DECEMBER 1ST 2014
A new month, a new challenge. The next two weeks will be devoted to cooking.
It’s funny how a little sleep can change things. Last night I was exhausted and couldn’t fall asleep, while this morning I’m exhausted and can hardly stay awake! In the evening I felt like Julia Child–even though I hadn’t cooked anything but a burnt grilled cheese all day–and this morning I worry that I cannot scramble eggs correctly. I’m not sure which feeling is more accurate, but we’ll find out soon.
Today it took me about three hours to circle Freddies and buy all my ingredients. No one knew what Harissa sauce was, so I had to buy ingredients to make my own, and then there was the wine. I’m not exactly 21, but I ignored that problem. What I couldn’t ignore were the thousand wine bottles daring me to choose the right one. With Google searches and my 4-hour-chef manual I managed to choose, but I still am confused about “dry” wine. They all looked pretty wet to me.
After I circled Jericho enough times to make the Israelites think they had it easy, I found the coconut and tortillas on isle nine. I discovered Chevere cheese in the special section, and oven-safe cooking dishes with the help of two obnoxious sales people.
Dear Salespeople.
I do not care how good the sale is. I still don’t need a deep dish casserole pan.
I also dropped by the library and stocked up on some inspirational cookbooks and “Julie & Julia.” I’m trying to stay totally immersed in cooking . . . even my entertainment.
Bloggers say I should include infographs in my posts, so here’s what my past few days of cooking have looked like.
Happy meals! (Not the Micky D’s kind)
The Kathryn Joy
DECEMBER 2ND 2014
It’s 10 o’ clock and I’d love to go to bed, but my brain is alive with activity.
Movie lines from Julie & Julia are swirling around my head and I feel like a mega-blogger and world-renown chef. All my being wants to attack some giant project like that–writing a book that takes eight years, cooking 524 recipes in 365 days. Ah! The pressure and passion of those pursuits is so enticing. . . I’m only cooking 33 recipes in two weeks.
Then I remember today.
I have yet to find something that tiers me more than cooking. I made mozzarella, cauliflower, breaded cheese sticks for lunch along with an eggacado in The 4 Hour Chef. (I desperately wish they had fancy French names.)
Until today, I was skeptical of the saying “a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” I still am. However, the way to a boy’s heart appears to be connected to his tummy. Barrington thanked me three times for his cheese sticks, and Bentley kept hugging me, saying I was “his favorite Katie in the whole wide world.” (Which is saying a lot, because we all know how many Katies there are out there.)
This afternoon I worked on creating my LinkedIn Profile, and spent what felt like a hopeless hour on Twitter. Four new followers bringing my grand total to 14! Cheers.
After a 15 minute cat nap, I attacked dinner. Honestly, I felt like doing anything but cooking. Anything. So I did what I dislike most first. I made a salad and popped it in the fridge.
Then, I prepared 4-hour-chef zucchini, whipped up some barbecue chicken and mashed potatoes. All went as planned, but I know I am exhausted even though my brain refuses to believe me.
I learned, MAKE SALAD FIRST!
Much love with hopes of sleeping,
The Kathryn Joy
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DECEMBER 3RD 2014
I feel I have dedicated my life to learning the art of cooking but the calendar overrides my opinion. It has been two days.
This morning was an immense success and I completed a swiss cheese soufflé! Ever since I watched Audrey Hepburn cook in Sabrina, I have wanted to cook a soufflé. It didn’t matter what it was, how it tasted, or what it cost. I was going to make one.
Oh glorious day, my hopes and dreams were realized!
Thanks to Julia Child’s cookbook and Mr. Cook-on-YouTube, my soufflé surpassed my imaginations. It was fluffy, lightly browned, sweet, rich, and beautiful. If I was to write a love song to a dish, I would serenade the lovely soufflé.
Then came the dreaded cauliflower creme brûlée from 4-hour-Chef. I stared at the recipe for five minutes before I gathered the courage to begin. Ah! It was a pity I began at all. Two hours later my brûlée had formed nicely into three horrible tasting, time-consuming, ranskins. On a positive note, I will be better prepared to cook a typical brule (no more desserts turned appetizers for me!).
Fact: I tasted wine for the first time today.
When I punched the cork into the bottle instead of pulling it out, wine went shooting out of the bottleneck like an enraged fountain, and jettisoned into my eyes and mouth with the force of a spitting dragon. Of course, I didn’t see anything because my eyes were clenched shut, but this is what it felt like.
The Day’s summary: Cook a soufflé, you will not regret it. Ignore desserts gone rogue. (I’ve always hated traitors.)
Bonjoir!
To be continued…
