Ghost Hunting!

The cable is finally fixed, just in time for tonight's episodes of Ghost Hunters! As soon as the new season started, last fall, the cable broke, and it took this long to get fixed. Needless to say, I am in heaven!

On the downside, I have had absolutely no time to cook lately. I've just been making pasta pretty much every night. I did make chocolate cupcakes and dark chocolate ganache using a recipe I found on BakeSpace. They came out quite well, especially considering I had to use milk-from-a-box since what was in the fridge had soured. Other than that, it's been pretty boring in the kitchen.

In other news, I started my Russian class. So far it is fun, and very complicated. I definitely have to make flash cards though. Funny since I don't think I have ever really made flash cards. My Bentley classes start next week. Everything is going to get very busy soon.

Back to Ghost Hunters!

Comfort Foods

Nothing like tuna noodle casserole and Pillsbury crescent rolls to warm the heart. And my tummy. I can't stand mushrooms, so when my mom made tuna noodle for me when I was younger, she made her own cream sauce, and I copy the same recipe (butter, milk, flour, 2 slices of american cheese, some celery seed, tuna, noodles, bread crumbs on top). It's simple and easy and yummy. Combine that with crescent rolls and I'm good to go. Oh....my mom used to put hard boiled eggs in the tuna noodle, but my husband doesn't really like eggs, so I omit it. Back to the crescent rolls....they now have mini things of them - only 4 instead of 8. Means I eat a LOT less crescent rolls, which is good. Too many carbs does not make for a happy Mrs. P. As you can plainly see, there were no veggies for dinner tonight. Oh well. Can't all be perfect. I got anxious and way too hungry, so I only baked it in the oven for like 5 minutes, meaning it did not have a chance to thicken. I think we were both so hungry that we didn't care.

So comfort foods....they are a wonderful thing. I think my all-time comfort food is applesauce. I can eat it all the time. I love it. I also like cottage cheese. A Lot. I can also eat that all of the time. Though I can't remember the last time I had either. I wonder what it is about comfort foods that brings us such comfort. Is it the memories of childhood? Is it knowing that it will taste good, no matter what? I know that applesauce and cottage cheese are going to taste the same no matter the day. I guess that's comforting. As for the childhood part....sure it's possible. Though I think tomato soup is a comfort food, and I hated that as a kid. I don't really know what makes comfort foods comforting, but we all have them. And even though mine aren't the healthiest or the most exotic, I'll keep eating them for the rest of my life.

Musings of a Sunday Night

I have a stomach ache. Just thought I'd share.

I made chicken curry a few days ago and re-heated it again tonight. The potatoes are being a pain and don't want to cook through. But otherwise I was satisfied. I put in dahl which provided a nice crunch. I made naan and basmati rice as accompaniments. Gotta love naan. It would have been great if I had a mango lassi to go with it, but alas, mangoes are not in season right now.

I don't recall eating Indian food when I was younger, but I have quite the penchant for it. In fact, I love it. All of it. I have yet to find an Indian dish I do not like (most are kosher too, which is awesome). I love the flavors and how to different spices make everything taste awesome. For the curry, I didn't use curry powder, but instead mixed together a bunch of spices. I didn't have fenugreek though, and my husband likes his food spicy, so in the end I put in some curry powder. That's not the point though. The point is - well, I just love all the spices! I don't recall really ever thinking about spices until recently. For my wedding my aunt got me a big box full of fancy spices, and it was seriously one of the best presents we got. I have been putting spices in everything, including my coffee. I am starting to wonder, how did I ever live without spices before? I can see why Europeans were so eager to get their hands on spices in the Middle Ages.

Anyways. I got take out from Le's (formerly known as Pho Pasteur) today. Got the chicken pad thai. SO GOOD. Not too much egg. Just the right amount of peanuts. Tons of noodles and chicken and veggies. I ordered and within five minutes my lunch was in my hands, ready to take back to the house and enjoy. I just wish there were more snap peas in there, because I love those. I can't believe I've lived here for so long and never gone there (I went to the one in Allston). I think it's because for a long, long time I just was not adventurous (like pad thai is really that adventurous....) so I stuck to what I knew.

I bought a cookbook that revolves around chocolate, but I keep leaving it in the car. I'll be psyched once I bring it in the house and actually make something from it. It seemed a little more adventurous when I was flipping through it than your average chocolate chip cookies & chocolate cakes cookbooks (I bought it at Crow's in Burlington VT - a used book store on the promenade). I'll report back when I finally make something.

Have a good week!

Happy New Year

2008 is here. And I have a cold. Lovely. But I finally got around to uploading some pictures of my recent baking forays. I might try some more bread later today - we'll see how I feel.

I made goat cheese and chocolate truffles the other day. I liked them. No one else wanted to try them. I just mixed goat cheese, confectioner's sugar, and dark chocolate ganache; chilled the mixture for 30 minutes, then rolled in to balls and coated in cocoa powder.

For the holidays, I made a Scandinavian spice cake with applesauce filling and a brandy & molasses whipped cream frosting. I was surprised how well it came out. Cakes are something I am still learning, but this one didn't fall or spill over. I only cut it in to two layers instead of three because one of my cats wouldn't leave me alone and I just gave up. The end product didn't look amazing but it tasted very good.

I bought a cook book that focuses on chocolate and I am psyched to try it out. I also got a new All Clad saucier on sale up in Burlington VT. I have some loose earl grey tea so I think I am going to make some earl grey chocolate truffles. I also want to try to infuse chocolate with wine and see what I can come up with.

This winter is going to be very busy (3 classes - one of which starts a week from today) but I am determined to cook and bake as much as possible.

Have a good new year!