Category: minutiae

Blackberry/Raspberry Granita

1 cup frozen blackberries, raspberries, or a mix, thawed, with whatever liquid accumulates
1/2 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
Pinch of salt

Combine the berries, water, and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Force through a sieve and discard the seeds. Add the sugar and salt and stir until completely combined, about 90 seconds. Pour into a 8x8x2″ baking dish. Freeze for half an hour, then stir vigorously with a fork, mashing up any bits that have coalesced. Freeze for another half hour and repeat. Continue doing this for about three hours.

Or, if you don’t want to babysit your freezer, pour the mixture into ice cube trays. Let sit in the freezer until solid (or as close to solid as they’ll get), then pop out of the tray and process in a food processor or blender until finely chopped.

Last night I made scrounge pasta. Basically, what I did was see what I had that might fit together well, and threw it on some spaghetti. I had one sausage, some green onions, garlic, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and eggs. So I took the sausage out of its casing, browned it, cooked the onions and garlic in its fat, then combined it with the hot pasta (not thoroughly drained) and a beaten egg (the heat of the pasta and water would cook it enough), then stirred in some parmesan and bread crumbs. Oh, and added salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg. The nutmeg was a good idea. It was goodish. I mean, I ate it. If I were to make something similar in the future, I’d use a pasta shape, not a strand. It’s always interesting to see what you can make out of what you have sitting in your fridge/pantry.

I finished Ryan’s fruitcake on Monday. Yes, the fruitcake that she gave me for Christmas. It was still good in the sense that it hadn’t spoiled, and it was still GOOD in the sense that Ryan makes a stupendous fruitcake. Now I’m sad it’s gone.

Oh dear. I am worried about this new development. Hershey’s bought Scharffen Berger.

In other news, remember how I said back in March that I was thinking about moving to Mountain View? And remember how nothing ever came of that? Well, I am moving. This weekend. Not to Mountain View, but to… two doors down from where I currently live. I’m not even switching landlords. I’m moving from a two-bedroom to a one-bedroom. I never needed that second bedroom, I got that apartment because I loved it (such a great kitchen!) and didn’t care. Now, I’m trying to be a little more independent (not mooching off my parents QUITE so much). My new place is surprisingly spacious for a one-bedroom. The only sad thing is that it has no dishwasher. Oh well. Time to stock up on paper plates.

If you didn’t watch Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations on the Travel Channel last night, I suggest you catch a repeat (first episode: Why the French Don’t Suck). It’s an hour long and TV-MA for… swearing and smoking, probably. Yeah, there were some annoyingly staged bits- I could have done without the whole absinthe hallucination bit- but it’s still Tony. For those of you who miss Food Network’s A Cook’s Tour, check this show out.

Since I’m totally and completely evil, I thought I’d give you all this information. The new URL to get around the Salon DayPass is this. Let’s see how long it works. I’ve only got a wee audience (and some of you are already members), so it’s not like this will destroy them. How much can they make off those annoying ads, anyway? Seeing Tucker Carlson’s huge smirking face for thirty seconds does not make any more likely to watch his show. Stupid bow tie man. (Not to be confused with Annoying Bow Tie Man, who is Christopher Kimball, editor of Cook’s Illustrated.)

All-Purpose Cornbread
Cook’s Illustrated

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp table salt
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
8 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled slightly

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 8-inch-square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl until combined; set aside.

In food processor or blender, process brown sugar, thawed corn kernels, and buttermilk until combined, about 5 seconds. Add eggs and process until well combined (corn lumps will remain), about 5 seconds longer.

Using rubber spatula, make well in center of dry ingredients; pour wet ingredients into well. Begin folding dry ingredients into wet, giving mixture only a few turns to barely combine; add melted butter and continue folding until dry ingredients are just moistened. Pour batter into prepared baking dish; smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes; invert cornbread onto wire rack, then turn right side up and continue to cool until warm, about 10 minutes longer. Cut into pieces and serve.

Y’all… I’m thinking about dropping D&D. I enjoy it, but I start getting irritable around 10:30pm. And three and a half hours of game play a week is kind of pathetic. I think our group may be dissolving, anyway. Cameron’s moving up to the city, Rob seems to be losing interest, and I’m just tired. Jer has suggested moving it to the weekends, but I’m selfish and don’t want to give up my weekends. I don’t know what’s going to happen.