it was a long week

Hi folks.

Sorry for the lack of blog fodder last week. It was a hectic and tough week, and all the extras (like, bloggin') had to fall to the wayside. I got a very sad fatal diagnosis for my car--which just totally blows 'cause I'm not sure how it's all going to shake out, but it could be that I'll be car-less for a while. On the upside, it's winter, and my mental bumper sticker reads: "I'd rather be hibernating!". So, I may not have much choice. Eh.

This also means that I won't be traveling for Thanksgiving. I'm sad to miss cooking with my mom and seeing my nieces and nephew. But, I'll have it all figured out by xmas (right?!?), so I'll see them then. Savanah (my favorite!) is really bummed. She said that she made me a "special Christmas centerpiece for your table, and you need to have it before then so you can enjoy this whole time!". It was so weird when she told me that. She's five. And, obviously has been possessed by my mother.

the good news, however, is that I'm going to have Thanksgiving with some friends, and Leslie is going to be cooking up a storm. And, she's an incredible cook. I'm looking forward to it. I'm going to make those roasted brussels sprouts with cranberry brown butter I posted about a few weeks ago. Yum!

In other news, it was an action-packed week. On Wednesday I took in a show at the Warhol. My Brightest Diamond features one of my favorite peeps, bdub, on the skins. I hadn't listened to much of them before then, but they're really great. Shara, the gal behind My Brightest Diamond, has a truly gorgeous voice. Operatic, even. I went with my pal Tracey, and we'd tentatively plan to scoot out early since we were both feeling kind of exhausted, but it was too good to skip out. Good stuff. And, she's in Sufjan Stevens' band, and I LOVE SUFJAN!

On Thursday I went to the (not safe for workplace clickin'!) Girls Night In going-outta-business sale at Amani. I got some good stuff for not much scratch, and even won a special treat from the raffle! I hear that Karen still has stock to liquidate, so give her a holler!

The weekend was pretty quiet. I met up with the E-dawg parade for lunch at People's on Saturday. I'd also planned to hit up the E. Liberty farmers market, but didn't realize they closed at noon. That's okay, next week. The rest of the city farmers markets ended last week, but this one is indoor and stays open all year! I haven't been there yet. I can't wait to check it out. I was lamenting the long winter with no CSA and no farmers market, but it's gonna be okay. Also, the folks that run the CSA I subscribe to are having winter boxes. You can get on their email list here. The way it works is that they send out an email each week, and you choose whether to opt in that week (and get your delivery location). And, of course, the co-op will be there to supplement everything else.

Okay. It's Monday, and I actually don't even mind. I had a restful weekend, and it's a short week. (Work usually lets us out by 3:00 p.m. the day before a holiday, too!) Good times.

my first review!

I was sort of at a loss about what to blog about today, and then Ellen mentioned our friend Jess's review. I dropped off a couple pieces of the onion-potato-mushroom tart to her last month when she was moving in, and asked her to let me know what she thought. She was busy with the moving and a new ladyfriend and such, but just gave me her review (and posted it to her myspace blog) a couple days ago, and it is awesome! She is now elevated to my number one taster. I'm trying to talk her into meeting up with me tomorrow so I can foist off some more food on her in exchange for an honest and eloquent review. Maggie always says "will work for praise". I will work for honest assessments (even if they're not praise).

In other news, I'm working a bartering agreement this weekend with my friend Karen. She owns Girls Night In (note: that may not be safe for a worktime clickin'). I'll let you draw your own conclusions about the nature of the exchange.

Take note, peeps. I am open for bartering suggestions! I love the barter system!

Sunday, July 29, 2007


Virgin Food Review
Current mood: sleepy
Category: Food and Restaurants

Mini Disclaimer: This piece wasn't meant to be shared originally. It's just that with moving, and house improvements, and family visits, and friend visits, and interstate traveling, and goodbyes, and work, and extra work, it's the only thing I've completed for a hot minute.

All content is in reference to this dish, created and delivered by Ehrrin.

First off, let me say that having Ehrrin hand deliver some good eatin' at the very moment you can't take your overheated, overworked, moving-day starvation any longer is just about the best thing that could possibly happen. Kind of like eating Reese's cups til you just about can't breathe and then drinking super-cold 2% milk. Right-oh.

So, second off, upon peeling back the tinfoil, I had the three-fold delight of being struck by the visual and olfactory yumminess of my tart gift as well as the presence of not one but two slices of tarty goodness. When I asked for heating instructions, Ehrrin told me hot or cold, either way. She did not, however, comment on lukewarm-tart consumption, and this is where I feel I flubbed. Lacking new-house resources and the patience to figure out the settings on my (despised) electric stove, I ate this tart kind of warm on the outside and not at all warm on the inside. This heating method is not recommended.

Now, assuming you've chosen a temperature suited to your taste, these elements should be consistent. While appearing omelet-breakfasty, the modified Onion Tarte Lyonnaise provides a dining experience suitable for any time of day. Granted, I was surprised to find the recipe was for an onion tarte, as the mushrooms stole the show. That said, I approve of the mushroom-off combination of shitakes and criminis. While I didn't share in the experience of the just-shitake dish, I found the mushrooms to be sliced just right and full of flavor. Each bite was rounded off with just a hint of onion flavor that was unexpected and understated and therefore especially bonus. The egg really just provided a medium for the savoring.

The addition of potatoes allowed this dish to stand alone as a hearty meal. The combination of potatoes with crust, however, did make it all a bit starchy. All these elements culminated in a flavorfully complex, if texturally unbalanced, culinary experience.

The future-tart plans of more-cooked potatoes and cheese inclusion, however, may just result in the perfection of a good recipe. The mingling of gruyere with the distinct mushroom and onion flavors might be just this side of too much yum to handle, and all this while maintaining the presence of potatoes minus the overt carb-loaded-ness would make for a one-stop spot-hitter to stand in line for.