:(

ok then. bye. happy new year.

Good bye?

I guess we're putting this blog to rest. Anybody have any objections? Is anybody even out there? Maybe we could try a new theme. I'm a good cook and a good eater but apparently not a great rememberer or photographer, so perhaps something more suited to my inabilities? Any ideas? xo

Eric is 36

And we celebrated by me cooking a lot of food.
This was the menu:
Drinks - White wine sangria, tequilla, scotch, champagne, beer and wine
Appetizers - spicy mixed nuts that I made with Chinese five spice and togarashi, really delicious deviled eggs with horseradish and Coleman's and spicy mustard and sour cream and pepperoncini juice and dill (and a few other things), raw veggies with ranch sour cream dip which I added a lot of dried dill to (yum), and mini pesto BLTs. More on those later
Dinner - Garlic bread on halved ciabatta sandwich rolls and white chicken chili with roasted chilis with sour cream, green onions and sharp cheddar cheese for toppings.
Dessert - Chocolate cake with fluffy white icing and spumoni ice cream (Eric has a fondness for crappy foods, which may or may not have to do with growing up in Scranton, I'm not judging) and pumpkin pie with whipped cream

The BLTs were the best I've ever had. I cut the bacon slices in half and baked the bacon on a rack in the oven at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. Meanwhile I cut a bunch of Kings Hawaiian rolls in half and spread them with a mixture of mayonnaise and pesto then topped that with sliced little tomatoes and arugula. When the bacon came out of the oven I put one piece of bacon on each sandwich and that was it. One of the top sandwiches of all time, no joke.

Nantucket

Not Nantuckett. I know.

Stupid blog

I have no idea why the recipe did that like that.

Chowder

I made New England Clam Chowder in sourdough bread bowls the other night for my dad and me. It's one of his favorite things and I had never made it and much to my surprise, neither had he. It was quite delicious.

New England Clam Chowder

adapted from the Seagrille Restaurant in Nantuckett

Serves 3-4

• 8 quahog clams, cleaned
• 3 strips bacon, chopped
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 3 stalks chopped celery
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 bay leaves
• Tabasco
• Worcestershire sauce
• Freshly ground pepper
• Kosher salt
  
• 1 cup half and half
  
• 1 large chopped russet potatoes
• sourdough bread bowls
  

Directions

1. Place clams and 4 cups water in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Cover and cook until clams have opened. Drain, reserving liquid, and discarding any unopened clams. Remove clams from shells, discarding shells. Coarsely chop clams in a bowl so that you don't lose any of the brine and set aside.
2. Heat bacon and butter in a second stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery; stir to coat. Add flour and cook, stirring, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add reserved clam cooking liquid and bay leaves; season with Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper and salt. Add half and half; let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Add potatoes; let simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Add reserved chopped clams and cook until just heated through.
4. Meanwhile heat sourdough bowls in the oven on 350 for about 5 or 6 minutes.
5. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with butter, if you want (I did, Dad didn't).
   

Closed

I got my keys. As soon as the realtor left I had a shit balls break down. I miss my mom and I hated the house and I felt so totally alone. But thanks to some very lovely and cheerful friends who know how to make someone feel better, I felt better and now I think I just need to eat because breakfast and lunch have passed and there has been no food, and now it could easily be considered dinner time, and still nothing. So hopefully there will be chips and salsa early enough in the first margarita that I don't get really drunk and start crying. Again.