Can Food REALLY Be Sexy? More Like Sticky

I just finished watching a cooking show on modern Irish cooking where the host referred to the dessert he made as "sexy". He wasn't using ingredients that are your traditional aphrodisiac ingredients: chocolate, figs or snails. According to my very brief search "There was not always agreement upon what foods were actually aphrodisiacs or "anaphrodisiacs" (decrease potency).   But the ancient list included Anise, basil, carrot, salvia, gladiolus root, orchid bulbs, pistachio nuts, rocket (arugula), sage, sea fennel, turnips, skink flesh (a type of lizard) and river snails." (Source: Gourmet Sleuth). 

Mmm lizards! I know that would make me feel more drawn to my guy!

Anyhow, I think what makes a dish romantic is cooking a dish that your love enjoys (and hopefully the cook does too). For my guy it's pork chops. A few weeks ago I got a good deal on thick chops which I know my husband likes to eat. Unfortunately I cannot stand pork chops so he gladly enjoyed both chops. I decided to follow a Weight Watchers recipe for pork chops with a cherry sauce. It was a reduction of cherry jam which was a lot of fun to make- I felt like I was challenging myself more than normal. I have a Calphalon  pot/pan set so the sauce did not stick to the pan and I could spoon the sauce nicely over the chops when I put them back in the pan. 

Speaking of jam, I wrote in my last post I would let you know how I make homemade jam. At its essence, jamming is a simple process. However, you have to keep an eye on the pot so it doesn't boil over. If like me, that happens to you, you'll spend part of your evening (if you cook after work and on the weekends like me) cleaning your entire cooktop. Enough about me complaining about cleaning. You only need a few cups of the fruit of your choice, pectin, sugar, and sometimes lemon juice, and your mason jars. This year I tried a gel-like pectin instead of the powder. I think that was part of the reason for the mess later yet I think it made my jam better than last year's batch. 

This year I made raspberry and peach jams. I left the peach pieces in chunkier pieces so it could be spread on pancakes or served with a meat that was complimented by a peach sauce. My raspberries broke down quickly in the cooking process. You may wonder, what kind of sugar should I use? I didn't have the budget to try Sugar in the Raw and didn't think of trying agave syrup or a stevia type sugar until after. However I think if you got the proportions right on the agave or stevia, you could definitely go au natural with your jam.   

Wedding "Junk" Food Photo Montage

A photo montage from our wedding, as shot by Tyson Trish Photographer. This is not a gourmand post at all but a celebratory post in honor our (George and my) Green Bay Packers for winning the Super Bowl!

New Year, New Blog Format

What a long, strange, trip it has been. I'm now married. Enough said.
This time last year, I was told there JUST enough time to order my wedding dress for my wedding 8 MONTHS away. That was the first of rapid fire decisions and a "binder" that became bigger and more stuffed with receipts I was happy to shred when George and I returned from our honeymoon.

Now my life happily consists of, among other things multiple trips to the grocery store during the week to master the art of cooking. There's more to that though, there's also Netflix directly to our Samsung Blu Ray Player (thank you gift cards when our DVD player died!).

My husband is very happy to eat my experiments and regular standard dishes, just the same. However, there are nights, like the last, when we worked late and decided to go to our "usual" place: RED ROBIN (YUM). George got his usual, the Bonsai. I've been trying a different burger each time.

This week, I tried the Royal Red Robin. It consists of a fried egg, apple-wood smoked bacon and cheddar cheese. I think I'm going to have to grow an apple-wood tree in my yard some day, I just love that taste it makes meat have. I was really full eating just half of it so there's leftovers for today. Hopefully I can reheat without drying it out.

The Surprise Proposal!

George got me good! After planning our wedding for about 4 months, he finally formally popped the question New Years Day morning after breakfast. He'd planned on asking me in NYC the night before but I got suddenly ill and he was exhausted from getting up early that day to help his dad out.

I had NO IDEA he had the ring with him in his pocket for nearly 2 days! The jeweler has been particularly slow in getting his ring ready but it was FINALLY ready NYE afternoon. I love it and it's more beautiful than I ever imagined.

We called a bunch of our friends yesterday before George left for a ski trip with his friends for the weekend. I was suppose to go but wasn't feeling up for it after the night before did not end elegantly for me.

I still can't believe I'm actually getting married and I get to see George more than twice a week but the end of the summer 2010. I'm looking forward to making a move into more work that I love rather than what simply pays the bills- that's when the opportunity is formally presented. Hopefully it will not be stuck at the jeweler's store!

Time Passing By

I've been writing at my newspaper gig, seemingly non-stop since my last post. It left me completely forgetting about this free-space, so to speak. There's a lull (and I have some time to kill)so inspiration calls me to my keyboard once again.

The opportunity to write for myself comes and goes and I have a few half-full journals to prove it. Getting it into a cohesive project has yet to happen, however, the opportunity may be on my horizon. Last month, George and I talked about him supporting my desire to teach full-time next fall. The next week, my boss at the college where I adjunct said she would "try" and slot me for a full-time temporary position. Hooray- but I'll believe it when it's affirmed next spring.

A year ago, I was beyond miserable with my city job and was about to eulogize my grandmother at her memorial service. I stuck it out, thanks to George's seemingly endless amount of support and here I am a stronger, wiser woman. Central Park used to be my sobbing ground, now it's the sanctuary it should be for me during lunch breaks.

Last year, my relationship with my older sister was getting better but still a little awkward. Last night, we went to a concert at the Garden and the rapport we used to have before she got married returned. It just showed up over pad thai and carried us on the train ride home. Even though I'm the younger sister, I took the train part way home with her and made her call me when she made her connection. She doesn't like the city much and it was so late at night I just wanted to be sure.

My life as a writer continues to expand and change as well. My friend from grad school started up an ezine which I want to submit something to. I have to dig through my work and see what's worthy of submission.

At the newspaper, I've written theater reviews, concert reviews, walked through a golf course converted to an outdoor concert space to review a festival, and the list goes on. Sure, I'm getting paid peanuts but it does pay a bill or two that finds its way to my mailbox every month.

The one part of my life that I cannot write about is the specifics about George and me. Partly it's to protect our privacy and partly because I simply cannot put it into words.

I could list adjectives: enthralling, romantic, comfortable, helpful, supportive, predictable.

I will say this: we are the Tortoise (me) and the Hare (him) when it comes our approach to life. This will take some struggles to adjust to if we ever change the status of our relationship. I want to both move forward and hang back where we are at the same time. He tells me how he feels (sometimes) but I cannot put it into words here.

A year from now, I really hope I'm not writing a blog entry from this desk where I sit. I want to be home, making dinner and having a glass of wine. And I want a puppy next to me too :)

The Best Date EVER!

When: Friday, 6PM
Where: Somewhere between the World Showcase and Future World (this is Epcot of course)
Status: I'm completely drenched in sweat and craving A/C. I've been with George for more days in a row than ever in our relationship.
Event: George turns to me and says "I'd say this is best date we've been on yet!"
Result: A smile and big kiss from me!

Debrief: George and I have been on a variety of dates in our almost 16 months (and counting, yippee)of dating. We've kyacked, hiked, visited museums, taken a couple river tours and attended a symphony performance. We even have "own place"- a restaurant in New Brunswick called Raff's (to us). Ironically my favorite thing to do is takea walk around the park near by house and hold hands.Does that make me too easy to please? I hope not, because parks are free and refreshing and beautiful (if you avoid the ducks and their excretions!)

Real Girlfriend of New Jersey

I must be the luckiest girlfriend in the world (or at least N. New Jersey). I spent part of the weekend up in George's neck of the woods and got spoiled with the following treats:

1. Date in the James McFaul Environmental Center. There were lots of fun things to see (peacock opening its feathers W-O-W!) We only got a little wet towards the end.

2. Watching cooking shows on Sunday afternoon because I was coming down with his cold. I'm sure I'll be doing my part this fall watching football games on Sunday for his fantasy football thingie.

3. Yummy steak cooked on the grill by George's dad. His dad has the best stories of growing up on Long Island Sound. Last night was telling me about how many boats he built as a pre-teen. And I thought reading Socrates and Plato was a challenge at that age!