Note to everyone: I left my phone at Jon’s last night. I’ll get it after work today. By then it will have run out of batteries. So I won’t be able to get/make calls for a while. Please don’t panic.
Update on the phone situation: Well, I thought it was at Jon’s. I’m getting a little worried. So, still no phone. Email me if you want to talk.
So, in case you are thinking, “Salsa? She comes back, says she’s starting to cook again, and she makes salsa?! That’s not cooking, that’s assembling!”, I would just like you to know, I roasted a chicken last night. I made Marcella Hazan’s Chicken with Two Lemons. I’m just not quite sure what I think of it. I think I prefer a brined bird. However, I did the trick again of baking some rice in the bottom of the roasting pan… man, that’s so good. Even though I totally overcooked it and it was crunchy in a lot of places, it was still really good. I put it in at the beginning of the roasting when I really should have waited, like, a half hour before doing so. I added a cup of rice, two cups of boxed chicken broth, and some leftover frozen sherry-rosemary chicken sauce (from Christmas- we keep things frozen a long time). That was über-good. I wasn’t so taken with the chicken (I thought it was supposed to taste lemony, but it didn’t), but we’ll see if I change my mind later when I eat the leftovers. I bought some corn, too, but I haven’t done anything with it yet. Which is annoying, because corn = time bomb in terms of flavor. You want to get that stuff cooked as fast as possible. When I cook it tonight, it will not be ambrosia. It should still taste pretty good, though.
One of my easier salsas. Quite tasty. I realize I’m being a product whore here, but Muir Glen makes such tasty tastiness. If you’re using plain diced tomatoes, maybe add one or two jalapeno or serrano chiles.
Salsa Attempt No. 6
2 14.5-oz. cans Muir Glen Fire-Roasted Tomatoes with Green Chiles, undrained
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon (1-2 Tbsp)
2 serrano chiles, seeded and chopped
2-3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
Dash of ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Mix everything in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Taste to make any final salt adjustments. Enjoy.
I am back from the horror… the horror… that is Southern California. Look for me to start cooking again in a few hours!
May I scream a little? EEEEEE! Lydia just called to tell me we’ve been boingboinged! (Boingboing is one of the sites that helped make the Thorax Cake famous.) Look! We’re a tiny little slice of internet famous. My ego loves this, by the way. Watch out for me being completely insufferable. Happy happy happy!
I’m sorry I haven’t been posting enough, readers. I’m sorry I haven’t been cooking much, kitchen. I’ve been quite busy getting things ready for my vacation next weekend- woo, party time, excellent. Anyway, I can’t imagine actually finding enough time to make something and post about it. So, I’m taking a break until July 5th. I may post random little snippits about, like, D&D and stuff, but I wouldn’t expect all that much out of this blog until after the holiday.
Guh… yeah, I’m a wee bit hungover. Oh, too much of a life this weekend! On Friday, Cameron (one of my D&D boys) had a party celebrating his successful defense of his thesis. Huzzah! Lad’s going to have a Ph.D in economics. Because I know it is of utmost importance to everyone, I wore my very cute katamari t-shirt. Lydia made it for me. It’s pink and says “Someday my prince will come for me (rolling)” in the Namco font. It’s really cute. I’d offer a link to a picture, but apparently Cafe Press doesn’t carry that style of shirt anymore. Boo on them. There were very good molasses spice cookies, deviled eggs, and cantaloupe and figs with a creamy basil dipping sauce. Cameron wasn’t happy with the sauce.
On Saturday, I went over to the East Bay and hung out with Lydia, Zack, and Kim. Kim is one half of the musical group Ramen and Rice, a violin-cello duo that perform at anime conventions. They are adorable and incredibly nice. Much fun was had, much shopping was done, and I learned that Lydia puts more cream cheese on her bagel than ANY OTHER HUMAN ALIVE. Seriously. I thought my brother used a lot. She put him to shame.
I rushed back over to the peninsula to get ready for Bud and Eddie’s party. I wore shiny pants. Oh, Bud and Eddie’s parties. I am so glad you only happen a few times a year. Oh, the overindulgence. There were big pots full of bright green and yellow mixed drinks. The yellow was very alchoholic. The green was a little too sweet, in my opinion. The food was appropriately Budandeddie. Baked figs with cheese and walnuts. Bruschetta with a variety of toppings. A potato and shrimp thing on crackers. Mini empanada-like things. Rye bread and blue cheese towers. Spinach dip. Cherry tomatoes stuffed with ricotta (which I think should have been goat cheese or feta cheese thinned out with cream- I just thought the tomatoes needed a bit more salt). Homemade chocolate ice cream with macaroons. Chocolate covered ginger, strawberries, and… something else. I’m sure I’m missing a lot of stuff. Anyway, much fun was had. Whee!
I am very excited for the corn season. We’re just entering it now. I can’t wait to attempt blowing up my house again!
Eggs Benedict / Eggs Silverman
1 English muffin, split and toasted
Ham or Canadian bacon, sauteed in a bit of butter (Benedict)
Smoked salmon (Silverman)
2 poached eggs
Hollandaise sauce
Chopped parsley (garnish)
Truffle slices, warmed in a bit of butter (garnish)
Put it together. English muffin halves on the bottom, then the ham/bacon or salmon, then 1 egg on each half, then the sauce, and garnished with the parsley and truffle.
Check it out. Sorry, I had already eaten half before it occurred to me to take a picture.
Hollandaise
adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking
1 stick of butter, melted and set aside
3 egg yolks
1 Tbsp cold water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Big pinch of salt
2 Tbsp cold butter, separated
Salt and freshly ground pepper (white, if you have it)
Few extra drops of lemon juice, if needed
Dash of Tabasco (optional)
Fill the bottom of a double boiler with a few inches of water. Bring to a bare simmer, then back the heat down.
While the water is heating, whisk the egg yolks in the upper part of the double boiler until thickened, about 1 minutes. Add the water, lemon juice, and salt, and beat for another 30 seconds. Add 1 tablespoon of the cold butter and place the pan over the water. Start whisking and don’t stop. Keep a pan of cold water nearby in case things start cooking too quickly. If the eggs begin thickening too quickly or suggest lumpiness, plunge the bottom of the pan into the cold water, continually whisking. Once the danger has passed, place the pan back over the simmering water.
Once the eggs have thickened to the point where you can begin to see the bottom of the pan between strokes, and the mixture forms a light cream on the wires of the whisk.
Immediately remove from the heat and beat in the other 1 tablespoon of cold butter.
Secure the pan on a dampened dishtowel. With the whisk in one hand and the vessel of melted butter in the other, start whisking the egg mixture and sloooowly drizzle in the melted butter by droplets. Once the sauce has thickened into a heavy cream consistency, you may pour the butter a little more rapidly. Do not pour in the milk solids in the dregs of the butter.
Taste and season the sauce with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and Tabasco. Pour, serve, and eat immediately.