trying something new … Sunchoke Soup

Its nuts. In the last month, I’ve baked 17 batches of cookies, taken 13 flights halfway around the world, packed and unpacked countless times, wrapped a zillion presents and cooked a bunch of things for Christmas dinner.  There’s still New Years and a boatload of college football to get through and this blog has fallen off my radar.  I’m kind of wiped out (and apparently a bit of a whiner – ha!), yet today I got the urge to cook warm cozy things like soup.  This is funny to me because generally I’m not much of a soup fan.   Today it just seemed right.

Christmas memories in gingerbread

I have a love-hate relationship with the holidays.  On one hand, I love getting together with friends and family, sharing food and laughs, old and new traditions, seeing the ornaments from my childhood on the tree, wrestling for that last crab leg.  On the other hand, I despise the stress I self-generate to get everything done.  I blame Martha for setting unrealistic expectations we can never achieve without of staff of 50.  (Where IS my staff by the way?)

planes, trains and elephants – adventures in India

So my apologies.  I’ve been a little out of touch as I just returned from nearly three weeks traveling in India and Nepal.   And I haven’t cooked much in the few days I’ve been back so I’m way behind on just about everything, including this blog.  But what a wonderful glorious couple of weeks it was.  Now it’s time to catch up.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Pumpkin.  Oh pumpkin.  It’s inevitable this time of year.  Is it possible to make it through these few months without seeing pumpkin in everything?  I doubt it.  Pumpkin pie, cheesecake, pot de crème. Pumpkin soup, ravioli.  You find it bruléed and puréed.  See it roasted and toasted.   (I’m on a roll here.)  And the thing is … I’m kind of indifferent to it all.  Pumpkin schmumpkin.  That said, it’s odd that to this day I still crave one particular thing that I haven’t had in easily 20 years.  Smitty’s pumpkin spice donuts.  My kingdom for one of those donuts.

Warm, fried, glazed goodness … Cider Donuts

 

Fall to me comes down to apples.  Growing up in AZ, I never ate apples.  They just weren’t any good.  Red Delicious?  More like Red un-delicious.  Grainy, mealy, disgusting.  The dread of getting an apple in my lunch sack.  Now don’t get me wrong – I loved apple pie, apple turnovers, baked apples.  But a fresh apple?  No thanks.  I just didn’t care for them whatsoever.

dinner wrapped in a snuggie … Lamb and Ale Stew

I went for a long leisurely walk yesterday morning.  After a glorious Indian summer weekend that was better than 95% of the last 6 months, the weather had officially taken a turn.  It was a touch chilly, not quite but almost drizzly, overcast and generally blah.  The last of the leaves were turning and everyone seemed to be in a hurry to be somewhere else.  I alone took my time because I could.  It’s one of the benefits of working nights – there’s time to stop and breathe, the running paths are empty, no lines in the grocery stores and the washing machines are always available in my building.  Everything else about working nights and weekends generally sucks.

Sometimes there’s an exception … Good Stuff Chicken Salad

I love a good sandwich.  A really good sandwich filled with delicious things on great bread.  My all time favorite is an Italian type sub from a deli.  You know the one – crusty bread, lots of Italian cold cuts like coppa and genoa salami, provolone, a healthy shot of hot peppers and a zing of oil/vinegar.  Oh heaven almighty in a paper wrapper!  But that’s not what this post is about.  This post is about gross mayonnaise-y salads and my general dislike for them.  Yum, huh?

Surprise gifts … a.k.a cleaning out the freezer

Baking often has some unintended side effects besides a big fat butt, though that’s certainly the #1 occupational hazard.  It’s the leftovers.  Oh the leftovers.  In restaurants, this is rarely a problem because you can always find a use for the extras, be it a component in another dessert, a mignardise or a garnish.  At worst you can feed the staff but at home, they tend to collect on the counter and in the freezer.  Who has that kind of space?

Knead some dough? Multigrain Bread

For me, the cooling temperatures this time of year bring out an irresistible urge to hunker down and bake bread.  In particular, earthy seedy whole grain breads.  Something tasty, and toasty; slathered with the farm fresh butter I scored at the green market and probably one of the 72 kinds of jam I’ve socked away.  I’ve sort of convinced myself that since I’m not working out as much, I should eat more whole grains and the effects will offset each other.  Perfectly logical, don’t you think?

Spicy pickled vegetables? Yes please! Cucumber Kimchi

The first time I tasted kimchi, that infamous spicy fermented pickled Korean condiment, I was in my early twenties and rather clueless about the whole thing.  In theory, I knew what kimchi was but as a Chicago born-Arizona bred-Polish girl, we hadn’t yet crossed paths.  An acquaintance had a highly coveted homemade jar of the stuff, scored from a distant Korean relative.  It had been buried – yes, buried – in a backyard for 6 months and was such a special treat he said, though I was skeptical.  As he opened the jar, I was hit with a thick cloud of … funk.  There is no other way to describe what assaulted my senses.  I involuntarily cringed as a forkful came my way – and believe me when I say that I, the brave eater, was a bit frightened.  I took a tentative bite and was completely off put.  The texture was mushy yet squeaky, the flavor unbelievably spicy and downright funky.  I didn’t particularly care for it in the least bit.