do-it-yourself (revised)

does anyone remember those cute little mason jars, with chocolate chips on top and the dry materials necessary for making cookies layered all cute. they usually had some kind of instructions about mixing butter and eggs and vanilla and then adding the dry ingredients from the jar. you don't have to measure but you do have to do work. it was a cute (enough) idea, but really not worth the work.
this year, i had a different idea on the do-it-yourself.

*some assembly (might be) required
hot fudge chocolate chip cookie sundaes (just add ice cream)
no need to stir or bake any cookies, no need to stir or cook (or cool) any fudge.
instead, place cookie in a bowl, put ice cream on top of the cookie, heat fudge (in your microwave safe tupperware) a little bit and pour on the ice cream. enjoy!
this was a huge hit with my colleagues.
and for those who didn't have ice cream, the cookies and fudge on their own were both big hits. all in all i was quite pleased with my holiday treats this year.

don't bother me...i'm cooking

it's been a little while since my last post. it's not for lack of inspiration. in fact, i have gotten a lot of goodies in my csa box and it was thanksgiving, so plenty of reasons. but alas, no time...
today i take a break from my 11-hour day (that's right, 10+1, you need more fingers than you've got to count the hours i worked today) to reflect on my recent culinary victories and ogle my foodie porn.

roasted winter veggies. all major players present and accounted for, including butternut squash, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and grape tomatoes and rosemary. with the addition of an onion from the store, this was to die for. not actually, or i wouldn't be here typing about it. but talk about the perfect blend of delicious and nutritious!

simple salad. never underestimate the power of a good salad to brighten up your dinner. spinach, avocado, and heirloom tomatoes. with the addition of green onions and feta cheese and dressed with a oil and vinegar, this was one of the prettiest (and tastiest) salads i have made in a while.

persimmons. who knew??? some of you might be thinking "where the hell have you been that you've never had a persimmon?" apparently, under some sort of rock that did not have persimmons. but as i spoke with friends and colleagues about this curious, orange goodness, i quickly realize i am not alone in my persimmon virginity. what to do??? i made a fruit salad per some recipe from epicurious with one of them. but i had five more. so i searched for more to do with them when i see persimmon cookies. fruit + cookies = happy belly. so i pureed them and mixed them up with your standard cookies ingredients. oh. my. cookie. so good!

brussels and greens. another good winter vegetable is the sprout of brussel. sauteed in a brand new boojie garlic infused olive oil (see temecula olive oil company), i cooked them until them were browned and a little crispy. i finished them with a little bit of honey infused balsamic (see temecula olive oil company, again). next time, i will use a little bit more balsamic to get a little more flavor from it. either way, tasty. it's plate partner in crime is the green of mustard. sauteed red onions in regular olive oil, i added the greens and some salt and pepper and cooked them down a bit with a little bit of cider vinegar. i finished them off with a little lemon. this was a magnificent way to spend meatless monday :)

kulinary ambiguity

stress=lots of baking. stressful last week=lots of baking last week.
cranberry almond scones. persimmon cookies. pumpkin pies.
the stress is not-so-good, the baking is fun, and the finished product is delish.
but when you have other stuff going on, sometimes you need a little help. and sometimes you need a little kulinary help. i was staring at chicken and had absolutely no idea what to do with it. i was totally unmotivated to do anything with it. if i were by myself, i would have put it back in the fridge and had a bowl of cereal and gone to bed. it was that kind of night. but instead, i am not alone, but i also did not get any help. so i cooked said chicken and it was eaten by it was not great and i was not feeling any sort of happy feeling that usually comes with baking or cooking.
ambiguity is hard :(

you've got...crabs!

don't worry, this is a restaurant review of the crab catcher in la jolla, not a public service announcement. let me first set the stage...
a year ago, i met a guy from an online dating site. we had drinks at a local sports bar while we talked for a few hours. fast forward a year and we are living together, eating together every night, and have a domestic, blended household (his cat + my two cats = crazy cat family).
to celebrate that memorable november day, we went out for dinner at the crab catcher in la jolla (thanks mama sue for the groupon gift of food).
friday night was cold and dreary but the restaurant was warm and romantic. we started with a bottle of savignon blanc. although i prefer red to white, i know it pairs better with most seafood and wine is a delectable first course. my beloved had the surf and turf (crab and fillet) while i had the wild mexican shrimp. now before you go crazy (why didn't you get crab at the crab catcher), i don't like most crab or lobster. have you tried it? yes i have. have you had good crab and good lobster? yes i have. it's just not for me. now, he loved both the surf and the turf. i tried both and did not like the crab (it was not the crab, it's just not the flavor/texture for me). my shrimp were not shrimpy at all in size nor in flavor. blasphemous as it sounds, i did not have an ounce of room for any desserts, i did have a box of chocolates waiting for me at home :)
 

something old...something new

we got a new csa basket this week...

i am excited about the fall bounty. we got broccoli and chard in the last basket but cauliflower and butternut squash were basket newbie and they piqued my autumnal kulinary interests. tonight, i made a (new to me) butternut squash recipe along with an (old-as in, i have made this before) swiss chard recipe.

something new: butternut squash gratin with blue cheese and sage
holy cow. seriously. this dish was appealing to every sense. the butternut squash was vibrant to look at and had that distinct gourd smell (reminds me of pumpkin carving, which i'm doing tomorrow). the sage brought its own unique smell. nothing better than fresh herbs when cooking. the sweetness of the squash and the richness and sour of the blue cheese combined so perfectly.
something old: sauteed swiss chard with parmesan cheese
good and good for you. the garlic, white wine, and lemon provide and a great juice for this green. the red onion and the parmesan cheese (as with the last dish) are this yin and yang of taste.
and these two are very visually appealing parts of my dinner. i love lots of color on my plate--it means lots of vitamins and minerals (k, a, c, e, potassium, iron).
now onto the cookies... :)

(not so secret) family recipe

my aunt carol lee makes the best beef stroganoff. period.
my mom and my grandma have made beef stroganoff but both of them will step aside and readily admit that my aunt makes the best. so i sent my aunt a note (like a real note on paper in the mail) asking for said recipe. she shared the recipe. but as most family recipes go, it was not written down with specific quantities, making it a little difficult to replicate.

tonight was my first attempt, and it was not a bad showing at all. i figure it will take a number of times to get it right. it looks like stroganoff and tasted liked stroganoff (it was actually very tasty) but it was not quite my aunt's. that's ok. i'm up for the challenge.
(side note: it took me years to get my mom's potato salad down, but it is worth every attempt now that i have it.)
guess i will have to make a trip to colorado to visit them, so that i can taste it again and makes some notes of my own...r&d trip sounds good to me.

i'll snicker your doodle...anytime

snickerdoodles are not just for christmas anymore. not like they were limited but with their cinnamon-sugar deliciousness, i only see these cookies around the holidays. like most goodies, only around christmas. but i say snickerdoodles at any time. all you need to help make these cookies more festive for one holiday or another is different colored sugars.

 

i made some of them black and some of them orange...and then i mixed the black with the orange for this last batch. not only were they scrumptious, they were so fun to look at (for the 5 seconds before you ate them). you can always make these with white sugar crystals for "no color" at all, but what about yellow or light blue for spring? a favorite color for birthday treats? or match to a theme for a shower or party? i highly recommend williams-sonoma, they have lots of colors to choose from, but you can find lots of colors at your local grocery store.

fresh new box...fresh new dinner

oh me oh my...fresh new csa box. lots of the same stuff as last box but still very tasty. some notable additions: eggplant, dandelion greens, chard, and plums.

tonight i made a ratatouille pasta (thanks cooking pleasures) with eggplant, zucchini and cherry tomatoes - it was almost as if my cooking magazine called my csa and told that what i was getting. amazing! surprisingly quick to prep and full of color and texture. not bad for a thursday night after a really long week.

i had a plum after dinner (small but full of flavor). and i have never had dandelion greens, so i eagerly await crossing that kulinary frontier! until then...

csa=colorful salads for allie

i near the end of my first csa box and am already eagerly awaiting the next box (in two short days). in the meantime, i find myself trying to use the last of the veggies and made this delectable tomato and cucumber salad. i cut a bunch of red and orange heirlooms, whole grape tomatoes, cucumbers, homegrown basil, and green onions and mixed a little oil and red wine vinegar with salt and pepper. o. m. g.

so simple and yet so good!

restaurant week part 2: 525@inn at the park

it is san diego restaurant week and i look forward to exploring new restaurants...and i love a reason to get (kinda) dressed up for date night with my man. i scoured the online menus and was convinced that this place would be good (main course included the beef duo, the seafood duo, and the pork trio) - chris was convinced too.
the name of the restaurant online was a little misleading. i thought it was at the top of the hotel so i was a little disappointed. that being said, when we arrived we were seated right away (see review of posedion for how not to honor reservations).
we had a bottle of syrah--oh lah lah!
me: butternut squash-apple soup, seafood duo (local ahi and scallop), and the cheese board.
my partner: scallop crudo, beef duo (shortrib and tenderloin), and death by chocolate cake.
there was definitely some strategery involved in the ordering so that we could maximize the number of foods tried. we both tried everything on the table. personally, i think the bookends of my meal were the most delicious. as a psychologist, we call this the primacy and recency effects (such a dork, i know). but that butternut squash-apple soup was both sweet and savory all at the same time. it brought back some childhood sense memory for chris, and although he couldn't quite pinpoint it, he also enjoyed the soup. the ahi was was good (don't get me wrong) but i have had better fish at other places. the shortribs were very tasty but the tenderloin was overcooked.
but let me tell you about the creme de la creme. the. cheese. board. holy cow--literally, these cows (and goats) were blessed to make such delicious milk that made such delicious cheese. next time, i will cut to the chase, er, rather, the cheese. and next time, i also want to try the bar at the top of the hotel...
http://www.innattheparkdining.com/

restaurant week part 1: poseidon

it is san diego restaurant week and i look forward to exploring new restaurants. this is the first one i went to this week. i made a reservation (for 7:30pm) with the open table online reservation system. my best good gal pal from carlsbad drove down and i drove up from mission valley are were on-time. we were informed that it would be a 45 minutes wait, and when i asked about our reservation, she rolled her eyes and said that meant that there were still tables to be seated immediately before us.
question: why take reservations if you aren't going to honor them?
when we are finally seated, we are first taken by the wrong hostess to the wrong table and then returned to the front where we were taken by the correct hostess to the correct table. thank the stars. we have a table.
sdrw menus were full of good choices and a few bottles of wine at great prices. so we ordered a bottle of the rose and we both had the sea bass. she started with the crab cakes and said they were great. i started with the pistachio-crusted brie and it was heavenly. rich, creamy brie covered in pistachios and baked until the brie was warm. it was served with three varieties of crackers, grapes, and a jalapeno jelly. amazing. with the rose, it was a lovely way to start the night and made us forget about the reservation ridiculousness.
then our main course arrived...only they are not what we ordered. mine was not the right fish, with not the right sides and a side of gnocchi, whereas my friends was close but also not right. both were overcooked and dry as jerky. not knowing what we had been served we stopped eating (as my gal pal has severe food allergies). our server came back to ask how our food was and saw that these were not the right plates. before we could even ask what they were, she said they were the table next door's plates and she was sorry and would go get ours. almost immediately, our food came, correct food, perfectly cooked. it looked great. it smelled great. it tasted great! now we got that taken care of...we ate and chatted up the night. we ate and sipped our bottle and ate some more. it was a great meal. when those were cleared, desserts were brought. we both ordered vanilla creme brulee and it was delectable.
all in all, it was "a-ok" (my yelp rating)
the reservation system and your hostesses at the front of the house were a joke. 45 minutes later and attitude to boot is just not acceptable. the food was amazing, but we wouldn't have gotten it if your food runners knew what they were doing. your server was amazing. she apologized for our wait, was attentive, corrected other's mistakes and then apologized for those too. i think there are just too many other places locally as viable options, why would i come back to risk all of this again?
looking forward to the next restaurant on the list tomorrow night...hope it's better

csa update...continuously scrumptious agriculture

the fruit is absolutely amazing. apples and oranges and nectarines are so sweet, juicy, and delicious! yesterday i made fajitas, with red peppers, squash, and carrots (from the box) and onions, garlic, and lime from the store. they were topped with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado (from the box). these fajitas were ah!mazing! i still have plenty of veggies for salads later this week and have to cook those green beans. i also have plenty of fruit left over and i find myself eating two pieces a day. good and good for me. can i just avoid the cold and flu this year...fingers crossed.

csa = christmas in september for allison

a while ago i looked into joining a community supported agriculture. i like the idea of local. i like the idea of fresh. i like the idea of seasonal. at the time, i did not like the idea of the price. it was just a little too much to justify for little ol me. so like other things in my kitchen, i put it on the back burner and have peeked occasionally from time to time. in the meantime, i have researched it a bit more (both formally and informally). and about six months ago, i read a book about a woman who gave up an old corporate life, fell in love with and married a farmer, and lived off the fat of the land. it was not glamorous but i thought it was interesting how the two of them (this woman and her farmer husband) basically started their own csa but it included much more than just produce. again, my interest was piqued. i shared this with my partner and he liked the idea of it. we waited until we got back from a family vacation this summer so that it wouldn't go to waste and yesterday, i got my first box.

i was tired from working a 10-hour day. i sat in traffic on the way to get it and school traffic is not even close to being cute. i was feeling overall bleh and then it was like christmas! in september!
i saw all of this beautiful produce and i was suddenly energized. i sat in traffic on the way home as well, but was not as bothered by it. i hauled in the heavy bag of goods and chris and i opened every bag. lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, green beans, avocado, squash, grapefruit, oranges, apples, and nectarines. a colorful combination of fruits and veggies. all of them looking absolutely delish! i cleaned every piece and found homes for them all in the produce drawers in the fridge and on the counters.
and the verdict??? the jury is deciding piece by piece but so far it's looking (er, tasting) good. i had a apple with my lunch today. crisp and sweet. i made crispy-coated squash with dinner tonight. fresh and tasty. i made a salad with grape tomatoes (sweet and bursting) and cucumbers (firm and juicy).
i have a feeling there will be a series of csa updates as i work my way through this cornucopia of flavor...stay tuned

stuffed on stuffed peppers

this weekend's kreation was cornbread sausage stuffed bell peppers (courtesy of cooking pleasures). this is the last recipe in the summer edition that i had not made but wanted to and it's a good thing i made it this weekend. my new fall magazine came this week so my attention will dive into that one (er, it already has).

this was a little time intensive but worth it in the end. i made the cornbread this afternoon and let it cool for a couple of hours. definitely worth it because the recipe notes that you shouldn't use cornbread with too much sugar. i made mine with less than half of the sugar. i think next time i will make the cornbread a day or two early so that it is i little more dry. i can also see making these with a host of other flavor combinations...so i will share when i have created them. but all in all, a vibrant, fresh sunday night dinner.

albert's restaurant

it's nice to try new places, but it's also especially rewarding to take someone to one of your favorite restaurants so that they can experience what you like so much. last weekend, i took my partner to albert's at the san diego zoo.
i have been a couple of times before with colleagues and friends. but last saturday, we took my partner for his first time.
let me break down dinner plate by plate.
sourdough bread is so fresh, my partner burns his hands. and a very sour sourdough...delish!
we started with a large caesar salad. very fresh greens, cheese, croutons...delish!
usually i am drawn to the veggie-friendly dishes, but i surprised myself by ordering the braised short rib. to be fair, the sides are what drew me in (blackstrap molasses pinto beans and roasted corn hash).
ah! mazing! and the short rib was braised with a chili verde sauce that had a kick (the most awesome kick you can think of). my partner and my colleague both tried my entree and both did the same audible "mmmmmm" that i made when i ate it.
my partner ordered the slow-roasted pork loin with mustard bacon medallions and porcini mushrooms. it was served with garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed veggies. that too was delish!
most folks don't know that there is this very nice, full-service restaurant at the zoo. if you go, it's worth the wait (if you have to wait) or worth the time it takes to make a reservation (which we had). their chef (chris mirguet) and sous chef (charles boukas) do amazing work, and i think everyone should try it.
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo/alberts

a taste of morocco...no passport needed

i like to give my partner a hard time about not having a valid passport. what if we won a trip? what if i found the best groupon deal (ever) and we had to go next week? i would have to go myself or with a friend who has a passport.
morocco is on my list of places i would like to visit. but since we are us-bound for the moment (not to mention the cost-limiting factors associated with being a california state educator), i brought morocco to our dining room. moroccan chicken (recipe below courtesy of cooking pleasures magazine) with whole wheat couscous and a mixed greens salad.
the kitchen smelled great from all of the aromatic spices, the couscous was a nice palate for the tomato-apricot-onion sauce, and the salad was so fresh with tomatoes from my department chair's garden.
credit where credit is due, this magnificent kreation is not an original but i do take credit for moving it from the page through the pan to my plate.
http://www.cookingclub.com/Recipes/ArticleType/ArticleView/ArticleID/9538

the trails neighborhood eatery

it's no surprise i'm a fan of food network and restaurant: impossible. when i saw the episode on a place in san diego, my curiosity was immediately piqued. my sweetie pie, my colleague and i went to check them out a few months ago for breakfast.
it was delish! the place was very cute. and in the interest of full disclosure, it was kinda exciting to go to the place i saw on tv.
on the show, robert explained the importance of a limited dinner service to help the restaurant. since they are only open a few nights a week for dinner and after months of talking about going...we did.
when i read the dinner menu, i had to have robert's blt (peppered boursin cheese, aioli tossed lettuce, roasted tomato, brioche) - of course. if brioche doesn't get you (which it should), everything on it should. it came with a side of yucca chips which were crispy, lightly salted and extra delish! i also tried the meatloaf and mashed potatoes (my partner's plate) and they were very tasty as well.
i think i will try the mac and cheese the next time we go for dinner...   
http://thetrailseatery.com/

baker for hire

i love watching food network. multiple shows highlight common folks who are good cooks (arguably) and upon the suggestion of friends ("you should do this for a living"), open a restaurant or bakery and FAIL!
i'm not cray cray-i know that i am far far away from that. but i do, however, have catering potential (at a small scale).
case in point...baby shower. i did these cute german chocolate cupcakes with a vanilla butter cream frosting (nothing special at all) for a colleague's shower. she requested chocolate-i delivered. she has a jungle theme for the baby's room so i found some cute stickers at micheal's, made my own toothpick kreatures, and voila. very delish and lots of awwws.

second case in point...graduate student reception. larger scale than the shower (~100 folks as opposed to 12). my goal for this one was variety. variety. variety. i also like things in 3s so i did 3 different flavors each of 3 different goodies. cookies (chocolate chip, peanut butter, & shortbread), bars (lemon, espresso cheesecake, & brownies), & cupcakes (lemon blueberry, orange chocolate, & coconut lime macadamia). all of the cookies were tried and true recipes, and two of the three bars were also old favs. but the cheesecake bar and all three cupcakes were brand new. and boy oh boy...oh boy!!! and holy cow. and gadzooks!
(i'll let the pictures try to capture the awesomeness of these flavors and scents)

coconut lime cupcakes with coconut key lime butter cream topped  with toasted coconut and macadamia nuts








lemon blueberry cupcakes with lemon butter cream frosting








 orange chocolate cupcakes with whipped frosting with orange

 

they were so delightful, citrus playing a unique role in each kreation, all wildly different flavors.

 

just wanted to throw this out there...this baker is for hire! i love doing these things and i think at a small to medium scale, i would be so happy doing this all day.

so step right up and place your order :)

last week's homemade supper

usually i wait until saturday night dinner, but i was excited to try a recipe for chipotle mashed potatoes. my carnivorous roommate would not be satisfied with a plate of potatoes, so i incorporated the chipotle theme into my meal by adding chicken and some green beans.

voila! delish!

this cohabitating life

i have had lots of culinary experiences but i have not found the time to blog about any of them. quick update: he met my fam, i met his fam, he moved in. food was involved in all of these milestones and i have tried to be mavericky in the kitchen...watching entirely too much food network, i think i can do what they do. ok, i am not crazy, i can recognize that chefs do a lot of cooking before they are chefs and worthy of food network programming. but after watching all of these food programs and salivating, i think "i want to try that" and therein lies my last two kulinary kreations (er, attempts)

last saturday, i wanted to try to fry my own chicken. author's note: i have never fried an tire chicken before. so i bought a full fryer, that's right a full chicken, complete with the neck and livers and other gross parts inside. i rinsed it (much like i do the turkey at thanksgiving) and started the hacking. i got two full breasts, two wings, one leg, and one leg-thigh. that's right, i couldn't find where the leg and the thigh did their thing and ruined half. however, i learned and figured out the other half. all in all, i think i did an ok job of playing butcher. then i soaked it in buttermilk for about an hour (learnt me that from paula). i made the kfc extra crispy batter recipe (minus the msg) and double-battered them chickies, i heated the oil and i was ready to fry, and i was feeling pretty good. then came the frying. i gently placed the chicken into the oil and it appeared to be doing it's thing. but it did it's thing very quickly. the cookbook said 12-15 minutes turning half way through. in 3 minutes they already started browning, so i flipped them. in 3 more minutes they looked done. but i thought they couldn't possibly be done according to the cookbook so i left them in a little longer. the first two pieces looked a little dark (even for dark meat). i fried all of the chicken and let them drain, but i was super paranoid that they were burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. fortunately, that was not the case, but i will not be frying anything for a while. another author's note: a renewed appreciation of chefs who fry chicken.
(no pictures of this one)

tonight, i made pizza. homemade pizza crusts. i have done breads before but this was my first foray into pizza crusts. the mixing of the dough and the rising of the dough and the punching of the dough and the rising of the dough again...all felt familiar from making bread. the rolling/pulling of the pizza dough...holy moly. that was difficult. it went super thin in some parts and thicker in other parts. when all was said and done, i made a pretty good margherita pizza with homegrown basil, a pepperoni and cheese (for the roommie) and a combination. i have always appreciated pizza chefs but i have a renewed appreciation of store-bought crusts and delivery :)

until my next new adventure...

happy birthday indeed

birthdays are one of the special occasions where you get to show people how much you care for them...with food. i got a new williams sonoma italian cookbook for christmas and have been itching for a reason to make one of the main courses. after perusing it, i showed my sweetie pie what i thought he might like and after perusing it as well, he agreed with me.
grilled veal chops with balsamic sauce, polenta, and grilled asparagus

 knowing what i know about carnivorous men and their love of cooking meat over fire, i prepped the chops and veggies, lit the grill, handed him a beer and the tongs. i scooted back into the house where i made the sauce and polenta. and even though it was his birthday dinner, i know he enjoyed grilling.
this was an amazing meal for an amazing man...happy birthday babe!

the oceanaire seafood room

picture it...
san diego restaurant week 2012, the oceanaire seafood room, downtown
8pm reservation for two, first time i've seen him in a jacket and he was the most handsome guy in the place.
he started with a vesper and i had a glass of red. we ordered appetizers: jumbo crab cake and fried asparagus. for dinner, i had the black and bleu fijian ono wahoo and he had the angry mexican black grouper, both accompanied by another glass of red. for dessert, we shared blackberry creme brulee and rick dark chocolate mousse.
best. date. ever.
great food and good wine.
www.theoceanaire.com
cannot wait for the next restaurant week...until then, i get back into my kitchen to cook for my man :)

domestically motivated

with a new beau comes a new person to cook for...which makes me a happy chef :)

wanted to take a minute to reflect on the delicious things i have made for him...starting at the first meal. christmas eve dinner.
we started with a bottle of cab and some cheddar-stuffed mushrooms.
i made a spinach salad with tomatoes, mushrooms, green onions, parmesan, and a red wine vinegarette.
the main course was a prime rib, medium rare, with freshly prepared horseradish, mushroom risotto, and parmesan crusted zuchini. he had seconds of the prime rib and thirds on the risotto...i think he liked it :)
we finished up the evening with death by chocolate and another bottle of red.
it was an amazing meal i made for an amazing man.

for the next meal, i kept it a little more casual. he was sick and had a soccer game, so i suggested making him soup. so i made chipotle chicken soup, with some fresh bread. it was a simple, refreshing, and sinus-clearing soup (i made it with double the chipotle peppers). it hit the spot and gave my sick guy enough sustenance to get through his game. he had two bowls...i think he liked it :)

next on the list, a casual friday night in. i offered him stir fry or mexican and he chose stir fry, so i made spicy cashew chicken over jasmine rice. lots and lots of veggies, fresh chicken, raw cashews, and lots of spices. i used a new rice steamer (first time and it worked like a charm) and got perfect jasmine rice, which was a lovely palate for the stir-fry of the year! he had thirds...i think he liked it :)

last week, my man worked lots of 12-hour days, had a terrible day at work, and was (not) looking forward to working on saturday, so i made a nice quiet dinner in on friday. spiced cranberry-glazed pork tenderloin, with honey-ginger carrots, and mashed potatoes. i think he ate half of the pork loin...i think he liked it :)

http://www.cookingclub.com/Recipes/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/9225/Spiced-Cranberry-Glazed-Pork-Tenderloin

i cannot wait for the next meal. i find myself thinking about what i will cook next, because food is best when it is shared. now i have someone to share meals with, and with that comes shared conversations and shared kisses. i love that he loves being a homebody just as much as i do. i love that he likes my cooking. and after watching a cooking show with him, i cannot wait to actually cook with him.