicely, in fact.

Here to report that blackened carbonized sugar boiling over is a nightmare no matter what the stovetop! ← Agreed.

I just had my first stroopwaffel experience when I was home for Christmas. I saw them at Trader Joe's, and after all the talk of them on Klary's Dutch Cooking thread and on the Breakfast thread, I had to have some. I spent many a happy anticipatory moment with a stroopwaffel steaming gently over my coffee cup, buttery aroma rising. Before I knew it, the tin was empty.

I love to cook dinner for my friends, and sometimes they get it into their heads to reciprocate. I try to avoid this ("let's just go out, that way we don't have to clean up!") because I'm kind of wary off other peoples' cooking, especially those wjo aren't real clear on the rules of meat storage and hand washing, etc. Anyway, one of my good friends is a vegatarian, so dinner parties where she's invited usually involve pasta. One memorable one was some gluey ricotta and roasted pepper sauce on overcooked fettucini. This was served with a portabello mushroom- gills intact- stuffed with canned Italian bread crumbs and little else. That was the hardest meal I've ever had to swallow- luckily I had filled up earlier on the brie en croute I brought for a starter. That same vegetarian friend once had me over for grilled cheese and tomato soup, one of my favorites. Except the grilled cheese- low fat cheese with chopped mealy tomatoes and onions- was cooked with fat-free margarine on a George Foreman grill until it was nicely warmed and soggy. Ugh. And my friends are so thankful that I'm always willing to make dinner- if they only knew.

You know, it heartens me to find that other people eat such shameless comfort food. Sometimes a good meal is really all about taking it easy and indulging in a little nostalgia, no matter how homely the food on your plate really is.

In 2006, I will eat wholesome, fresh, delicious foods in reasonable portions. I will make myself lunch to take to work instead of eating canned soup. I will find a new passion for seafood, which I went off of about two years ago when I had to prep the Thursday night monkfish special... I will learn to be a better baker. I've no patience and no desire to follow a recipe. I will teach my friends the joy of the farmers' market. I will read more MFK Fisher. This is the year I will try foie gras. I can't believe I've come this far having never tasted it. I will taste everything I eat, rather than scarfing mindlessly in front of the TV or computer. I will use the new Cuisinart ice cream maker I know is under the Christmas tree. I will give more treats to the people I love in the form of dinner parties and cocktail hours. I, like everyone, need to reprogram my tongue so those transfatty acids don't taste so good... We should be ashamed a some of the things we put in our bodies. My kids will never eat Pop Tarts or Lunchables!

Lovely. Just lovely.

There was a small-scale blizzard here in Wisconsin and I wasn't willing to brave the elements to go to the store, so dinner tonight was kind of low-rent. I roasted chicken thighs seasoned with nothing but s&p. On the side, baked beans from a can doctored with bacon and maple syrup, heated in the hot oven along with the chicken thighs so they got nice and dry and sticky. I ate the skin of four thighs but the meat of only two, and I finished the whole can of beans. And you know, it was gooood.

^ FoodMan, that bacon cornbread looks AMAZING. Details?

If gluten-free eating is interesting or necessary for you, you should read this blog: Gluten-Free Girl. She has some beautiful recipes and is really passionate about her lifestyle. My guess is she'd be willing to help you out if you e-mailed her.

Your camera has a cuisine setting? Were they marketing directly to eGulleters? Brilliant!

I made pumpkin cookies with penuche frosting the other day...and let me tell you, I licked the pot, the bowl, the beaters, the spoon, the spoon again, and again...oops, I guess eating the frosting before it's out of the bowl is kind of cheating.

As I type, I'm sipping homemade avgolemono soup out of a huge mug. So simple warm and comforting, perfect for a bitter cold night when I'm sure I'm coming down with something.

With dried figs and honey- best breakfast ever. The fat-free is not identifyable as fat-free, it's so thick and creamy, but I buy the 2% sometimes as a special treat.

Swoonful? I love it!

After reading about the fabulous adventures of all you Vancouver e-gulleters, I guess I subconsciously decided that I needed to become one of you: when my dad asked me the other day if I thought I'd stay in Wisconsin for a while, I replied without thinking, "No, I'm thinking about moving to Vancouver." And now this. Sheesh. Maybe I should avoid this blog, as I do have a good job and a lease here in Wisconsin...