Dear Reader(s),
     As promised, this follow-up blog is about food. Food from my kitchen. Things that I made from scratch. Meals I invented and then savored. There are so many things to love about cooking: the warmth of the stove, the myriad smells that fill every room of our apartment, the challenge of finding *just* the right balance of sweet, savory, salty, and sour flavors, the plating, and the reward of offering that meal to friends and family.

The results of chopping, peeling, stirring, and mashing - not to mention cut fingers, cookie sheet burns, and sore muscles - are tangible. I like tangible things. So much of my academic work leaves me wondering what I really accomplished by spending weeks on a seminar paper. The the tangible success of good meals is nice. The burnt garlic bread (is there any other kind?), the hockey puck biscuits, and the over-salted soups (all painfully tangible) are instant lessons for improvement. These lessons lead to better cooking and if you're a good student, you eventually get compliments. For example: E - "These are the best biscuits you've ever made." Me - "You mean that you're not afraid of breaking a tooth." E - "Right." To the casual observer, this could seem like a mean thing for a husband to admit. In reality, it shows husband's never-ending patience because he actually suffered countless batches of steely biscuits with nary a complaint. But this post isn't about biscuits or even failures. It is about the delicious, tangible results of playing in my kitchen.

This is a sampling of what has been happening in my kitchen over the past year. Soon I will have more focused posts, I promise. I will have beautifully planned blog posts dedicated to one ingredient, one food, or even (gasp) one recipe... with instructions.... eventually. In the mean time, here are a few pictures to satisfy your closeted food voyeur. Enjoy!

First is my take on a southern classic - sautéed shrimp with onions, bacon, and wilted spinach over sharp cheddar cheese grits.




Taking advantage of summer herbs and citrus: seared Greek chicken in garlic, lemon, and oregano sauce with pine nut couscous and garden salad.

How about some lemon pound cake with lemon glaze? The answer is a resounding "yes."

 

 Have you ever tried cooking with tea? You should, and here's why: finely crushed Earl Grey leaves add pleasant aroma to shortbread cookies. These cookies have tons of flavor without being overwhelmingly sweet. 

  If those aren't sweet enough for you, try adding sweet tea icing. Trust me on this. It is delicious - and easy. Just use REALLY strong tea and powdered sugar. Done.

Eggplant and fresh tomatoes on a pizza? Yes, please. This pizza has a pesto base with roasted garlic and eggplant, caramelized onions, fresh tomatoes, feta cheese, and Kalamata olives. I will eventually do a post solely dedicated to the glories of pizza. We eat a lot of them. The key is to play with the toppings. Ever heard of a breakfast pizza? You will.

 This is a recipe from an Irish cookbook that friends gave me for my birthday. This, dear reader(s), is Beef and Guinness Stew. It simmered gently for hours. And what is that fluffy cloud beneath the stew? Mashed potatoes.

 My darling husband has a few culinary weaknesses. He grew up in the south, so that list includes grits, cheese, cheese grits, and gritty cheese. Wait, part of that list sounds strange. The point is that he introduced me to grits and convinced me that they are not only edible, but they are delicious and versatile. Here we have spicy blackened tilapia with southwestern salsa of fresh corn, tomatoes, jalapenos and black beans over grits made with a Mexican cheese blend.

                  
           
            
                      Here is a close-up for good measure:

 Fajita nachos. Because they're delicious and they are a good use of leftover assorted veggies, that's why. Also, we can feel a little less guilty because the chips have flax seeds in them. Don't you mind that cheese and sour cream... and beef. Just let me have this one.

Are my culinary experiments limited to southwestern foods? Not in the least. Try Moroccan lamb chops with couscous and Mediterranean salad. The fragrant spice rub for the lamb includes cumin and cinnamon.  Really, give it a try.

Finally, I give you beef lo mien. Soba noodles are tossed with thin slices of marinated beef, slivers of carrot, fresh tomatoes and green beans. This isn't traditional in any way whatsoever, but it was a way to use leftovers and it tasted great with homemade Teriyaki sauce.