Category: minutiae

Well, it’s nice to know that I have three things done from the Observer’s Top 50 Things Every Foodie Should Do. The three easiest and cheapest ones- dismember a chicken, bake bread, and make toast from decent bread. I’ve almost done #19- I’ve had a bellini in Venice, but not at Harry’s Bar. Same with #17. I’ve gotten pretty decent gelato in Italy, but not in Sicily (and it wasn’t great, so it probably wouldn’t count, anyway). Also, I feel that #22 is a bit jerkish, calling our California asparagus “thick ‘porn-star’… spears.” Yes, there is a lot of it that is too thick. However, there’s still a good deal that’s wee and wonderful. I’ve had wonderful duck (#38), but my father made it. I’ve had both good and disappointing duck out, but the Thanksgiving my dad made duck was the best I’ve ever had. I’ve actually never grilled a steak (#35).

Yeah, the whole thing’s pretty snobby, but whatever, it’s still interesting.

Kick ass.

FOX has decided that there’s always money in the banana stand.

Arrested Development will be getting a third season!

Thanks to Nick for tipping me off.

And apparently NBC will be bringing back The Office (huzzah, I had no hope for that) in the fall and Scrubs at… some point. I mean, yay for the only two shows I watch on that crap network, but I wish Scrubs had an announced date. (Oh yeah, the first season of Scrubs is coming out on DVD tomorrow. Let’s all buy it!)

I cooked yesterday. I made baked beans and Jonsauce. I made the beans in the slow-cooker instead of the oven, since I don’t have an oven-safe pot. I forgot to add the last tablespoon of molasses and the apple cider vinegar after they were done. My bad. I hope they’re still good. The Jonsauce turned out well, although I feel it has kind of progressed to a point where the pasta is unnecessary. That’s kind of sad. But it’s tasty enough on its own.

I meant to make challah, but I didn’t.

Leigh has arrived! Next weekend is the They’re Coming 300 review extravaganza. Leigh and Ryan have told me about the special surprise, but I’m sworn to secrecy. Suffice to say, it will be a horrifying, disgusting, tasty confection. Hopefully it will become as big a meme as the thoracic cake.

Zack graduated this weekend. Go him.

Oh, yeah. Samurai Champloo was pretty cool. If you like anime, pick up one of the reruns this week. Cartoon Network. It’s got Steven Blum doing that one voice he does. You know the one.

Office Party

1 shot tequila
1 lime wedge
Granulated sugar
Freshly ground coffee

Dip one side of the lime wedge into the coffee and the other side into the sugar. Shoot the tequila and chomp down on the lime. Better than it sounds. (Lydia/Zack- let me know if I’m missing anything from this.)

I roasted some broccoli last night. It was vaguely disappointing. I used some of it in an omelet, along with some cheese. I have been attempting omelets lately. I suck at them. Quite a lot. (I just had to change that because I couldn’t decide if it was “hard core,” “hardcore,” or “hard-core.” LAME.) I can’t make a decent fold, and I end up using too much filling when I try. Also, I tend not to cook them long enough, so they can get a bit runny. I’m too afraid of overcooking. I was going to bake some potatoes, but it turns out all mine are a bit old. They’ve sprouted. I should not buy bags of potatoes. I should buy one or two at a time.

God, I haven’t even talked about last weekend yet. So behind! (So sleepy.) Well, the recipe below is from when I attempted to make frosting and ended up with sauce, because it never firmed up correctly. I was going to wait until it was slightly firm, then whip it into a frosting-like thing. Unfortunately, that never happened. We tried putting some onto a couple cupcakes, but it ran off the sides and looked unappealing. Tasted good, though. So it was chocolate sauce, not chocolate frosting.

The mojito-like drinks were good. People seemed to like them. Wow, does Lydia mix some strong drinks. If she offers you a Long Island, you might want to stick to… I don’t know, grain alcohol or something. I think it’ll be safer that way.

I think I left my limes behind. We never had any Office Parties. Lydia/Zack/whoever actually thought up that drink, would it be okay if I posted the recipe here?

I finally met Cynthia! As well as Matt and Meli! We did have fun at our little Cupcakes & Cocktails party. There was much Karaoke Revolution, in which I showed off my mad skills at thinking I knew a song, but only actually knowing the chorus and sucking at the rest of the song (ie. Broken Wings). I did okay at Billie Jean, Under Pressure (with Lydia), and some song I hate. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed your early birthday celebration, Cynthia. It was lovely meeting you, and I look forward to seeing you down in L.A. in July!

D&D tonight.

Chocolate Fros… no, Sauce

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
12 oz. bag semisweet chocolate chips

Combine the cream, butter, and sugar in a large microwave-safe bowl, and stir to combine. Microwave until boiling, about 3 minutes (watch it, don’t trust your microwave). Stir in the chocolate chips, and keep stirring until the chips are completely integrated. Cover, let cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate.

Yellow Cupcakes
Cook’s Illustrated

1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt (1 tsp kosher)
8 Tbsp unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg (room temperature)
2 large egg yolks (room temperature)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.

Divide batter evenly among cups of prepared tin using 2-ounce ice cream scoop or heaping tablespoon. Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Use skewer or paring knife to lift cupcakes from tin and transfer to wire rack; cool cupcakes to room temperature, about 45 minutes.

Made cupcakes for tomorrow’s party over at Lydia and Zack’s. I made twelve chocolate and twelve… yellow. The yellow ones did not turn out as large as the chocolate ones. I am thinking it’s because the chocolate ones have both baking powder and soda, while the yellow ones just have baking powder.

I also made the basil-lime syrup, using mint instead of basil. I figure we could make vaguely mojito-like drinks with it.

I still need to make frosting. Eh, tomorrow morning. Do I want to start some bread? No… not really. Lazy, lazy Sarah.

Here’s hoping it’s all good.