dinner for 30: lovely.
pasta with a zesty red sauce and a creamy spinach sauce.
best compliment: "She put her foot in this"
translation: originates from the South, meaning you put your soul (sole) into it.
sweet.

this dude is applying to import a special breed of pig into the States so he can have the right kind of bacon for his cooking. that's hard core, man.

my own cooking/baking wishlist looks meager compared to such passion...

last night we had hand rolls for dinner.
not bad, considering the sparse resources.
the work is beginning to move from a slow trickle into a large downpour.

this makes me discouragingly grumpy and snippy.
therefore, aside from the need to share good food, i'll not share the despair.

perhaps it won't be as bad as anticipated...
after all, i'm planning a menu for 30 on Saturday.

we watched the interview with mel gibson and diane sawyer on Primetime last night.

it was surprising, bold, guarded, and challenging.

I wonder if people will want to own this movie

do not bake pecan pies at 325.
350 is the recommended temp

though if you did bake a pecan pie at 325
you can remedy the situation by "re-baking" it at 375 for about 15-20 minutes.

pecan pie is extraordinarily sweet.

it's time for another New England circuit.
well, technically, mostly Boston.

chili...excellent. who knew it was so easy. we will have to make it more often. i'll have to try throwing in tofu next time. and more hot peppers.

to taste...pecan pie with filling from Williams-Sonoma. so we soak the jar in hot water to loosen up the filling, except the paper tears and we are perplexed as to the recommended temperature at which to bake this pie. good thing we can see the numbers...165 F. good thing our house is stocked with cookbooks. good thing the Essential Vegetarian Cookbook has conversions in the back cover. good thing we are so smart from all the college edumacation that we noticed that the top of the paragraph began...Preheat oven to 325 C (165 F)

Dude...so smart. SMRT.

our class is about occupational and environmental health.
our teacher tells us about cooking and baking.

cooking appeals to the artistic side.
baking appeals to the scientific side.

this weekend, i baked baguettes.
instead of an apron, i should don a lab coat.
except that i own neither.

The baguettes turned out GREAT...

2.5 cups of flour.
1 cup of warm water
1 pkg of active dry yeat
dash of salt.

and you're pretty much good to go.
tonight's menu: chili

food is love...

the New England circuit proved this statement over and over again.
Highlights:

PB and J sandwich with lemon ginger tea and cookies and grapes.
new flavor of ice cream at Friendly's: Hazel and Joe: coffee ice cream with espresso chips.
Thai Cape: seafood and vegetables over rice. spicy is the ONLY way to go. and vegetable tempura to swoon over
tortellini with alfredo sauce and garlic bread and some SMOOTH cabernet.
pancakes a la naked chef recipe with berries
dunkin' donuts munchkins...every flavor to try again and again.
homebaked desserts...flan, pumpkin whoopie pies, and an excellent oatmeal cookie
ICE CREAM...
asiago parmesan bagel, toasted...
guacomole, multi-layered dip, and cheesy bruchetta
poula rolls
black bean burgers with oven-baked fries and a chocolate peanut butter pie
some REALLY awesome hummus
a square of dark chocolate with nuts
soup with fresh baked bread and cookies

finally, back home to sauteed squash, cornbread, and apple pizza.

DUDE...if only the next trip will hold as much promise...and calories, of course.