Thursday, November 10, 2011

Brown Butter

I spent the bulk of my day going through my chef studies. The bug has taken hold. I blew through the first chapter with ease ... now on to regulations, insurances- the scary stuff! This whole venture is new, but thrilling to say the least. In the end I'll be able to nurture bodies and minds for a living.

Doesn't that sound fulfilling? I'm beside myself with excitement. I made sourdough bread ... two loaves- my first baking endeavor in the new house. I want to plug King Arthur Flour for a second ...

During the move, I broke the cap to my sourdough crock that I keep in the fridge. It happened in the car-port as I was trying to juggle too many things (there's a metaphor in there, I'm sure of it), the cap slipped off the crock and smashed into pieces at my feet. There was no one else around to see it and share in my displeasure, so I just stared at it for a minute. What a horrible turn of events! My crock went into the fridge with an omelette pan as a cap. This just wouldn't do. So I wrote to the fine customer service folks over at King Arthur and explained my dilemma. Did they have a spare cap I could buy from them?

No, they don't sell caps separately, but they do get them in the mail from time to time from people who have received broken sets in the mail. MaryJane double checked with the warehouse. Melanie let me know that they did have one and put it in the mail for me right away. Both ladies were quick with responses and so delightful! My new crock top is on its way at no cost to me. King Arthur has a customer for life.



That said, there is more baking in my immediate future. Grampy's birthday is on Saturday and from what I've learned he has one mighty sweet tooth. Mark proposed we make him a batch of cookies as a gift and I couldn't agree more. Nothing says love more than food created with the individual in mind.

Recently I stumbled upon a concept that's fairly new to me... browned butter chocolate chip cookies. I could taste them before I even started making them! Warm, gooey, nutty, sweet ... I could get used to the birthday cookie concept. I found this recipe via www.tastespotting.com ... One of those "food porn" sites that leave you drooling over your keyboard. It was this photo of scrumptious stacked cookies that gave me hunger pangs.


Isn't that just lovely?! Clicking that photo brought me to this great blogspot blog: The Little Red House. I felt even more encouraged to cook. I loved the writer's cadence. What's not to love about someone who professes to be grateful for cookies? Me too, sister. Me too.



With all the moving we've done recently and the need to cap out at my folk's house, I haven't been cooking much at all. My body and mind have both felt the change ... Creating a meal is something I thrive on. I enjoy being cooked for (especially when it's my mother doing the cooking), but a little creative, nutritious release is something I crave on a regular basis. With this being just my fourth day in the new house, the first of which the kitchen has been equipped enough for me to cook, it was about time I got to it already!

For our first "community" dinner in the house, Melissa took the lead. Chicken meatballs and Fra Diavolo sauce (thank you to the late Paul Newman for that one), over spaghetti squash. Mark and I have always been fans of spaghetti squash instead of pasta when we're looking to eat easy. It's way faster than making spaghetti from scratch! We paired it up with one of the sourdough loaves I made while studying today. A few cookies for dessert to go with a Kona Brewing Company Pipeline Porter? Heaven, my friends. Pure heaven. Melissa did a great job with the chicken balls. Very proud of her culinary efforts.


I'm pretty transparent. I'm excited about the new house. I'm excited about my roommates. I'm very happy with how life is panning out these days. Thanks so much for reading.

Before I sign off for today I want to mention that tomorrow is Veteran's Day. I want to thank our service men and women for making the ultimate sacrifice. I want to thank their families for enduring separations and losses- your sacrifice is greater than I have ever given my country. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I wish I could invite all of you to dinner.

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