Bacchanalia!

I'm almost to Saturday, my favorite day in all of January, the Mohegan Sun Winefest! I think if last year was a good indicator, I SHOULD be able to pace myself. The first year was a disaster but I know from experience not to try and taste everything. We are going with 2 friends which should be fun as well. We're also going to try and network with some of the wine people to score some free visits for when we go to Napa.


On another note, I think I perfected my sangria Saturday. I used 2 bottles of smoking loon pinot, a bit of apricot bandy, cointreau and 1/2 cup of simple syrup infused with orange, orange juice from 2 oranges, diced apples, pineapple and pear and a splash of club soda in each glass with ice. It was pretty darn good!

Learning Curve

Truth be told, the fried chicken was a disaster. I really need to purchase a candy thermometer because that was the biggest mistake, the oil was way too hot but didn't cook the actual meat of the chicken. I also discovered I really don't like frying stuff.

I made the chicken Tuesday night and my house still smells like the grease dumpster out behind McDonald's. I also screwed up the brining and brined for way too long. I did like the smell of the brine so I might use that recipe again because I think it would be a great flavor for a whole roaster.

This weekend...get ready for it....we are installing the garbage disposal!!! I am not sure why this excites me so much but it does. Weird shit happens to you once you become a homeowner. I also found out that we probably won't be getting our new home buyer's credit for about 4 months so that seriously puts a damper on my renovation plans.

The best laid plans....

So, I didn't get around to doing half of what I wanted to this weekend. I did make a few loafs of raisin bread, most of which I gave away. I also threw out the sourdough starter- I had enough of it and I don't think I will be attempting to make it anytime soon, unless someone gives me an existing starter.


I also used a loaf of challah bread I had in the freezer for some chocolate challah bread pudding, which was great but really rich. Tonight I try the fried chicken and then that's my last rich meal for a while because we're trying (me and my husband) to lose some weight. Oh how health gets in the way of my eating.


All in all, a pretty relaxed weekend including the secondary fermentation and dry hopping of our second batch of 90 minute brew. It's measuring really well and we're both excited. Can't wait to try it!

Working for the Weekend

Tonight is usually when my husband and I get to have some takeout, a little shining light in the dim tunnel of the workweek. I am thinking about the prospect of sushi. There is this really good place right down the road from us,
Sakimura. They have a really great selection of sushi and hot items as well. I am thinking that and a nice heavy pour of Nobilo Savignon Blanc.

I also need to start planning things to make/bake this weekend. I got Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc At Home cookbook and I am really excited to use it. I am contemplating the fried chicken for this weekend.

I also have a live starter for sourdough that I want to try in the bread machine. I have been working on it since Thanksgiving. I am really having a hard time with it. At first it seemed really easy. I mean, people have been doing it for hundreds of years, you mix water with flour and let it sit out and collect wild yeast. Well, apparently I suck at it. Mine still has yet to double in size but I left it in a warm place before I left for work this morning and I am going to add some commercial yeast (shhh! don't tell!) to help it along when I get home. Other than that, I think a nice loaf of cinnamon raisin bread is in order. I made some last week and it was heavenly. I think I owe a loaf to my sister too, she was jealous last week.

Here's to a nice long holiday weekend of baking! My favorite! If I really get adventurous, I will do some croissants. They should be much easier with my new granite counters.

What, why, when, and how?

My mom has this picture of me as a toddler sitting on her counter licking the paddle from our Kitchen Aid mixer, I always loved cooking with her. I got an easy bake oven as a gift and I became instantly bored with the mixes that came with it. I asked my mother to give me remnants of her pie crust and I filled the Easy Bake Oven tin with sliced apples, cinnamon, sugar flour and butter and made mini pies. When it was lunch time, I came up with crazy concoctions for me and my sister and while preparing them, I pretended I was on a PBS cooking show (this was pre- Foodnetwork)


That's how I remember my childhood, I was always in the kitchen. I think that's why I love to cook now, it really a stress reliever for me and I love making people happy by making something they are going to enjoy.

I have been cooking a lot lately since I moved into my new condo (double ovens and granite counter tops and all the space in the world for my 50+ kitchen appliances!). I have been using Facebook to help me document some of that but the time has come for something a little more. I feel I have more to offer a wider range of people and some free time on my hands that I decided a blog would be a good outlet for what I wanted to accomplish. I don't have a specific format in mind although I will offer reviews for restaurants (as I write often on Yelp, new recipes I come across or develop myself as well as info on beer, wine, kitchen gadgets, foodie magazines; basically anything food related.

So, stay tuned, until next time- which hopefully will be sometime this weekend since I plan to do some "stress believing" in the form of baking some bread and a few dinners.