Yesterday, Timmy had his last final. We woke up and took Navi for a walk to the grocery store so that I could get buttermilk and satisfy yet another craving for waffles. When we got home, Timmy studied a little bit more while I made waffles. Then we enjoyed the waffles. After that, we biked over to REI so that I could pick up two new badly needed tires for my commuting bike. The clerk asked Tim if he was on east coast time because he looked so tired. It was around 11a! I said that I was the one who would be on east coast time, since I had just returned from Florida. Silly Timmy.
After that, Timmy biked to campus to take his final, and I pedaled home. I went to replace my tires, and I definitely had a few Perry moments. These tires were kind of hard to get onto my wheels so I spent a good amount of time struggling to get the tire on the wheel. Then I got the inner tube in, and spent another good portion of time getting the second side of the tire on. Then I realized I'd gotten the rotation wrong...so I had to do it all over again. Then, of course, I realized the rotation was correct the first time...so I had to do it again. I got the rear tire done..put it on my bike, and started on the front tire. This went without as many problems ... and then I popped the inner tube while putting the tire on. So I had to do it again.
After a long dysfunctional amount of time, my new tires are on my bike and doing very nicely. I decided to make my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough. I had another Perry moment when I managed to put in a very small amount of the flour mixture before I put the eggs in! Argh! It was a small amount, so I mixed in the eggs, then the vanilla extract. I then finished mixing in the flour mixture until just blended. I was nervous that the batter would be dry because of the first portion of flour being overmixed...but we'll have to see! Right as I put the dough in the fridge to stand, I got the missed call from Timmy signaling that it was time to meet him at the BART station! So I pedaled on over with my new shiny tires, and when I arrived, Timmy commented on my new shiny tires. When I started to describe the insane amount of trouble I had putting the tires on, he immediately asked whether I had gotten the rotation wrong. Right on target, bub. We rode the BART into the city while poring over discover magazine and bicycling magazine. Then we traded magazines, and read some more. When we arrived at the first stop in the city, we walked out and I saw the arts fair! I was so excited, and of course, I had to go poke around!! We wandered around all the tables and while we saw a few neat things, nothing much really piqued my fancy. There was a cute large pottery bowl with a fish on the bottom...but I have no use for it. I was ready to leave when Tim stopped at a candle table. I followed him over, and sniffed every candle on the table. I really liked the orange clove candle because it reminded me of the holidays. A lot of people stick whole cloves into oranges around the holidays. It was a nice scent, yet not cloying like cinnamon or other holiday candles. The candlemaker told me that the design of the candle was inspired by the aurora borealis...and I had to buy it because I work for a company called aurora! Funny thing is the candlemaker started out as a mechanical engineer...then went into industrial design..and now he's in fine arts!
Timmy and I then wandered over to chinatown and had a meal of dumplings. Some were delicious. Some were less so, but still quite scrumptious. There was one that made me want to cry.
After dinner, I got a coffee at Starbucks, and we wandered around waiting for dusk to fall. Timmy wanted to take some night photos, so we meandered over to a bright red Christmas tree that we had seen on our way through Chinatown. He took photos...and some more photos...and eventually I sat on some stairs and daydreamed for a while until he was done. He came clamoring over to me a long time later delightedly showing me photos, and we started moseying around again. At some point, I decided that I wanted to go to Williams-Sonoma and then of course when we were there I fell in love with a cookbook, and wanted it. It is a big cookbook for weeknights. I love to cook, but I seem to tire myself out so much cooking elaborate meals every weeknight. I needed some simpler recipes that didn't sacrifice in taste or imagination and this was it! So I got it. While we were walking back to the BART station, Timmy took me into Sur La Table, too, so I could see where he had taken his knife skills class. Then we wandered home. Timmy went to a ugly sweater party, and I was lazy and entertained myself at home with the dog.
This morning, I made some more waffles, and then I decided that we would walk the dog to the beach with our glass beadmaking supplies, and make some beads! We packed up, wandered over, and set everything up! Timmy looks at me and asks for a glass rod...and oh no! Silly Perry moment three! I had forgotten the most important thing of all!! ...So we wandered home instead. When we got home, I made a grocery list and we went grocery shopping. Then I baked my cookies that I had made yesterday.
They managed to escape the curse of being dry as a result of overmixing. Phew! After that, I tried making some expresso caramel. It was a very simple recipe. You simmered a cup of heavy cream, a tablespoon of instant expresso powder, and half a teaspoon of salt. I got my salt from my new salt bowl that I got at Annie's Pots in Princeton, IL when I was visiting my sister over Thanksgiving!
After you brought that mixture to a simmer, you added a cup of honey! Then I got to use my new candy thermometer and I simmered the mixture until it got up to 258 degrees F! Then I put it in the fridge to cool off a little and now it is spread across a piece of parchment paper. It is still setting, so I will see how that is later!!
After all this, I still wasn't done! I started making some Potato and Gruyere Tartletts from my new cookbook for dinner! Timmy got to demonstrate his new knife skills. First he cut up a potato in thin slices!
Then I had him cut up an onion!
After that, we grated the gruyere cheese!
I got some puff pastry ready by cutting halfway through the dough 1/2" from the border and stabbing the inside with a fork!
Then I loaded the puff pastry with the onion, potato, olive oil and rosemary mixture!
I baked them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. I also made us some green beans. Dinner was delicious! Yum!
Looks like this cookbook is going to serve me well.I got a chance to talk to my dad online today. I was telling him about the cookbook I had bought and how I really want to find more manageable meals for the week. I cook and cook and cook and then tire myself out and don't want to cook for a week. He managed to convince me to get my hands on yet another cookbook. This one is called the New York Times 60 Minute Gourmet by Pierre Franey. My dad says it has an entre and a side dish on every page. He told me so many good things about it that I bought it off amazon in a heartbeat!! Every single cookbook that my dad has recommended has led me down a path of amazing food, so his opinion is one I have a high respect for. I am excited for the new cookbook to come!!
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