Wow, sorry guys. 11 days since my last post?? Oops! Sorry about that! Between working as a clerk and starting my new part-time job at Williams-Sonoma (yay!) I've been struggling to be creative with my meals lately... not because I don't want to be creative, but really because I don't have time (and because I have to make all of Matt's meals a day ahead of time due to his busy schedule as well!) Now I know your world doesn't stop spinning just because I don't update my blog, but it is kind of rude to leave you guys hanging so I'll give you a new recipe to try out. Now as I have previously mentioned, I get my produce delivered from a company called Go Local Produce that brings me local, fresh produce from the Farmer's Market. They constantly give me eggplant, which I will admit I am terrible at eating and it usually goes bad. So I asked my friend Arpita, who also gets these deliveries what she suggested. She directed me to her Pinterest account (which if you haven't discovered already, go find it so you can start getting addicted now). On one of her boards she had a recipe for eggplant, baked with panko and served with tomato sauce and goat cheese. My recipe isn't terribly different, but I made a few tweaks here and there and I turned out with a recipe that I really enjoyed and definitely plan on making again. Panko-Baked White Eggplant with Tomato & Goat Cheese Salsa (Adapted from Eat Drink Better)
I made this pizza like 3 months ago and have just now posted about it. Jeez what is wrong with me? I should have told you all about this earlier. When I made this, I had just returned from my grandmother's funeral and I was in the midst of studying for the Bar Exam so I didn't post it as soon as I should have and then all these other exciting recipes distracted me. Truth be told, I thought the pizza was a bit rich and I wasn't sure if I would love it enough to share. I think (as you will see from the verdict) that this would be better served as an appetizer for a group of people and not as a main course for one person. It was delicious and flavorful. I knew I wanted to combine goat cheese and figs and added the onions as a little bit of an extra oomph. I went off of the recipe from Smitten Kitchen for Ricotta and Onion Pizza to make the recipe and then added my own flare. It doesn't look all that pretty but don't judge a book by it's cover (or in this case, a pizza by it's dark caramelized onions!)... I hope you like it!
Hey everyone! It has been over a week since I have last posted and I'm getting a little antsy. I am, however, crazy swamped with the Bar Exam being about a week and a half away! This is scary but also exciting because at least it will be over! Because the exam is so close, though, this will be my last post until after it is over...at which point I will probably post some ridiculous cocktails, as that is what I will *thoroughly* be enjoying once this insanity is over. So for those of you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you are probably aware that I get fresh local produce delivered from this great local business called Go Local Produce. I am a HUGE fan. One of the best parts is that it is always a surprise as to what you will be getting (unless you cheat and look at the website but I like to be surprised!) Here are a few of the goodies I've received from them:
I know, I know. The poll on my Facebook page indicates that my next post should be a pasta dish. And yes, I know that making a Greek Salad with watermelon already *is* twisting it, but I couldn't resist (nor could I think of a better title). However, I have a fridge full of watermelon cubes, it's summer, I love cheese, and I think we should all celebrate the fact that I have miraculously kept my fresh herbs alive (for the most part) throughout the entire time I've been studying for the Bar Exam. I'll pause for a small applause.... nothing? Okay let's move on...
When I was in college, I studied abroad in Rome for a semester (Fall, 2006). I lived with a family--a woman named Elvira and my Italian sister, 11 year old Silvia. Now, I think when most people think of "Italian" food, they think pasta and pizza, and while we did eat those things, my experience of Italian food was much different. Most nights at home, Elvira would make simple things like lentil stew (my first experience with lentils), sauteed spinach, and carrot salad. In fact, just about every night we had carrot salad.
So I've been trying to figure out what my next post would be because, as I mentioned before, my GoogleDocs is starting to pile up with things I've been making lately, with the lack of time I have to post on here. There is this 30 day challenge thing that is going around on twitter that a lot of food bloggers are participating in but which I didn't find out about until it had already started and let's face it, I already have a lot on my plate with this little thing called the Bar Exam.
In an attempt to not lose my mind during Bar Prep, I'm going to start posting some "Study break posts." Just studying for the bar all the time is miserable and I think I'm making it worse by making a bunch of things and saving the recipes for later use. They are just piling up in my GoogleDocs and I'm getting sad by not sharing them with the rest of you. I mean, heck, I get comments on blog posts that don't even involve any recipes... I owe it to you guys to give you something more entertaining to read than "yay I graduated!" So here we go...a post written on a nice little study break, from a conference room at the law school. Gosh, now which recipe do I pick? I've got a bunch in my GoogleDocs and a couple that I'd really like to share. I think I'll start by sharing one with a personal meaning and then go on from there!
As many of you may know, either from knowing me personally, or through my twitter, I went to Virginia on Sunday to visit my grandmother in the hospital. My grandmother, Mimi, is very dear to my heart for many reasons. She moved in with our family when my sister was born (when I was 8) and lived with us for 10 years. My mother is a working mother and my father worked a lot too (Mimi is his mother). So, since both of my parents were working pretty much all the time, Mimi was a big part of our lives, whether it was taking us shopping for school clothes/supplies or cooking us dinner every night. She is a great cook. Her fried chicken is one of a kind, and I refuse to order lasagna in restaurants because I know it won't measure up to Mimi's. My Aunt Beth is an excellent cook as well, hence her recipe "Beth's Baked Brie" was featured as my first post! I hope to one day at least be able to cook half as well as them, and have my kids, grandkids, and nieces and nephews think fondly of me as a "great cook." Dare to dream right?
Well about two Thanksgivings ago, Mimi was diagnosed with cancer. It seems to get everyone these days. She had just had her 80th birthday, but she decided to undergo chemotherapy in an attempt to fight the fight. She's been a tough lady for the past year and a half but, unfortunately, chemo is no longer working and now we kind of just have to wait and see. I had, I suppose somewhat selfishly, hoped that in visiting her I would be able to get those recipes from her: the fried chicken, the lasagna, the meatloaf etc. but unfortunately realized upon my arrival that it would not be possible. Instead, I spent the day just sitting with her, talking a little...but mostly just being there, keeping her company, and holding her hand. I had hoped to be able to share these things with you in an attempt to honor her cooking and continue her legacy.
I have been struggling a lot with her illness and I think this was maybe my desperate attempt to hang on to anything that reminds me of her. Fortunately, my Aunt Beth is a much better protege than myself and she has probably had these recipes for years. If I ever get ahold of them, I will make them and share them with you, so that you can be a part of her legacy too. If I don't, that's okay too; I have many other memories with her.
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