Leftovers and Riding a Bike

Today was great fun. It's 8 p.m. and it's starting to get dark and I just came in from a post-dinner bike ride. The weather is amazing, warm but with an almost-chilly breeze. I biked up and down the street for the first time ever. It was soooo exciting, I had to call my mom and tell her that I had done it (especially after disaterous attempts 15 years ago). Dinner was leftover Spicy Tomato Sauce (1) that I found in the freezer with whole-wheat penne with a side of roasted asparagus and a glass of Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 that my friend Erika gave me for graduation. It was really tasty and good. Paul and I went to the bike shop so he could finish fixing up the 70s Jeunet racing bike my dad gave him and I bought a bike basket so I can carry my book bag and then we went to Target to get groceries (how inspiring). I really want to go to The Earth (organic produce store) and Forward Foods (cheese and meat) soon. My groceries for the week totaled $45.94.

Back to dinner--tasty, satisfying, and the wine went really well with everything. I love having a glass of wine with dinner. It always makes dinner more special, even if we're just sitting on the couch watching Two and a Half Men on TV. Yes, I know I'm not supposed to watch TV while I eat or that what I watch should at least be intellectual. Whatever.

1. Giada de Laurentiis, Everyday Italian (New York: Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2005), 62.

Escalopes de Veau à la Crème, Carottes Étuvées au Beurre, Clafouti à la Liqueur

Photos: Escalopes de Veau à la Crème and Carottes Étuvées, the plate is a little empty, should have added another vegetable; anyway, the slight sweetness of the carrots balanced the saltiness of the veal well

Today is the first Monday of summer vacation, but I kept myself fairly occupied fairly well. I exercised, knit, listened to Today in Parliament (it was actually from Friday, but oh well), pitted 3 cups of cherries with a paper clip while watching Oprah (talk about hard work!), and made a yummy dinner. I made a run to Target and the liquor store after lunch and bought what I needed for dinner and some cognac and Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream for the Clafouti. I had a 10% off coupon for the cognac and the guy at the liquor store let me keep it for next time. How awesome is that?

Dinner was tasty and we accompanied it with a 2003 Louis Jadot Bourgogne Blanc Chardonnay that my parents got me for my birthday.

Dishwashing/Clafouti-making music: AC/DC and Amy Winehouse

All recipes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 1, ed. Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1971)

Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries

Top: Bowl of Cherries on my antique walnut dining room table which I love love love (I rescued it; my aunt and uncle were going to get rid of it)
Bottom: Close up of cherries--I really enjoy using the Macro setting on my camera.

I graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a B.A. in French and a B.A. in History yesterday and had 10 people in my apartment to celebrate (both sets of grandparents, my great-grandma, my parents, my boyfriend's mother, my boyfriend, and me). These cherries looked pretty at the grocery store, so I set them out with the rest of the food. I don't think they really tasted like much, kind of like not-as-sweet grapes. I've decided to make a clafouti out of them from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, (note 1) but I'll have to wait until tomorrow to go get the kirsch or cognac to mascerate the cherries, because liquor stores in Cleveland County are closed on Sundays.

1. "Clafouti à la Liqueur" in Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 1, ed. Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1971), 655-656.

Merlot Filet Mignon

These are a couple old pics of Merlot Filet Mignon from the Marie Claire Wine, Chocolate, and Cheese diet, which, for the life of me, I can no longer find online. It's surprsingly easy and tasty, especially if you don't overcook the beef. The top photo is of me, piping potatoes out of a pastry bag, which I have only done once. As you can tell from the close-up of the finished dish, I am not very proficient, so I should probably attempt the whole pastry bag thing more often.