you can't dress trashy 'til you spend a lot of money

After talking to my mother for almost two hours today, I was reminded that I have yet to make anything out of the 'Molto Mario' cookbook that I got for Christmas. I was also in the mood to cook because I'd been watching the Food Network on mute while I talked to my mom; I turned the sound back on in time to watch two episodes of 'Dinner: Impossible', which I had never seen before. It was mildly entertaining; the main chef and his two assistants (both confusingly named George) are taken to a random setting and told to prepare a gourmet meal for a number of people using only the stuff they have access to. One challenge was cooking for a wedding banquet for 200; the second challenge was cooking for 40 people in the Philadelphia Eagles VIP box, but they were only given four hours and $150, and so they had to barter for food and grills in the parking lot and then cart it up to the VIP box, which took half an hour. That meal turned out looking amazing, although you would have been screwed if you were a vegetarian.

Anyway, I watched some tv, then went shopping for food-related products. I picked up an enameled cast-iron dutch oven, which I've been ogling for awhile at Williams-Sonoma; I finally broke down and bought it because I've been wanting to try this no-knead bread that I read about in the 'New York Times', and it requires baking in a dutch oven w/a lid. I also decided to get it in a bright yellow, rather than red; yellow would complement a lot of the stuff that I have and brighten things up in my kitchen. Then, I went to the posh grocery store (Andronico's) near the mall and loaded up on foodstuffs.

For my first foray into 'Molto Mario', I decided to try risotto al barolo. I guess my version should be called 'risotto al day-old-pinot-noir', since part of my rationale for trying it was that I opened a bottle of wine last night and still had quite a bit left in the refrigerator, where it will likely go completely bad before I get around to finishing it. It turned out amazingly well, especially considering that I never cook with rice. I don't think I would make it all the time, because even though the prep is really easy (I just needed to dice half an onion), it required frequent stirring for ~20 minutes, which felt like a really long time. However, it was delicious and very comforting, particularly since it was finished off with butter and parmesan cheese, so I may have to make it again sometime soon.

My risotto was probably better than my hashbrowns and poached eggs, which I enjoyed last night--but it's a tough choice, since I love runny eggs and fried potatoes. However, neither of them compare to the lunch I had yesterday. I normally don't talk about where I work, and I still won't say the name of my company (although mentioning free gourmet food will probably give it away). One of the cafes at work has a small-plates theme; I hadn't bothered to go there before, since it's several blocks from my building, but I was over there seeing a friend and so we ate there. OMG, it was outstanding. I had a salmon and cucumber appetizer, two raw oysters, seafood paella, kangaroo, and scalloped potatoes. I feel like I may have had another dish, but I can't remember what it was. Anyway, the seafood paella under normal circumstances would have been a standout, but compared to everything else, it was my least favorite dish. The scalloped potatoes were among the best that I've ever had; they were made with gruyere cheese, and my mouth is watering just thinking about them.

But, the kangaroo was the real eye-opener--it was cooked very rare, was very tender, and was on par with some of the best beef steak out there. My friend and I split a second helping of the kangaroo, and we were both in heaven. I don't ever feel bad about eating beef, pork, chicken, fish, etc., but I must admit that I felt some initial qualm about kangaroo. That disappeared as soon as I tasted it. Granted, kangaroos are pretty darn cute; but, marsupials in general aren't exactly friendly (possums are hideous, while koalas are mean when they aren't sleeping or eating), and hitting a kangaroo with a car can be v. dangerous. Also, 'Kangaroo Jack' was one of the worst movies that I have ever seen, and so I could probably be convinced to eat Carrot Top or one of the Wayans brothers for revenge as well. Do you see how I've justified my love of kangaroo meat? After lunch, I even thought to myself that dogs are probably pretty tasty if you get over the fact that they have been bred specifically to serve as our best friends, but decided to abandon that train of thought before asking myself if I would be willing to eat Claude.

So, that's all that I have to report; I should have worked on my romance novel today, but since I didn't get up until almost noon, then called my mother, then watched Food Network, then shopped, then cooked and ate, I didn't get up the energy necessary to write. We shall see what tomorrow holds, but for now I'm going to sign off and work on the plot some more. Goodnight!