It is a dream of eating amazing food each night. A dream of not being absolutely broke because of the good food I love.
Every month we get a magazine called Bon Appetit. (Amazing magazine! Worth every penny. I'm not even being paid to say that- not that I would be opposed to the idea....) We try a few recipes each month... and usually fall in love with a new combination of flavors or textures. But each month of the 50 odd recipes in the magazine only 5 or so are made. Then a new issue comes in the mail. Last months BA goes in the cupboard to deal with its abandonment issues with the rest of the recipe books while we drool over the latest and the greatest.
Neither Justin or I want to be the cause of therapy sessions (although now that we have procreated it's on the list of 'things pretty likely to happen'.) We want each issue of BA to feel loved and be able to comfortably move on the the next stage in it's existence. So, we came up with a plan. (Not a totally original plan... Julie & Juila anyone?)
For the month of February we are making EVERY SINGLE RECIPE in the February issue of Bon Appetit and blogging about the process.
Seriously. (I don't know what I was thinking... I'm pretty sure my stomach and my mind duked it out a couple nights ago and for not the first time my stomach won. I'm also pretty sure it won't be the last time.)
The J man was in. (Sidenote: I made Justin an apron for Christmas while we were dating.... it was killer quilted on one side and pocketed and green on the other. It's very cool if I do say so myself... and I do say so by myself because Justin thinks it's to feminine. Four years later he is just starting to wear it... maybe out of guilt.) Miss Evie was in. Not that she had much say in the matter as she always eats seconds... And me?!? Of course I'm in.
I got a little giddy... Justin got a little overwhelmed... but an hour (or so) later we had a menu. I present the proof:
WAHOO!
Don't mind the scribbles and crazy arrows. We (meaning Justin) knows what it all means.
AND don't mind that the calendar says February 2010... We're still adjusting to the new year.
BUT we have a plan. And that my friends is BIG!
All but one recipe in this months issue is doable... (We were going to try and make the Black Friars Cobbler (a very yummy looking drink)... but the Bishop is my friend on Facebook... and I just got asked to teach the 14 year-olds at church... you know.)
Yep. We are making the Striped Bass with Browned Hazelnut Butter, Lemon, and Parsley (You have no idea how horrible that sounds to me) and Justin will power through at least one bite of Broccoli Soup with Leeks and Thyme. I will eat clams for the first time in my life this month and Justin will make 9 desserts. Yea. It's going to be an adventure.
On Saturday we had our first part of the adventure...went grocery shopping. (Bad planning on our part. Who in their right mind goes to Costco on a Saturday afternoon? Not even the buffet is worth Justin's panic stricken face.) After the crazy that is Costco, we went to Harmons. I LOVE Harmons. Did you know they have a cheese bar? I'm talking seriously good stuff folks. And the bakery... YUMMY! (My stomach may or may not have eaten 3.5 rather large muffins.) And the peeps? Very helpful.
We bought stuff I didn't even know we could get locally... or period. I bought a parsnip for the first time in my life. I hadn't ever thought about what a celery root looks like... I have one in my fridge now. And did you know you can buy an ox tail? (I didn't buy one but asked if they could order it for later in the month... don't worry they keep it in stock.)
Food is beautiful. See:
and just because everything is cuter with a baby:
So we are on! The light is green. Go dog Go!
Let's rumble.
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