32 posts tagged “food”

My husband is obsessed with Gordon Ramsay. I don't know why he has this sudden fascination, but it's bad. When we're out at a restaurant eating and the food is not 100%, he pipes up in the Ramsay voice, "You donkey! You could have killed someone!" or some such other witty quip.  He even found a place in Boston that makes Beef Wellington because neither of us have ever had it (although the recipe is here and I can already seeing us attempting that in the future).

Chowing on books like they are candy. Here's the sweet update:

#25  The Ominvore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan -- Every American should read this eye-opening book. It will drastically change the way you think about the food you eat.

This weekend I really cranked up the volume on the books, finishing

#26  Walden by Thoreau -- Oddly I had never read this delightful book but the cranky old philosopher. Surprising considering I worked in Concord for the last four years. I think that made it all the more enjoyable. I knew the terrain and could identify with his ongoing sense of wonder. I love the last chapter, weirdly tacked on, about how he distrusts and hates the government!

I also read...

#27  Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Mosoch -- 19th c. SM erotica. Which means no skin and all innuendo. Interesting but not terribly titillating.

#28   Animal Farm by George Orwell -- I hadn't read this before either and WOW. Talk about apropos to much of the fear-mongering of our present day. Amazing book. History or should I say, circumstance, really does cycle and repeat.

#29  The History of Love by Nicole Krauss -- Easy read for me...about 3 hours. A really nicely woven tale about a book, the author, his son, the translator and her daughter.

#30  1984 by George Orwell  -- Re-read this book after I finished Animal Farm. Always an amazing book...this is the third or fourth time I've read it. At some point in their life, everyone should read this and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

I'm still reading Don Quixote which is a fun read. I tackle that a few chapters at a time, but it's just so damn big that I'll be lucky to get that done before the end of the year (same with War & Peace!). Also reading Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides which I expect to finish fairly soon.

I also managed to hit up the Lenox library sale over the weekend. Most of the books were donated, not originally library books. Scored all sorts of books including a first edition with a nearly pristine dust jacket of Zorba the Greek. Bought it for $1.50 but a cursory research shows it could be worth anywhere from $150-640. Pretty sweet IMHO.

I've been reading Michael Pollan's Ominvore's Dilemma and aside from a general desire to eat more healthfully, I have become very motivated to try and eat mostly organic and as local as possible. I really want to cut out as much processed foods as possible and search out meat that is truly pasture fed, not just the "free range" marketing ploy of industrial organic farms.

For me the meat is the bigger deal. I want to try and cut out most meat unless it's organic, grain-fed and pasture-raised if at all possible. We're looking into meat lots from Caledonia Farm in Barre, MA but we missed the last deadline so we're on a waiting list.

The farm lots for many of the farms in the area are long since out for the summer so we decided we'd try out Boston Organics, which delivers a weekly box of organic fruits and veggies. They try to get their food locally when possible but may get some fruits from California, Florida or tropical fruits from organic farms in South Amica. I mean let's face it...hard to grow bananas in New England. We're getting the $29 box 1/2 fruit and 1/2 vegetables.

This week's box will include:

1.5 lbs Bananas
1 Grapefruit
0.5 lbs Kiwis
2 Nectarines
3 Paula Red Apples*
2 Valencia Oranges
2 Yellow Peaches
1 Avocados
1 Cucumbers*
1 Green Bell Peppers (PA)
1 bunch Red Kale*
1 head Romaine/Leaf Lettuce*
0.75 lbs Summer Squash (yellow/green)*
2 ears of Supersweet Corn*

One of the best things about Boston Organics is that you can choose if you really don't want something in your box. So out of this box I won't be getting the peppers (just can't eat them without consequences) and the kale (blech!). They'll substitute with other fruits and veggies instead (hopefully more corn!). The asterisks mean the produce is local.

Sooo not only will we be getting our fruits and veggies, but we'll be cutting out pesticides and chemical fertilizers from the mix. I do wish that overall the box was more local (peaches are being harvested in MA, for example, and what about local blueberries?), but it's a step in the right direction. We've found organic foods and grass fed meats to be more flavorful as well. I'll let you know how it goes!

way...tooo...much....suuuugaaaar...

Between the Williams & Sonoma candies my PR agency got me, party foods, christmas cocktails, the treats at my mother-in-laws and eating out all the time, I have been often teetering on the edge of a sugar coma. I didn't help myself much when I made this delectable treat for Christmas Eve--a modified version of the Everyday Food Buche de Noel (the online version didn't have the frosting recipes included so I came up with my own).

The little brown thing in the front in the above picture is a cocoa covered marzipan mouse. The mushrooms are all made from marzipan.

Laurel came to visit so Jenna, her husband, Kelev, Raf and I headed down to Cambridge 1 and had some tasty pizza pies and great conversation!

* I toasted the winners of an award ceremony at a black-tie event

* I talked with people from Russia, and the Netherlands.
* As we were driving by, I heard from a cabdriver about his experience when the plane hit the Pentagon during 9/11.
* I helped create video for innovative technology stories that revolutionized and directly benefited society in healthcare, retail, government, education and finance.
* I talked to a big game hunter about his upcoming trip to the Arctic to hunt caribou.
* I discovered that when you really need someone who knows how to tie a bow-tie that no one around has any clue.
* I scored cheap, dressy shoes at Macy's to solve a fashion emergency.
* I drank way too much wine on a weeknight.
* I had to deal with two blisters.
* I discovered that the pants I planned to wear this morning were too big.
* People that should have didn't wish me happy birthday. And people that didn't have to did (THANK YOU!).
* I ate bacon twice.
* I drank champagne.
* I had my picture taken at least a dozen times.
* I spent a few hours here at a lovely formal dinner.
* Spent an hour on a plane that wasn't in the air.
* Was late boarding that plane because some Army Sargeant had special boarding because he was escorting some sort of cargo. Hmm.
* Paris Hilton spent her first night in jail.
* Snagged a cake at Finale at the last moment.
* Slept for a total of 6 hours including the nap.
* I learned some of the secrets to green screen.
* I rode in two limos, a shuttle bus and two cabs.
* My husband made me a cake...or well, drew me one.
* I finalized one press release.
* I wore a pretty dress.
* I hugged a lot of people.
* I gave out all my business cards.
* I ate a lot of beets.
* I inadvertantly found out that I might have a new boss soon  :(
* Kitty and I were angry with each other. He was angry because I left him. I was angry because he didn't greet me when I came back. We're so dumb.
* I chipped a nail.
* I learned that when you toast in Russian you say, "Budem zdorovy" meaning, "To stay Healthy."
* I received a bottle of wine direct from the Cote du Rhone.
* I started year 36 in the life of Crystal.

I'm going to start participating in a creative writing meme created by Holly Lisle where you post snippets of what you are working on so that others can read and enjoy. You can even subscribe to see when others post.

To read my snippet, from a piece which I am working on here and there, and to find out how to participate, you can go here. This week's piece is about the famous Roman gourmand, Apicius, fretting over his dwindling funds. Would love to have feedback!

I mentioned awhile back that I started doing reviews for The Alewife, a local print paper that goes out to North Cambridge/Somerville residents. Here's my March review on Gargoyles in Davis Square, in case you are interested! 

* formatting is a bit strange in this web version. Prices, for example, should look like ($15) but they don't show up that way. The print version looks much better and has a cheesy smiley picture of me in it. :-)

in looking for crockpot recipes yesterday to cook up our bunny (mmm crockpot bunny was awesome) I ran across this little tidbit at cooks.com:

CREAM OF ELEPHANT STEW

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