Starting in December

If I were home right now I would throw a party — a party to help me get all of this food away from myself.  The last 30 days participating in NaBloPoMo have been deeply fulfilling (my pants no longer fit) and deeply challenging (scraping burnt sugar off the oven floor is no one’s idea of a good time).  But, enough of my behind the scenes drivel.  You came here for the food!

Countless friends and family have invited me as their guest to their holiday parties over the last few weeks and I have encountered somewhat of a challenge in preparing dishes to share that can be 1) served at room temperature, 2) travel well, and 3) can be prepared in advance.  As many of my friends also have tiny kitchens, I cannot exactly move into their limited culinary real estate and take over their stove, oven or counterspace.  I have to show up ready to go.

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This will probably come as no surprise to those that know me well, but as the years pass I find myself drawn to the finer things.  Now, I am not talking about fine jewelry or couture fashion but rather the day to day things, like dinner ingredients.  (I really know how to live on the edge, people.)  So often, I scoop up the 99 cent plastic bags of spaghetti, only to be disappointed by its gummy flavorlessness.  Last night, I was in the mood for an everyday splurge and went a straight for the fancy pasta section.  You almost always get what you pay for with pasta.

I could not resist these little, individual nests of egg fettuccine, perfect for clinging to a buttery, rich sauce.  The sauce relied almost completely on butter to form its base, but built up both flavor and heft with cubed pancetta, fresh corn and sage.  In retrospect, the corn might have been sweeter if I had made this dish a few months ago but we had no problem finishing everything on our plates.  Fancy fettuccine was exactly what we needed after a holiday weekend and before a busy week.

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Ahh, the horror!  As I was sitting down to wax poetic about these monkey-worthy cupcakes, the tiniest of spiders scurried across the top of my laptop.  I blame the new seven foot Oregon pine tree draped with glittering white lights standing in the corner of my living room.  Now, I am completely incapable of focusing on buttercream.  Thanks a lot, Mr. Tiny Spider.

Thankfully, my apartment was arachnid-free this afternoon when I had a few spare moments to aimlessly flip through the pages of some of my cookbooks.  I was looking for a way to satisfy my sweet tooth without braving the post-holiday, Sunday shopper frenzy that is the market by my apartment.  Peanut butter buttercream is one of the most addictive things going in my kitchen at the moment, and we had no problem scraping out every last bit to clean the bowl — Karen DeMasco deserves an award.  The recipe was simple but these cupcakes and frosting yielded such satisfying flavors and textures that they are already packed up and are ready to be foisted upon my coworkers.  Ripe, mashed bananas add color, moisture and deep flavor to the cupcakes, which can so often be dry and dull.  They also scored major points with me because they require little more than pantry staples, are the perfect rainy day activity and stay fresh for a couple of days at room temperature.  I cannot wait to make these again.

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Despite the fact that nearly 48 hours has passed since my Thanksgiving meal, I am still wondering what I have gotten myself into.  Around every corner lurks food — in restaurants, in friends’ homes and in my cupboards.  I barely want to look at the stuff.  This afternoon I met a friend home for the holiday weekend and all I could stomach was a cup of tea.

And yet, three weeks ago I signed myself up for this little project where I promised to post each and every day this month.  I can see the finish line and have little doubt I will cross it next week. (Sorry, no suspense thriller here!)  However, I have never seen so much food in my tiny apartment.  I either need to make some new friends or grow a second stomach.

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Today, tonight, I am thankful.  Thankful for not one, but two families and two Thanksgivings.  Thankful for families that enjoy preparing and eating impressive food as much as I do.  Thankful for the heritage turkey from Point Reyes that took its last gobble-gobble so I might enjoy its pomegranate juice infused meat.  Thankful for new traditions.  Thankful for tiny humans wobbling around the house and taking their first steps.

Thankful for parents that love me.  Thankful for a brother who makes me laugh.  Thankful for Ryan who has endless patience and makes me very, very happy.

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