A bracing morning today. I biked to work amid fellow cyclists sporting scarves and sweaters as I shivered at the stop signs in my shorts. The first sign of fall, my favourite season. The run up to winter is going to be a busy time, between moving, school, and oh yes, cooking classes (yes, I'm taking a cooking class; more on that soon). At the same time, I'm hoping to spend more time in my own kitchen and with you, dear reader. Here's a few thoughts to savour for now.
- Just in time for fall, Apartment Therapy has a primer on Dutch Ovens and a few recipes to boot. That mushroom risotto looks like a perfect dish to refuel with following some vigorous leaf-raking or a brisk walk through the foliage.
- Last weekend, we went for a stroll in our soon-to-be new ‘hood and discovered that rarest of birds, the local independent new bookstore (and a happy find that was). There I nabbed a copy of the first issue of Lucky Peach, the new food quarterly from Momofuku’s David Chang and the hipsters at McSweeney’s. It’s irreverent and more than a bit too-cool-for-school, but the writing is universally sharp (the essay on authenticity by Todd Kliman is worth the price alone) and the subject matter thought-provoking (I learned more than I ever needed to know about ramen). A must have for the food-obsessed that would fit nicely on the shelf next to the criminally underhyped Fire and Knives.
- Back when I was roommates with the Swedish Chef (who has been assuring me for weeks that he'll have a new post up any day now), we occasionally indulged in the ritual of "scrunch;" that is, breakfast/brunch for supper. I haven't had a good scrunch in years, so this piece from Smithsonian Magazine (!?) on the joys of eating meals out of order made me a happy camper indeed. Which reminds me: I really need to make this amazing-looking Sweet Potato-Pork Belly Hash, and soon.
- HP sauce recipe changed to cut salt, Britons outraged.
- D. and I have been watching and enjoying HBO Canada's The Yard, which filters elementary school through the lens of Oz or The Wire. One of the running subplots of the show is the "peanut butter racket," in which the schoolyard capos attempt to smuggle in PB&J sandwiches past the allergy-conscious teachers (or "screws") to feed their peers' ravenous appetite for the good stuff. That little storyline came to mind when we read this bit in the Globe and Mail about the ban on caffeine-laden beverages in Ontario’s school cafeterias.
- Finally, McDonald's can kill you in unexpected ways.
That painting is all kinds of awesome.
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