BIG NEWS, YOU GUYS.

want a hint?

it is purple and shiny and i used to be scared to eat it.  and it rhymes with 'schmeggflant'.

i accidentally ate some baba ghanouj the other day with no ill effects or anaphylactic shock.  so last night during a 4th of july cookout, with a newfound sense of bravery, i had a slice of grilled eggplant with some basil, mozz and tomato.  i KNOW, right?!

i think i have officially become an eggplant enthusiast.  and we have some in the garden now that are almost ready to be picked.  what should we make with it?

califoodnia

hello, everyone!

i am FINALLY posting after over a month.  and happy 2nd anniversary, little blog!

2010 was a busy busy year for me, with lots of decisions, changes, and stresses that kept me from keeping up with my favorite little project.  it's fitting that i celebrate two years of blogging, and a new year of adventures, with a summary of some of the most delicious food i have ever tasted on my trip to california!

j and i hit the road with our dear friend, chris, and his trusty dog, blue, to explore the treasures amidst the golden state's beautiful landscapes.  while we were spendthrifts for most of the vacay (we paid for lodging for one night only, thanks to the kindness of friends, new and old), we weren't afraid to spend a little extra to fill our bellies.  what fun is traveling if you aren't down to sample the local fare?

and what wonderful sampling we did.

SAN DIEGO

azucar
4820 newport avenue

cafe au lait and a coco y piña scone.

want awesome coffee, beautiful baristas, and scrumptious scones?  hit up azucar, a local cuban bakery, and all your sugar and caffeine filled fantasies will come true.  in the morning, the small space that houses the bakery is filled with this beautiful light that reflects off the key-lime-mousse colored walls and white tables and chairs...a light that draws you directly to the glass case housing the most carefully crafted, glistening scones, quiches and cookies you've ever seen, tasted or smelled.  i had a latté with a coco y piña scone; the boys wet their whistles with azucar's signature quiche and black coffee.  and the mojito-lime cookie?  criminally delicious.

third corner
2265 bacon st, ocean beach

chris was excited to take us to the restaurant where he works.  third corner completely changed my expectations about wine bars.  i used to work in one in my hometown, and, as i found out, it was a very "east coast" kind of place.  third corner was different.  the rooms were laid out like you were in someone's home...the home of someone who has a hell of a lot of wine.  there were shelves of wine amidst the tables, and the diners are invited to peruse the thousands of wines available and select the perfect bottle to bring back to the table to enjoy with the meal.  chris suggested we try pétalos, a spanish wine, and a white bordeaux.  bottles in hand, we took a seat in a cozy room, where the walls were splashed with teal accents, in oversized couches surrounding a rustic, low-to-the-ground wood table.

i liked it already.

we started with the humboldt fog baked goat cheese, served with wild mushrooms and toasted brioche.  the cheese literally melted in your mouth, and its texture was almost like a brie, which was pleasantly unexpected.  we ordered the house salad and the goat cheese salad.  i preferred the former and ended up eating most of it myself, as i loved the basil vinaigrette over the too-sweet strawberry dressing accompanying the goat cheese salad.  sharing is great among friends, especially when it comes to entrees.  i ordered the pan-seared scallops, which were prepared with tomatoes, nicoise olives, green beans and roasted potatoes in a white wine and lemon sauce...however, jordan's salmon entree made me wish i had ordered what he was enjoying.  luckily, he was willing to swap, and we both ended up enjoying the other's dinner more than the dinner we picked for ourselves.  the salmon was perfectly tender, surrounded by a killer tomato fennel confit and a heavenly little puff of mashed potatoes. and for dessert?  wine, of course.  we stayed until midnight.


the blue parrot bar and grill
4993 niagra ave

$2 fish tacos?  yes please.  go for happy hour, get some beers, chips and guac, and tacos and you've had a great time (and it'll still be early when you're done!)  careful...if you're a spice-phobe, the blackened fish tacos are KILLER spicy.  but oh-so-rico.

SANTA BARBARA

sojourner cafe
132 e. canon perdido

the mediterranean nut burger

after a long day driving, trying to avoid classic california traffic, what sojourners we were.  we stumbled upon this cozy, veg-friendly spot after reading a good review in the lonely planet.  the staff was totally friendly; the charismatic host seated the three of us right away, and our super cute, so-cal waitress was patient with our many questions and ready with the right answer every time.  jordan tried the restaurant's specialty, the mediterranean nut burger, a totally earthy, all veggie patty that was crafted to taste like veggies, not like a burger.  each night sojourner features a special ravioli, which i tried.  the night we went it was spinach, artichoke and feta.  drizzled with a simple red sauce, it was hard to beat.  dessert was coffee ice cream, and it was just perfect.

BIG SUR

big sur river inn and general store

our second night in big sur, after a day of hard hiking, we made it to the inn just in time to replenish our bodies with a delicious made to order burrito.  get there before 7 pm...although the general store stays open until 9, the burrito bar housed in the back closes 2 hours before.  in big sur, untamed wilderness outnumbers the amount of five star places to eat, but for a group of hungry hikers, a seven buck burrito really hit the spot.

SAN FRANCISCO

the plant
3 locations around sf

the classic plant burger...hold the aioli

we headed to the "café organic" for lunch on our first day in sf.  i was blown away by the clean food featured on their menu.  all local, all organic, suitable for carnivores with consciences and vegans alike, and they even serve kombucha on tap!  if you go, you must get the plant burger, their signature patty made from lentils, mushrooms, beets, cashews and bulgur wheat.  although it was too early for us to drink, they do serve organic beer and wine to quench the thirsty hippie.  leave it to us to find the least healthy thing on the menu for dessert...house made coconut macaroons!!

there was definitely some butter in those bad boys.  mmmmmmmm.

osha
5 locations around sf

with a lack of comestible asian food in the small wonder, we were instantly delighted when our san franciscan hosts, lisa and nick, suggested we have dinner at osha, a local restaurant with five branches throughout the city.  we arrived while their happy hour was still happening and enjoyed delicious $5 small plates (think scallops with lime, garlic, fresh chili, cilantro and ginger sauce; fresh spring rolls; mango prawns)...nothing terribly fancy, but for five bucks and hungry tourists, perfect appetizers.  little did we know we also happened to be there on a "merry monday", where the restaurant offers half price bottles of wine until close!  we were very merry indeed....especially when our entrees arrived.

i ordered pad see ew (pron. "you");  a stir-fried noodle dish with garlic, broccoli, and egg in a black bean sauce, there was nothing "ew" about it.  in fact, the whole thing was devoured and i was seriously considering licking my plate clean long after the last noodle was eaten.  jordan ordered a magnificent sea bass, cooked in an individual clay pot, simmering in a lemongrass sauce.  the flavors were light and harmonious, and the fish was cooked to perfection.

la boulange

displaying my membership in the clean plate club

we enjoyed breakfast here two days in a row because it was just THAT good.  the cafe au lait makes you want to hug someone, and the "la combo" gets you a delicious meal for only seven dollars (despite its fast-foody name on the menu).  choose half a tartine (there are 5 or 6 to choose from, and they all sounded unreal) and greens or soup.  on day 1 i enjoyed a portobello mushroom, goat cheese and red pepper tartine, fresh greens with a hint of olive oil and pepper, and fruit.  day 2 i tried their house made granola over a bowl of yogurt and fruit drizzled with honey.  they say sf is the most european city in the united states, and with places like la boulange, i believe it.

luna park
694 valencia st. (@ 18th)

sparkling rosé at the bar

during our last day in SF, we were hoofing it all over town, trying to see as much as possible before the trip home the next day.  our feet were hurting and our mouths were thirsty, so we popped into this real hidden gem in the very eclectic mission neighborhood.  the place was filled with beautiful san franciscans enjoying an afternoon cocktail sitting at cozy tables surrounded by lush curtains hanging from the high ceilings.  we took a seat at the long bar and the super-hip bar tender came to us right away.  since the place almost begged for me to, i ordered a glass of sparkling rosé.  it was perfect.  chris ordered the goat cheese fondue for us to share, which came in a little ramekin suspended over a tea light to keep the fondue warm.  smoky charred baguette and tart green apple slices were the perfect accompaniments to the warm, smooth cheese.  a great find for sure.

unwind on union

875 union st (between octavia and laguna)

after an exhausting day, and gearing up for an exhausting night, we popped into unwind in search of a drink and a quick bite to eat.  i was sad we didn't have time to linger over our meal in the totally cool layout of this new restaurant, because i absolutely loved it.  the owner was friendly, not because he was required to be, but because he wanted to be (and believe me, i can tell the difference).  he knew the menu like the back of his hand, and commended our selections.  i ordered the fish tacos; the dish came with three, and i devoured every last bit.  the fresh tomatillo salsa was outstanding.  chris, the recently-converted carnivore, was delighted with his mac-and-cheese sprinkled with smoked bacon and the ingenious lobster corn dog.  and the kicker?  a neato pyrex cube of filled with gummi bears at the host station on the way out.

california certainly knows how to cook and to eat.  here's a few more snaps from some memorable meals throughout the trip...

3 a.m. fries at mad dogs in santa barbara

jordan and chris enjoying their azucar breakfast

chris's macaroon face

the best coffee in san francisco is worth waiting for.

mini doughnuts!

weekend debriefing...

what a beautiful, perfectly autumn weekend we had!  the sky was blue and crisp and the leaves around here are just starting to turn firey colors.  i just love fall.

however, with the combination of being a grad student with approaching deadlines, and having a sick roommate/boyfriend with a mutant strep infection, i was left with little time to actually go outside and enjoy the weather.  but i got the chance to do the next best thing...cook!  a lot!

here is a glimpse of the adventures i had in our little purple kitchen this weekend:

get-well-soon soup.
i made this on friday.  we ate it for dinner that night, lunch on saturday, dinner on sunday, and lunch today.  needless to say, i made a lot.  and it was delicious.

the best part of this soup was that it was all organic.  most of the vegetables i used came from this week's CSA box.  perfection!

so baaaasically, i sauteed an onion, some garlic, carrots and celery with some olive oil in the bottom of a large soup pot.  i added peeled diced potatoes, a generous amount of black pepper and herbs de provence, and continued to cook until the onions were soft.

then i poured in 2 quarts of vegetable stock and a large can of diced tomatoes.  brought everything to a boil, then added some frozen corn, salt, red pepper, more black pepper and herbs de provence and let it simmer until the potatoes were soft.  also i added just about a tablespoon of butter to the soup, just 'cause.

finally, i brought another pot of water to a boil and added half a package of egg noodles.  they cooked for about 3 1/2 minutes, then i strained them and added them to the soup.  served up with some saltine crackers with a little bit of butter (a favorite comfort food of mine introduced to me by my grandmother), this was the perfect remedy to a fever and a sore throat.


amaretto chocolate chip cookies.
i made them this afternoon using semi-sweet chocolate chips this time instead of milk chocolate like i did here.  also, i omitted the hazelnuts, but i added amaretto again for two reasons: 1) we don't have vanilla in the house and i needed a substitution 2) i used amaretto before and it was DELICIOUS.  if it ain't broke...

i needed to halve the recipe, as we only had one egg left (when the recipe calls for 2).  additionally, i broke both my legs and couldn't walk to the store to get more eggs.  (the preceding statement is a lie...but in all honesty, i just didn't feel like going allllll thhhheee waayyyyyyy to the store.  plus, i didn't want to make a recipe that yielded 4 dozen cookies, because then i would have ended up eating all 4 dozen cookies mostly by myself.  not ok.)
results:  the cookies were really really good!  and math is hard because i had to not only halve the recipe, but i had to figure out how to measure out 3/8 cup of sugar when i only had a 1/3 measuring cup.


puff pancake (FAIL.  miserable fail.  sad.)
i tried to re-create a breakfast dish i had made once before.  here, actually.  unfortunately, i think it might have been too long since the last time i made it, because i ended up dumping the entire greasy, burned mess into the garbage can.
it was upsetting.  i don't want to talk about it right now.


all was not lost, however, with the invention of tonight's dinner...
pan-seared rockfish with red pepper coulis and coconut rice.

yougetinmymouthrightnow

this afternoon jordan was voluntarily ambulatory for the first time in almost a week!  to celebrate, we went to a local orchard to get pumpkins and apple cider, then the fish market to pick up something for dinner because he had an appetite!

we got about a pound of rockfish (filet, not whole).  using some really beautiful purple, green and red peppers we had in our CSA box, jordan made a coulis with them, adding plenty of garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, balsamic vinegar and sugar.  we added some halved grape tomatoes, some corn and a little bit of water to make the sauce less chunky and more, well, saucy.

in a pot i combined 4 cups of coconut milk with 2 cups of jasmine rice.  then i cooked it how i would withe regular rice.  i was not disappointed with the results.

next, i rinsed the filet then dredged it in some flour mixed with salt, pepper and paprika.  jordan heated up some oil in the cast iron skillet and seared the filet until the outside was crispy and the inside was flaky.

i served my filet on a bed of the coconut rice with the coulis spread over the top of the fish.  it was absolutely delightful!

boy oh boy.  after all this cooking and eating, it is going to be a chore to drag myself to classes next week.  why do anything else when there is always food to be prepared and enjoyed?

soup-stitute

remember this soup?

last week, as the weather had turned colder and the tips of the leaves began to brown, i craved this soup.  but i was sad to think of potentially sacrificing this, one of my most favorite things to eat, in pursuit of my own personal moral enlightenment (read: not eating aminals).  and i knew that the guilt that would consume me for cheating and making the soup with sausage wouldn't justify its deliciousness.

THANKFULLY, jordan with his keen, ninja eyes spotted soy italian sausage during our last trip to trader joe's!  naturally, we bought a couple of packets, made the soup with soy instead of pork, and consequently devoured two entire batches of the soup like crazy people.

personally, i think it tastes BETTER with the veggie sausage!  hooray for better-than-original substitutions!

weekend update...

is it too early to start looking forward to the weekend already?

this saturday i'm heading down south for the first time in over a year to my old college town to celebrate the 44th annual st. mary's county oyster festival!

it sounds hokey, silly, and weird, but it is really the best.  i can't wait to share it with you all!

have a great week!

farm surprise!

yesterday we picked up our first box from our local CSA farm, Calvert Farms.  last year we had volunteered there on Saturday mornings, exchanging a few hours of labor for a beautiful box filled with delicious organic fruits and vegetables (and sometimes even flowers!)

this fall our schedules are too packed to be able to make the drive into maryland to get our farm on.  but luckily we were able to join the cooperative another way.  by making a donation to the farm, we get to take home one giant box of farm-fresh goodies every thursday from now until thanksgiving!

yesterday's box was stuffed with fresh, crisp apples; a HUGE butternut squash; 2 eggplant; a bundle of swiss chard; baby red and yellow peppers; fresh salad greens; and string beans.  it was hard to decide what we should make with this bounty of autumnal treasures.

we sauteed a ton of garlic in some olive oil, threw in the swiss chard and cooked it down in the cast-iron skillet.  then i added some garbanzo beans, a little white wine, and cooked quinoa.  at the end i sliced some beets and mixed everything together.  DE.LICIOUS.

jordan, the bread-meister, had made a beautiful loaf of french bread a couple of days ago.  re-heated in the oven, it was perfectly crispy, and a great complement to the roasted garlic and green beans and salad he made to go with our quinoa.

the most memorable part of this first farm meal was when we had an unexpected dinner guest drop in!
as we were savoring the remaining morsels of our meal, jordan picked up his fork, ready to enjoy the last few leaves of fresh lettuce.  all of a sudden, he emitted a loud (yet manly) yelp and jumped back quite dramatically from the table.  it appears he wasn't the only one enjoying the delicious salad.  this little guy was noshing away at the lettuce, not even seeming to mind the lemon juice and olive oil he was almost drowning in at the bottom of the dish.

meet lonny, the inchworm.

we scooted lonny (as we dubbed the worm) onto the leaf, picked it out of the dish, and took him outside to relish his natural habitat.  obviously, we didn't continue to eat the salad, but i would much rather find a  bug in my food once in a while than eat something that i know has been drowned in pesticides!  we'll just have to be a little more vigilant in our vegetable inspection and washing.  i'm glad i didn't eat lonny, or else i would have felt i had betrayed my vegetarian sensibilities.



can't wait to pick up next week's box!!

my soapbox moment.

lately, i have been doing a lot of thinking and changing my perspective and ideas about the kinds of food i elect to put into my body.

my borderline obsession with being healthy began in 2003, my senior year of high school, when i was struggling to turn my negative thoughts about food around into something more productive and positive.  as i began to realize that i could make my own decisions about which kinds of food i could nourish myself with, i began to feel more empowered.  that same year i eliminated red meat from my diet and swore off not only hamburgers, meatballs, and corned beef hash, but also became more vigilant about reading ingredient labels to make sure there was no lard or beef fat in any packaged foods i might eat.

three years later i slipped almost entirely into vegetarian-world, eliminating anything from my diet that once had a pulse.  (inspired by a scene from the film baraka, my vegetarian phase lasted about six months before a nasty bout of malnutrition forced my weakened body into deep, intense protein cravings in the form of chicken and fish).

since then, i feel like i know what my body needs, and i know that first and foremost, the most important thing that i can do for myself, or that any of us can do for ourselves, is to listen to your body.  when you think about it, it makes quite a lot of sense.  when you are a baby, you don't even realize it, but the basic things that you require have to do with the most simple of body functions/needs ("mom!  wah!  i'm hungry!", or, "dad!  i pooped!", or, "jesus christ I need a nap here, people.")  as we grow it seems that we sacrifice the innermost needs and instincts of our bodies for the sake of convenience.  and once you're old enough to not have to live off of cheerios sprinkled on your high chair and pureed peas out of a jar, i think it should be everyone's right to have healthy, wholesome, and, of recent importance, local foods available to them.

i'm not trying to indoctrinate people with my veggie-head philosophies; i am merely trying to explain my personal story behind the food-related decisions i make.  "so you eat chicken, sometimes, and sometimes pork, but not beef?  why?"  is a question i repeatedly field whenever i disclose my somewhat-quirky food choices.  it gets frustrating.  when it comes down to it, i don't look at other people quizzically as they hork down a large carton of french fries from burger king.  why should my personal diet choices have to come under scrutiny?  i am making healthy choices.  i am choosing to put food into my body that makes me feel good, and that i feel good about eating.  if i ate a box of french fries, i would feel sluggish and sick.  already knowing that helps me to limit myself from eating it, because no matter how delicious the fries might be while i am eating them, i know that the painful after-effects are not worth the momentary pleasure.  if i ate a steak, i would feel morally appalled (not to mention physically ill, after eliminating beef from my diet for six years).

using this fantastic and thought-provoking article as a basis for my inspiration, having one meal consisting of meat per week is my new goal.  i don't know at this point if i am going to phase out meat completely from my diet.  and god knows i need to eat a crab cake every now and again.  but eliminating meat-based meals is not only nutritionally healthy, it is environmentally friendly and morally satisfying (at least, for me).  now that i know more about nutrition and cooking, i know how to supplement to nutrients i am missing from meat into my more veggie-ful dishes.  and if i want a piece of chicken one night, then, dagnabbit, i am going to have it (i've learned that the worst thing you can do is deprive yourself).

the first step i've taken into the world of local eating is by joining my area's local csa farm, and i urge you to find out if there is a similar program in your area.  it is fun, it is rewarding, it is cost-effective, and it gives you the most delicious local, organic produce in return for a few hours of getting dirt under your fingernails.

the bottom line is that i believe food is a sacred entity.  i am becoming more and more excited about being a part of the process of having a hand in the production of the food that i eat.  if i can go out in my backyard and pick a tomato fresh off the vine, why would i ever choose to do otherwise?  having a hand in the cycle is spiritual and brings you closer to the entire process, i've found.

thanks for listening, and happy eating.

cha-ching chicken

extra, extra.  i have a very important news announcement.  this might come as a shock to some of you, but i have learned that IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO GO TO THE SUPERMARKET EVERY SINGLE DAY.  i know what you must be thinking (seriously...is this girl dumb or what?) but i admit that, once upon a time, i had a very time-consuming, annoying, and expensive habit of going to the grocery store every day.  my indecisive brain was unable to come up with a dinner idea until i was hungry for dinner a couple of hours before i'd start cooking it.

but last night, i was converted to a meal-planning, smart-shopping, money-saving gal.  sitting around the dining room table, feeling the familiar, faint pangs of hunger that signal that it's time to start cookin', my darling boyfriend gently suggested that rather than shopping for just that night's meal, we do something insane and plan ahead.  whoaaaaa crazy spring break keg stand ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!11!!!!!

now, initially i screwed up my nose at the idea.  sure, portobello mushroom lasagna sounds good now... but i might have a craving for something else by the time wednesday night rolls around!  but ultimately, i was swayed by my better, more practical half (and my incredible shrinking bank account) that planning ahead was indeed a wise idea.

indeed: wise, swift, efficient, and amazingly cost effective.  after a 30 minute trip to the supermarket, we emerged with 4 shopping bags (which we remembered to bring along!) filled to the brim with enough food for 4 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, all for a grand total of....$84.13 (and we always split the bill).

that's 12 meals for about 40 bucks!  amazing, i say.  simply amazing.

so, what's on the menu for this week? 

last night- dr. praeger's veggie burgers (previously existing in freezer), bean salad, corn on the cob

today- roast chicken, pesto pea salad, and roasted veggie potato skins

tomorrow- ginger chicken salad (lunch), thai peanut noodles (dinner)

day after tomorrow- bean salad and bread with hummus (lunch), portobello parmesan (dinner)

 

right now, there's a delicious chicken roasting in the oven which will provide us with 3 meals (2 dinners and a lunch).  stay tuned for more recipes involving the amazing roasted stretch-a-chicken, perfect for penny pinchers everywhere.

now, if you'll excuse me, i have better things to do instead of queueing in the god-awful self checkout at acme.

lobstah mobstah

jordan and i cooked lobster for the first time last night.  what resulted was strikingly similar to the famous lobster scene from woody allen's "annie hall".

the screaming and leaping lasted all of about 2 minutes.  the rest of the process was relatively simple (minus guacamole-colored lobster guts leaking on the counter and floor).

when all was said and done, we grilled the tails and ate them with green bean potato salad (recipe to follow) and some simple grilled asparagus.  it was a beautiful, memorable summertime meal.

green bean potato salad

a perfectly flavorful side that is refreshingly mayonnaise-less!

boil about one pound of small red potatoes that have been sliced in half (remember when cooking potatoes to start them in a pot of cold water).  once the pot boils, continue to cook for about 15 minutes, or until a fork pierces through easily.

while potatoes are boiling, blanch the green beans in a small saucepan for about 6 minutes.  remove from heat and drain.  put in a large mixing bowl.  

the dressing is a simple vinaigrette made from olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, and a pinch of sugar.  whisk together and set aside.

drain and cool potatoes.  add to bowl with green beans.  thinly slice a couple of handfuls of red onion and add to the potatoes and beans, along with a few sprigs of fresh dill.  pour the dressing over the potatoes, add salt and pepper, and toss.

chill for a bit before serving.  this is wonderful.

dough-zilla

the cloudy, drizzly skies that hung over us this past weekend were not fit for playing outside, so it seemed like a perfect opportunity for jordan and me to try our hands at making another loaf of the long-heralded crusty-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside tuscan bread. i will be the first to admit i was a bit jealous of his solo bread-baking success (after i had tried twice and failed, his matched attempts produced delicious, warm, perfect bread).
so we found a recipe which, to our delight, did not require a trip to the grocery store to find obscure ingredients. 2 packets of yeast, water, flour (whole wheat and all purpose), salt. easy.

we were a little off-put at the amount of yeast the recipe called for (two entire packages?  yikes!)  nevertheless... we watched carefully, vigilantly, while 5-7 minutes passed as we waited for the yeast to bubble. bubbling successful, we combined the remaining ingredients exactly as the recipe indicated. lovingly, i kneaded the dough, coaxing it into a lovely little round. gingerly placing it in the oiled bowl, we were ready to cover and let rise, when we encountered our first big dilemma: what kind of cover should go over the bowl, plastic wrap or a towel? after much debate, we settled on plastic wrap, our reasoning being that the plastic would better retain the heat that the dough gives off, causing it to rise more effectively.

the efficacy of the dough rising was exacerbated by the "warm spot" we selected to let the bread rise in: an open desk drawer which is aligned directly over a floor heating vent.

so after about twenty minutes when the dough was definitely twice, if not more, its original size, we were giving each other fives, totally impressed with our vastly improved skills as masters of bread baking. but we spoke too soon... not wanting to deter from the recipe's suggestions, we continued to let the bread rise for the recommended hour. by this time, it was touching the top of the plastic wrap and reeking of yeast (not a great sign, in hindsight...)
still, we continued the recipe's instructions to the letter... pounded the dough down, let it rest for a minute, shape into an oval, and let rise for another hour. sounds foolproof enough. except after 20 minutes, the dough somehow continued to grow even bigger, creeping off the edge of the floured board which weakly tried to support the expanding monstrosity.

well i am sure you can surmise the outcome of this catastrophe.  the loaf looked beautiful... but the taste was, well, like bread soaked in old cat pee.  the cause?  over-risen dough (duh.)

so, into the garbage went the failed loaf.  and just like the streets of tokyo at the hands of that famous gargantuan lizard, our hopes of enjoying a delicious, warm slice of bread fresh out of the oven, slathered with a bit of butter and jam, were pulverized.

FAIL.

i could never have imagined that attempting to make a simple reduction sauce would end up like a junior high chemistry lab; specifically, the one where the black carbonized choade erupts up out of the beaker when you burn sugar and water, subsequently filling the whole lab with a choking, stinking, suffocating smoke.

yeah.  so, moral of the story: honey + soy sauce + orange juice (which, in theory, might have turned out like i imagined it to be...a sweet little glaze to drizzle over some panko-battered chicken breast to serve with peanut sesame noodles)...

ehhh, not so much.

8,934,758,346th attempt at homemade bread

while browsing through myriad websites during my substitute teaching job today, I came across an article on npr.org that caught my eye. Entitled "Conquering a Baker's Fear of Yeast" it explained through author Mia Morganstern’s point of view, that she had always been an avid baker (like me), enjoyed delighting her friends and family with scrumptious morsels fresh out of her oven (like me), but had cowered, trembling in fear at any recipe involving yeast (um, like me).

the time has come to change that.
after reading the article, and realizing that, yes! it IS possible to bake a loaf of bread!, i was even more pleasantly surprised to find recipes included at the article’s end. so, off to the supermarket i went, and returned home with a sack of flour and plenty of packets of fleischmann’s active dry yeast.

mission: “breakfast-for-dinner rolls”
status: in progress
prognosis: bleak

these little temptresses seem like they would melt in your mouth. a simple concoction of flour, yeast, sugar, salt, water, and (at the last minute, my favorite) sesame seeds, i found nothing about this recipe that i didn’t enjoy.

and then i remembered all the other times that i have tried to make bread, and it just refuses to rise. no matter what i do.

bread dough, listen. we’ve had a great relationship. i carefully selected the packet of yeast from the shelf in the baking needs aisle. i neglected important phone calls while i was tenderly kneading you. i shaped you gently into a pretty little round and covered you with a nice kitchen tea towel.

it’s been two and a half hours, dough, and you have certainly not doubled in size. what gives?

the saga will continue:

i have put the dough to rest in the fridge, hoping it might come to its senses overnight.

9 hours later...
it is now friday morning. i awoke excitedly, prepared to open the door of the good old Amana and see my bread dough happily sitting in its bowl, double its size, just begging to be kneaded, shaped, and baked.
sadly, my wish did not come true. i came face to face with a pitiful beige lump, emitting a tart and tangy yeast aroma. i figure i’ll let it sit out for a little while longer, give it one more chance, the just give up and go back to baking cookies.