3 posts from 2006

These are my favorite pretzels. The hard pretzels, which are called beer pretzels in Central PA, are dry and crispy, and tend to fall apart in your hand. I always buy several bags when I get to Harrisburg and take them back to NC with me. Nothing else even comes close. I once ordered some online, and spent almost $30 for a dozen small bags, and shipping. JP still busts on me about it, but they were worth it.

My newest food obsession is polenta. Last year, I was at my sister's house for  Christmas. We were  making dinner on Christmas Eve, and she handed me a recipe and said "You know how to make polenta, don't you?". I said I knew you had to work very quickly with it or it's useless. She said "Good, make this." It's a baked polenta, with butter and parmigiana-regiano. I made it again for Thanksgiving, and my guests went crazy over it. I've made it several times since then, and it always disappears. I'm making it again tonight for a New Year's Eve dinner party. I hope it's well accepted.

Here's the recipe:
Polenta Baked with Cheese
makes 6-8 servings

2 cups yellow cornmeal
6 cups cold water
2 tsp salt
1 cup grated parmigiana cheese
4 tbls. butter, cut into 1/2" dice

Gradually but vigorously mix water in cornmeal to remove lumps. Add salt. Bring to a simmer. Whisk, then stir with wooden spoon, as mixture thickens into a heavy mush. Continue stirring for about five minutes. (It has a tendency to stick to the  pan, so keep this as low as possible.)
Cover pan and put into larger pan with simmering water. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring often, adding water as necessary. Be careful with the simmering water. You only need a tiny bit; otherwise, it will overflow. Be sure it doesn't boil away.
Pour polenta into pie plate or other dish. Smooth out. Dot with butter and sprinkle with cheese. Let chill at least one hour, until firm and cold. Sprinkle with a little more cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.

It needs 15-20 minutes to set up. It's great hot, at room temperature or cold.

Because it tends to stick during the first cooking step, I am going to try the entire process in the simmering water. I think that will help cut down on burning. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Here's my favorite cookie recipe. The first time I made it, I accidentally used two tablespoons of vanilla instead of two teaspoons.I looked at the recipe a half dozen times, thinking that's a lot of vanilla, but I was sure that's what it called for. Too late, I realized my mistake. I made them anyway. They were so good I have continued to make them with two tablespoons. I tried them once with two teaspoons of vanilla and they weren't as good. Too dry, and they got stale faster. I hate white chocolate, so I use semi-sweet chocolate chips.

My kitchen's a mess. I'm off to clean it up. Then on to the polenta.

Something exciting. I just discovered that my favorite potato chip is now available on the web. This is major stuff for a central PA (snack food capital of the world) girl now stuck in the vast junk food wasteland known as the South.

that I finally decided to start my own blog, because I'm always at the cutting edge of new technology.

What you'll find here (more likely than not): stuff about me, my cat, my husband, what I made for dinner, why I'm cranky or happy, how I'm feeling in general, comments on weird shit, what I'm reading, something new I've discovered, things that annoy the crap out of me and things that make me happy, beauty tips, my favorite television shows, and why I think The Animals are one of the best rock and roll bands of all time. And, on occasion, possibly how very much I hate the President.  And, periodically, a list of unconnected stuff that pops into my head. So, essentially, the same damned stuff you see on everyone else's blog.
What you won't find is in-depth political analysis, or the Jungian implications of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, if there are any. You will, however, read opinions such as "Buffy Summers is the best female character on television since Honey West". Then I will explain to you who Honey West is.
I'm pretty much of a techno-idiot, so I guarantee that I'll be messing with the design etc. of this blog for awhile. I have no idea how to upload pictures right now, so those won't be showing up anytime soon. I'll probably start with books, tv shows, and links to a few websites and other blogs. So, to get started:

These are listed in no particular order.
What's irritating me today:
I have bread dough rising, and it's taking too long. This happens with every other loaf. One rises beautifully, the next one is really slow. I have yet to figure out the problem.
My increasingly bad memory. I was always able to keep myself and everyone around me organized because I always remembered what everyone told me. Now I can barely remember if the cat is in the yard or under the bed.
JP's irrational hatred of dryer sheets.

What's making me feel OK today:
It's sunny and 58 degrees.
I'm virtually painfree at the moment.
We're having pizza for dinner tonight.
For some reason that neither JP nor I can figure out, Sam's Blue Light (for you out of towners, the best place in Durham to get beer, wine and cigarettes) has cases, real cases, of Sam Adams Oktoberfest Beer for $14.
I bought a great pot to make my bread in. It holds up to the heat, it's the perfect size, and it's pretty. Also usable for many other things. I call it The Christmas Miracle, tm Joe Vilas.

Things I don't ever care about:
What Paris Hilton is doing.
Princess Diana
How many CDs Taylor Hicks has sold
Anything having to do with Donald Trump.
What the inside of a military tank looks like
How the Starship Enterprise is laid out.
The Starbuck/Anders/Apollo/Dualla love quadrangle
Any geometric romance in a television show

Things I do care about:
Whether Lorelai Gilmore will ever be happy.
How my family is doing.
Whether JP is happy.
Whether Molly, my cat, is happy.
That my neighbors are moving to San Francisco.
That they're getting married in a roller rink, and we're invited.
That there are hungry people in the US.
That, over the last six months, no matter how I felt, I was almost always able to cook dinner.
That I have a PT appointment in about 45 minutes, and I haven't even gotten in the shower yet.