Life, love, and the pursuit of chocolate.
From the category archives:
Hi. How are you? Good I hope… By now I’m sure you’ve noticed I’ve been taking a bit of break. It wasn’t entirely planned but between birthdays and Valentine’s, and snow trips and Wicked, I’ve been eating out a lot the last couple of weeks and not cooking. But I’m back now and I made you pancakes.
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As much as chicken soup is lauded as a cure for what ails you, and is perhaps the quintessential comfort food (it even has its own series of books for goodness sake), I’d like to disagree. You see, to me soup is fine when you have the flu and are eating mostly liquids, but when your soul needs soothing, soup is a little too light duty.
I had a severe case of the blahs last week. I felt uninspired, bloated, and a couple of shades of blargh. Holly Golightly would have called it the Mean Reds. Whatever you call it, you know it is not fun. So there I was, prostrate on my couch watching Pride and Prejudice for the 4th time in 3 days when I realized I needed to eat. I had a kitchen full of vegetables and fruits and healthy options but at that moment I wanted none of it. Ten in ‘10 be damned, I wanted biscuits.
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While I don’t think men are the only ones who like gratin, I file this one under Man Food. With it’s hearty potato, cheese and cream trifecta, it is something a man will inhale in heaps while a woman looks on jealously as she picks at her own dainty portion. At least, that’s the way it works around here.
I’ve found if you even whisper “gratin”, the men in the room perk up. Mumbles of “I love gratin” fill the air. Meanwhile, the ladies nod in agreement that gratin is good though they reserve their expressions of love for things covered in chocolate. (I don’t want anyone to be upset with me for playing into stereotypes, I’m just going from my own unscientific data).
And so, I give you my first official Man Food: potato and leek gratin.
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I’ve been thinking about Christmas morning lately. Like for the last couple of weeks. I haven’t been thinking about presents. No, I’ve been thinking about breakfast. Remember, it’s the most important meal of the day. And you’re going to need your strength on Christmas day. Even so, Christmas morning is about presents and witnessing the joy of others opening the gifts you so carefully chose (or made) for them, right? It’s not about fussing over a lot of stuff in the kitchen. But this doesn’t mean you have to eat cereal. There are a number of things you can prepare ahead of time so that breakfast is nearly as memorable as that shiny new toy. Things like biscuits and scones can be made ahead of time and frozen before they are baked. But sometimes you want a little more substance. Maybe something that is eggy, cheesy, and all around delicious. Maybe something like this breakfast casserole?
Breakfast casserole? Yes. I know, the name could use some work. But I think casseroles get a bad rap. Besides, it sounds better if you say it with a little Southern accent. Okay, maybe not. But if you want to be fancy, you could call it a savory bread pudding.
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I have a hard time choosing a favorite anything. What’s my favorite color? Well… it depends. What’s my favorite song? Can I give you a top 10? How about 20? What’s my favorite hobby? Cooking! No, knitting. No, photography… Wait, I know, it’s playing the guitar. But then again… umm…
So you see, I am indecisive. And I can’t really say that I have a favorite holiday cookie because it would be unfair to all of the other cookies. They are all beautiful in their own way. But six years ago, with two small bites, the chocolate crinkle became my favorite Christmas cookie. Sort of.
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