You want to eat dinner at my house tonight.

I made some freaking awesome butternut squash soup.  Behold!

OK so my blackberry photography skillz could use some work.  But that stuff is mad delicious.  I took some liberties with a recipe I found from Michael Chiarello, who is a celebrity chef LB and I like to keep an eye on.  Here's my version (it's super easy):

Deep Thoughts

1. I am really enjoying Glee. Except if they don't stop with the autotune already I may have to stab their sound director.
2. Actually, the whole damn music industry can stop with the autotune any day now. Really. What is so special about sounding like every song was recorded in an echo chamber? I mean, it was cool and paradigm-shifting when Cher did it minimally for effect for the first time but it's starting to get ridiculous. Kind of like Snoop Dogg and the "izzle" craze.
   
3. That balloon boy thing pisses me off. And not about the expense or the attention-whorishness. No, I'm pissed because these people used their child to get 15 minutes. They manipulated him into lying for their own ends. I feel bad for that poor kid; I hope all the money they made on their reality shows will go towards his years and years of therapy.
4. I could really go for a hot glazed doughnut right about now.
5. Oh did I mention I got H1N1? I was in bed basically for a week and a half. That is one nasty bug, and I would not wish it on my worst enemies.
6. When I had H1N1? I was bored. So I read 1984. Reading a book that deals with the perception of reality and cognitive dissonance whilst delirious from fever will give you metaphysical crises in seconds flat.
7. I used to bake a lot. I want to get back into that, but I am lacking inspiration. What are your favorite baked goods, readers?

It's your breakfast, and it's happy to see you!

I tore the label off my peach and this is what it looked like afterward. Pretty cool, huh? (Well, a smiley face would have been cooler)

A Really Good Grill

I am sitting here trying to figure out why I am so relaxed and happy today (I even got a "What the HELL is with you and your perky perkiness, who is this woman and what have you done with my wife?" from LB this morning.)

I mean, this weekend was not all that great. Thursday was a normal work day, then I came home to an evening of weeding and raking and bagging and other general yardwork. Friday I relaxed, played some WoW, and did some laundry. Saturday I worked at the store for 7 hours in sandals that gave me blisters. Sunday I worked at the store some more. I got little to no sleep and was tired as hell all weekend. Not a super fab relaxing weekend, right? Or was it?

Friday night LB and I grilled some of our signature Super Stinky Burgers* and hung out by our fire pit with beer. Saturday night LB took me out for a birthday dinner, then we came home and watched fireworks. Sunday, LB's best friend came over and we grilled some brats, then hung out with beer again, playing fetch with Freki and shooting the shit. Hell I was tired all weekend not primarily because of work, but because I had so much fun sitting out next to the grill that I stayed up way too late.

I realized today that even though I worked like a dog on most of my vacation, I still had a great weekend. Sitting down with your people, having a beer (or three), chatting over a hot grill with good food can really change the day from something stressful to something fun and relaxing.

So here's to a good grill, because really, it can make all the difference between a good weekend and a crappy one. Well, that and beer.

*Grill a burger as usual. Place thick slices of onion on top of burger when nearly cooked. Slather on some minced garlic and jalapeno. Top with cheese, preferably muenster and pepper jack. Remove from grill when cheese is melty. Toast bun. Enjoy with or without condiments. Later on and well into the next day pop breath mints like they're candy, in between multiple tooth brushings.

She Works in Mysterious Ways

The other night LB and I got into a conversation about things we haven't had since we were a kid, and missed. Rice Krispie Bars, I said dreamily, and not those shitty premade ones that taste like cardboard, blue, and glucose, either. No, the nice gooey home-made, buttery and delicious ones. I haven't had those in at least a decade. I could really go for a Rice Krispie Bar right now.

Today, what treat did my adviser randomly decide to make and bring in to lab to share with us?

Home-made Rice Krispie Bars.

Hot damn, someone up there was listening. I even had two, despite my diet. Looks like dinner tonight is fish and....fish.

It was *so* worth it.

Fun Times with Wine

Last night, LB and I went to a wine pairing dinner at our local Alsatian restaurant. The meal was six courses, each paired with its own wine. Overall the evening was lovely. Near the beginning of the meal I listened intently to the sommelier, but near the end LB and I were drunkenly gabbing through her speeches. During most of our courses, the owner came over for a little chat and told us a bit about the food preparation. It was a lovely evening, and LB and I both loved our little date.

Appetizer
Duck Breast Saurbraten with Shiraz-Vionier, Terlato & Chapoutier, Australia
The duck was prepared as a saurbraten with a marmalade-blueberry sauce, served over a few fingerling potato coins. The sauce was absolutely delicious, but both LB and I felt that the duck could have been prepared differently or pork could have been used in a saurbraten. The meat was cooked down a bit more than duck should be, and the technique would have lent itself better to a less delicate meat. We were a bit dissappointed with this dish; it did not deliver on its promise. The Shiraz-Vionier was made as a 95% Shiraz/5% Vionier in the style of a Syrah, which made it robust but smooth. The wine was very good, although it was better with food than on its own, and we felt it was quite versitle. It could really have gone with nearly anything that a red wine would go with. Food: B-; Wine: A-; Pairing: B

Soup
Cream of Artichoke Heart Soup with Gruner Veltliner, Wolfgang Concerto, Austria
The soup was made with artichoke heart pureed and creamed not with cream, but instead with mascarpone and a wee bit of bleu cheese. It was served with a fresh artichoke leaf floating on top, and a crumble of bleu cheese riding in the leaf as if it were a wee boat. The soup was absolutely delicious. The fresh bleu cheese on top, when tipped into the soup, melted just enough so as to leave little melty surprises in each bite, which added a bit of saltiness to the freshness of the soup. The artichoke flavor was featured well and not at all overpowered by either cheese. The Veltliner was sweet, effervescent and light, without venturing into the territory of holy crap that's so sweet I can't stand it. If a champagne and a gwertsweimer had a baby together, this veltliner would be it. It was also very versitle, and I thought it might go wonderfully with a dessert of fresh berries in cream. Food: A; Wine: A-; Pairing: B+

Salad
Three Pea Salad with Albarino, Martin Codax, Spain
The third course was a salad of english peas, sugar snap pea pods, and snow pea pods over a small amount of micro greens, garnished with toasted, seasoned pecans and a light balsamic vinaigrette. This was the perfect refreshing spring salad. The salad was mostly peas, and just a little bit of greens, which was a good ratio (really, you don't win friends with lettuce). The pecans and dressing played off the peas well, which were perfectly fresh and crisp. The Albarino was a bit heavier than the Veltliner, but it was still sweet. On its own it was a bit plain, but it went very well with the salad. Food: A; Wine: B; Pairing: A-

First Course
Coquille St. Jaques with Chardonnay, La Crema, CA
The Coquille was made in the traditional style and served in scallop half-shells. They were served piping hot, and we had to let them cool a bit before eating them, but they were delicious. The scallops were done perfectly, just firm enough without getting tough. The cream sauce was light and just a little sweet, to complement the scallop meat. I appreciated that the scallops were cut before cooking them, so I did not have to fiddle with trying to cut them inside a scallop shell which, knowing my general level of dexterity, I would likely have shattered. The chardonnay was very good as well. It was aged in french oak barrels, which leech less of the oak flavor into the wine, letting the wine's own flavor shine more. This chardonnay was creamy and smooth, almost buttery. It was a little less dry than traditional chardonnays, but this lent itself well to the flavor of the scallops. The wine enhanced the flavor of the scallops, adding to the creaminess of the sauce without adding any heft. In turn, the scallops added depth to the flavor of the wine. Overall this was my favorite course, and LB was very impressed as well. Food: A+; Wine: A; Pairing: A+

Second Course
Lamb Shanks with Monticello Gran Reserva Rioja, Spain
Our second entree was a frenched lamb shank served over a bed of white beans and spinach, with a light sauce. To be quite honest, I don't remember this course very well because, well, if you're counting, we're on our 5th type of wine, and our table was the server's first stop for refills. The cut of lamb was excellent, and the flavors of the lamb, the sauce, and the white beans married well. I felt the lamb was overdone; I like my lamb to be medium or medium-rare and this was more medium-well. I would also have preferred a few more tablespoons of sauce. LB disagreed on both counts; he thought the lamb was cooked perfectly and that the amount of sauce was just right. The rioja was, as is appropriate with lamb, a heavier, dry red wine. It had a spiciness to it that went very well with the lamb; it added a juiciness to the lamb that was needed. In turn, the fat from the lamb added a bit of body to the rioja. The pairing was excellent. This was LB's favorite course. Food: A-; Wine: A; Pairing; A+

Dessert
Strawbery Sabayon tart with Muscat, Beaulieu Bineyard, CA
Fresh strawberries were sliced and served over sabayon cream in a pastry tart, topped with fresh whipped cream. The strawberries were perfectly fresh and delicious; LB and I were wondering how they got such fresh strawberries here in Minnesota in the early spring, since our local strawberries don't usually get good until late July. The cream and whipped cream complemented the strawberry flavor well, although with these berries I would have been happy with a fresh plate of them plain. The Muscat was very sweet; it tasted like liquid honey without the heaviness that honey can have. It was very tasty, although I felt it did not go well with the strawberry tart. This muscat was made to be a dessert in and of itself, without accompaniment. Food: A; Wine: A-; Pairing: C

The Obligatory Valentine's Day Post

So I don't celebrate Valentine's Day. I made this decision, ironically, earlier in the year that LB and I had started dating. I say this is ironic because LB loved Valentine's Day, and it was the first time he had a girlfriend on Valentine's Day.

But I have moral qualms (I have qualms with quite a few things, actually; I am qualmy):

1. V-Day is very much a Hallmark Holiday, in my opinion. I mean, it really doesn't have much to do with the historical V-Day (more on that later), so basically it's a day to show someone you love them because the dominant paradigm says you must. I don't want that for myself or my relationship; I want to show my love, and I want my lover's love shown to me, every day. That doesn't mean we can't do something extra special for one another now and then, but I don't want it to be because of social pressure. I want no pressure involved; I want it to come directly from the heart.
   
2. I don't need flowers and chocolates and jewelry to signify love (nor does LB need champagne and steak dinner and lingerie). All I want is for someone to treat me right, and treat me well, 364.25 days of the year. Too often is V-Day used as an excuse to give meaningless crap to someone to make up for less-than-stellar performance as a partner and lover the rest of the year. I really hate the commodification of love and sex that has gone on around V-Day; it cheapens them both. I'd like mine unadulterated by consumerism, if at all possible.
   
3. V-Day is very exclusionary and has gotten to the point of, "If you don't have SOMEone to celebrate with you're worthless so stay home and sulk and eat ice cream." I think that's such bullshit, and I don't want my celebrations to make someone else feel like crap because they can't participate in the socially required chocoflowershininess that is V-Day.
   
4. Valentine's day originated from the Catholic Feast of Saint Valentine. We have feasts to honor various saints throughout the year. The two Saint Valentines who were martyred really had nothing to do with romantic love (although one Saint Valentine was rumored to have been martyred for performing Christian marriages in Rome). I don't think the orgy of heteronormative consumerism that happens every February 14th is very respectful of this feast day; the meaning of honoring a saint has become completely and utterly divorced from this holiday, even more so than for the feasts of Christmas, Easter, and All Saint's (Halloween) have. At least they retain some of their original focus. V-Day does not.

When I explained all this to LB early in our relationship so he didn't feel the need to do anything for V-Day, at first he was disappointed but then he decided to do "Random I Love You" days every now and then; I do them too because I thought it was a great idea. Randomly, throughout the year, because we love one another, we'll each surprise the other with a special date, or some sort of token of affection (one that actually means something and not generic like chocolates), etc etc.

That given, I have a big BUUUUUT....LB and I DID go on a date this year for V-Day. We try to go on nice dates every couple of months, and this year we got a mailer for one of our favorite restaurants; they were doing a special, fixed-price menu for Valentine's Day. We weren't going to do it, because we don't celebrate V-Day. Then we saw the menu. Check this shit out:

Appetizer
Mussels with Sherry and Saffron -or-
Trio of Bruschetta: Pate with braised leek; Brie with fig preserves and balsamic vinegar; White bean with arugula and peccorino cheese

Soup or Salad
Baked French Onion Soup -or- Torpedo Endive Salad with Roquefort and Walnuts

Entree
Beef Tenderloin "au poivre". Cracked Pepper and Cognac Cream with Lyonnaise Potatoes and Broccolini -or-
Veal Tenderloin Oscar.Lump Crab, Asparagus, and Béarnaise, with Fingerlings, -or-
Rabbit Tenderloin. Spatzel and Tomato -or-
Heritage Tomato filled with Vegetable Risotto

Dessert
Three Tarts: Lemon Curd, Mocha French Silk, and Berry Custard -or-
Crème Brule with Berries

When we saw that, we decided we had to go, moral qualms be damned (damn good food will beat out moral qualms any day in our book). For the appetizers, LB had the mussels and I had the bruschetta. The pate was excellent; usually I don't like pate but it was well spiced, and didn't taste too livery. The brie with fig was also excellent. We both had the french onion soup which was fabulous. For the entree, I had the beef au poivre and LB had the rabbit. We both prefered mine; the beef was perfectly done, and the combination of buttery sauce with the potatoes lyonnaise (which had BACON in them omg) made for the most mouth-wattering bite of food I have had in years. His rabbit was good to, it just couldn't hold a candle to the beef au poivre. The spatzle on his dish was, however, to die for. For the dessert we got one of each and shared; dessert was pretty good but nothing to write home about. Overall, we were glad we went, and even toasted the evening, but adding the qualifier "we're still not celebrating Valentine's Day" at the end of our toast.

A Day in the Life

You're welcome?

Today I was heading to a seminar. I got on the elevator to the 15th floor, and two important-looking gentlemen got on behind me. ILG1 is discussing where they're going and how to get there, while ILG2, with his Hilton brochures in hand, shuffles through his maps. They exit on the 10th floor. As ILG2 exits and shuffles his maps some more, ILG1 picks up his breif case, turns to me, and says, "Thank you."

I smiled and nodded because words escaped me.


Willpower=-1

I went to Caribou Coffee to get a snack, because my stomach is informing me that it cannot wait 4 more hours to get more food. As I am entering the line, here reads my inner monologue: "OK. I'll get the Dulce de Leche coffe as a treat but I'll have something healthier to eat. What do they have? Muffins...biscotti...cookies...Oh! Yogurt. I'll have banana strawberry yogurt." I then advanced to the counter and immediately said, with no interruptions from my inner monologue, "I'll have a medium Dulce de Leche and a chocolate chunk muffin." To which my inner monologue replied, "The Hell? We wanted yogurt! Stupid bitch."


Things Heard from the Kitchen

Lucky Bastard was in the kitchen preparing himself a snack.

From the dining room I heard, "Fuck you, spatula!"

I daren't ask.