Summer Basil Potato Salad

In honor of a 70˚ day in February, here's a summer salad for you to enjoy.

You know, each semester brings its own feel, always reminiscent of the last, but with its own special twist.  It feels stressful every time, with weeks that never seem to end, and days where all you want to do is take a nap right there on your desk (I definitely had at least three such days this past week).  But this semester is special, in many ways.

It's special because it's the last time I will probably ever take a full load of courses, in my entire life (weird!).  It's special because it's the second semester I'm working at the Global Village Living-Learning Center, and now I've really gotten in the groove and been accepted into the fold, and I have a million cool events planned for my residents and it's crazy and wonderful and fun.  It's special because next fall may be completely different and I don't yet know how.  It's special because for the first time, I'm starting to really come into my own as a researcher, and I'm starting to submit papers to conferences, and to kind of be a real professional in the field.  And it's feels pretty good.

Now enough with this being inside on the computer - Kyle and I are going to go outside and enjoy this beautiful day with a little tasting over at the local winery.  How classy of us!

Baked Croque-Monsieurs

After a summer in France, I have to admit I'm a little disenchanted with the array of food we have to choose from here in the United States.  It seems like everything is so heavy and... fried... here.  And we eat so many chemicals I can't pronounce that it feels like I can taste the sodium benzoate and monosodium glutamate.  People aren't obese in the U.S. because of fat, or even sugar - I would argue that the big problem is the additives in the food.  Why do you think obesity only became an issue in France after American fast food chains moved in?  They had plenty of butter, sugar, and carbs before we came along!

Anyway, enough of the soapbox.  The positive side to this is that French food is awesome, and I appreciate it... a lot.  There are very few additives in the food you buy there, so everything is a little more natural, and lot more delicious.  Just a simple sandwich is a work of art.

So now I find myself back in the United States, and missing French food... Le sigh... But that's why I'm here with a recipe for croque-monsieurs that will knock the chaussettes right off ya feet! This gooey, cheesy, crispy baked ham and cheese sandwich will make you think you done died and went to paradis.  It's just what the médecin ordered.

Parisian Summer Salad with Baked Goat Cheese Rounds

In 10 days, I'm leaving on a marvelous adventure in France!  I will be one of four instructors for a six-and-a-half-week French immersion program for high school students.  It's going to be a lot of work, but it's going to be amazing.  I'll be in Brest, which is in Brittany, and from what I hear, they have incredible food.  Ever heard, for example, of a kouign-amann?  Basically, buttery, sugary, caramelized goodness.  And there's more where that came from.  So excited!

In preparation to go to France, I will share with you my own creation, inspired by the wonderfully fresh and light salads I had in Paris last summer with my family.  They often served their salads with toast topped with baked goat cheese, which pretty much has the texture of soft, creamy sex.  So, within days of coming home to the States, I whipped up my own approximation of such a salad, complete with sexy goat cheese toast rounds (ignore the burnt edges in the photo above - it was still phenomenal).

Hopefully this salad will transport you to the outdoor patio of a Parisian café in the summertime, where I often like to live in my dreams. Enjoy!

Favorite Chili & Corny Bread

I have a confession to make.  It took some inspiration from my truly lovely friend Janine (over at HeARTful Cooking) to get back on my food blog.  I really enjoyed making it, and I've cooked so many interesting things over the past year, but never found the wherewithal to just bite the bullet and make a post about it!

I tend to be long-winded in my blog posts.  I think that's my problem.  Ever get to a point where you know it'll take you so long to do something (like, really unnecessarily long) that you just don't want to start?  That was where I was at.  For a year.

But I really, really like this little blog of mine, and you know, next year's going to be a little weird.  My funding situation is potentially non-existent.  I probably won't be teaching.  I'll be taking just two classes, most likely.  I'll be retaking a Masters exam.  So I'll need to find some solace in food.  Cooking it, not getting take-out like I have been.  But that's a different issue.  (Damn you, Falafels and your shawarma!)

Welcome back to Please Pass the Muffins.  Here, we like muffins.  And you.

Cheddar & Apple Salad Bites

I'm back!  I've got bronchitis, and I sound a little pitiful when I talk, but I'm back!  And I promise, I didn't cough on these bites before I served them to my boyfriend for lunch.

The first week of classes went well, but it's funny how your body can just rebel against you and tell you a firm, "NO.  I'm not doing this anymore.  I need sleep, and water, and some antibiotics.  Then - and ONLY then - will I do what you want me to do."  I thought I had a cold for a while, but it didn't go away.  Then I got a cough.  And by Friday, I had a full-blown fever, which is always the winning point in the "should I go to the doctor?" argument I have with myself sometimes.  So I got "on the sauce," as my dad likes to say, and now I'm here.  Thank God I have a 3-day weekend and some codeine-infused cough syrup to help me recuperate.

Also, I finally finished reading a book I've been working on for literally more than a year (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in case you're really wondering).  I'm not sure why it takes me so long to finish books, but I think it has something to do with a lack of time for pleasure reading, combined with a desire to make things last.  Probably more of the latter.  It actually makes me sad to hear people say they finished a book in one day.  Where's the chance to really think about it and enjoy it and let the characters sink in and become part of you?

I guess I do the same thing with food, too - I've definitely been called a food hoarder more than once in my life.  I've let food go bad more than I'd care to admit because of this habit of wanting to "save it for later."  I just don't like to see things go quickly, you know?  I want to know that I've gotten to spend a sufficient amount of time with my food (or book) for my money.

These salad bites are my first venture into my new project, based on the lovely 30 Pounds of Apples and her delicious recipes.  So even though I may be slightly phlegm-y, I managed to keep my promise to myself (and to you) to do a post this week, and I intend to continue.  See you next week for round 2!

Elsweyr Fondue, Grilled Leeks, and Black-Briar Mead

So much has been going on lately!  I've been taking all kinds of trips all over the country and am planning more soon.  I wish I could talk about all of them in detail, but I will just say that I'm preparing for something, and I'm very excited about it.  After traveling to different states, I've been daydreaming about traveling to different states and different countries almost constantly, and I've been trying to come up with a Travel Bucket List.  Here's what I have so far:

1. England.  Not just London either, but Oxford, the Cotswolds, the Yorkshire Dales, Birmingham, and many other places I haven't even realized are there yet.  I've been to England twice already, but I need to take Kyle with me this next time.  I just love being there.  Having lots and lots of ancestors that are from there, I feel like I'm making a pilgrimage to the Motherland each time I go.

2. Argentina.  I have been infatuated with South America ever since I got the Amazon Trail CD-ROM game in like, 1996.  Argentina has always held a sense of mystery and exoticism that I've always been attracted to.  So much so that I did my 5th grade project on it.  I secretly want to hang with South American natives, drinking maté and dancing the tango.

3. Prince Edward Island, Canada.  If only because Anne of Green Gables was set there, and it looks gooorgeous.  My trip would, of course, be during the summer and not during the butt-ass-cold of winter.  And then I could pretend I'm Anne Shirley, traipsing about the countryside and getting into Scooby-Doo scrapes, turn-of-the-century style.

4. Washington State, USA.  I never had a huge burning desire to go there until Kyle's mom and brother moved out to Puyallup, WA, and I started to see pictures of lush, green forests and majestic mountains.  It looks like a beautiful place to be (almost reminds me of the Alps), and it has an alternative side, too - with lots of unique shops and cool, organic and ethnic restaurants - which is right up my alley.

5. Iceland.  Maybe it was seeing it from an aerial view as we came into the airport for our flight connection, but there's something other-worldly about Iceland.  It actually looked a lot like Mars from my IcelandAir jet.  And their language!  So alien and beautiful to my ears.  I want to hear moar.  Also, they have crazy Northern Lights, as seen in this picture.

 

6. Arizona, USA.  I went once in elementary school, and absolutely loved it.  There is a very quiet, serene beauty in the deserts of Arizona.  Once again, it appeals to my sense of mystery and exoticism, and I don't even need a passport to feel like I'm in a different world.

7. Cairo, Egypt.  Another childhood fascination of mine was ancient Egypt and its culture.  Seeing the pyramids at Giza and experiencing that culture firsthand would be an experience I don't want to miss.




These are just a few places, of course.  There are many others that are on my much longer list.  But one of these days, when I have the time and the financial resources, I will get on a plane and go!

Anyway, back to food!  In this entry, you will find the bulk of the Skyrim meal I made.  Not featured here are the Sweet Rolls I made to go along with it.  All the recipes are from the same lovely blog as last time, Gourmet Gaming, and all the food is inspired by the video game Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and is reminiscent of something a Viking would have eaten long ago, in a galaxy far, far away...