Week of November 26-December 2

[mrissa]

Two rejections, one request for additional material.

It's one of those days that's full of small tasks, many of them voluntary. We did not, for example, absolutely have to go buy a Christmas tree. But we did anyway (a fake one -- allergies do not make for a merry Christmas), and it will go in the corner of the sun porch, with the hot tub, and ideally we will not have to buy another for many years.

I think I opened up a whole new world for the baker at Byerly's this morning. I asked for the two chocolate croissants first, and when she said, "Anything else?", I said, "Yah, I have to figure out what I want." She said, "Who are these for, then?" "My mom and dad." "Oh. Is it someone's birthday?" "No. We just felt like it. Seemed like the thing." And she stared at me for a minute, and her expression was very strange. And then she said, "My daughter is four. I stayed up all Wednesday night with her throwing up. Do you think when she's your age she'll bring me croissants just because she feels like it?" I said, "Maybe. If you like croissants." She looked...hopeful. Definitely hopeful.

I'm just figuring out the last bit of dinner tonight -- I think it'll be lemon rosemary garlic bread, with the seared ahi and the roasted green beans. I think. I'm almost sure. It's been a pretty good cooking week for me: Swedish meatballs and potatoes and asparagus, Meyer lemon rosemary sauce on lamb and chicken with the other half of the potatoes and salads, and last night I did this thing with enchilada filling -- does anybody care what I put in (vegetarian but not vegan) enchilada filling? Because if you do, I'll tell you. Anyway, it was pretty good, and I have clear direction for improving it. And tonight I will be squeezing the lime and slicing the ginger and so on.

Lest you think I am a culinary goddess at all times, we also feasted on take-and-bake pizza. Which was pretty good, too, actually, or we wouldn't buy it.

Right. Back to it.

Comments

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

oooh. um. does byerlys have potatiskorv(sp?) yet? i know ingebretsens has it, but it's too peppery for my mother.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Good idea! I didn't check for it! I was just examining the fishies.

I'm amused that the Scando food from Ingebretsen's is in some direction too spicy for someone, but having had it, I know what she means, even though it's not too spicy for me.

(I have told you, yes? about the Ingebretsen's butcher men radiating approval upon me for going in looking like myself and buying 6# of Swedish meatball meat?)

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

yes, you mentioned it. i snickered. :)

my mom doesn't like pepper much. i am sad and am hoping that this doesn't mean that i'll lose pepper in the future.

[orbitalmechanic.livejournal.com]

I am always interested in good vegetarian enchiladas. Tonight for me is "white chicken chili." It's actually pretty green.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Our chicken chili became double mushroom chili in rather short order. But markgritter and timprov only like one kind of beans, black beans, so none of our chilis are white or green.

Enchilada filling: I started with a tiny bit of olive oil and some garlic. Then spinach I'd put through the food processor. Then diced red bell peppers and good quality paprika. Then sliced portobellos and a little cayenne. After it was all done cooking, I took it off the heat, and if I was doing it again, what I would add would be queso fresco (fresca? I don't know which is right, but I think I'm trying to match gender endings the way I would in French, and I don't speak Spanish) or else turos or some other smooth soft cheese; ricotta was not nearly smooth enough. Also I would add either tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes at that point. It was good even with ricotta and no tomatoes, though.

[haddayr.livejournal.com]

A solidarity fist-in-the-air to the Bylerly's baker.