The Year That Was - 2008

I usually dislike New Year's. Is it even a real holiday? I feel like listening to sad George Strait songs with the word fool in the lyrics. But really, I'm not sorry to say goodbye to 2008. I decided that what's been holding me back my entire life are the New Year's foods I've been eating for good luck. For 2009, I vow not to eat black-eyed peas, cabbage, or pork on Jan. 1 and we'll see where that gets me.

I'll do my year in cities again. All the cities where I stayed at least one night in 2008:

Taipei, Taiwan
Hong Kong
Alamosa, CO
San Antonio, TX
New York, NY
Dallas, TX
and (drum roll) Lubbock, TX

You?

Serenity Now

I bit off more than I could chew this semester. Between the day job, piano lessons, schoolwork, library gig, and whatever other shenanigans I managed to find myself in, I couldn't find enough hours in the day to succeed at all of it.

My muse moved to New York and for me was reduced to a series of pixels and sound waves, which I found pretty devastating. At first, I thought the separation would give me the opportunity to rediscover my individual identity and interests - as one does after a breakup, but without the accompanying self-doubts and -loathing. That lasted for all of a week. I read a couple of books, went to restaurants by myself, did more homework than usual. I realized that my favorite hobby, the thing I looked forward to every week, was having a man to cook for, one with good taste at that. It might be terrible to admit that in this post-feminist era, but I'm an old-fashioned girl.

But we're all glad to know that Chet is doing well seeking his fortune. Perhaps he will be good enough to explain that filthy lucre in his hands. I guess playing the accordion in the subway station turned out to be a good gig after all.



The good news in the continuing saga of Kimberly is that I'm on the road to recovery. I have a lot to look forward to. This week I graduate from my Master's program and officially become an old-maid librarian. (If you know anyone who wants to make me an employed old-maid librarian, give me their contact info.) I'll have so much more free time now that I won't be spending my weeknights and weekends doing homework or avoiding it. I have a wedding cake to make, my first order: sour cream white cake, raspberry filling, and vanilla frosting. There is Festivus on December 23. Please RSVP for the Festivus celebrations at my house if you want to be included. I'll be getting the pole out of the crawlspace soon.

The Long Thanksgiving

My favorite holiday: Thanksgiving. This year our family is eating at Porter and Katie's new house. This seriously curbs my ability to browbeat everyone into doing what I want for the menu. My efforts to coordinate the menu via phone calls, e-mails, and Google Docs were completely ignored.

I talked to Mom last night on the phone about the pumpkin pie I'd already announced I would be bringing. Mom said that she had already made three pies - apple, pecan, and coconut meringue. Add a pumpkin pie to the mix and that's chaos, people.

I think people like me are the reason the holidays get ugly sometimes. Some idiot gets a plan in her head and gets very rabid if anyone varies from it. Control freaks like that tend to pout, cry, and act like martyrs at the table. "Well, I wanted to do the mashed potatoes LIKE I ALWAYS DO EVERY YEAR." Sniff sniff.

I'm in charge of the turkey, chimichurri sauce, roasted pears and salad, and the Sweet Potato Not Pie that I subbed for the pumpkin pie. This is the menu as far as I know it, but then again, who knows what I'll find when I show up for dinner?

Menu:
Roasted turkey with chimichurri sauce
Cornbread dressing
Mashed potatoes
Corn Rice Casserole
Roasted pears with blue cheese on salad greens
Cranberry salad
Sweet potato not pie
White rolls
Pecan pie
Apple pie
Coconut meringue pie


6:30pm update: We had a superb Thanksgiving dinner. Porter and Katie have a beautiful home and that newlywed glow that makes everything even better. The food was wonderful.

I was pleased with the turkey. I combined 3 minced garlic cloves, a couple teaspoons of lemon zest, the juice of a lime, 3 chopped jalapeños, and a handful of chopped cilantro. I spread this mixture under the skin of the turkey breast along with butter and a mix of cumin, ground coriander, kosher salt, and black pepper. Rubbed more butter, cumin, salt, and pepper on the skin. I think this method should be standard for Thanksgiving now. I do think, however, that I'll return to brown gravy. The chimichurri sauce was good, but last year I made the best gravy of my life, and I just can't move on. It'd be one thing if the whole menu were Southwestern or Latin, but you need gravy on top of cornbread dressing, and that's all there is to it.

That roasted pear salad was easy to make, and that was a nice presentation. I got the Sweet Potato Not Pie recipe from Casserole Crazy, a blog I could see myself falling for. I made the recipe as described in the video below (it's long, but hang in there), using habaneros and honey goat cheese. As you can see in the picture above, the melted goat cheese makes it look like the old standard sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top.

I think Bob Barr will win it all

(More Cake Wrecks)

Happy Election Day! I hope you have better luck than I did finding a candidate you like. I'm pretty sure the election is already decided. From Time:

"Though the Washington Redskins may not have the most stellar record in the NFL, when it comes to predicting presidential elections, they are practically undefeated. Since 1936, the superstition has held that if the Redskins won their last home game before the election, the incumbent party would stay in power. And that rule held until 2004, when both the Redskins and John Kerry lost.

In 2000, as Al Gore went up against George W. Bush, his Tennessee Titans were the last to play the Redskins at FedEx Field. Gore tempted fate by rooting for his home team, the Titans — who lost. Gore soon followed suit.

Winner of Nov. 3 matchup between the Redskins and the Pittsburgh Steelers:
Pittsburgh Steelers 23
Washington Redskins 6

Prediction according to the Redskins Rule: Obama"

Now hold on a minute! Hat tip to Auntie for cluing me in that the Family Circle Presidential Election Cookie Contest between the potential first spouses has correctly predicted the presidential winner in every election since 1992.

This year, Cindy McCain's oatmeal-butterscotch recipe received 54 percent of the readers' vote, to 44 percent for Michelle Obama’s shortbread cookies.

Sounds like a split decision. Whether you voted or not, do something that will actually make a difference: make some cookies.

---

Cindy McCain's Oatmeal-Butterscotch Cookies
Yields: 5 1/2 dozen cookies

ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 2/3 cups butterscotch chips

preparation

In a large bowl beat the butter or margarine, granulated sugar and brown sugar together. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating well. In a medium-size bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture; stir until blended. Stir in oats and butterscotch chips.

Drop by tablespoonfuls about two inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375ºF for 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

---

Michelle Obama's Shortbread Cookies
Yield: 6 dozen 2-inch by 3-inch cookies

ingredients

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons Amaretto (almond liqueur)
1 teaspoon each orange and lemon zest
3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg white
Chopped nuts or dried fruit (optional)

preparation

Heat oven to 325ºF. Line a 17- by 12- by 1-inch baking pan with nonstick foil.

In large bowl, cream together butter and 1 1/2 cups of the sugar. Slowly add egg yolks, and beat well until smooth. Beat in Amaretto and zest. Stir in flour and salt until combined.

Spread dough evenly into prepared pan, flattening as smoothly as possible. Brush top of dough with egg white; sprinkle with nuts or fruit (if using) and with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake for 25 minutes or until brown, turn off oven and allow cookies to sit in oven (with door ajar) for 15 minutes. Cut while slightly warm.

Kimberly is 26 and Freeeeee!

One of my favorite blogs is Cake Wrecks. Maybe because I've made more than my fair share of cake wrecks. Spotted this one a few weeks ago:



Wendy and Katie recreated it for my own recent 26th birthday:



And Marmee made my favorite birthday cake, the Chocolate Pumpkin Cake (recipe from Country Living).



It was a good birthday, perhaps as a result of low expectations. And Texas Tech beat Texas, so I got my birthday wish.

Honorable Mention

From haute cuisine to bourgeois fare, I implore you to check out this year's new food additions at the State Fair of Texas and this video with the winning entries.

My favorites:

• Chicken Fried Bacon – Thick and peppery Farm Pac® bacon is seasoned, double-dipped in a special batter and breading and deep-fried. Served with a creamy side of ranch or honey mustard sauce. (A judge in the video said, "I'm pretty sure this is the way God intended bacon to be eaten.")
  
  
  
• Fernie’s All-American Fried Grilled Cheese Sandwich – An American classic with a State Fair twist. Two slices of white bread filled with a blend of American and cheddar cheeses, dipped in an egg and milk batter and lightly coated with panko bread crumbs for extra crispness. Served with a side of shoestring potato sticks, a pickle spear and tomato soup dipping sauce.


• Texas Fried Jelly Belly Beans – Jelly Belly Beans are rolled in funnel cake batter and fried to a crunch. People can share the treat with friends and try to guess the flavors before biting down.


• Fried Chocolate Truffles – A silky-smooth, handmade, dark chocolate truffle is rolled in cocoa powder before being battered and deep-fried. The melting chocolate goodness is dusted in cinnamon, sugar and cocoa powder. (Now why would you go to the trouble of shaping a handmade truffle if you're going to fry it?!?)
  
  

Be still, my beating heart, indeed. What are your favorites from the list?

The South Plains Fair has nothing on the food court at the state fair. Speaking of the fair, I got my blue ribbons and prize money in the mail yesterday. Two checks totaling $16.75 for my cake and cookies. That should cover the cost of the ingredients. Oh! Guess whom I saw at United last night on a midnight grocery run? Stocker/Stalker Boy. I returned his hello and quickened my shopping pace.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

I read My Life in France over the last couple of weeks and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was a little sad to finish it. No more foodie adventures with Julia Child. The book mainly covers her first years living in Paris, where she began her culinary training and started writing Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The audio book is great, too, for picking up correct French pronunciations.

I remember in 1996, my family got a new PC (with Windows 95 and everything). It came with a hodgepodge collection of software, things like Grolier's Encyclopedia, a golf game, and Microsoft Bob. One of the included CDs was "Julia Child: Home Cooking with Master Chefs." I remember being very excited, since I was a budding cook, and had already gotten a bit of a reputation for making good desserts. I knew this would be a wonderful resource, and it was on the computer, too! What a disappointment it was, however, to find that the recipes on the CD were for traditional French entrées and other very snobby gourmet foods. Roasting a whole chicken did not much appeal to a teenage girl more accustomed to Taste of Home recipes with five ingredients, one of which was always chocolate and another peanut butter. Not much has changed on that front either.

Thus concluded my experience with Julia Child. Until now, that is. I love the enthusiasm she had for cooking and food. I love one story Julia tells about getting too self-confident while she was in cooking school. She served the most terrible meal "one could imagine outside of England." But she made sure not to apologize for it. She writes:

I don't believe in twisting yourself into knots of excuses and explanations over the food you make. When one's hostess starts in with self-deprecations such as "Oh, I don't know how to cook...," or "Poor little me...," or "This may taste awful...," it is so dreadful to have to reassure her that everything is delicious and fine, whether it is or not. Besides, such admissions only draw attention to one's shortcomings (or self-perceived shortcomings), and make the other person think, "Yes, you're right, this really is an awful meal!" Maybe the cat has fallen into the stew, or the lettuce has frozen, or the cake has collapsed - eh bien, tant pis!

Usually one's cooking is better than one thinks it is. And if the food is truly vile, as my ersatz eggs Florentine were, then the cook must simply grit her teeth and bear it with a smile - and learn from her mistakes. (p. 71)

While reading this book, I got an intense craving for French food. I quelled the cravings somewhat by eating dinner at Cafe J. I had pan seared duck breast with béarnaise, sweet potatoes, and spinach. It was a beautiful presentation and very delicious. I thought as I ate the spinach that I should take some back to the workplace cafeteria. "You see, this is what cooked spinach should be! See how it is still bright green. See that it still has some shape and some bite to it. It's also seasoned!" For dessert, I had a crepe filled with vanilla ice cream surrounded by raspberry sauce and topped with whipped cream, fruit, and almonds. I'm making plans to reserve a table for me and my book at the reliable Frenchman Inn here in town. Very spinster librarian of me. Also making plans to try some classic French recipes, perhaps coq au vin to start. I like this quote by Julia's instructor, Chef Bugnard at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school:

"You never forget a beautiful thing that you have made. Even after you eat it, it stays with you - always."

Adiós Amigo

I'm sure you're all waiting to hear what I made for dinner last Friday, the Last Supper, or as I started calling it, the Adiós Amigo Menu:

Spiced pecans with rum glaze
Mexican shrimp martini
Rib-eye steak with red chile onion rings
Fiery corn salsa
Bananas Foster with vanilla bean ice cream


I decided to go with a Tex-Mex theme, with pecans, steak, and onion rings to contribute the "Tex." I kicked up the spice level of the salsas by adding habaneros. It was the first time I've tried to do bananas foster, and it was mediocre. Next time, I'll use more brown sugar, add banana liqueur, not overcook the bananas to mush, and try using a smaller pan to get a bigger flambé.

I couldn't help but feel especially sorry for myself on Monday afternoon. I had spent my lunch time researching fun cafes and restaurants in Brooklyn, whilst eating a tray of cafeteria slop: King Ranch chicken casserole, fiesta corn, and spinach. First off, why is there such a thing as King Ranch chicken casserole? Dad rightly notes that the King Ranch was a cattle ranch. This one was a little too heavy on the full sodium condensed soups. I tried mixing in the generic frozen corn and the soggy spinach that had all of its brightness cooked out of it. Even Tabasco didn't help much.

But that's the end of that. I have a few party menus in mind. I definitely think it's time for another dessert party. And there are dozens of spooky Halloween treats I want to make. I'm really channeling Martha Stewart this year.

Chet dies after eating 'superhot' chilli for bet

Oh wait! It says 'chef.' Thank goodness. Cause that superhot chilli really sounds like something he'd be into. What am I saying? It sounds like something I'd be into.

I tried a Chuao Spicy Maya Bar for the first time. It's my new favorite chile chocolate bar. Dark chocolate with "a hint of Pasilla chile, cayenne Pepper and cinnamon." Dark chocolate has antioxidants, so it's just for my health. Remember, though, don't drink milk with dark chocolate. The milk wipes out antioxidant absorption.

Why spicy foods are good for you

Starting yesterday, Chet and I are celebrating our one year anniversary week - a year since we met, since our first date...

Our friends John and Sarah introduced us. Sarah called to invite me over for dinner and a game night. She said that they were inviting another guy over to make four people, an even number for playing games. Not to worry, because "It's not a setup!" A couple of days after I accepted the invite, she left me a voicemail message saying, "I was thinking, 'Why not Kimberly and Chet?' So keep it in mind. Call me and I'll tell you about him if you want." Very sneaky.

On the night of our first date, the Friday after the setup, Chet came to pick me up and brought me flowers. I was nervous. "Don't drop the flowers," I told myself. It would be just like me to drop the flowers and accidentally step on them or something clumsy like that. "Fill the vase. Add the flower food. Breathe in. Breathe out. Smile."

We went to Manna for dinner and hit a couple of sites on the Friday Art Trail. We went to La Diosa for cheesecake afterward. We sat by a table with a lot of other people because it was crowded. We were sitting between them and the band. They didn't even pretend to watch the band; they just stared at us the whole time. They had imbibed enough to lose their inhibitions, so they asked Chet and me if we were on a date. "You two haven't stopped talking," and "You must be on a date because you're sharing that slice of cheesecake. If you were together, you'd each get your own." We told them it was our first date, and they secretly ordered champagne for us.

The waitress set glasses in front of us and started pouring. I tried to tell them we weren't drinking, but the band was too loud. So they just stared even more and wondered why we didn't drink the champagne. Then they started telling us we had something special and toasting us, “To first dates!”

They started asking us all kinds of questions about how we met and saying Chet and I seemed like we had a lot in common. At that point, it felt like I was on a reality TV show, what with all the staring and unsolicited feedback from the judges. Every time I smiled at Chet or laughed at his jokes, I felt their eyes on me and imagined them thinking, "Oh my gosh, look at her grin at that guy. She's got it bad." I leaned in and whispered to Chet that we should go. We picked up Shaun of the Dead at his house since I had never seen it and watched that. It's just been a whirlwind romance ever since, yes, just a whirl of wind.

Tonight, I'm planning the menu for our anniversary dinner. Meh, he's moving, make that the Last Supper. Maybe something spicy? As for outings, these are the kind of Friday selections one finds around town:

Friday Ladies' Bible Study
NAMI's Mental Health Recovery Support Group

I'm not sure what happened to the no gifts agreement. Chet gave me a MacBook last night. (Unless you are a burglar, in which case he gave me a used VCR and a knife set.) Trying out Photo Booth...

Lots to Love

This weekend I'm pretty much having a nervous breakdown due to worry about my comprehensive exam essays which are due on Tuesday and my Chet who's moving in not weeks, but days now. He's trying to make it up to me with homemade cinnamon rolls. I think I'll let him.



The first time Chet and I talked on the phone after we met, he told me that he made really great bread and cinnamon rolls. I remember that conversation. He said that he was an aficionado of baked goods. I was cheering inwardly, glad that he wasn't one of those guys that doesn't like sweets, and thinking I could win him over with my desserts. Well, his cinnamon rolls can definitely stand on their own. They're out of my league.

He also let me borrow The Office, Spaced (five years, eight months, and three days!), and 30 Rock DVDs. I want to be Tina Fey when I grow up. Sigh. Back to work.