Ahh my resolution is in full force. Instead of going down and getting my usual 3 hard boiled eggs to make an egg salad sandwich for breakfast, I brought to work with me some dried fruit. They don't make just regular dried fruit anymore. Americans don't want to eat anything that doesn't have added flavor or sweetness. I got dried cranberries with cherry flavor added (which rock, I must say...new fave snack) and "dried plums" with orange essence. There was a time when dried plums were called prunes and only your gramma ate them to "stay regular" but now that's all changed and they are dried plums. I had never tried them before because of the whole gramma thing but they are actually pretty good, even without the orange flavor. Kind of like a huge raisin. So that's my first step in eating healthier. I feel full and I have only had a few handfuls of Craisins (the dried cranberries) and 5 'plums' (I had better stop at that or i'll be running to the bano every 5 minutes...). I also am keeping up with the water. I don't drink anywhere near the galloin that is recommended per day...
This morning my car doors and windows were frozen shut. It looked as if my car had been hosed down with water and put into a freezer. I'm not sure what the low was last night but I wish if it was going to get that cold, it would snow or something to make things pretty. As it is there's ice everywhere and it makes things very inconvenient (geez listen to me whine...)
The dinner making last night went ok, although I guess I failed to look closely at the amount of time it would take to make the meal. It took 2 and a half hours for me to make dinner and a dessert that I thought looked easy enough, but was infact rather messy. When it was finished the risotto was a very good texture...i didn't put too much cheese in it this time...and it tasted ok. I think it needed more salt or pepper or something...it was a bit on the sweet side. The thing I didn't like were the seeds that were supposed to be roasted along with the squash and the chestnuts (which turned out to be inedible...lest I break a tooth or something). The seeds came out ok but the shells were a bit tough to chew. I think I may leave them out if I ever make this again. Also figure out a different way to get the chestnuts. I am not sure what I did wrong but something tells me that I wasn't supposed to use raw chestnuts... oh well. I do like risotto though. I just need to find one that I like. The last one I made had too much cheese...this one...was ok. I'm not all that keen on the mixture of flavors, but that's probably because I did it wrong. I'll try it again tonight and see if I like it any better.
The dessert I made was panna cotta. The recipe was from (you guessed it) ole JO. The store was out of pomegranate (which are very good to eat plain) so I just left them out as I couldn't find grappa either. I'm not sure where I went wrong with this, the flavor was good, but the texture seemed off. It kind of felt like jello and custard? I'm sure there was something wrong with my technique.
I was very happy to be able to use my new pots and pans and my new knives though. I had been waiting to be able to do that and I did. The saute pan was perfect for the risotto and the saucepan was just the right size for the milk/cream/vanilla mixture. I am going to cook something else this weekend, but I havne't figured out what yet. I want to make pasta but I know that I'm the only one who will eat it so I'll have to think of something more simple...
I think my obsession with JO goes beyond food. He's a genious at making cooking seem very accessible, like anyone could do it. I had seen him on Food Network forever, but I hadn't really listened to what he was talking about and when I did it really got me interested in cooking. He seems like a nice enough guy. I think what I admire about him is his enthusiasm and passion for what he does. It's inspiring to hear him talk about food the way he does. I'm not good at it yet...at least I don't think I am. I guess that will change if I practice it. I also admire his compassion and commitment that he's put into his Fifteen project. I read something that said he would try to do the same thing in New York. The world needs more people like this in other fields. He seems genuinely caring and very down-to-earth. I feel bad for his wife though. It has to be frustrating living with someone who is as busy as he seems to be. Such is the life of a celebrity though I guess.
Geez I can really ramble on, can't i?