image by *spud*

Today is Corndog’s birthday!  I am so excited and am getting ready to make a delicious birthday meal, post to follow. 

Babe,  I hope your birthday is as wonderful as you are.  Sorry I couldn’t find that Jabba the Hut costume you wanted me to dress up in.  I guess some wishes don’t come true.  I love you 24.

Today is for love and friends and food and booze and kisses and food and groping and… you get the idea.

image by erix!

Sometimes you have a bad night and it’s hard to shake.  The worst is when it seems to carry over into the next day.  I woke up this morning feeling rather meh.  But when I really thought it about it, I realised there are so many things to look back on and say,

“What was my problem?”

I was in a shitty mood, yes, but I was also in that shitty mood sharing a meal with friends.  I’m stewing over things that I can’t change, while slurping up homemade chicken soup.  I almost forgot to taste it, I was just shoveling it in my mouth, waiting for the meal to be over.  Someone made that soup from scratch and all I can think of is how mad I am.  Those friends ate my gross pie and I flipped out when they were poking fun at it.  That pie was gross, they deserve a medal.  But what’s the point in making things, good or bad, when the joy of sharing it gets lost?  I remember eating a lot of meals alone and I remember that it fucking sucked.

I live in a home constantly filled with the smells of cooking and laughter and chatter.  I guess the only thing I can say to myself is:

I don’t want to miss another meal like the one last night.  I need to pick up and dust off and do it better the next time.  Humph, so there.  I guess I told… myself.

It’s the middle of the week and you get so consumed sometimes you have to put yourself in check.  It’s Hump Day and I need to get over the hump.

So I was interviewed by the very fun and witty Lemmonex and seeing as how I love a good quiz game I figured others might as well.  Rules are as follows:      

1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions. Be sure you link back to the original post.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

image by -bast-

1. Your blog is pretty new.  What prompted you to start writing?

I’ve been writing for some time, but not anything in blog form.  I was losing the spark and I missed having fun writing.  My S.O. (significant other) thought I was nuts not to blog about the things I love talking about most: food, the shows I watch about food while eating food and all the bits in between.  I got started and I am really happy with how fun it’s been and getting to know other blog writers through their sites.

2. What is the worst kitchen disaster you have ever had?

Ugh.  I suppose the worst disaster didn’t actually ruin the food.  I was visiting a friend and got really drunk one night.  As we stumbled back to the house I realised that I wanted pancakes in the biggest way.  So pancakes I would have!!  I was too incoherent to remember if I had turned the burner on, so I tested how hot it was with my hand.  I am not so smart when there has been too much whiskey.  The next morning I was belching up maple syrup and wondering why I had a huge burn mark in the shape of a spiral on my palm.  I don’t think the pancakes were worth it seeing as how I don’t remember if they were good and that burn took two months to heal.

3. What is your favorite ingredient?

Hmmm.  I would love to say garlic since I put it in quite a lot of my food, but I don’t think it’s my favorite.  My favorite would have to be brown sugar.  Dark brown to be exact.  I use it in glazes, tomato sauces, oatmeal, tea, anywhere I can get away with it I suppose.  I was never into sugar until I started cooking and learned to use it in foods other then baked goods.

4. Name a hobby besides cooking, please.

Easy, karaoke.  I used to take voice lessons for years, but that is way too serious for something that is neither my career or something I am totally awesome at.  But I love the idea of singing for fun.  I don’t care if people are bad or great, there are some interesting characters at karaoke.  I sing a lot of country.  I relate to the depression and drinking.  And usually I tend to not suck it as bad singing country music. 

5. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I suppose I wish I could be really great at just one thing.  Like so many people I know, many of us are pretty good at a bunch of things.  I’m good at spelling, washing the dishes (seriously, I am efficient), playing the clarinet, sudoku, making chicken parmigiana.  But I wish I was great at just one thing, I mean REALLY great.  It doesn’t even matter what it is.  I guess it is just knowing that I am not just a hodge podge of all this “potential” and knowing where my true talent lies.  And if that talent happens to be duck calling then fucking rock and roll!!!  I would want to be the best duck caller I could be. 

So I tried baking a pecan pie in honor of Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday.  Yeah, not so much.  I ate the filling!  But I am trying again today.  I will be back with a vengeance!!  First MLK’s bday and now the Inaugeration.  I can’t fuck up two days in a row. 

People actually ate it… but my beau did say he thought it reminded him of a wooden bowl.  And then he shut the hell up.

I did however make some yummy chicken and dumplings.  So there!!

Cheers to a new era, new change and even yummier treats!!  Hope those of you who can tune in to watch the Inauguration on the tube.  I will be!!

Mmm hmmm… that’s right… put those dumplings into my mouth.

image by g-hat

The Philadelphia Eagles lost yesterday.  There will be no Super Bowl for my team.  I was eating wings and having a couple of cockatoos(cocktails) and then the game was over. 

I didn’t make dinner, I could barely eat the pizza we ordered sitting up.  And the pizza was pretty bitchin.  I guess I am not too upset, I am already planning the Super Bowl menu.  But dammit!!!  I wanted to cheer for my team, now I can only cheer for good eatings. 

Here is to hoping the week gets better, the dissapointment is so heavy on my head.  ARGH!!!!

Corndog is the protector of the lair, occasional pillow and all around cutest stuffy ever.  I mean it, EVER.

People love naming things after quirky shit, but I love when people call things after food.  Gweneth Paltrow named her kid Apple.  I named my stuffed manatee Corndog. 

More things should be called after food.  Terms of endearments are my fave.  Honey.  Sweetie. (ok that is a candy, but I don’t care)  Pumpkin.  Sugar.  Love muffin.

But those are nice words.  Shouldn’t there be some food words for the not so nice?  Would my friends be pissed if I called them custards?  “You fucking custard, you never rang me back!”  Or, “Hey, who invited the melon?”  Muffin top should be banned, whoever came up with that, I’ll find you… or I’ll get thin again, whatever. 

People used to call things the bees knees and the cat’s pajamas?  Fucking pajamas people.  So who is to say there couldn’t be some foodie terms?  “That new sofa of yours is just so squash!”  Or, “Listen to this song, I think it is the risotto.” 

Maybe I’m rambling or maybe I have pepper mouth.  (giggle)  Or maybe I am onto something.  Trends have to start somewhere, why not this hot potato?

P.S.  I thought if I got a dog I would name him Tom Jones.  I am seriously thinking of putting Lasagne in the running.

I would love to hear some foodie puns of your own. Submit what you think is just so gooseberry you want to share it with the world… or at least the people who read this craziness.

So I get an email from my beau.  No I love you, just a link and a question. 

“Bacon bra?” 

I hope he just wanted me to laugh, but I have a feeling there a some pork issues to look in to.

The link has a great slideshow of bacon products.  Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. (wink)

image by CarbonNYC

Last night marked the first wishbone of 2009. Whenever I make a chicken or turkey I like to save the wishbone and make my significant other wish with me. I made chicken salad by the way. If I could make him wish my wish I would, but I guess that is against the rules.

So I figured the wishbone has been around for a hot minute and read online about the origin. Apparently, the Etruscans lived in what is now Italy around 800 and 900 BC. They did no such thing as break the wishbone! They would just stroke it and make their wish. I have about 2 decades of wishes that should have another shot if that is the case.

Here is to hoping your 2009 wishes come true, no matter what you have to break or stroke.

The picture below is our wishbone graveyard. Yes, that is the kitchen window ledge. They are pending wishes… I hope.

I admit to being mildly obsessed with all things popular culture… especially food.  Who’s eating it, who’s making it and where on tv can I watch it? I started this to begin a New Year of food observations and a way to read the crazy mullings in my head.