Muffins

Have I ever posted about my insane love of breakfast carbohydrates?  Somehow I don't think that this has ever come up before, but just to let you know. I Love Breakfast, and I love the carbs that go with it. If I had a choice of going out to dinner or going to brunch, I think that I might choose brunch.

This weekend, I am going to attempt to make muffins.

In my kitchen I have: apples, oatmeal, candied ginger, and almonds.  Maybe I can make something good tasting out of these things, however, I will probably forgo the almonds... I don't think that they would go overly well with ginger, or apple.   I will make sure to post pictures and my recipe.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Last night I danced to Etta James

Last night, my husband decided to work late, so I was left to my own devices. I did what every woman should do when her husband is working late. I opened a bottle of red, turned on Etta James, and ate inordinate amounts of buttered french bread as I shimmied around the kitchen pretending to be the sex goddess I know that I am not.                     I hope no one saw me...              I will never pass as anyone cool, not if you see me in my natural environment, like the kitchen, when no one else is home. Oh well, at least i know the truth. Even if no one else does...

That crazy lady in the kitchen

Here it comes...

The fatigue that inevitably sets in around midterms. I don't know why it happens, but it always does, and guess what, my behavior often becomes erratic and unpredictable.

One moment I will be happy, stirring some veggies that are sauteing pleasantly in a pan, the next I will be a crazy person flinging a knife around angrily wondering why the heck my kitchen gets so greasy and grimy , even though I am obsessive about keeping things clean. Yes, I know that I am probably a crazy person, but its just the way I am, especially around midterms.

So, this semester, I have decided to go with it, I am going to try to channel that crazy, obsessiveness into something creative.

What exactly that creative thing is though, well, we shall have to wait see.

Probably daydreaming, some cooking, I aspire to dig out my watercolors and do little sketches of armchairs, and of course, blogging.

I need to go to bed

Its midnight, and I didn't even realize till just now when I got up to put on a pot of water for tea.

I love tea, in all of its various forms. Green, Oolong, Black, Herbal, and all of the many mixing that can occur between these few basic categories.

Right now I could really go for a robust Earl Grey, but I am all out, I really need to go grocery shopping soon, maybe tomorrow...

I think that I am going to be trying out some recipes that use tea as a main liquid ingredient...rice pudding anyone?

What do I make for dinner after working all day?

With the weather getting colder, and fall colors fading to browns and greys, my mood starts get greyer and I start cooking starchier foods with richer flavours. This of course has the inevitable effect of making me gain 5-10 lb. over the winter; I don't want that to happen this year so I am trying to watch what I make for meals.

However, my life is trying to undermine me, I go to school in the morning five days a week and work afternoons and evenings several times a week and nothing is easier than putting on pasta when I get home. Let me say that there is nothing wrong with eating pasta, but on nights like these, that is all that I eat. Boring, I know.

So, I am trying to combat this pasta obsession of mine by modulating it with seasonal vegetables. If I deign to make pasta, I also have to make a veggie (opening a can of peas doesn't count), and I have to make them taste Awesome(or else I won't want to eat them at all). So I have started buying some frozen veggies, not as bad as I first thought, I add frozen peas to my pasta water, and I use frozen green beans often. But the best way to eat my veggies when they are roasted in the oven or pan steamed. I roast everything from carrots and parsnips to squashes and cabbages. Brushed with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper they are so good, a tad caramelized, bursting with flavor and so easy to do when I get home at night from work. I also pan steam veggies(cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts), I heat some olive oil in a pan and saute some minced garlic and a sardine or crushed red pepper flakes then I add my veg and a half cup of water and its done when all the water steams away(lid on).

I think a lot of people over think the veg portion of the meal(I know I always did), but its not that bad once you learn a few cooking techniques, who knew?

Poached eggs

I have recently mastered the art of poaching an egg.  It wasn't easy, I have ruined many an egg in my day, but I am here to tell you. Its not that hard!?

Start with a FRESH egg, put a pot of cold water on the stove and splash in some vinegar(it helps the egg white congeal), then let it come to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat so that the water is slowly simmering and swirl the water with a spoon( make a little whirpool in the center), crack your egg into the center of the pan and let it poach for about three minutes. Easy peasy and delicious!

Carrot and Parsnip Purree

Yesterday was Columbas Day, and my honey and I had the day off from both school and work. We went to our local farmstand/ farmers market and stocked up on winter squashes. You should see the large box of acorn, butternut,ect...that we brought home. We also found parsnips and carrots galore, which is what inspired this dish, the parsnips lend a spicy bite to the carrots natural sweetness.

Carrot & Parsnip Purree

Take 5 or 6 carrots to 2 parsnips, peel and chop. Put into pan of boiling water and cook until soft.

Drain and put into blender or food processor, add pinch of nutmeg and ginger, a pat of butter and splash of milk or cream, add 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and blend untill creamy. Salt and pepper to taste.

This should serve about four people or so.