Ten Questions

From Urban Hennery comes the ten questions by James Lipton. Enjoy!

Here are the rules:
1. If you decide to answer, please leave a comment with a link to your blog.
2. You have to post these rules before you answer the questions.

1. What is your favorite word?
Shiny. At least that's been my favorite word lately. The words I like differ from day to day.

2. What is your least favorite word?
Moist. I like what it refers to, at least when we're talking baked goods, but just the sound of it... *shudder*.

3. What turns you on [creatively, spiritually or emotionally]?
People who do their best to improve the world.

4. What turns you off?
People who unrepentantly do things that solely harm others and the environment, even if they're getting paid well to do it. Maybe especially if they are getting paid well to do it.

5. What sound or noise do you love?
My cat's purr, onions sizzling in butter, and the little barks my puppy makes when she's dreaming.

6. What sound or noise do you hate?
My hacking cough when I'm sick. Doesn't help that it hurts!

7. What is your favorite curse word?
Fuck. I think that's a given.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
What qualifies as "my own?" Cheesemonger or the area of law? Because I'd gladly sell cheese for the rest of my life. But since I already do that... Animal attorney, cheese shop owner and hobbyist in cheesemaking, ideally with sheep's milk.

9. What profession would you not like to do?
Anything that involves harming critters.

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Well, I'm not religious. But I suppose "have a beer" would be nice and welcoming.

Family and Oatmeal

This past weekend, the boy's mom, sister, and aunt all got into town for the boy's niece's first birthday! As exciting as that is, it takes a lot of preparation, especially when you're expecting a couple dozen guests. The morning of the birthday party, I made oatmeal for everyone to enjoy. A nice, warm breakfast that definitely hit the spot and readied us all for the day ahead - which involved full use of two kitchens, beet juice everywhere, and myriad other amusing moments!

As for the oatmeal, it takes awhile to make it this way, earning me a quip regarding "one hour oats," but I think the flavor benefit is well worth it. This is another easy recipe, really, requiring little but estimations in amounts. Generally, for each cup of oats, you'll need three cups of liquid, but that is the estimate for cooking them with a lid on, and if you prefer them softer. I like my oats al dente.

Steel-cut oats consist of the inner portion of the oat kernel. That's called a groat, but that word is frankly kind of weird and creepy and sounds more like a crawly critter you would decidedly not want in your breakfast bowl. So I just call it the inner portion of the oat kernel. They're chopped into slightly smaller pieces with (big shocker here) steel cutters. They're also called pinhead oats, Scotch oats, or Irish oats. Steel-cut oats are a little bit more nutritious than rolled oats, and are absolutely tastier. They're nuttier and chewier and just all around awesomeness. Rolled oats should only exist for cookie baking. As for steel-cut oats, I like Bob's Red Mill brand, and I used one bag in the recipe this time around.

Creamy Steel-Cut Oatmeal

One bag of steel cut oats (about three cups of oats, a little over a pound...).
Milk. I used 2%, but you could use whatever fat content you like.
Water.
Butter, for a whole bag of oats you'll want to use most of a stick.
Cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, cloves.

Melt the butter in a nice big pot. Let it get foamy and almost nutty smelling. Dump in the oats, stir the oats so they get coated in the butter. Now stir regularly. Basically you're toasting the oats to bring out the nuttiness of them. Can you tell that I like nutty flavors? Hmm... feel free to use that as a commentary on my personality. Anyway, once the oats are nice and buttery and toasty (the color won't change much, so you're going by smell here), dump in a cup or a glass full of water. It will sizzle. Once the sizzling goes down, you'll want the temperature on medium. Now the oats can be cooked in a similar way to risotto - as each addition of liquid (milk or water - change the proportions however you want) is absorbed, you add the next one, making sure to stir frequently. It will take awhile. This is a good lazy weekend breakfast. Taste test along the way, adding spices as you like, though I wouldn't add much more than a teaspoon or so of the salt. Once you've hit the texture and taste you like, dig in. We served it with more butter, milk, a little more salt for me, and homemade maple syrup from the boy's family's trees. Absolutely delicious and satisfying, and a huge hit!

Gratin With the Girls

The boys went up elk hunting, so to celebrate a week of freedom from boy food (read: eggs, meat, whatever "hot dish" is), two of the girls and I went shopping yesterday, then made dinner and enjoyed it with three bottles of wine and their first viewing of 300. Well, 300 is admittedly not your typical "girly" movie, but if you can explain to me how several dozen attractive, goateed, mindblowingly ripped and noble men in very little clothing would NOT appeal to straight and bisexual women, I will take it under advisement. And then I will ignore you, because Gerard Butler is hot tasty goodness.

N picked up stuff to make pad thai, and it turned out awesome, even the tofu part, which is cool because I'm not usually all about tofu. But that is not what I made, so I have no idea what went into it because I was absorbed in my third glass of wine and my new game, "Restaurant Empire" while she was making it.

I made potato gratin. This one is loosely based on a potato gratin recipe in Nigella Lawson's book Feast. It is so simple and so creamy and decadent; it is seriously the epitome of a fall recipe. I made it for Supper Club in September and upon making it this second time, I've firmly decided it is a keeper!

Also, the quantities are very much by feel - it's a pretty forgiving recipe, which is great for parties where you're tired and lazy but still want to impress.

White wines are probably best with this - we drank a chardonnay and my latest wine obsession - Menage a Trois white blend from Folie a Deux. It's a fairly heavy dish and a nice bright fruity white cuts through it and keeps it from being way, way too much.

Potato Gratin

Approx. 4 lbs potatoes - I like to use about 2/3 baking potatoes and 1/3 sweet potatoes.
Approx. 4 cups liquid - Nigella specifies heavy cream, which is fine. The first time I made it, I didn't have enough heavy cream, so I used buttermilk too. This second time, I used about 2.5 cups of Straus half & half (a whole jug), and about the same amount of Straus whole milk. Both times, it's rocked.
One onion, cut in half lengthwise.
Spices of your choice - a little salt and pepper, maybe a cinnamon stick, nutmeg, bay leaves, sage - all tasty.
Cheese - Nigella does not include cheese, which is all well and good but to my mind an oversight, as cheese can only improve a dish. Anything that grates and melts well is fine - I used two cheeses the first time, but I can't remember which two, and the second time I used Beecher's Flagship. As much or as little as you like - it's just going on top.
That's all. Nice, huh?

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Peel and slice the potatoes as thin as you like. I go with some a little less than 1/4 inch and some a little more - the thinner ones will break up more, so you end up with a nice varied potato texture. Put into a pot. Put in the onion halves (this is why you cut it lengthwise, so it will stay together at the root end of each half). Put in spices. Pour in liquid. Bring to boil, then lower the heat to low and simmer until the potatoes have a fair amount of give, and the onion is starting to fall apart, having imparted its flavor to the liquid. Then put the potatoes and the sauce into a 9x13 baking dish, removing the onion and any other whole spices or herbs. Grate the cheese over the top and pop in the oven until it is lightly browned, or until you can't wait any more and must DEVOUR IT.

More birthday surprises!

In a further celebration of birthday week, I went to the haunted house in Post Falls with several friends of mine. For $6, it was well worth it. Pitch black inside with tiny twisty pathways. I kept running into walls. I'm just glad I didn't fall down! The actors all did a great job, although I think it must be exhausting to have to scream for every group that comes through - all night. In fact, as we were exiting a room, one of the actors asked our guide to bring some water for them on his next walk through!

After we all exited, chased by chainsaw-wielding high school students (scarier than adult maniacs, that's for sure), I was asked what to do next. What could the answer be but Indian food? So we all drove back and met up at Bombay Palace for deliciousness. Three orders of garlic naan, two of plain naan, plus two chicken dishes, lamb vindaloo, and an appetizer combo, chana masala, paneer tikka masala, and aloo gobi. Yum! I have a new obsession with the paneer tikka masala. Cubes of paneer that have been baked in the tandoori oven, then cooked with a slightly spicy, rich, delicious, orange-red sauce. The sauce is nice and thin too, so it's dippable with the garlic naan, which makes my belly deeply happy. Don't get me wrong, everything else is great too, but I think the paneer tikka masala has won my heart. At least for now. It's great for when you're not as hungry, because hunger would make chana or dal a better choice (chickpeas and lentils being really quite filling and all). The cheese almost has a baked-tofu texture and the mild flavor of the cheese highlights the sauce. Then douse your rice with sauce and eat, making sure to clean the bowl with your naan. Okay, now I'm hungry again. At least I have aloo gobi leftovers in my fridge!

Birthday Surprises

For my birthday, my darling boyfriend got me an air hockey table, which he and his brother were "testing" when I returned from Greenbluff, walnuts, hazelnuts, pickled green beans, honey, cider, and pies in tow. Six of us gathered on Sunday to eat delicious chili, presided over by myself and my boyfriend's sister in law. We also baked the Golden Apple pie from Walther's Fruit Ranch. Outstanding apple pie. I opted not to taint my pie with COOL WHIP (shudder) like a couple of people did, but to each their own. I'd venture that this pie was good enough to overwhelm the nastiness of Cool Whip anyway.

As far as cheesy goodness goes, it was not lacking one bit! I made a plate chock-full of the various cheeses I had in the fridge - six cheeses, which is quite a lot, and technically cheese plates should have an odd number, but it WAS an informal gathering. Comté, Fromage Blanc, Up in Smoke, Purple Haze, Bartlett Blue, and Rogue River Blue! It was the last of the Rogue River until next September, and I'll cover the delights of that cheese in a separate post because it is that good.

Then on my actual birthday (Monday) the boy surprised me yet again with a magnum of Chimay Blue. It was delicious. Malty but refreshing... yum. According to the website, Chimay Blue ages well, particularly when it is the magnum. We're going to have to get a few more bottles and age them for awhile!

Tots and Sprouts

Tuesday nights I have bowling league. Yes, bowling, sport of cheap beer and fried food. My friends/teammates and I are not shy about the pitchers of Kokanee and/or Bud Light, and I was hungry, so I also ordered my bowling alley standby. The 7-10 Split. What a depressing term for what is easily the most delightful thing on the menu (the nachos compete well, but are brought down by the nasty not-guac they're served with). A basket of curly fries and tater tots, paired with the sauce of your choice. My preferred pairing is honey mustard for the tots, ketchup for the fries. After a dalliance with ranch and another with tartar sauce, I've returned to being a purist when it comes to fries. I devoured it with glee. The best moment of the night, however, was when my friend ordered a hot dog and received what the server termed a "split weiner." A hot dog sliced lengthwise down the middle for no conceivable reason. Outstanding.

Then I got home, 12-pack of Session Lager in hand because I do my best to be a nice houseguest, to find that there was food. Meat things, which my vegetarian soul was not attracted to, but also brussels sprouts. They looked beautiful and smelled even better. Alas, my carnivorous boyfriend and his equally carnivorous brother and friend had maliciously tainted the sprouts with bacon. I was denied sprouty goodness!

Tonight: I think I must cook up my very own batch of sprouts. Roasted with some olive oil, salt and pepper, then doused in lemon juice, they ought to hit the spot.

I sell cheese. Partly to keep my sanity (we law students are not widely renowned for that trait), but also, and mostly, because I love it beyond all reason. This is intended to be something of a journal about cheese, and probably food in general. I'll attempt to keep the whining about school to a minimum, but I can guarantee nothing, since all that pesky reading does get in the way of cheese. I was thinking about putting in a picture of cheese, but instead, here's my super-cute puppy. This photo has to do with cheese in one way: that is doggy birthday cake, and the frosting was made by putting cottage cheese in a blender and adding food coloring. The idea sounds pretty nasty to me, but it was a huge hit. Right after this picture was taken, Izzy's cake was stolen by another dog. Izzy ended up with extra frosting to compensate. Good times!