We found that Krispy Kreme doughnuts don't work in this recipe; they produce a very greasy pancake.**

Yesterday morning, inspired by stories of his step-grandfather's breakfast preparations, Kenneth fried a Krispy Kreme doughnut in butter for breakfast. I wasn't fast enough to snap a picture.

**from "Doughnut Pancakes with Strawberry-Coffee Sauce," Gourmet (October 2006): 87. [Soon to be available on epicurious.com, I'm sure.]

Post-traumatic Disorder

Yesterday, I was called "twat" and "dick" by a hostel guest whose stay I terminated. I intended this post to be a sympathy gatherer: the event was rather traumatic. However, noting the juxtaposition of these terms on the page-- their concomitance generally representing felicitous circumstances-- I can't help but scratch my head and chuckle.

Head Line

Cleaning up the clutter in my dining-room office as I attempt to re-purpose the space back into a dining room, I uncovered this scrap of newspaper, cut out from the front page in early summer. This post is dedicated, with love, to Bradford.

Colorful French Fries

Read in Newly Printed Matter While Kicking Back at Home

"At the gym or kicking back at home, nothing says relax like the soft touch of velour."

Ongoing Exploration of Mexican Cooking

Diana Kennedy introduced me to the world of amazingly flavorful tomato broths. For the above dish, Albóndigas de Camarones (shrimp balls or shrimp dumplings), tomatoes with garlic and onion are sautéed to a paste and then water and aromatics (peppercorns and whole coriander) are added and simmered. The dumplings are raw shrimp whirled together with a moistened ancho chile, and freshly ground cinnamon, peppercorns, and coriander. They're cooked in the broth. The recipe calls for potatoes, nopales, and chayote. In the past I skipped the nopales and used zucchini in lieu of chayote. Weirdly, I wasn't able to find zucchini at the co-op the other day, so I sub-substituted broccoli, which worked well.



I also made mushroom tacos (tacos de hongos). So simple, delicious, and filling. The taco on the left contains avocado because I ran out of mushroom filling yet wanted to keep practicing my frying technique. Kennedy demonstrates how to roll tacos for frying, but currently we don't keep the necessary toothpicks on hand. I've also yet to make my own tortillas (anyone want to buy me a tortilla press?) so I must manage with locally-made store-bought fare.

"One Spoonful more of Greens, my Dear,/ Eat freely, Love, and never fear..."

-Ned Ward, Dialogue V, Between a melancholy fanciful Gentleman and his merry bantering wife, from Nuptial Dialogues and Debates (1723)

Mixed microgreens: a whole garden in miniature on one plate and in one bite. They're a little too intense for Kenneth and a little too expensive for my budget. But, I needed a treat a couple of nights ago when I was dining at home alone. So the little plastic box of microgreens went into the grocery basket and home with me.



Every time I ate them I took a picture. They're so exuberant.



They were best in a lunch salad, topped with heirloom tomatoes, left-over salt and pepper shrimp, and a simple vinaigrette.



Kenneth may not like microgreens, but he looooves salt and pepper shrimp. He calls it (to my giddy delight) "America's new favorite."

Today's Timecard

• 7:10 am Making Mango-Peach-Lime Smoothie
  

• 7:30 am Preparing for class on Fishman's "Becoming Literate: Some Lessons from the Amish" and Danet's "'Feeling Spiffy': The Changing Language of Public Email"

• 8:50 am Teaching class

• 10:50 am Completing responses to papers and emails to students

• 12:10 pm Organizing new office in Madison Hostel

• 1:30 pm Eating sandwich of almond butter and elderberry jam
  

• 3:15 pm Moving furniture, books, shelf, etc. from home and into new office (3rd fl.)
  

• 4:15 pm Scrubbing musty carpet and chair previously stored in home basement

• 5:00 pm Manning the front desk at Madison Hostel

• 6:50 pm Eating split pea pasta salad and tabouleh, both from Willy St. Co-op

• 7:30 pm Eating raw carrot
  

• 10:30 pm Locking up the hostel

• 11:00 pm Watching Seinfeld and eating Fig Newmans

• 11:50 pm Sudoku-ing in bed
  

Cleaning a rusty cast-iron skillet in Coca-cola

I remember Joe Brainard...

Fuckin' Joe Brainard:

Most artists are very straight, straight in their seriousness and in what they are trying to do. I think I’m a lot more sensual, a lot more ga-ga than that….

ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga: so hot in so many ways.

Recent Focaccia

Gentle, expectant readers, lest you think I've fallen off the planet... here's the focaccia I prepared for a Labor Day cookout.



This one-- topped with black pepper, strawberries soaked in balsamic vinegar, and (after I snapped the pic) basil chiffonade-- is the most exciting to look at. I need to tweak the recipe (and use better, sweeter strawberries).

The more traditional ones-- potato with rosemary AND gorgonzola with walnut & onion-- were by far the most successful and tastiest.

Just when you think you've got a hold...

Ugh, I'm so sick of seeing Laura Bennett at the top of my blog. BUT, I'm in the throes of preparing for the composition class I'll teach this semester. So, until I get a holt of my class, my life, my blog, and so forth, look at this. I could watch it for hours...