It is September 20th, and I am already in the Christmas spirit (and to be clear, I have not been drinking any spirits to reach this state of mind). I have, in the past 2 weeks, seen several Christmas re-runs, and have seen some online as well...and the mood has just stuck with me. I don't even have Thanksgiving done yet, but my mind, and more surprisingly my heart, are in Christmas mode.
Not content to just feel whatever I am feeling, I have been trying to analyze what is happening here...what has sparked this...
Since 2001, I have had to start thinking about Christmas in advance. Up until this year, I was annually involved in planning a MASSIVE Christmas presentation at the church...so I would be looking at music, listening to music, arranging and transcribing music...all starting in the spring. I'm not doing that this year (or any years in the foreseeable future, given the change in leadership that has take place). So for many of those years, I have just gone through the motions, being too busy to actually really FEEL anything. Well, this year, I have been working on a Christmas CD for a few months, and it hasn't really brought out too many Christmas-related emotions either...until somewhat recently as songs have been recorded and mixed. Everything about this is positive...great collaborator, great song choices, paired with a great charity (The United Way), and no one bossing me around. It is amazing how healthy freedom is.
So in the spirit of regaining more freedom in my life (and to simultaneously eliminate some very negative things), I resigned from the music position I hold at the church...and while it is bittersweet, the impending liberation I feel already is beyond words. I am looking toward the future with great excitement, and great openness to the posibilities of what to do with my extra time. Now, while I thought it would be nice to stay for the rest of the calendar year, I realized that I wanted to have December off completely so I can experience all of the Christmas things I haven't had time for in 10 years. So maybe that is partially why Christmas is at the front of my mind...I'm looking forward to it for the first time in years.
I have also been spending a lot of time thinking about "olden days." That might come from working on my family tree, and looking at lots of old pictures...many of which were taken at Christmas (remember when there were no cell phones, so people couldn't just snap photos on a whim?). I long for those days with primitive technology...which brings me to the following observation/rant:
I feel like technology is ruining the world. Yes, I know that without technology I would be unable to type that sentence, and there would be no internet to post this on...so spare me that ridicule. I have seen people texting each other while sitting NEXT TO each other...and that frightens me. We, as a society, are losing our abilities to communicate with each other. It started with email to replace writing letters....then it was chatting online to replace talking on the telephone...then cell phones to eliminate pay phones...then texting to replace email and talking...then facebook to replace ACTUALLY visiting one another. These pieces of technology have been meant to make things more convenient, but we've convenienced ourselves into becoming socially inept, and often rude (texting someone while you're visting with someone else, texting while watching a movie at the theatre, not turning cell phones off while you're out with people, playing games on your iPhone instead of talking to the people you're with). Let me be clear...I love my iPod touch....I check my email from it every morning before I get out of bed so that I don't have to wake anyone up...but I think I still have the ability to engage in coversation....well...aside from conversation with strangers...I've never been good at that because really, I am shy. And I love having all of my music with me at all times...but I still play CDs and RECORDS!! Ok...rant over...
So, in thinking about my fun new plan for the beginning of the year (see my previous blog), I started thinking that as of December, I'll have time to return to my older traditions of confection/baking gifts this year....truffles, as always, but maybe some new things as well. I think that will be the perfect way to utilize my time...maybe even to connect to those olden traditions....maybe it'll do this jaded soul some good.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Life is what happens....
John Lennon was a genius. OK, perhaps not a "create an atomic bomb" or an "eliminate the atomic bomb" kind of genius...but he certainly knew what he was talking about when he said that "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." I have done no blogging since April, and precious little cooking either....as always, I can defend my slackingness...
This year has been incredibly change-filled....and not in a refreshing kind of a way...more of a way-of-life-turned-on-its-ear-then-reduced-to-ash kind of way. Too many things to adjust to all at once, and I've just been going through the motions, never actually dealing with anything in the process....this is bad, I know. But, I have started to organize the issues, and make the "To Do" lists that will hopefully see a restoration of harmony, and my own power in where I go from here.
So, why write about that here? I have an idea...a delicious idea....one that won't be unveiled until the new year....I have a lot of serious planning to do before then...and it might just be the key to my regaining my sanity....after all...from ash comes purification...and fertile soil...and the phoenix's rebirth...why not mine?
This year has been incredibly change-filled....and not in a refreshing kind of a way...more of a way-of-life-turned-on-its-ear-then-reduced-to-ash kind of way. Too many things to adjust to all at once, and I've just been going through the motions, never actually dealing with anything in the process....this is bad, I know. But, I have started to organize the issues, and make the "To Do" lists that will hopefully see a restoration of harmony, and my own power in where I go from here.
So, why write about that here? I have an idea...a delicious idea....one that won't be unveiled until the new year....I have a lot of serious planning to do before then...and it might just be the key to my regaining my sanity....after all...from ash comes purification...and fertile soil...and the phoenix's rebirth...why not mine?
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Saturday Night Was Lively!
So...my friend Ken's birthday was on Sunday, but we (myself and a mutual friend) kind of threw him a bit of a dinner party on Saturday night....my first dinner party EVER....and it was quite an experience.
Firstly, the mutual friend - let's call her Lisa (it is, after all, her name) - is house-sitting for other friends (my, we are a friendly bunch, aren't we?)...so we were cooking in their kitchen. I got more than I bargained for there....it's one thing to cook in one's own kitchen where one knows where everything is...but cooking in a kitchen where you have no idea where things are kept, and then find that there are some basic kitchen tools not even present is another. So, for my first real sojourn into cooking, I did so without measuring cups or measuring spoons.
"So what?!", I hear some of you remarking. Yes, a great number of cooks don't bother with measuring implements...but I, at least at this stage of the game, am not at that point.
The good news is that in relying on visual measuring, and by taste, it turned out to be quite delicious. The two stars of the show were:
1. Rolled Asparagus appetizer - Steamed asparagus wrapped in smoked turkey, Havarti, and flat bread...baked in the oven until melty and crisp. I imagine this would also be good in a puffed pastry, or made with prosciutto.
2. Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons (Chicken breasts with mushrooms, port, and cream) - from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking....I opted to use vermouth instead of port, as port wouldn't be something otherwise used in my house. This is a recipe that I am looking forward to trying again with proper measurements...it was astoundingly tasty, but I want to see what it tastes like with all proper ratios.
No pictures, I'm afraid....there was a camera, but everyone was too busy eating to take any pics!
Not sure what this coming weekend holds...excited at the possibilities!
Firstly, the mutual friend - let's call her Lisa (it is, after all, her name) - is house-sitting for other friends (my, we are a friendly bunch, aren't we?)...so we were cooking in their kitchen. I got more than I bargained for there....it's one thing to cook in one's own kitchen where one knows where everything is...but cooking in a kitchen where you have no idea where things are kept, and then find that there are some basic kitchen tools not even present is another. So, for my first real sojourn into cooking, I did so without measuring cups or measuring spoons.
"So what?!", I hear some of you remarking. Yes, a great number of cooks don't bother with measuring implements...but I, at least at this stage of the game, am not at that point.
The good news is that in relying on visual measuring, and by taste, it turned out to be quite delicious. The two stars of the show were:
1. Rolled Asparagus appetizer - Steamed asparagus wrapped in smoked turkey, Havarti, and flat bread...baked in the oven until melty and crisp. I imagine this would also be good in a puffed pastry, or made with prosciutto.
2. Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons (Chicken breasts with mushrooms, port, and cream) - from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking....I opted to use vermouth instead of port, as port wouldn't be something otherwise used in my house. This is a recipe that I am looking forward to trying again with proper measurements...it was astoundingly tasty, but I want to see what it tastes like with all proper ratios.
No pictures, I'm afraid....there was a camera, but everyone was too busy eating to take any pics!
Not sure what this coming weekend holds...excited at the possibilities!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Things not to do when hungry...
We've all heard that one of the worst situations is grocery shopping when hungry...and it's true...it can be catastrophic to the pocket-book, and wasteful (if buying a bunch of stuff one doesn't even need). I think working, though, is the worst place to be when hungry...
I don't eat breakfast. I know that makes me a monster, but there it is. I'm never hungry in the morning. So, because I'm always trying to be quiet in the morning as to not wake up my household, I don't make lunch to bring to work (and I don't make it the night before because I always forget). In addition to that, there is no fridge at work...and most of the things that I would bring for lunch (left-overs, meat/cheese sandwich, salad) are things I am uncomfortable leaving unrefrigerated....so that, essentially, leaves me with peanut butter......and as much as I adore it, I don't want it everyday.....and I would have no place to keep the milk I would have to have with it.
So, usually, it isn't a huge deal...I work through the day foodless without any problems...that is, until I am bored at work....like today...
There are "down days" on the stock market...days when the majority of stocks are down because that exchange is down, or correcting...days like today. The TSX is down because of lowering commodity prices, and disappointing quarterly results from Alcoa...get the drift? So these are good days to buy because the majority of stocks will bounce back, and will allow me to make some nice cashola for the boss. On "up days", it is a much busier time here...there are more constant buying/selling opportunities as the stocks fluctuate in an upward motion...not the case for down days....so once I have spent the money on the stock picks of the day, there is nothing to do but wait. I try to stay as busy as possible, but when the accounting is already done, there is little to do but, say, write my blog...
So, I started thinking about what I would write about today...it was going to start off with how I slacked again last night, and didn't look at my cookbooks...but I thought I would do some looking at recipes online to make up for it (at least, in my mind). Sadly, I started at the place I always start: braised lamb shanks. There is a blog out there called "Souperior" which features one of the most delicious pictures I've ever seen (and other fabulous recipes). I attach that picture here:
I don't eat breakfast. I know that makes me a monster, but there it is. I'm never hungry in the morning. So, because I'm always trying to be quiet in the morning as to not wake up my household, I don't make lunch to bring to work (and I don't make it the night before because I always forget). In addition to that, there is no fridge at work...and most of the things that I would bring for lunch (left-overs, meat/cheese sandwich, salad) are things I am uncomfortable leaving unrefrigerated....so that, essentially, leaves me with peanut butter......and as much as I adore it, I don't want it everyday.....and I would have no place to keep the milk I would have to have with it.
So, usually, it isn't a huge deal...I work through the day foodless without any problems...that is, until I am bored at work....like today...
There are "down days" on the stock market...days when the majority of stocks are down because that exchange is down, or correcting...days like today. The TSX is down because of lowering commodity prices, and disappointing quarterly results from Alcoa...get the drift? So these are good days to buy because the majority of stocks will bounce back, and will allow me to make some nice cashola for the boss. On "up days", it is a much busier time here...there are more constant buying/selling opportunities as the stocks fluctuate in an upward motion...not the case for down days....so once I have spent the money on the stock picks of the day, there is nothing to do but wait. I try to stay as busy as possible, but when the accounting is already done, there is little to do but, say, write my blog...
So, I started thinking about what I would write about today...it was going to start off with how I slacked again last night, and didn't look at my cookbooks...but I thought I would do some looking at recipes online to make up for it (at least, in my mind). Sadly, I started at the place I always start: braised lamb shanks. There is a blog out there called "Souperior" which features one of the most delicious pictures I've ever seen (and other fabulous recipes). I attach that picture here:
Can't you just imagine how syrupy the surface of that lamb shank is, covered in fond? So, then I hit YouTube for some instructional videos on braising lamb shanks...then, it happened.......I realized that I was starving...and all I have at work in case of emergency is some oatmeal.
Now, if you can eat oatmeal and be satisfied after seeing that lamb shank, you're a better woman than I am. Sadly, I am nowhere near a place that serves lamb shanks for lunch, nor do I think that if there was, they would look nearly as good as the one in the photo...but the onslaught of hunger made me realize a couple of things:
1. I am not about to eat that lamb shank...nor can I smell it. It was, in fact, cooked over 4 years ago...but I desperately want it. This speaks volumes to the power of presentation. Nothing on that plate is difficult to make (store-bought baguette, lamb's lettuce in a simple vinegrette, and a slow-braised lamb shank that basically takes care of itself in the oven), but it has been presented in such a way that makes it seem like a work of art, and a culinary miracle. We do eat with our eyes, it seems...
2. I have been doing myself a disservice by not having lunch here, or not having something better in the "emergency" cupboard aside from oatmeal. Luckily, there is a Subway restaurant close by, so a sandwich and bowl of soup are easily attainable....but I'm cheap, and don't want to buy my lunch everyday. Maybe my thrify side can take over on this....
3. I am going to have to find some lamb shanks, and attempt this recipe...easier said that done in this town. There are local farmers who raise sheep, and yet all of the lamb in all of our stores is from New Zealand...I wouldn't call that fresh obsessed!!
On to the second place I go.....risotto...
Hmm....braised lamb shank on a bed of mushroom risotto.....methinks I may be on to something...
Monday, April 12, 2010
The girl is back in town....
Ok...it has been months now since I have been here...not that it matters a great deal, as I only know of one person who reads this, and she just started. I know that I don't need to explain, and perhaps any explanation would seem as an excuse uttered out of guilt for my slackingness...but here's the deal...
Sure, I have the new job, and that really took some time adjusting to...and the complications at my musical job really killed me up until Christmas...then, after Christmas, I was working on a CD (2-disc set, to be fair)....so I have had some very good reasons to not be writing, and even better ones for not cooking...
However, the weather is wonderful, the lists of annoying responsibilities are getting easier to handle, and I sense that change is coming.
Tonight, my task is to go through my collection of cookbooks to plan for upcoming culinary adventures...
Fingers crossed :)
Sure, I have the new job, and that really took some time adjusting to...and the complications at my musical job really killed me up until Christmas...then, after Christmas, I was working on a CD (2-disc set, to be fair)....so I have had some very good reasons to not be writing, and even better ones for not cooking...
However, the weather is wonderful, the lists of annoying responsibilities are getting easier to handle, and I sense that change is coming.
Tonight, my task is to go through my collection of cookbooks to plan for upcoming culinary adventures...
Fingers crossed :)
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Monday, September 20, 2010
I'm beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...
It is September 20th, and I am already in the Christmas spirit (and to be clear, I have not been drinking any spirits to reach this state of mind). I have, in the past 2 weeks, seen several Christmas re-runs, and have seen some online as well...and the mood has just stuck with me. I don't even have Thanksgiving done yet, but my mind, and more surprisingly my heart, are in Christmas mode.
Not content to just feel whatever I am feeling, I have been trying to analyze what is happening here...what has sparked this...
Since 2001, I have had to start thinking about Christmas in advance. Up until this year, I was annually involved in planning a MASSIVE Christmas presentation at the church...so I would be looking at music, listening to music, arranging and transcribing music...all starting in the spring. I'm not doing that this year (or any years in the foreseeable future, given the change in leadership that has take place). So for many of those years, I have just gone through the motions, being too busy to actually really FEEL anything. Well, this year, I have been working on a Christmas CD for a few months, and it hasn't really brought out too many Christmas-related emotions either...until somewhat recently as songs have been recorded and mixed. Everything about this is positive...great collaborator, great song choices, paired with a great charity (The United Way), and no one bossing me around. It is amazing how healthy freedom is.
So in the spirit of regaining more freedom in my life (and to simultaneously eliminate some very negative things), I resigned from the music position I hold at the church...and while it is bittersweet, the impending liberation I feel already is beyond words. I am looking toward the future with great excitement, and great openness to the posibilities of what to do with my extra time. Now, while I thought it would be nice to stay for the rest of the calendar year, I realized that I wanted to have December off completely so I can experience all of the Christmas things I haven't had time for in 10 years. So maybe that is partially why Christmas is at the front of my mind...I'm looking forward to it for the first time in years.
I have also been spending a lot of time thinking about "olden days." That might come from working on my family tree, and looking at lots of old pictures...many of which were taken at Christmas (remember when there were no cell phones, so people couldn't just snap photos on a whim?). I long for those days with primitive technology...which brings me to the following observation/rant:
I feel like technology is ruining the world. Yes, I know that without technology I would be unable to type that sentence, and there would be no internet to post this on...so spare me that ridicule. I have seen people texting each other while sitting NEXT TO each other...and that frightens me. We, as a society, are losing our abilities to communicate with each other. It started with email to replace writing letters....then it was chatting online to replace talking on the telephone...then cell phones to eliminate pay phones...then texting to replace email and talking...then facebook to replace ACTUALLY visiting one another. These pieces of technology have been meant to make things more convenient, but we've convenienced ourselves into becoming socially inept, and often rude (texting someone while you're visting with someone else, texting while watching a movie at the theatre, not turning cell phones off while you're out with people, playing games on your iPhone instead of talking to the people you're with). Let me be clear...I love my iPod touch....I check my email from it every morning before I get out of bed so that I don't have to wake anyone up...but I think I still have the ability to engage in coversation....well...aside from conversation with strangers...I've never been good at that because really, I am shy. And I love having all of my music with me at all times...but I still play CDs and RECORDS!! Ok...rant over...
So, in thinking about my fun new plan for the beginning of the year (see my previous blog), I started thinking that as of December, I'll have time to return to my older traditions of confection/baking gifts this year....truffles, as always, but maybe some new things as well. I think that will be the perfect way to utilize my time...maybe even to connect to those olden traditions....maybe it'll do this jaded soul some good.
Not content to just feel whatever I am feeling, I have been trying to analyze what is happening here...what has sparked this...
Since 2001, I have had to start thinking about Christmas in advance. Up until this year, I was annually involved in planning a MASSIVE Christmas presentation at the church...so I would be looking at music, listening to music, arranging and transcribing music...all starting in the spring. I'm not doing that this year (or any years in the foreseeable future, given the change in leadership that has take place). So for many of those years, I have just gone through the motions, being too busy to actually really FEEL anything. Well, this year, I have been working on a Christmas CD for a few months, and it hasn't really brought out too many Christmas-related emotions either...until somewhat recently as songs have been recorded and mixed. Everything about this is positive...great collaborator, great song choices, paired with a great charity (The United Way), and no one bossing me around. It is amazing how healthy freedom is.
So in the spirit of regaining more freedom in my life (and to simultaneously eliminate some very negative things), I resigned from the music position I hold at the church...and while it is bittersweet, the impending liberation I feel already is beyond words. I am looking toward the future with great excitement, and great openness to the posibilities of what to do with my extra time. Now, while I thought it would be nice to stay for the rest of the calendar year, I realized that I wanted to have December off completely so I can experience all of the Christmas things I haven't had time for in 10 years. So maybe that is partially why Christmas is at the front of my mind...I'm looking forward to it for the first time in years.
I have also been spending a lot of time thinking about "olden days." That might come from working on my family tree, and looking at lots of old pictures...many of which were taken at Christmas (remember when there were no cell phones, so people couldn't just snap photos on a whim?). I long for those days with primitive technology...which brings me to the following observation/rant:
I feel like technology is ruining the world. Yes, I know that without technology I would be unable to type that sentence, and there would be no internet to post this on...so spare me that ridicule. I have seen people texting each other while sitting NEXT TO each other...and that frightens me. We, as a society, are losing our abilities to communicate with each other. It started with email to replace writing letters....then it was chatting online to replace talking on the telephone...then cell phones to eliminate pay phones...then texting to replace email and talking...then facebook to replace ACTUALLY visiting one another. These pieces of technology have been meant to make things more convenient, but we've convenienced ourselves into becoming socially inept, and often rude (texting someone while you're visting with someone else, texting while watching a movie at the theatre, not turning cell phones off while you're out with people, playing games on your iPhone instead of talking to the people you're with). Let me be clear...I love my iPod touch....I check my email from it every morning before I get out of bed so that I don't have to wake anyone up...but I think I still have the ability to engage in coversation....well...aside from conversation with strangers...I've never been good at that because really, I am shy. And I love having all of my music with me at all times...but I still play CDs and RECORDS!! Ok...rant over...
So, in thinking about my fun new plan for the beginning of the year (see my previous blog), I started thinking that as of December, I'll have time to return to my older traditions of confection/baking gifts this year....truffles, as always, but maybe some new things as well. I think that will be the perfect way to utilize my time...maybe even to connect to those olden traditions....maybe it'll do this jaded soul some good.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Life is what happens....
John Lennon was a genius. OK, perhaps not a "create an atomic bomb" or an "eliminate the atomic bomb" kind of genius...but he certainly knew what he was talking about when he said that "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." I have done no blogging since April, and precious little cooking either....as always, I can defend my slackingness...
This year has been incredibly change-filled....and not in a refreshing kind of a way...more of a way-of-life-turned-on-its-ear-then-reduced-to-ash kind of way. Too many things to adjust to all at once, and I've just been going through the motions, never actually dealing with anything in the process....this is bad, I know. But, I have started to organize the issues, and make the "To Do" lists that will hopefully see a restoration of harmony, and my own power in where I go from here.
So, why write about that here? I have an idea...a delicious idea....one that won't be unveiled until the new year....I have a lot of serious planning to do before then...and it might just be the key to my regaining my sanity....after all...from ash comes purification...and fertile soil...and the phoenix's rebirth...why not mine?
This year has been incredibly change-filled....and not in a refreshing kind of a way...more of a way-of-life-turned-on-its-ear-then-reduced-to-ash kind of way. Too many things to adjust to all at once, and I've just been going through the motions, never actually dealing with anything in the process....this is bad, I know. But, I have started to organize the issues, and make the "To Do" lists that will hopefully see a restoration of harmony, and my own power in where I go from here.
So, why write about that here? I have an idea...a delicious idea....one that won't be unveiled until the new year....I have a lot of serious planning to do before then...and it might just be the key to my regaining my sanity....after all...from ash comes purification...and fertile soil...and the phoenix's rebirth...why not mine?
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Saturday Night Was Lively!
So...my friend Ken's birthday was on Sunday, but we (myself and a mutual friend) kind of threw him a bit of a dinner party on Saturday night....my first dinner party EVER....and it was quite an experience.
Firstly, the mutual friend - let's call her Lisa (it is, after all, her name) - is house-sitting for other friends (my, we are a friendly bunch, aren't we?)...so we were cooking in their kitchen. I got more than I bargained for there....it's one thing to cook in one's own kitchen where one knows where everything is...but cooking in a kitchen where you have no idea where things are kept, and then find that there are some basic kitchen tools not even present is another. So, for my first real sojourn into cooking, I did so without measuring cups or measuring spoons.
"So what?!", I hear some of you remarking. Yes, a great number of cooks don't bother with measuring implements...but I, at least at this stage of the game, am not at that point.
The good news is that in relying on visual measuring, and by taste, it turned out to be quite delicious. The two stars of the show were:
1. Rolled Asparagus appetizer - Steamed asparagus wrapped in smoked turkey, Havarti, and flat bread...baked in the oven until melty and crisp. I imagine this would also be good in a puffed pastry, or made with prosciutto.
2. Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons (Chicken breasts with mushrooms, port, and cream) - from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking....I opted to use vermouth instead of port, as port wouldn't be something otherwise used in my house. This is a recipe that I am looking forward to trying again with proper measurements...it was astoundingly tasty, but I want to see what it tastes like with all proper ratios.
No pictures, I'm afraid....there was a camera, but everyone was too busy eating to take any pics!
Not sure what this coming weekend holds...excited at the possibilities!
Firstly, the mutual friend - let's call her Lisa (it is, after all, her name) - is house-sitting for other friends (my, we are a friendly bunch, aren't we?)...so we were cooking in their kitchen. I got more than I bargained for there....it's one thing to cook in one's own kitchen where one knows where everything is...but cooking in a kitchen where you have no idea where things are kept, and then find that there are some basic kitchen tools not even present is another. So, for my first real sojourn into cooking, I did so without measuring cups or measuring spoons.
"So what?!", I hear some of you remarking. Yes, a great number of cooks don't bother with measuring implements...but I, at least at this stage of the game, am not at that point.
The good news is that in relying on visual measuring, and by taste, it turned out to be quite delicious. The two stars of the show were:
1. Rolled Asparagus appetizer - Steamed asparagus wrapped in smoked turkey, Havarti, and flat bread...baked in the oven until melty and crisp. I imagine this would also be good in a puffed pastry, or made with prosciutto.
2. Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons (Chicken breasts with mushrooms, port, and cream) - from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking....I opted to use vermouth instead of port, as port wouldn't be something otherwise used in my house. This is a recipe that I am looking forward to trying again with proper measurements...it was astoundingly tasty, but I want to see what it tastes like with all proper ratios.
No pictures, I'm afraid....there was a camera, but everyone was too busy eating to take any pics!
Not sure what this coming weekend holds...excited at the possibilities!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Things not to do when hungry...
We've all heard that one of the worst situations is grocery shopping when hungry...and it's true...it can be catastrophic to the pocket-book, and wasteful (if buying a bunch of stuff one doesn't even need). I think working, though, is the worst place to be when hungry...
I don't eat breakfast. I know that makes me a monster, but there it is. I'm never hungry in the morning. So, because I'm always trying to be quiet in the morning as to not wake up my household, I don't make lunch to bring to work (and I don't make it the night before because I always forget). In addition to that, there is no fridge at work...and most of the things that I would bring for lunch (left-overs, meat/cheese sandwich, salad) are things I am uncomfortable leaving unrefrigerated....so that, essentially, leaves me with peanut butter......and as much as I adore it, I don't want it everyday.....and I would have no place to keep the milk I would have to have with it.
So, usually, it isn't a huge deal...I work through the day foodless without any problems...that is, until I am bored at work....like today...
There are "down days" on the stock market...days when the majority of stocks are down because that exchange is down, or correcting...days like today. The TSX is down because of lowering commodity prices, and disappointing quarterly results from Alcoa...get the drift? So these are good days to buy because the majority of stocks will bounce back, and will allow me to make some nice cashola for the boss. On "up days", it is a much busier time here...there are more constant buying/selling opportunities as the stocks fluctuate in an upward motion...not the case for down days....so once I have spent the money on the stock picks of the day, there is nothing to do but wait. I try to stay as busy as possible, but when the accounting is already done, there is little to do but, say, write my blog...
So, I started thinking about what I would write about today...it was going to start off with how I slacked again last night, and didn't look at my cookbooks...but I thought I would do some looking at recipes online to make up for it (at least, in my mind). Sadly, I started at the place I always start: braised lamb shanks. There is a blog out there called "Souperior" which features one of the most delicious pictures I've ever seen (and other fabulous recipes). I attach that picture here:
I don't eat breakfast. I know that makes me a monster, but there it is. I'm never hungry in the morning. So, because I'm always trying to be quiet in the morning as to not wake up my household, I don't make lunch to bring to work (and I don't make it the night before because I always forget). In addition to that, there is no fridge at work...and most of the things that I would bring for lunch (left-overs, meat/cheese sandwich, salad) are things I am uncomfortable leaving unrefrigerated....so that, essentially, leaves me with peanut butter......and as much as I adore it, I don't want it everyday.....and I would have no place to keep the milk I would have to have with it.
So, usually, it isn't a huge deal...I work through the day foodless without any problems...that is, until I am bored at work....like today...
There are "down days" on the stock market...days when the majority of stocks are down because that exchange is down, or correcting...days like today. The TSX is down because of lowering commodity prices, and disappointing quarterly results from Alcoa...get the drift? So these are good days to buy because the majority of stocks will bounce back, and will allow me to make some nice cashola for the boss. On "up days", it is a much busier time here...there are more constant buying/selling opportunities as the stocks fluctuate in an upward motion...not the case for down days....so once I have spent the money on the stock picks of the day, there is nothing to do but wait. I try to stay as busy as possible, but when the accounting is already done, there is little to do but, say, write my blog...
So, I started thinking about what I would write about today...it was going to start off with how I slacked again last night, and didn't look at my cookbooks...but I thought I would do some looking at recipes online to make up for it (at least, in my mind). Sadly, I started at the place I always start: braised lamb shanks. There is a blog out there called "Souperior" which features one of the most delicious pictures I've ever seen (and other fabulous recipes). I attach that picture here:
Can't you just imagine how syrupy the surface of that lamb shank is, covered in fond? So, then I hit YouTube for some instructional videos on braising lamb shanks...then, it happened.......I realized that I was starving...and all I have at work in case of emergency is some oatmeal.
Now, if you can eat oatmeal and be satisfied after seeing that lamb shank, you're a better woman than I am. Sadly, I am nowhere near a place that serves lamb shanks for lunch, nor do I think that if there was, they would look nearly as good as the one in the photo...but the onslaught of hunger made me realize a couple of things:
1. I am not about to eat that lamb shank...nor can I smell it. It was, in fact, cooked over 4 years ago...but I desperately want it. This speaks volumes to the power of presentation. Nothing on that plate is difficult to make (store-bought baguette, lamb's lettuce in a simple vinegrette, and a slow-braised lamb shank that basically takes care of itself in the oven), but it has been presented in such a way that makes it seem like a work of art, and a culinary miracle. We do eat with our eyes, it seems...
2. I have been doing myself a disservice by not having lunch here, or not having something better in the "emergency" cupboard aside from oatmeal. Luckily, there is a Subway restaurant close by, so a sandwich and bowl of soup are easily attainable....but I'm cheap, and don't want to buy my lunch everyday. Maybe my thrify side can take over on this....
3. I am going to have to find some lamb shanks, and attempt this recipe...easier said that done in this town. There are local farmers who raise sheep, and yet all of the lamb in all of our stores is from New Zealand...I wouldn't call that fresh obsessed!!
On to the second place I go.....risotto...
Hmm....braised lamb shank on a bed of mushroom risotto.....methinks I may be on to something...
Monday, April 12, 2010
The girl is back in town....
Ok...it has been months now since I have been here...not that it matters a great deal, as I only know of one person who reads this, and she just started. I know that I don't need to explain, and perhaps any explanation would seem as an excuse uttered out of guilt for my slackingness...but here's the deal...
Sure, I have the new job, and that really took some time adjusting to...and the complications at my musical job really killed me up until Christmas...then, after Christmas, I was working on a CD (2-disc set, to be fair)....so I have had some very good reasons to not be writing, and even better ones for not cooking...
However, the weather is wonderful, the lists of annoying responsibilities are getting easier to handle, and I sense that change is coming.
Tonight, my task is to go through my collection of cookbooks to plan for upcoming culinary adventures...
Fingers crossed :)
Sure, I have the new job, and that really took some time adjusting to...and the complications at my musical job really killed me up until Christmas...then, after Christmas, I was working on a CD (2-disc set, to be fair)....so I have had some very good reasons to not be writing, and even better ones for not cooking...
However, the weather is wonderful, the lists of annoying responsibilities are getting easier to handle, and I sense that change is coming.
Tonight, my task is to go through my collection of cookbooks to plan for upcoming culinary adventures...
Fingers crossed :)
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