Some little updates

So, one of the reasons that my blog posts have been so few and far between lately is that work has been totally chaotic. Why, you may ask, has it been so much busier than normal? Well, I'm really excited to say that my company has recently launched a pre-sale for our new line of products. My co-workers and I have been working toward this goal for the last 18 months or so, so it is really thrilling for it to finally be a reality. You can check out our new website at www.saleae.com -- we reached our 30 day pre-sale goal in a week, and now we're just raising extra money to go toward the first production run of the new products. Yay!

Cookbook challenge update

Remember, I don't know, a year and a half ago when I decided to cook my way through Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris? I naively thought that this would be a fairly easy, straightforward endeavor that would take a couple months, tops.

Well, here we are, 18 months later, and I'm still not done. My interest/enthusiasm/dedication to the project has gone through waves -- there'll be times when I'll whip out three recipes in a week, and then I won't make another one for a month. BUT. There is a light at the end of the tunnel! I've recently tallied my remaining recipes, and I am getting closer...so close...which has really motivated me to get 'er done, as they say. As of today, I have four appetizers, seven lunches, six soups/salads, eleven dinners, eight vegetables/sides, and six desserts to go. With coconut madeleines on the menu for tonight, that number will be down to five desserts tomorrow. I have a few recipes reserved for Easter dinner in a few weeks, too. My game plan is to finish up the chapters I'm furthest on -- appetizers and then desserts, and then tackle the rest in as efficient way as possible.

I'm really excited about finishing this project (I already have my next challenge in mind, but we'll get to that later). I've learned a lot so far, and the biggest take-away has been a rush of confidence in my kitchen skills. This is going to sound immensely immodest, but so many things I make just turn out right, the first time, which is always incredibly validating -- a good thing, too, since I saved some of the hardest recipes for last. I'll need that confidence to carry me through the rest of the project!

My hope is to post an update relating to this every time I finish a chapter, so be on the lookout for that.

Proof that it can be done!

As small as this may seem, I actually managed to make a recipe from Barefoot in Paris last night -- the first since looooong before the holidays. Behold!

Warm goat cheese salad with homemade vinaigrette

And also, I have recently discovered the joys on Instagram. This, along with my Pinterest addiction, spells trouble!

Writer's block, a bit

As the title implies, I'm a bit stumped these days when it comes to blog topics. It is my own damn fault -- I haven't been spending nearly enough time in the kitchen lately, or thinking about food, or eating delicious food...basically, I just haven't given my hobbies a top priority lately. There are many reasons why (are you ready for this list of excuses?): I traveled a lot of the last month, the holidays were a completely hectic time, I've been watching my spending, and most of all, my heart just hasn't been in it, as cheesy as that sounds.

These are, of course, completely empty excuses. I have been spending a lot less on groceries lately, but given time and effort, I could still cook up a storm. Instead I've just been taking the easy way out -- pasta and sauce, pre-mixed salad from the farmers' market, leftovers...You get the gist. Well, enough is enough. I am still completely devoted to cooking my way through Barefoot in Paris -- a little hiatus was all I needed. Actually, I never shared these pictures:

Beef bourguignon from that cookbook (you can find the recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/beef-bourguignon-recipe/index.html). I thought it needed a little something, but the roommate went mad for it, so what can I say? So, I'll be sure to keep you all updated on that front. The awesome new chef's knives that I got for Christmas are sure to help, too (thanks mom!). Seriously though, they're awesome. Here's hoping I can keep all my fingers.

A new toy!

I have a thing for kitchen gadgets – have I ever mentioned this before? Seriously, I am a total sucker for gadgets of all kinds, even those ridiculous ones that really only have the one purpose, because you just never know when that is the one thing that is going to make or break a recipe.

I’ve been wanting a food mill for several years, but hadn’t been able to justify getting one – the Oxo one I picked out was perpetually stuck in my Amazon wish list, along with a French rolling pin, a mortar and pestle, a tart pan with removable bottom, a special heart-shaped dish to make coeur a la crème…never mind the approximately four dozen cookbooks…

So back to the point of this post, and please disregard my OCD when it comes to Amazon kitchen purchases. Anyway, a couple weeks ago I saw a recipe for applesauce that sounded super easy – but there was just one catch. You guessed it – I needed a food mill. Finally, the motivation I’d been looking for! It turned out that Bed Bath and Beyond has the same Oxo mill for the same price as Amazon, plus I was able to use one of their infamous 20 percent off coupons, plus there is a location literally down the street from my apartment, with the mill in stock – so yay for instant gratification! My total, including tax, was just about $43.

Over the weekend I finally had a chance to try it out. I made the applesauce (by the way, that recipe is here: http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/2012/05/recipe-how-to-make-homemade-applesauce) and it was divine. I loooooove homemade applesauce. Something about it is just a million times better than the store bought kind. My grandparents always make a lot of “lumpy applesauce” each fall, especially when I am coming to visit because they know how much I love it. I’ll really miss that this year, being out in California. But alas, I was able to make myself a pretty decent substitute, and the food mill definitely made it super-easy. (Confession: this applesauce is so good, I find myself wandering over to the fridge, pulling out the bowl, and eating a spoonful or two every few minutes.) Mavis makes this note at the bottom of her recipe: “Fresh applesauce will keep in the refrigerator for about 5 days.  If you don’t think you’ll go through it that fast, you can always freeze it.” Um, like that’s even a concern. This stuff will be looooong gone five days from now.

As it turned out, another recipe I’d planned to make Saturday also called for a food mill, so double score! I made Ina Garten’s Garlic mashed Potatoes (as seen in Barefoot in Paris) and they were really good – as I’d expect them to be, considering that I love all her recipes. The mill helped make them super creamy but not too thin. That reminds me – I haven’t discussed this yet!

As you all know, I recently moved from New England to San Francisco. There were a lot of factors that contributed to this move, but one was definitely my love for food – SF seemed like an ideal place to nurture that passion. And for the most part, it is. I’ve been able to go to some restaurants/cafes/shops that I’d heard so much about in magazines or on TV. The farmers’ markets are great. Food is just so central to life and culture here, and in that way, I fit right in. However…I was hoping that there’d be some sort of part-time certificate program in culinary or (preferably) pastry arts that I’d be able to do on weekends or something. I want to improve my skills and…I don’t know, legitimize myself. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find what I am looking for. There are some very neat sounding one-time classes around (even at the CIA in Napa, so I’m psyched by that opportunity). I’m bummed, but I haven’t given up. In the meantime, I recently discovered that Ina Garten (one of my very favorite food personalities) really has no formal culinary training. She says she learned to cook mostly from friends and by cooking her way through various cookbooks. In a move completely ripped off inspired by Julie and Julia, I’ve decided to do just that – I am going to cook every recipe in Barefoot in Paris. This is a good choice for such a project because it is a beautiful book, very accessible, but with a moderate amount of recipes (compared to, say, Mastering the Art of French Cooking), plus there is a gorgeous picture accompanying each recipe. Flipping through it the other day, I realized I’d already made two of the recipes (rosemary cashews and croquet monsieur)! After this past weekend, I’ve made two more – lemon chicken and the mashed potatoes. Off to a good start!

For my next post, expect to see musing about fall in northern California.