A Genius in the Kitchen...Most Humbly Spoken, of Course.

Because I seem to be in the habit of posting in twos, here are a few pictures of what I like to think are my "Culinary Masterpieces." They all relate to bread baking as my most recent hobby but so as not to neglect other points of cooking, I'll just mention I've been making lots of soups, pasta sauces, and pizzas recently. Cold weather inspired, of course. Next on the list, however, is coq au vin. I am embarrassed to admit to never having made this classic before, so its appearance on my dinner table is long overdue. Also, not depicted (and for good reasons) is my less than successful crumpet attempt. Apparently one needs "crumpet rings" to pull this one off.

This is the first of many future batches of bialys. I had never heard of them before now, and rue the wasted time I spent not devouring these beauties.

Here is the aerial view of the "Cheddar Loaf." It makes a mean grilled cheese sandwich (or, as I used to say, a "girl cheese sandwich")

Interior view, same loaf.

The Apple-Ginger-Cranberry Pie I made for the family Christmas. This is the pre-oven stage.

Warning: the more you look at this, the more disturbing it becomes (and may not be appropriate for younger audiences...). I recreated the Apple-Ginger-Cranberry Pie for New Years here in Arlington and used this bake sheet to catch the pie's drippings. Needless to say, I was shocked to discover this image burned to the sheet's surface after washing. The Virgin Mary appears to some, but I get explicit images of monsters.

Life and What Have You

I plead guilty to all accusations of negligence. I have not made the blog a priority (for which I don’t exactly feel pangs of guilt) but writing down ones thoughts is still a valuable exercise. Since all plans have been canceled for the day due to the flurry of crisp, cold snow that has seen fit to cover the ground, I have an unexpected window of time to curl up with a mug of mulled wine, listen to some Hootie and the Blowfish, and compose this long overdue post. Keeping in mind the month (ish) long lapse in posting, I’m opting to forgo all former aspirations of catching up to the present and touch on a few highlights.

The current state of my back yard.

First, and probably most exciting is that I have been offered a job with the National Archives. The position is uniquely designed for students in that I work a part-time schedule, earn a decent pay check, and have the flexibility to determine when I work to best accommodate my schedule. It is by no means glamorous work, but it is a way to gain experience and get my foot in the door as a Federal Employee (which, as I’ve learned, is no easy feat). The issue to be addressed is now whether or not I will remain in all three classes I am now taking. I’m currently enrolled in The History of the Book, Archive Administration, and France’s First Empire. I’m enjoying all these classes and feel conflicted about dropping one, but at this point I should own up to the fact that I’m not super-woman and cannot do everything I would like. As KP put it, “as much as I’d like to see you in a cape, sometimes you have to keep the glasses on and stay out of phone booths.” I think she may have a point, and really, Clark Kent has many admirable qualities.

Second, I went home for Christmas and received what ranks among the most treasured Christmas gifts of all time. Both of my father’s parents were avid book collectors, such that their books seemed to consume every available inch of the house. Several years after the death of their parents, my uncle and father donated much of the collection to the University of Texas in a desperate effort to reclaim some living space. Of the books that were not donated some were sold, among which was my grandmother’s complete Oxford English Dictionary printed in 1933 and sold to our neighbor for a measly $200. Due to the alignment of the planets and a fluke of fate, last year my mother reconnected to this neighbor who then offered to give the dictionary to me. Nothing seemed to come of it until December, when my mom and brother eagerly ushered me into the car with the promise of a surprise. I began to suspect something when we turned down this former neighbor’s new street and pulled inside her large front gate.

My thirteen volume set of the OED.

Collecting the dictionary was one thing, but getting the thirteen volume collection to Virginia was another challenge all together. This brings me to my third and final event of this post. KP, whom I’ve mentioned on several occasions, received a transfer notice from her company relocating her to where else but Arlington, VA! She moved early January and offered to include the two boxes containing the precious dictionary among her things. Needless to say, it has been a wonderful blessing to have her here. I have made some wonderful friends since moving, but there is something uniquely special about being near someone who has known you for years, seen the good and the bad in you, witnessed you grow and change, and still chooses to remain your friend.

And so, there you have it: a reasonably brief update on life since December.

Photographic Accompaniment

Not to overload anyone's google reader, but here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving till now.

Me with my Thanksgiving pie.

My brother and me watching some Fightin' Texas Aggie football.

KP and me in front of the giant chicken car.

The snow on our street.

Thanksgiving et al.

Now that we are well into December and Thanksgiving is long gone, I think it pressing I finally post on my Thanksgiving holiday and some very important events that have transpired since then. I’ve put this post off for a while and it’s a bit on the long side, but I’m justifying it with my last post being so short.

First, Thanksgiving. I made the trek home for Thanksgiving via Detroit. Why airlines have me fly north to go south is beyond me. I did eventually make it to Houston and had a wonderful time with family and friends. Thanksgiving was at my parents’ new place this year. The house is considerably smaller than previous homes we have lived in, and there were some concerns about everyone fitting. Fortunately, the weather was beautiful and warm enough for many of us to sit outside. My brother and I along with a few cousins foxund ourselves at the kid table again this year. Twenty-four and still a kid…I guess there are worse things.

The meal itself was fantastic. I love Thanksgiving mainly for the food. We do it potluck style and each year certain foods make an appearance, without which it really wouldn’t be Thanksgiving. My personal favorite is my dad’s cornbread dressing. This year, my dad roasted the turkey (which was amazing, no surprises there), my brother made mashed potatoes, and I baked an apple pie. So American of me. It was nice being here to celebrate with everyone. Last year I was in Toulouse and prepared the entire meal for my host family, a grand total of 10. I loved sharing the holiday with them and wouldn’t have had it any other way, but I confess the whole thing wore me out.

My brother and I skipped out early this year to drive up to College Station for the A&M vs tu game. It was my first game back in Aggieland since I graduated and I was excited to be back. I’ve always been fond of football. It’s really the only sport I understand, having sat through so many seasons in high school and then in college. But there is something truly great about Aggie Football played in Kyle Field and I’ve missed that. So in tribute to the 12^th Man, here’s a little gem of a video I took while at the game:

Other Thanksgiving highlights include attending “Gloworama,” the art car parade in downtown Houston. For those not from Houston, an art car is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a car that’s been creatively decorated. This year’s favorites included a car converted into an opera singer’s head, a car which shot huge flames high into the air, and a giant chicken that clucked as it moved down the street. My mom’s got an in with the art car crowd and we had VIP access the whole night. My first time to be a VIP anywhere and it was at an art car parade. I aim high, ladies and gentlemen.

Since Thanksgiving, there have been a few happenings which demand mention. First, we got our first snow of the season! It was my first time to wake up in my own bed to find snow blanketing the ground. In my opinion, the whole thing was very exciting but my roommates found it less so. Second, I finished my first semester of graduate school with the completion of a 20 page final paper. Currently, I’m bracing myself for next semester – I’m taking classes in Archive Administration, History of the Book (printing presses, print culture, and books’ importance), and France’s first empire (Napoleon). I’m looking forward to the courses, but it will be a lot of work. Third, my dear friend KP is transferring to DC the first week of January. I wrote of her visit in an earlier post but failed to mention part of her visit included a long talk with her company’s Arlington office. Apparently, it went well and they want her there! My plan to slowly convince all my friends to move to DC is taking form!

Pitfalls of Distraction

It is only when I am knee deep in a paper that I decide I should really spend more time memorizing poetry. Or that my blog has been horribly neglected. Or even that the kitchen floor should be scrubbed, and there is no time to waste. I find I have all sorts of convictions and passions, new things to learn, and more books to read when a large assignment is at hand.

Perhaps it's a fault or maybe only natural, but I choose to take it as a sign I should invest my time more wisely. No, not that memorizing John Donne is more important than my paper on gender trends in historiography (even if it might be slightly more interesting), but that there are plenty of things in life that really are a waste (countless hours on facebook, mindless tv watching...) and I can better manage that time.

But at this point, all these new found interests have to go on the back burner until noon on Monday, then I am free to pursue them at will.... oh, and catch up on my facebook, and tv, and... more procrastination, the false friend that it is. Leads you along and stabs you in the back each time. et tu Brute?



PS. Thanksgiving post is on hold until I have squeezed every nuance of gender trends out of my brain, or Monday afternoon hits, either way I'll be finished with my class.

Step Aside Panera, There's a New Baker in Town

I’m feeling rather inspired and decided to write a post on something that inspires me: bread baking. I mentioned on an earlier post that I was taking it up as a new hobby, but haven’t mentioned it since. I confess, I have been much more faithful to that hobby than this one – that is, I bake biweekly whereas my blog posts are admittedly spotty at best.

I have enjoyed learning to bake bread, and have had much success thanks to my new friend*:

His name in Honoré (after the patron Saint of the Boulanger…judge if you dare, just know it might keep you from a delicious, fresh baked loaf). He is my live starter and I grew him from scratch. Call it a maternal bond, but I’m rather fond of him. I feed him weekly and he gives me delicious bread in return. It’s a lovely relationship we have. **

Together, we’ve made mostly loaves of bread like this one…

And this one…

But I’m expanding my horizons and venturing into other baked goods…like English Muffins!

I’m rather proud of these, and think they turned out very well. When I was cooking them, my roommate MS looked at them then at the recipe I was using and exclaimed “It looks just like the picture!” It was a proud moment for Honoré and me.

We still have a lot to learn, but are seeing steady improvements in the meantime.

*Translation of the lid: “My name is Honoré (and I LOVE making bread!!)” When I showed my roommate, she expressed anxiety over introducing her friends to me…

**Here and here are a few websites that go into further detail on making and baking with a starter.

The Things Memories are Made of

I realize it’s been far too long since my last post, but in my defense I’m a regular blogger for my grad class.* Excuses aside, this update has been long in coming, and I know there would be consequences should I neglect this post. And so, without further ado…

This past weekend may have been cold, may have been rainy, and may have had (diluted) hurricane force winds, but none of that seemed to matter because my dear friend, KP, came up for a visit. KP helped me move in back in August, which means she braved countless hours on the road with me and my family, some more than dubious hotel rooms, and a smorgasbord of culinary treats. That’s true friendship. And perhaps even more impressive, it didn’t put her off! She still chose to visit me.

There is something so very comforting about spending time with people who know you well. It’s grounding and reminds you of who you are and where you come from. There’s no hiding strange quirks from good friends either, which I find liberating. I think it is safe to say, this weekend was much needed on both our parts.

And so, in tribute to a wonderful weekend spent with a dear friend, here is a short list of my top things that happened while she was here:

1. Visiting the monuments at night. We drove to the Iwo Jima Memorial, Korea, Vietnam, and Lincoln on Friday night. I had been to a few before, but never at night. There is something really powerful in visiting these sites at night.


2. Our capitol tour. My friend EG works for a congressman and gave us a private capitol tour Friday morning. He knew what he was getting into when he agreed to take two history nerds on a tour, and humored our questions, comments, and lame jokes well.

3. Macaroni and Cheese at Bullfeathers. So good. That’s all.

4. Getting caught having a “party” on the second floor of a home goods store. Saturday, LG and AD joined us in Old Town Alexandria for the day. We ducked into a store overflowing with inspiring decorating pieces. Added perk: they were offering ginger cookies and mulled wine. We soon found ourselves upstairs “testing” out the living room set with our wine and cookies. Just when we were on the brink of pronouncing our assessment of the chairs’ quality, a sales lady came upstairs and asked if we were having a “party.” Busted.

5. Watching the Salvation Army bell ringer in front of Starbucks. After a day in the elements, KP and I decided to duck into a Starbucks and wait for her uncle to meet us for dinner. Our seats afforded us the best possible view of a very energetic bell ringer. A personal favorite of mine was when he ran across the street to ring his bell at the people stopped at the light. If you have the ability to dismiss the Salvation Army guy after he ran into traffic to single you out, you might consider consulting a cardiologist because your heart may actually be two sizes too small…

6. Spending hours laughing and talking with KP. Yes, this is the mandatory sentimental memory, but that does not mean it’s any less valid for it. Good times with friends are irreplaceable.

*Since I know how anxious you must be, here’s a link to my class blog.