I AM CURSED.
Without fail, I always choose the slowest line at the grocery store. I think the moment I step in line, the Universe aligns (or becomes chaotic-- maybe that's the problem) to curse me into waiting for a year and a day to get through check-out. I have even tried switching lines if I see a shorter looking line, but to no avail, the line will inevitably slow down. I have chosen seemingly-fast lines, and then there will be some catastrophic issue causing the line to reach a halt. I pay attention to people who trickle into other lines after me and consistently watch them package up their order, pay, and leave before I have even reached the conveyor belt. At first, it bugged me. I would grow impatient and frustrated. I would question myself, my reasoning, my ability to gauge checker-efficiency. Then, I learned to accept it. I want you to know that this has been going on for months, if not years. It has become a necessity to accept my line fate. Imagine the stress wrinkles on my forehead I am saving myself from just by relaxing! But sometimes I want to warn the people who get in line behind me-- just so you know-- this line will move slowly, just because I'm in it. I suggest you find a different line. But I'm afraid it might make me seem like a creeper. Yes? No? What do you think?
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Say Goodbye to Your Waist
Can I just say that I am shocked and appalled that I have never posted about curry? I mean, curry is my claim to fame! Curry was the first dish I could make well! Curry makes life worth living! How have I not posted about CURRY?
I know there are some people out there who don't like curry, and let me just state for the record, I don't understand you. Curry is all we will eat in heaven (plus ice cream), and in the Garden of Eden, Eve and Adam and all the animals ate only curry. That is a fact, friends. A fact.
Like I said, curry is the first dish I mastered. When I was 16, I lived with my sister Amy for a couple months, and she became my inspiration. Green curry was a staple on her menu, so we ate it often. I had never eaten curry, and was a little afraid of the unknown, but it was love at first bite. She liked to make it a touch spicy, so I would guzzle glass after glass of water, and then curse my stomach for not being able to hold more curry. Late in the night, after my stomach had acquired more room, I would steal into the fridge, like a thief in the night, to gobble up the leftovers. This should adequately illustrate that I take curry very seriously.
Amy and I have tinkered with the green curry recipe together and on our own, and we've worked things out quite well. The lovely thing about cooking, though, is it doesn't have to be exact. Curry is great because you can modify it to be as sweet, spicy, or creamy as you choose. I like green curry because it has a fairly mild taste-- not when it comes to spiciness (because you can make it super spicy), but it's not the boldest flavor of all the curries. To me it is a soothing, comforting, warm, and wholesome taste. But if green curry isn't your thing, don't worry, I promise to neglect curry on this blog no longer. More curry recipes are coming your way. (But, really, how could you not love green curry?)
Green Curry a la Courtney and Amy
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
about 1-2 inches ginger, grated
1-2 T green curry paste (Asian aisle in the grocery store. I've used Thai Kitchen and World Foods brands and they both work well.)
8 chicken tenderloins, raw, cubed
1 can coconut milk (I prefer Chaokoh brand, full-fat. Light coconut milk only results in sadness.)
1/2 c water
2 T brown sugar
3 T fish sauce (Asian aisle-- this is not an optional ingredient, btw, no matter how much it grosses you out.)
1 small can bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed
Peas
Red bell pepper, sliced thin
Saute garlic, ginger, and curry paste in a medium sized pot for a couple minutes to release the flavors. Pour in the coconut milk and let this simmer/heat for a couple minutes. Stir in chicken, water, sugar, and fish sauce and simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Taste the curry and add more sugar, curry paste, water, as needed. Add bamboo shoots, peas, and bell pepper, then reheat all the way through. Serve over jasmine rice. The flavors continue to meld together when they sit for a while, so be sure to enjoy the curry as leftovers the next day.
I know there are some people out there who don't like curry, and let me just state for the record, I don't understand you. Curry is all we will eat in heaven (plus ice cream), and in the Garden of Eden, Eve and Adam and all the animals ate only curry. That is a fact, friends. A fact.
Like I said, curry is the first dish I mastered. When I was 16, I lived with my sister Amy for a couple months, and she became my inspiration. Green curry was a staple on her menu, so we ate it often. I had never eaten curry, and was a little afraid of the unknown, but it was love at first bite. She liked to make it a touch spicy, so I would guzzle glass after glass of water, and then curse my stomach for not being able to hold more curry. Late in the night, after my stomach had acquired more room, I would steal into the fridge, like a thief in the night, to gobble up the leftovers. This should adequately illustrate that I take curry very seriously.
Amy and I have tinkered with the green curry recipe together and on our own, and we've worked things out quite well. The lovely thing about cooking, though, is it doesn't have to be exact. Curry is great because you can modify it to be as sweet, spicy, or creamy as you choose. I like green curry because it has a fairly mild taste-- not when it comes to spiciness (because you can make it super spicy), but it's not the boldest flavor of all the curries. To me it is a soothing, comforting, warm, and wholesome taste. But if green curry isn't your thing, don't worry, I promise to neglect curry on this blog no longer. More curry recipes are coming your way. (But, really, how could you not love green curry?)
Green Curry a la Courtney and Amy
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
about 1-2 inches ginger, grated
1-2 T green curry paste (Asian aisle in the grocery store. I've used Thai Kitchen and World Foods brands and they both work well.)
8 chicken tenderloins, raw, cubed
1 can coconut milk (I prefer Chaokoh brand, full-fat. Light coconut milk only results in sadness.)
1/2 c water
2 T brown sugar
3 T fish sauce (Asian aisle-- this is not an optional ingredient, btw, no matter how much it grosses you out.)
1 small can bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed
Peas
Red bell pepper, sliced thin
Saute garlic, ginger, and curry paste in a medium sized pot for a couple minutes to release the flavors. Pour in the coconut milk and let this simmer/heat for a couple minutes. Stir in chicken, water, sugar, and fish sauce and simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Taste the curry and add more sugar, curry paste, water, as needed. Add bamboo shoots, peas, and bell pepper, then reheat all the way through. Serve over jasmine rice. The flavors continue to meld together when they sit for a while, so be sure to enjoy the curry as leftovers the next day.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Velkommen Spring!
I bought strawberries at Costco today. The first purchase of strawberries each year shines like a glistening beacon of hope-- a promise of spring and the rebirth of the world. Last year, when the strawberries first came into season at Costco, we went nuts. By the time my birthday rolled around on April 10, we had already eaten 25 pounds of strawberries. That is not an exaggeration. And that was just the beginning of the strawberry fest, I know 16 additional pounds of strawberries were purchased and eaten for Bria's and Elisa's birthdays alone. Every morning, Bria would eat her weight in strawberries. I would cut and wash them as fast as I could while Bria sat in her seat signing "more." It was not uncommon for her to eat upwards of 12 strawberries a day. We love strawberries around here; that's just the way we roll. So when I bought our first strawberries of the year today and breathed in their light, earthy, fruity goodness, I was filled with the energy and love of spring. It's coming, friends. The winter is dying (or should be), and spring is coming. I can sense it. Now, I will plead with all of you to keep spring in your hearts so that it will come faster. Last year, spring came sooner because I willed it to. It's true. Sam calls this all poppycock, but it's the only way I can make it through the horrid dying winter. So, come now! One and all! Let's will this winter away and start welcoming spring!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
True Confessions
I've been having loads of fun with my sister and two oldest nieces the last couple days, so I haven't had much time for blogging. We've eaten a lot of delicious food-- another trip to Founding Farmers, our maiden voyage to Ray's Hell Burger, and and amazing root beer float-- and we've also ridden the metro tons and gone to museums and trekked in the snow and laughed ourselves silly (Bria is in heaven with her cousins). So, I've been a little busy. But I have to share something I think is ridiculous. I couldn't find anything suitable for lunch yesterday (my sister was out conquering various museums and memorials on her own while I stayed home with a napping Bria), so I paired a Hebrew National hot dog (best brand, by far) with a single thin slice of toasted homemade bread and ketchup. I realize I have mentioned hot dogs about four times too many on this blog now, but holy cow. It was amazing! I even had another one for lunch today-- like five minutes ago. Yum yum yum-- that crispy but chewy bread was a match made in heaven for that all-beef dog.
OK, I know this blog is called posh ganache and I proclaim to be a connoisseur of fine foods and to have a sophisticated palate, blah blah blah. So, really, I'm sorry! I hope we can still be friends even though I love hot dogs so much.
OK, I know this blog is called posh ganache and I proclaim to be a connoisseur of fine foods and to have a sophisticated palate, blah blah blah. So, really, I'm sorry! I hope we can still be friends even though I love hot dogs so much.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Plus listening to it pop is really fun
Oh, dear little blog, I have neglected you! These crazy snow storms have made me feel a little bit like the world is on hold, and I just realized I haven't posted yet this month. Next month is March which means it's almost spring! My heart is fluttering at the thought. This winter has been intense. 
My boots have seen more use this Virginia winter than any other winter in Utah, which is not what I expected. But at least we Virginians can now declare ourselves number 1-- this winter has officially broken the snowfall record of any other winter on record for the DC Metro area. Way to go, DC! If we're going to have to endure all this snow, at least we have some bragging rights to make it all worth it. We also lost power for 12 hours, but, lucky for us, it was only during the day. Also lucky for us, Hannah and Rob have a gas stove (and live on our street). They fed us delicious crepes full of prosciutto, cheese, tomato, onion, asparagus, nutella, lemon, sugar . . . they were divine. They also provided endless entertainment for Bria, which we greatly appreciated. Bria was in heaven with their bounteous supply of blankets, which she used to create a bed for her baby. Bria loves nothing more than to put her toys to nigh-night.
I have to admit that one side effect of being snowed in for six days is a voracious appetite. I've been baking and cooking and snacking almost nonstop. But, hey! Snow days are rare, and it's important to live it up, right? We've eaten our weight in cookies, chowder, more crepes, more cookies, milkshakes, and popcorn. Oh, the popcorn. We've been eating this popcorn a lot lately, but truth be told, we started eating a lot of it long before the storms came.
I grew up on hot air popped corn, which, ya know, is fine. And I have eaten my share (and probably several other people's share) of microwave popcorn. But this is the first time I have made stove-popped corn.
Holy deliciousness. It's so buttery and flavorful. The flavor is complex and rich. (And I highly recommend popping your corn with peanut oil. I used canola oil the first few times, and the taste was very distinctively odd.) The honeyed popcorn (in that friendly little link above) is the perfect balance of sweet and salty. It's a very nice sweet treat (that happens to be slightly addictive, but whatever). We've also found that popcorn dressed with plain old melted butter and a hefty sprinkle of kosher salt is delicious. And now matter how we adorn the popcorn, Bria is just as obsessed as we are.
My boots have seen more use this Virginia winter than any other winter in Utah, which is not what I expected. But at least we Virginians can now declare ourselves number 1-- this winter has officially broken the snowfall record of any other winter on record for the DC Metro area. Way to go, DC! If we're going to have to endure all this snow, at least we have some bragging rights to make it all worth it. We also lost power for 12 hours, but, lucky for us, it was only during the day. Also lucky for us, Hannah and Rob have a gas stove (and live on our street). They fed us delicious crepes full of prosciutto, cheese, tomato, onion, asparagus, nutella, lemon, sugar . . . they were divine. They also provided endless entertainment for Bria, which we greatly appreciated. Bria was in heaven with their bounteous supply of blankets, which she used to create a bed for her baby. Bria loves nothing more than to put her toys to nigh-night.
I have to admit that one side effect of being snowed in for six days is a voracious appetite. I've been baking and cooking and snacking almost nonstop. But, hey! Snow days are rare, and it's important to live it up, right? We've eaten our weight in cookies, chowder, more crepes, more cookies, milkshakes, and popcorn. Oh, the popcorn. We've been eating this popcorn a lot lately, but truth be told, we started eating a lot of it long before the storms came.
I grew up on hot air popped corn, which, ya know, is fine. And I have eaten my share (and probably several other people's share) of microwave popcorn. But this is the first time I have made stove-popped corn.
Holy deliciousness. It's so buttery and flavorful. The flavor is complex and rich. (And I highly recommend popping your corn with peanut oil. I used canola oil the first few times, and the taste was very distinctively odd.) The honeyed popcorn (in that friendly little link above) is the perfect balance of sweet and salty. It's a very nice sweet treat (that happens to be slightly addictive, but whatever). We've also found that popcorn dressed with plain old melted butter and a hefty sprinkle of kosher salt is delicious. And now matter how we adorn the popcorn, Bria is just as obsessed as we are.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
