It Ought to be Enjoyed

So, it was a friend's birthday recently...and I had the clever idea of making him a batch of cookies that would hopefully be a big surprise.  To give away the ending of this story...just give cash.  Okay, well maybe not but the cookies never made it to him.  The first batch when baked did not stay in the shape of the cookie cutter, needless to say large blobs of sugar cookie do not convey "lobster." And for the ones that did keep their shape most did not even get finished being decorated, since for the most part it was like an eruption of sugar goo that exploded across the kitchen.  Basically if you make the mistake of making the icy "too" runny so that it flows too well, it will flow everywhere.

Well, not originally what I was thinking of posting, but since the post is likely to have a bit of a maudlin tone since I'm a bit down...figured might as well start of with a title that seems to sum up how the world has felt like treating me.  But all that can be done is slog through it, and figure out what can come out of it.

My mornings tend to follow a very habitual pattern...get up, make the dog breakfast, take the dog for a walk, pack my breakfast, try to still make it into work as early as possible, eat breakfast at work.

Not sure why I haven't been posting much, there has been time and there has been photos taken but suddenly you look up and it is late December.

Somedays you get to be at home and lucky enough to spend the day with friends.  And on some of those days you are lucky enough to get to cook for them, and everything you need is already in the house.  The past weekend turned out to be one of those days.

I doubt I will ever be a full "farm-to-table" person...mainly because I'm not that great at growing things, but I did try my hand this summer at growing some heirloom tomatoes.  I planted both Mark's Cherry Tomatoes and Purple Russians.  First, I will admit the failure...not a single tomato from the Purple Russians.  Not one!  I have been bested by those two plants, taunting me with blossom after blossom and not a single tomato.

The cherry tomatoes however did well.  And were some of the tastiest cherry tomatoes that I'd ever had.  Sweet enough that you would sit and snack on them as if they were candy.  However, with a surplus of them, I decided to try my hand at actually making something of a meal with them.  A simple, simple soup.  Pan roasted the cherry tomatoes with some garlic, add some chicken stock and water.  Simmer down a bit.  Toss in some ravioli until cooked.  Season with some salt and pepper, and throw in some basil and top with Parmesan. 

So...here are the pictures.  Fresh from the vine to fresh in the soup.

September always seems warmer then what you think it should be, at least that seems to be the general consensus in Northern California.  It seems like a nice cool day, you think I'll try that recipe that claims to be "the best brownie ever" and at 9:30 at night you are wondering, "why am I so stupid as to have heated up the entire house!"

The last box of the fruit CSA came last week, and it was chock full of peaches.  It felt like something with a bit more 'huzzah' should be done then another peach cobbler.  So I broke out the Beranbaum Bible.  A Peaches and Cream Tart with a Sweet Cookie Crust.  The crust was tasty and came together easily, but ended up not withstanding the liquid from the peaches and custard.  The peaches called for ended up being too many peaches to fit in the shell.  The custard called for was too much custard (and since it was poured in while baking, it ended up spilling out into the oven and burning.  p.s. - burnt milk not the best smell to fill the house).

It is amazing what some ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, red onion, and stale bread can turn into.  A very good spanish olive oil and some sherry vinegar.  Basically one of the reasons that the hottest days of summer are bearable.