And the return of the Head Fatty...

Ladies and Gentlemen!

I am back from a blogging hiatus...actually, more like I just got tired of writing/lazy.

Anywho, here's a peek into something I've been working on recently...SOURDOUGH!


Image from Epicurious.com

I've actually had to restart my sourdough starter...the first try started smelling like REALLY BAAAAAAAD cheese after day 4...so I'm giving it another try. This time it seems to be going better.

I plan on making a lot of pizza - think the sourdough might add a slight tang to my crusts; making it just a tad more interesting.

Until next time,

Cheers!

To break a fast. (Or stuff your face after waking up)

There is just something about waking up to the smell of fresh coffee, eggs, sizzling bacon, and warm maple syrup.


The thing about breakfast is that it can be eaten at anytime of the day – I mean who doesn’t like a nice scramble at midnight? Or a nice stack of fluffy pancakes during the middle of the day.

I don’t know, maybe it’s just me – but I can’t stomach a fat NY Strip at 8am….or at midnight for that matter. But eggs? Bacon? Sausage? Cornmeal pancakes? Bring it on!
Sure, sure. There are healthier options too…I’m a fan of oatmeal, cottage cheese (plain, with fruit, or with some wheat germ drizzled with honey), or yogurt and mixed fruit.

But there is just something about the foods that are typically eaten for breakfast that holds a special place in my tummy. I mean, you cant really feel the same way about a rack of ribs or an entrée sized cesar salad for your first meal of the morning, now can you?

So in conclusion, I ask – “What’s your favorite breakfast food?”

In honor of the 5th of May

Who doesn’t love a good taco?

I know I sure as hell crave those little deep fried boats of meat and cheese and lettuce. There is just something satisfying about biting into that crispy shell, to have the warm meat juices trickle down your chin, while the lettuce provides a nice cooling balance.

MMMM….now I want more tacos.

A Crème Brulee Haiku.

A Crème Brulee Haiku.

Pale Yellow and Warm
Scent of Vanilla and cream.
Yum with burnt sugar

By David.


Amazing work if I do say so myself!

So Crème Brulee is my dessert of choice if I am looking to impress. (As long as I know the recipient doesn’t have any weird food aversions – like “I don’t eat wiggly things” or “I don’t eat milk/egg products”) Why? It’s SO simple. Yet, at the same time, it is quiet elegant. And it lends to various flavor combinations. (And I haven’t really had much time to experiment with other desserts yet). Plus, I get to pull out the big guns and use the welding torch in the kitchen!!! (Haha, yea, I’m a typical boy – I like fire)

So for your viewing pleasure I have scrounged up some pictures of Crème Brulee. Who know’s I might be making one of you this delicious dessert one day.




Cheers!

It feels like warm apple pie...

Pie.

That’s all I could think about while I was at the gym, while I was driving home from the gym, while I was showering the stink off, while I was drinking my dinner, up until I fell asleep – all I wanted was pie.

A simple fruit pie with a crumbly, buttery crust. Nice and warm. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A la mode as the French call it. What does a la Mode mean? I means, to me, with a scoop of ice cream. Please. (At least that’s what I say it means, I’m sure the actual translation is something completely different..)

There is just something about the combination of butter and flour and fruit and sugar that makes my mouth water. Or maybe I’m pregnant. Who knows.

My favorite pie? Old fashioned Apple Pie. Please. Thank you.

The best apple pie that I’ve ever made was a caramel apple pie topped with a slice of smoked sharp cheddar. The saltiness of the cheese combined with the super sweet caramel apple filling was heaven. And the smokiness of the cheese added that extra layer of flavor, even if it was very subtle. YUM!

I’m going to have to make those again sometime.

Anywho, I’ll leave you with a little something that’s going to make you want pie too.

Operation Cookie Fail

Hokay, so. You’re all ready to do some hardcore baking. You’ve got everything set up, mixer’s ready, spatula at the ready, arms just begging to start the measuring and dumping. You start measuring out the sugar, flour, cut the butter into cubes, aaand then….wait, what?!?! Where are the eggs?!

Yah.

That just happened.

Standing at the fridge, mouth agape.

And in two nano-seconds, your will to live leaves in one long sigh.

After a nice long stream of curse words, you pour everything back into their respective containers, cover the butter, toss any used bowls into sink.

That happened last night. All I could think about during the day, and while I forced myself to the gym, was the Snickerdoodles that I was going to bake as soon as I got home. I could see their cinnamon-sugar-y goodness in all of their glory. I know I could’ve continued and tried to bake them without the eggs or possibly just make something else. But after wanting to make Snickerdoodles all day, I had no desire to bake anymore. Sad, really. I could’ve gone to the store when I found out, but it was already late enough and the initial sucker punch to the gut just took the wind of out my baking sails.

Lesson to be learned here? Check to make sure I have EVERYTHING before I leave the house.
Looks like there’s going to be some angry coworkers today.

Oops.

SAMMICH!!!!!!

So what makes a great sammich? (Author’s note: Sammich is the modern vernacular for the popular food item composed of various meats, cheeses, vegetables, jams, jellies, pastes, or any other edible food item “sandwhiched” between two slices –or more- of bread. )

I’ve had sammiches over the past few days. And to be honest, Some were good. Some were bad. Some were quite amazing.

But if I had to go and make a sammich that would be known all over the world as a great sammich, I can’t say that I’d be able to do it. Not to say that I’m not up to the challenge. It’s just that I’ve had the same sammich from different places. And they never taste the same.

EVER.

So what makes a great sammich? The ingredients? The combination of flavors? The multitude of textures? The sides? The fact that you WANT a sammich?

I think this is a question for the ages. And yet, it hasn’t been discussed at any of the college campuses.

I have a couple courses in mind already:

• Sammich 101 – the history of the sammich
• Sammich 103 – the socioeconomic implications of the sammich
• Sammich 105 – the sammich in pop culture

I mean come on…they have classes on Tupac, techno music, and World of Warcraft.
Why not the sammich?

(PS. My favorite sammich? Grilled Cheese.)