Starting in December

One hundred seventy two posts after starting this web site it is time to say so long.  As I have alluded to in the last several posts, things are going swimmingly around here but packed to the gills.  I promised myself long ago that as soon as this felt like more of an obligation than  joy it was time to take a break and recoup or end it altogether.  Needless to say, I haven’t yet made up my mind but things are going to be decidedly quiet around here for the time being.  Thank you for your encouragement, enthusiasm and inspiration.

Ladies and gentlemen, clean out the pantry cabinets 2011 continues. It’s not sexy, glamorous or all that exciting, but I know it’s a dilemma you face, too. After Ryan and I came home from the farmers’ market this afternoon and carefully tucked away the largest, most fragrant bunch of cilantro I have ever laid eyes on, I took stock of what lurked in the back corners of the freezer and pantry. A forlorn frozen chicken breast and unlabeled package of rice noodles seemed the perfect palate to create a light dinner involving plenty of cilantro.

After only a few minutes of meticulous chopping and a quick stir fry of chicken, ginger, garlic and mushrooms, these little guys were ready to roll.  Spring roll wrappers are a marvelous thing — they can be deep fried, or become mailable after a 20 second soak in hot tap water.  Like plastic wrap, the rolls like sticking to themselves, so any qualms about the rolls falling apart mid bite are quickly quelled.

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When one’s plate is a little fuller than usual (say getting engaged, starting a new job, contemplating foot surgery and taking on being a first time home buyer in the span of three months — just as a hypothetical, of course), that plate should be filled with ice cream.  If you really want to do it up right, that ice cream should be swapped out every once and awhile with homemade crème fraîche sorbet.

Reader, are you familiar with this wonderful thing known as crème fraîche?  If not, let me introduce you.  Crème fraîche is a soured cream that can best be described as something akin to cream cheese, mascarpone, sour cream and Greek yogurt.  It can be dolloped atop a bowl of pureed soup, or added just before serving to a pan sauce.  But here, dear reader, it is turned into ice cream.  Crème fraîche ice cream isn’t too far fetched an idea since it is, well, just cream but, adding plenty of sweetness cut by a healthy dose of lemon juice tastes like sunlight in a bowl.

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Who doesn’t want a tartlet after dinner? Or as a decadent breakfast? Or snacked on happily in the afternoon? Well, the answer is me apparently because I have eaten these darn tartlets for all of the above. I am captivated, and hungry.

The hunger originates from a great week, but a week filled with so much activity that I came home each evening exhausted from mental fatigue. My desire to cook, bake and be creative has taken a back burner to everything new related to planning our wedding, starting a new job and temperatures reaching 100 degrees ore more. Despite all of my hangups (and complaining…poor Ryan) I woke up a few days ago READY TO BAKE. It was about time.

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Ladies and gentlemen, I have terrific news: my hunt for the quintessential potato salad is over.  I finally have a straightforward, unfussy potato salad recipe that makes my heart swoon (indeed, my heart is palpating from the mayo levels).  You probably had no idea that this was an important quest of mine but let me tell you, this search has been going on for quite some time.

I wanted a potato salad that had an ingredient list that was both short and uncomplicated and I wanted a potato salad that with one bite would transport me to a hot summer afternoon with wafts of grilled meat floating past my sunburned nose.  Luckily, last Saturday my friends hosted a day in the ‘burbs complete with a trip to a brewery, a dip in the pool, a barbecue and a potluck.  Upon my invitation I bought a two-pound bag of the smallest red potatoes I could find, put them on to boil and promptly forgot about them as I busied myself around my un-air conditioned house.  The skins burst, but the flesh was not too worse for the wear due to my inattention and the rest of the potato salad came together as the spuds cooled.

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