Rhubarb Attempt #2

Tis the season of rhubarb! My first rhubarb cake was pretty tasty, but I needed more! Martha Stewart always has good suggestions and this rhubarb galette did not let me down. Both treats were equally humble and delicious, this one maybe slightly fancier than the first. I also love the presentation, so rustic and pretty. The cornmeal crust is good, and even though I am not a pie crust maker this was super easy. Next time I might cut down on the cinnamon because it tasted a little bit too much like apple pie, but then again I don't like too much cinnamon in anything. However, this would be good with apples too. I also don't mess with any of this unsalted butter business because salted butter is just fine with me. In addition I didn't have eggs or turbinado sugar, but it turned out fine anyway. Maybe my problem with baking is that I cannot bring myself to be prepared enough to be exact with anything? Oh well, it was still delicious! Next up, my mom's cobbler recipe!

Herbage Update

I would like the following photographs to prove that I have not killed anything yet.



mint



dill, chives, basil



lavender



thyme and rosemary (and a succulent that originally looked like The Hulk's knuckles coming out of the soil but now looks like it has been munched on by a squirrel)


Times became desperate with the basil because we have a squirrel problem. Apparently squirrels like basil and are not always scared off by a water gun. Seriously, Ellis (short for LS, short for Little Shit) seems to be a masochist, or maybe he is just trying to cool off. This little creature is relentless, so we currently have the basil weighted down with pebbles and it is finally starting to grow because it doesn't get uprooted every 3 hours.

Any good recipes using herbs for food or cocktails are welcome!

Rhubarb Attempt #1

I have a problem with baking.

The main issue is that I just can't do it very well. It seems to run in the family, and by that I mean I get it from my mother. The way I see it, I am genetically dysfunctional when it comes to baking. It's been embarrassing at times. Many a family celebration has been graced with a cake held up by toothpicks. As a newlywed, my romantic attempts at sweets for my sweet looked disfigured and flat. Usually the taste comes through, but it's just the aesthetics that are not up to par. You have no idea how many lopsided cakes I've made or cookies that seem to melt all into one piece.

However, over the years my baking has gotten better. As I learn what stiff peaks are actually supposed to be, that baking powder and baking soda can not be stand-ins for each other, and that the recipe gives exact amounts for a reason, my baking skills have sharpened.

Well, I had a relapse the other night. Jordan suggested that I make the rhubarb galette I had planned on making since I had lovely stalks of rhubarb becoming shriveled in the back of the fridge (they were also partially frozen, one of the joys of apartment living: if you put anything in the top or back of our fridge it freezes. This also interferes with my general well being). Out of laziness I searched for an alternate recipe so I wouldn't have to make crust. I found it on this blog. Mmm, looks good, doesn't it?





I immediately set out to make it while Jordan was at the library. It didn't take long, I had an excuse to use my awesome mixer and a spring form pan, and it was fun to make the rhubarb design on top. It was supposed to bake for 30-35 minutes, so I set the timer for 30. It wasn't done, so I put it in for another 5. I wasn't done, so I put it in for yet another 5. Repeat this until it had been if for over an hour and the middle was still gooey. I decided that I like the taste of raw batter, so to hell with it, the cake is coming out. Not only was the middle not done, but the cake had somehow bubbled up over itself, covering part of my well thought out rhubarb design. I made Jordan eat a slice anyway. It was still tasty though! And its good for breakfast!

Census Dad

Remember everybody, fill out your 2010 census, it will only take a minute! If you don’t, you will have somebody like my father come and knock on your door. In a normal place the fact that my father is traveling door to door inviting himself into stranger’s homes would not bother me, but my parents live in Tennessee. I am a bit worried. My dad is getting up there in years, he had a hip replacement, and I don’t think he can outrun a pack of pit bulls or pickup trucks. I am most worried that he will knock on the door of some anti government, pro gun wielding, sleeveless t-shirt wearing man drinking PBR. I know there must be lots of them in his little neck of the woods, and I don’t think they would welcome the sight of a US Census numerator. Below is a picture of the nifty briefcase he gets to carry along with an official badge and a shotgun given to him by the government just in case he meets one of these people.

Saturdays are the Best

My favorite day of the week is Saturday. There are the obvious reasons, it is the first day of the weekend, and the farthest away from the workweek (unlike the dreaded Sunday, where you feel doomed because you know what the next day entails). It also means good NPR programs on WHYY: Car Talk, A Chef’s Table, Fresh Air Weekend, American Routes, and Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me. Jordan and I also do Wawa sub dates where we go to Wawa and eat in the car and listen to the radio, because we are that cool. I usually do something fun by myself on Saturday because I try and leave Jordan alone so he can do boring homework and stuff like that. I stayed home yesterday because we are poor, and cannot do more than one fun thing and we were going out to dinner later on. This Saturday was awesome even though public radio was doing another membership drive (that’s what podcasts are for).

First, we had our weekly Wawa date after sleeping in. Mmm, I love to sleep. Then I messed around with watercolors and listened to podcasts for a couple hours.





Jordan took reading as an opportunity for a papasan nap with Erma. One doesn’t stand a chance in that chair.





Then, we had date night! We got all gussied up and went out for Vietnamese food. ‘Twas tasty, but we were the youngest people there by about 25 years. But they had decent cheap house wine and at least we know where to get pho on a rainy day! Then, on the graciousness of friends, we attended the opening of The Foocy. It was great! Anyone in the Wilmington area should totally go see it. It involves puppets, and music, and fun homemade props. Who doesn’t like stories about creepy old Russian ladies told through inventive set design? Then there was a reception afterward, which capped off the whole day nicely, because who doesn’t like puppets and booze? Well, I can think of a few who would be creeped out by the combination, but they don’t count.

And now we have another whole day before the weekend is over. Yay for Saturday!