Girl's Trip to Paris!

I am very excited, as I will be in Paris next week to celebrate a girlfriend's significant birthday.  There will be quite a group of us and we are planning all sorts of fabulous things to do.  My Aussie husband is excited too, because he gets to stay home and do guy stuff while I am gone.
We will see who has more fun! 

It is all in the Presentation

They say people eat with their eyes first, so how you present a dish is every bit as important as what you put into it. We see it all the time in all the cooking shows we watch.  I'm not sure I completely buy into that, but I can attest to the fact that the appearance of a dish is directly related to my anticipation level for eating it. When we have our TFS dinners, everyone always looks forward to CB's dishes because they are always presented so beautifully.  Mine on the other hand, are merely functional.  I have been trying to step it up in recent months, studying plates at restaurants carefully to see how they are constructed.  I now have a collection of pictures of them, taken before anyone is allowed to touch their meals.   I even practice when it is just my Aussie husband that I am serving to. 
It is bordering on an obsession.
I have also decided that food can't possibly be presented correctly on our existing dinner plates - oh no.  We need special plates, plates of different shapes and sizes so that I have options when creating my masterpieces.  (well, masterpieces might be a strong term for them - now)  My Aussie husband thinks I need to calm down.  I think I need to buy more rectangular plates.  Doesn't the food look impressive served on them?

Side note- thank you for your patience while I learn how to navigate around our new Win8 laptop.  Apparently I can still learn new tricks, although it takes a lot longer...

Seven Deadly Meals in One Weekend

Do I like to cook? Yes! Do I like to eat? YES! Do I like to spend time with other people who like to cook and eat?  Of course I do.  And that is why my Aussie husband and I spent a long weekend away recently, with a dozen other like-minded people, in a rented house chosen for just such a purpose.  It was in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to do except cook, eat, drink, repeat.
We actually had a theme for our meals - "The Seven Deadly Sins" - and everyone did their best to represent Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Wrath.  We ALL exhibited Greed, then Sloth after each meal.  It was a very extravagant weekend, with food such as Beef Wellington,  foie gras, and caviar on tiny little quail eggs.

And of course, desserts.  We had beautiful chocolate-dipped strawberries, an insanely rich and delicious 2-tiered chocolate mouse with a perfect meringue on the side.  And Port and Sherry and Madeira to drink with those lovely desserts.

We are already planning next year's weekend!

Treasured Items

Well that last post was a little lacking, I think.  I didn't even try to convey the excitement of being a part of the whole Olympic experience, the excitement of seeing the best in the world compete, the excitement of scoring a pair of the Team Canada mittens that were the must-have, absolutely HOT item!  All it took was one wave of an athlete's hand during the televised Opening Ceremony, and all of North America wanted The Mittens.  We arrived in Vancouver in the afternoon and headed for Robson Square, where there was all kinds of entertainment, all day, every day.  We were watching an interview of a downhill ski racer on the big screens when I noticed that the woman next to me had the coveted items.  I very quietly leaned over and asked where she got them.  In an even quieter voice, she said "the 5th floor" and pointed at the big department store 2 blocks away.  "Go straight past the Olympic display on the 1st floor and take the elevator.  They are back in the corner of the 5th floor."  I felt like I was some kind of operative, receiving clandestine information.  We slipped away, followed her directions and were rewarded.  Ta-Da!

Going for the Gold

So this past week I have been glued to the TV, watching the Olympics.  I love the winter games – the skating, the hockey, the insane ski cross, and the curling.  I am crazy about curling!  It is like shuffleboard but with a 40 lb stone.  We were introduced to Olympic curling 4 years ago at the Vancouver games and I have been looking forward to watching it in Sochi.  We tune in to the Canadian station to get better coverage, as I’m not sure the US really knows anything about the sport.  CBC on the other hand, gives us exhaustive reporting of every throw and zeros in on the frantic sweepers.   It may not look like much on the screen but live, it is quite exciting.  We also went back to Vancouver to watch curling in the Paralympics and were astounded at the athleticism demonstrated by the wheelchair-bound curlers.  I hope they televise the Paralympics from Sochi too.

 

Gizzards - Not Just for Gravy Anymore

We have lately been seeing gizzards pop up on local menus, in various preparations and mostly as appetizers.  I am betting that they are the new darling of the trendy, more avant-garde chefs.   

We have had fried chicken gizzards with a Creole honey  mustard,  duck gizzard meatballs, and my favorite, gizzard confit.   This is my favorite because it reminds me of the absolutely stunning salads we had in France, in the ducky region of the Perigord.  They have elevated gizzards to a high art form by cooking them in duck fat until they are unbearably tender, and serving them on a salad with a slab of foie gras.  The pictures never do the food justice…

Update - we have just had what may be the best preparation yet - confit duck gizzards cooked in a ragu, served with seared duck breast.  Totally awesome!

Australia Day

My Aussie husband thinks we should celebrate Australia Day today, even though the day is technically almost over in the actual country.  Who am I to argue?  We might have to adjust the activities slightly, as they usually involve going to the beach or gathering outside at someone’s pool.  It has been unseasonably warm and sunny in Seattle this weekend, but still not quite beach weather.  We will get together with friends and eat and drink, but there will sadly be no pool time like his relatives had for their day!