Random Ramblings

I took Stanley to the airport at 4am on Wednesday and have been recovering ever since... It was a really fantastic visit, during which we managed to break our all-time record of Consecutive Days Spent Together Without Driving One Another Crazy, but an introvert like me needs a good chunk of alone-time to recover after 3 weeks of being around people (even awesome people) all the time. Due to budget considerations, it was a pretty chill visit... Lots of sitting on the patio with a glass of scotch discussing politics and the world... a bit of me kicking Stanley's ass at Bananagrams (an awesome game Lisa and Will introduced me to)... a trip out to Cape Ann for some chowder and gorgeous views... and, of course some yummy home cooking. It had been too long since I'd had quality time with my brother, though, so I'll take a good discussion with Stanley while sipping scotch on the porch over hectic activities any day... Here are a few pictures from Cape Ann. It was an absolutely gorgeous fall day, and the water was ridiculously blue.

Everyday Yumminess: Fresh Flour Tortillas

I've always felt like somewhat of a failure due to the fact that I could only make fresh corn tortillas, not fresh flour tortillas. Granted, I had never tried to make flour tortillas, but the prospect seemed intimidating for some reason. When I made my awesome carnitas, though, I came to realize that I needed to add flour-tortilla-making to my skill set. Thus, I turned to my friend J (and through her to her awesome mom, whose kick-ass horchata recipe I had already fallen in love with) for help finding the best recipe to start with.

Everyday Yumminess: Perfect Margaritas

As part of a Mexican feast last weekend, Stanley and I took it upon ourselves to make the perfect margarita, and we succeeded quite impressively (if I do say so myself)...

Cookbook Adventures: World's Greatest Hamburgers

Stanley is staying with me for a few weeks, and I thought it was a great opportunity to make a recipe that's been calling to me for a while: Thomas Keller's perfect hamburgers from the Ad Hoc at Home Cookbook.

An Interesting (and Delicious) Scotch-Pairing Dinner

I headed over to Gordon's with Joe on Thursday to check out their Compass Box Whiskey-Pairing Dinner.

Another Great Show...

On Thursday night, Stanley and I hit the Royale Nightclub in Boston for an awesome show from The Walkmen. AA Bondy were the main opening act and were pretty kick-ass, but The Walkmen were fan-freaking-tastic.

My Kick-Ass Week in California

I can't believe it's already Thursday and I'm just now sitting down to post about the fantastic time I had in California with some of my very favorite people last week. Here's a quick (though somehow incredibly long) run-down including the good, the bad, and lots of awesome food and wine...

Dinner at The French Laundry

As part of a reunion vacation with Steph, Jenn, and Mel, we headed over to The French Laundry on Monday night for the meal of a lifetime...

Blog Note

Just wanted to post a quick note that the blog won't be regressing into a Bucs & Bunnies theme, even though that is not at all obvious from the last 3 posts... I was planning to cook something awesome from one of my favorite cookbooks last Saturday, but I was still recovering from food poisoning (from Oklahoma of all places... sigh...) when I did my grocery shopping and I was having a hard time finding anything remotely appetizing. I'm doing much better now, and will soon be hanging out with friends in California, which (knowing these friends) will include fun times in the kitchen, great food, and great wine... and on Monday it will also include dinner at The French Laundry. (Woot!)

Sunday Cookbook Adventures: Peas and Carrots

The NFL season (finally) starts next week, which means I will no longer have Sundays to putz around in the kitchen. I'll still try to do some crazy stuff on Saturdays, but these recipes that take two days aren't going to be happening. In honor of my last free weekend, I decided to turn to the French Laundry Cookbook and try Thomas Keller's spectacular recipe for a dish that he playfully refers to as "Peas and Carrots."

For those of you who don't have the book, the peas in "Peas and Carrots" are represented by a pea shoot salad that finishes the dish... The carrot appears in a ginger-carrot emulsion that is so delicious it almost makes you weep... Finally, the garnish to your peas and your carrots is a savory crepe stuffed with perfectly seasoned lobster. I don't have words for how amazing this dish was.