My Dog Might Be Really Stupid

There is a five-gallon bucket in our yard full of granite and marble remnants that Neal intends to use to make wine stoppers. It's been there since before the snow melted (she says after watching snow fall THIS VERY MORNING). Izzy was really interested in it ever since it was placed there - presumably she liked to eat snow and drink water out of it. That's all well and good, but it's bone-dry in there now. And she just spent about ten minutes nosing around in the bucket. I sincerely hope she realizes that rocks aren't edible.

Honduras Day 2 - Exhaustion Takes Over

Once we landed at the airport in San Pedro Sula, we go through the customs line and then to claim our baggage. Last year some bags didn't make it, but this year they all did. Thank goodness, because I doubt the airline would have gotten a cab to drive the bags five hours into the mountains again! Once you get your bag, you go through a security checkpoint, then pass by the car rental agencies and through to the main terminal. There are dozens and dozens of people waiting for family and such right past the doors, so making your way through the throng to the wide open end of the terminal is very refreshing. Two people stayed behind to rent the cars - one busito (a minivan), and an SUV. The rental agency didn't have the busito, which we had reserved weeks ago. Okay, fine, we got that through another agency. Then they had the SUV, but no battery. They ordered the battery from San Pedro Sula proper. Welcome to Honduras! The battery actually arrived on time, continuing our streak of good luck, and then it was installed. Meanwhile, the rest of us either exchanged our money with the money exchange guys that wander around the airport, or got cash out of the ATM. About an hour and a half after we got there, we were off to Lepaera, leaving the airport behind!


The trip to Lepaera involves skirting around San Pedro Sula proper, since it can be a dangerous city, especially for a bunch of gringos. Then off to the mountains. We pass around the outskirts of Santa Rosa de Copan, as well as through any number of smaller villages. Stopping for gas once, we finally arrive, in the dark, hungry and tired.

The incredibly generous family that hosts us had dinner already prepared. First we feasted, then we figured out sleeping arrangements while enjoying a few Salva Vidas. Salva Vida is my favorite Honduran beer, a slightly (very slightly) dark, hoppy lager. Also, the name means "life saver," so that amuses me to no end.

Here is a delicious batch of beans. The beans there are cooked with onions and garlic, and probably some spices that have yet to be divulged to me. They are pureed and fairly liquidy, much more so than typical refried beans. They are absolutely amazing. I made a batch of beans yesterday that is my closest attempt, so far, at replicating them.

You can top your beans with chismol, which is in the container at the top of the picture. It is basically a pico de gallo. Fresh tomatoes, onions, and cilantro living in harmony. The lower container has a crumbly, salty cow's milk cheese that is pretty close to cotija.


Honduran corn tortillas are smaller and thicker than the corn tortillas we see in the States. They are about 4-5 inches in diameter and about 1/4 inch thick. I like to make little tacos, with a tortilla, some beans, cheese, and chismol. Then I sop up any leftover beans with more tortillas! Some families make tortillas at home, but our host family just purchases them freshly made from the market, which is understandable, since making tortillas is a daunting task, especially if you're feeding a baker's dozen gringos!

Lastly, there was carne asada for the meat eaters in the group. Carne asada isn't included in the plato tipico that you might order in a restaurant or be served on an average day in a Honduran home. It's generally served more for special occasions. I hear tell it's delicious!
For reference, a plato tipico is the basic meal. It includes tortillas, beans, and various other things such as avocado, tajadas, plantains, crema (mantequilla), fried egg, cheese, chicken, rice, and so on.

Feeling Tarty?

Today I made the Foolproof Lemon Tart from Baking Bites. I used Meyer lemons instead of regular lemons. While making it, I realized that a) this was my first time making pastry that was not pie crust (way to jump straight to the big leagues, ACE. yeesh.), and b) I had no pie weights or cheap dried beans to blind bake. So I went ahead and blind baked the crust with my Rancho Gordo Yellow Indian Woman beans, which as you can see aren't even on the website right now. Sigh. Well, I refuse to concede the beans as a loss, so I'm soaking them anyway and will probably cook them before bed. I WILL devour these beans! Also, they're $5.50 per 1 pound bag, so I was loath to waste the cash too.

The crust got a little browner than I would have liked, and there was a little more, um... shrinkage than I would prefer as well. But all in all, it came out and I had a by and large tart-shaped crust ready to go. So I made the filling, which the Meyer lemons I had were just barely enough for, and baked the whole shebang for about fifteen minutes. Booya - tart and delicious! The filling is lemony and sweet, but not excessively so. A really voluptuous texture. Just awesome. It really is foolproof, and I will make this again, no question! I'm dreaming of all kinds of citrus tarts...

Neal and his brother of course started comparing it to lemon bars. Don't get me wrong, I love a good lemon bar, but this was so much more effort than a lemon bar! Sigh.

I will post a picture once I find my stupid camera cord. Assuming, of course, that Izzy didn't eat it.

One last note: if anyone can explain to me why the hell Scrabulous won't consider "zen" to be a word, I would desperately like to know.

Honduras Day 1/2 - The Journey

I got to the airport at about 11am. Of course, several of us congregated in the bar, because airports really do lend themselves to drinking. On the other hand, a mediocre beer for 8 bucks makes me feel a little stabby. Once you're on the plane, though, the Horizon Air flight serves free drinks. I had a glass of wine from some Californian winery that donates to service dog funds for every bottle sold. It wasn't half bad, either!

In Portland, there is a decent little Mexican joint where I had tortilla soup and a margarita. Most of us had a bite to eat there before getting on the plane to LA. Oh yes, the trip was only a tiny bit over. Nothing like 30 straight hours of travel! In LA, we didn't get as lost as last year (huzzah!), nor did we have to take the skeery little carts all over the tarmac. Hint to LAX drivers: little bus and big plane enter. One guess which man leaves. Ah, the familiar Chili's at LAX. A long wait for a table, and then the bill got all screwed up, since of course there were 13 of us!

Finally we landed in Miami, in the middle of a big rain and after a scare where me may have had to land in Orlando, which would just have REALLY sucked. I watched August Rush on the way from LAX to Miami. It's not half bad, but I probably should have slept instead. We got into Miami about 5am, then waited around for an hour or so. Four of us took a cab to Miami Beach, which definitely hit the spot. First stop was News Cafe for breakfast.



I had Eggs Florentine, which were good, though the cream cheese sauce was more interesting than delicious. I would have preferred Hollandaise, but I was starving, it was still pretty damn good, and I would have devoured pretty much anything. More to the point, we weren't in an AIRPORT. We saw Gianni Versace's house, though I was the only one to know it on sight. We wandered along the beach once the rain died down. It was gorgeous, just starting to get warm, and there were tons of birds out getting whatever food they could find on the beach before the people started pouring in. I don't know how much tourist traffic there is in Miami Beach in the spring, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a fair amount. It was getting warm, and I know a movie (Marley and Me, I think?) was filming there either that week or the week before. After rinsing the sand out of our shoes, it was high time to take a cab back to the airport and get in a nap before boarding our final plane into San Pedro Sula.

Leeeeeeeaaaaaviiiiiiinnnng on a jet plane...

Or, you know, four of them. Leaving for Honduras in the morning, and I am super pumped! Stops in Portland, LA, and Miami, of course, but upon landing I will be in the land of great coffee, plantains, beans, and just all-around great times. I shall be back in a little over a week. There will be pictures and recaps. Woot!

Camera Worries

I got a new camera last week - a refurbished Nikon CoolPix L11. It arrived on Friday, it was shiny and black and gorgeous. It had red-eye reduction. I fell irretrievably in love.

For its inaugural outing, we took it out on Saturday night to an 80s party. After the party we went to Dempsey's. After Dempsey's we went to the Satellite. Somewhere along the way the screen broke. I don't know when or how, the boy had it in his coat pocket, but there was nothing else in his pocket for the camera to slam against.

I am heartbroken.

There is one silver lining: The camera still takes pictures, and I can still upload them to my laptop. So if nothing else, I can bring the camera to Honduras with me this weekend and just take a lot more pictures; that way I can delete the crappy ones once we're back.

But still. I want my shiny new love object back.

Sunday Night Oscars Dip

This year, much like last year, we managed to schedule Supper Club for the same night as the Oscars. It's okay, it just turns Supper Club into an Oscar party! Few of us had really seen any of the movies this year, with the exception of Ratatouille (go Ratatouille! Wooo!), so we spent the time mocking outfits. Jon Stewart did make a joke about the mocking of the outfits, but let's face it, we'll stop mocking when you stop wearing ridiculous crap that makes you look ugly. I mean, really. Cameron Diaz has the figure of a 12 year old boy, with teeny little hips. And she managed to wear a dress that makes her look either like a rhino. Or like she's wearing a bedsheet. Or like she's a rhino in a bedsheet. And Barbara Walters' horrific series of outfits afterward, of which I will speak one phrase only as I'm trying to recover from it still, in the retinal region of my eyes, were just so bad. Barbara, I do NOT need to see your business.

On to the food. Everyone made tasty stuff and we went through plenty of wine too! On request, here is the dip that I made. It comes from my newest cheese book, Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials. I highly recommend the book. And the dip.

Havarti Dill Dip with Parmesan Toasts

1 baguette, sliced
Olive oil
Parmesan
2/3 cup mayo
12 oz (3/4 lb) Havarti, grated
14 oz can artichoke hearts, chopped
About 10 scallions, just the white and light green parts, finely chopped
2 tbs fresh dill (though I used dried and it was fine)
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Brush oil on each side of the slices of bread. Place on a baking sheet and toast for about 5 minutes in the oven, then flip them and sprinkle Parmesan on them. Toast again for about 5-7 minutes. Let cool. Whoo! Toasts are done!
Mix together the mayo, Havarti, artichoke hearts, scallions, dill, and pepper (to taste) in a bowl. Put in a ceramic or Pyrex dish and bake about 20 minutes (till hot and bubbly). Let cool for about 20 minutes. Whoo! You are all done! And look how fancy you are. Now go get dressed up, you look sloppy. It's an Oscar party, after all.

A Paragon of Adequatulence

Okay, so Northern Lights is pretty much always better than adequate. Actually, it's awesome. I just wanted to honor NewsRadio, and also it's probably that my lunch selection was merely adequate. I should have gotten the Planked Baked Brie for lunch. It's like porn on a plate, and I almost always get it, but it does cost $11, so... yeah. Broke student here. I opted for a small Caesar and an IPA, and then my friend the birthday girl and I shared fries. Everything was good, of course. The Caesar did come with three lemon wedges, which rocked because I love sour. It also interestingly included sprouts and sunflower seeds. On a Caesar salad. Yes, really. I know, it's weird. It tasted good, just... not completely like a Caesar. Anyway, the salad was good. The fries were good. Just not exactly what I wanted. Next time, I'm getting the Brie.

Oh, and the Cream Ale Fromage soup? I wanted it, but it was made with chicken broth. Boo, Northern Lights. Boooooo.

The IPA was both delicious and exactly what I wanted. But when I got back to school, another friend of mine said I smelled like booze. I had ONE BEER! Quoi??

Ultimate Bagel

I had a long day at school today, so because I was starving come lunchtime and needed to finish preparing for Payment Systems, I went to my favorite local place for lunch: Ultimate Bagel. Ultimate Bagel is actually the very first place I ever ate at in Spokane. I find it delicious. Whenever I go, which can vary from once a month to a couple times a week, depending on the time of the semester, I get a Veggie Bagelwich on a Jalapeno Asiago bagel. Today, as any other day, I got that, with a Diet Pepsi (mmmm..... aspartame....).

The Jalapeno Asiago bagel adds another dimension of cheesy goodness to the bagel, and a much-needed hint of heat. Definitely a good thing, as pepper jack is not a cheese option. I had swiss. The other choices are provolone, cheddar I believe, and cream cheese. As far as I'm concerned, cream cheese is a spread, not a cheese, but hey. I get it toasted, and with mustard and all the veggies. The Bagelwich comes with a pickle spear, bagel chips, and a mint.

The sandwich? Delicious and filling as always. The pickle? Tangy and tasty. The mint? Ummm.... minty and refreshing, I suppose. The chips? Waste of space. It's not that I have anything against the bagel chips in and of themselves, it's just that they're too hearty and filling, and without anything to dip them in, they really are quite dry. I suggest saving the chips for later, an easier proposition if you've gotten the meal to go, and dipping them in something. Salsa, perhaps. Or go nuts, dip them in cream cheese! Hey, there's little tubs of cream cheese there... I feel a plan coming on for next time. Yum.

That was the highlight of my day so far. I went to Payment Systems and was called on for the first five problems of class. I just wish I'd understood that part of it better!

Petsitting

I used to petsit a lot before I moved here and started law school. I loved it, loved my clients (the humans and the furred ones), and made a couple hundred extra bucks a month. It's nice. I've missed it.

So I was pumped when my friend asked me to petsit for her this past weekend. She has two cats, one of whom is the fattest cat I've ever seen, and a dog. We brought Izzy over to play with the dog, Rufus. That was the best plan ever. They exhausted each other, running around the house and yard. They also got into everything and destroyed a few things, but that's neither here nor there. The best part is that Rufus actually would play with Izzy, and she got to be the boss for once, if solely due to his laziness.

The funniest part though is when the fat cat Alvin went downstairs and proceeded to corner Izzy while making very angry noises. He is more formidable than my own cat, as he is about thrice the size, so it was probably good for her.

Bowl Report

This week, the Pocket Michelle was so with us at the bowling alley on league night. Seriously. We won all three games and the series, both with AND without our handicap. And all of us bowled over our average on ALL three games. Kneel down and worship the Pocket Michelle. That is all.

I'll Meme If I Want To

Also known as, I feel like it, and don't really have anything else to talk about right now.

When you walk in your front door, which room do you enter?
A sort of foyer thing. Ish. Really, the living room, though by the door is the only carpeted space in the house and there's a step so I guess it's a foyer.

Do you have a dishwasher?
I would kill for a dishwasher. Seriously.

Is your living room carpeted or does it have hardwood floors?
Laminate. I'd like a cozy rug.

Do you keep your kitchen knives on the counter or in a drawer?
In a wood block and in a drawer. I really want a magnetic knife strip but have been forbidden to get one because apparently they're "ugly." Pfft.

House, apartment, duplex or trailer?
House.

How many bedrooms is it?
3, sort of. Our bedroom is upstairs, in a loft-like space. Then there are two rooms off the living room that I guess are bedrooms. In a way.

Gas stove or electric?
Electric.

Do you have a yard?
One facing the street that has grass. Well, right now, snow, but come spring, grass. And tomatoes. At least that's the plan. And a little gravel yard thing by our door that is fenced, and once spring comes will be cleaned and will have planter boxes.

What size TV is in the living room?
20-something inches. No idea really.

Are your plates in the same cupboard as your cups?
Yes.

Is there a coffee maker sitting on your kitchen counter?
Yes, though it needs cleaning.

What room is your computer in?
I have a laptop, so it follows me. We only get a wireless connection in the bathroom, and it's tenuous there, so mostly I don't bother and leave it in the living room or kitchen.

Are there pictures hanging in your living room?
Not right now; we need to work on that.

Are there any themes found in your home?
It's messy? I suppose? My decorating style could best be described as "haphazard and pink," so themes are well beyond my reach.

What kind of laundry detergent do you use?
Till I have money, whatever's cheap. Purex smells nice.

Do you use dryer sheets?
Nope. That might explain my occasional bouts with static.

Do you have any curtains in your home?
Blinds. I should find cheap curtainy action and fix that.

What color is your fridge?
White, with magnets and photos and such.

Is your house clean?
It looks like a tornado hit it.

What room is the most neglected?
Is "all of them" specific enough?

Are the dishes in your sink/dishwasher clean or dirty?
Dirty. That's really just a given.

How long have you lived in your home?
Since November.

Where did you live before?
In a little apartment over near Huckleberry's.

Do you have one of those fluffy toilet lid covers on your toilet?
No.

Do you have a scale anywhere in your house?
No, and don't plan to get one. I really don't need a reminder of how much weight I've gained in law school.

How many mirrors are in your house?
2 in the bathroom - the one above the vanity and a dingy full-length one.

Look up. What do you see?
I'm in class, so, the professor.

Do you have a garage?
Nope. Right now parking is an issue altogether due to piles of snow and patches of ice.

Pocket Michelle

On Friday I went to the Obama rally at the Fox theater. The newly restored Fox is absolutely stunning inside, with super luxurious decor. It's like an Art Deco heaven. Anyway, the doors were to open at 3pm, and I planned to meet up with some friends at the Fox a bit after 2pm. Well, I got there and the line was already around the block! Good thing they planned to get there so early. I moved my car to Riverpark Square and then ran back, whereupon I discovered they had opened the doors early and my friends were already inside. So I ran to the back of the line, and managed to get in and have a great seat saved for me.

Michelle Obama was just awesome in every way. Very personable, funny, brilliant, and inspirational. Prior to her getting up on stage, a lot of the rally felt like, well... a high school pep rally with cheesy skits. But Michelle rocked the house. If I had been undecided, she would have swayed me for sure. Hell, afterward my friends and I agreed that we would gladly vote for HER to be president!

On our way back to our cars, we agreed that it would be really spiffy to have a pocket-sized Michelle to have with you all the time. She could inspire you, give advice, tell you when you're selling out, beeyatch. And so forth. And yes, my pocket Michelle would call me a beeyatch if I'm not doing the right thing. I think this could be a real moneymaker, and it would really just be good in every way. I'd also like a pocket Tim Gunn. And maybe a pocket really smart lawyer to help me take the bar.

As a nifty aside, I caucused yesterday and am now a delegate. Woot!

Marathon

I've decided to run a marathon. Not a specific marathon. Yet. But one, at some point, in the next two years. Hold me to this, people.

Even though I'm not sure why I want to do it. I suppose the fact that sitting up from a prone position has occasionally lately caused shortness of breath might have something to do with it, but c'mon, y'all, that is HARD. I am TIRED, and sitting up is sometimes more exertion than I am prepared to cope with. Also, last night at bowling when I mentioned it (in between bitching about having to actually stand up and pick up a heavy object in order to bowl), my friend noted that the first people who ran a marathon died, so clearly people aren't meant to travel 26.2 miles without the assistance of ponies or heavy machinery. I agree wholeheartedly. Oh well.

This all might indicate that I am *ahem* unprepared to run a marathon. This is true. That's why I'm allowing a lot of time to transition from one who considers cutting wheels of cheese and opening wine bottles "exercise" to one who will willingly jog, wait... walk (gotta start with walking) distances of at least one-half mile at a time. Then the actual training could conceivably commence.

I'm exhausted just thinking about it. I'm going to have a taco and take a nap.

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.