Skip to main content

So I didn't get a Puppy

I was hoping for a Mastiff Puppy for Christmas from Santa, but alas he let me down. He claims it's still coming (actually we are hoping to adopt an adult Mastiff). But Santa did come through. He got me a Sous Vide.

This has made me realize that I have crossed a line here. I'm no longer just a foodie; I'm a serious foodie.  Making my own butter, pasta, and cream cheese, nor the amount of kitchen supplies I own,  convinced me of this but for some reason, the Sous Vide convinced me.

I think I might be totally out of hand here. I don't want to be one of those hipsters who think they're cool because they are into artisan stuff (insert eye rolls here from daughters - "Mom you will never be cool") and make everything from scratch. I just think it is the science of it all that interests me. How does all this stuff meld together? How is it made? Why do the components go together like this or why don't they? My Mom always tells me I'm crazy for going to so much trouble (from the women who has never eaten Ragu), but I think this is the way that I relax - I cook (OK sometimes when things aren't going quite right, it might not exactly be relaxing and there might be a little cursing going on).

It's also about the taste. I am so snobbish now. If something doesn't taste good, I'm just not going to bother to eat it. I can't stand all that processed food. It just has no taste. Well it does but it's just salt and sugar. And while I don't necessarily have anything against salt and sugar, I do have something against that being the only flavor.

The end of the year or beginning of the new year is always a time of reflection. So I guess I've reflected and found that there's no way around it...I'm a serious foodie.

Look out because Santa also brought me a blow torch. Now if I don't burn the house down, you might see a posting or two for creme brulee. This is very strange because the Sous Chef's favorite dessert is creme brulee - NAH - just a coincidence I'm sure.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

New Kid on the Block

So here's a picture of the new kid on the block. Ain't she a beauty? It's a Blomberg . They are fairly new to the US. They have been around in Europe for quite a while. I really liked the design. I've been dying to have a freezer on the bottom. With the old refrigerator I would constantly lose brain cells by hitting my head on the freezer will poking around in the refrigerator. It really makes sense to have the refrigerator on top - that is where you spend most of your time. When we bought the old one, it was an emergency situation. The prior one was leaking on the floor and was no longer cooling. Fifteen years ago the freezer on the bottom was just starting to get popular but we were in no situation to wait for delivery. We had to take what they had on hand. Now the freezer on the bottom is by no means unique. What is - is this freezer's design. There are 3 compartments in the freezer. I used to have a chest freezer in the basement and everything would get los

Denver Eats

I had never been to Denver or Colorado for that matter and was quite excited to go. It was really beautiful. I cut out of a few of the conference sessions and went to the Amphitheater at Red Rocks. It was really cool.  They had a listing of all the bands that played there. What was I doing in 1984 that I missed the Clash??! The restaurants were really great. Larimer Street had lots to offer. and it looked pretty too  First I went to Rioja . I had a tough time deciding what to have. I opted for the Octopus Farfalle in an appetizer portion. I was glad that I did. It was a tad bit spicy and we all know what I baby I am when it comes to heat. Then I had the Scallops as a main course. It came with eggplant spanakopita. It was quite good. Sorry no pics, I was busy eating.  For dessert, I had the variations of chocolate, which was beautiful as well as delicious. I at least took a picture of that. We were also treated to a mini beignet. I have to say it was better than the one that

Project Cassoulet - Pork Ragu

Plucking the bay leaf out of the Ragu Step 3: Pork Ragu. I couldn't decide which pot to use for this, but decided it was probably best to use the Dutch oven (not THE Dutch oven). You needed to add the beans to the pork ragu afterwards, so I thought it best to use a big pot. However, before assembling the cassoulet, you need to bring the pork ragu back up to a simmer. I thought it best to store it in the pot (one less container to clean). Thankfully the pot fit in the refrigerator. This was not that complicated. Brown the pork, add the remaining ingredients, and cook until tender, skimming the fat every once in a while. Once it was done, I added the beans.  Since the beans were made the day before and chilled, this helped cool the ragu down a bit as well. Next time, I think cooking the beans and the ragu on the same day would be doable. Beans added and ready to chill