[58] Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

How to Cook Everything, Revised Edition by Mark Bittman

Until a few days ago, I’d never eaten brussels sprouts. If I recall correctly, this is because my mother loathes them. Like most people, as a child/teen, I mostly ate what my parents fed me. Especially when it came to vegetables, because I certainly wasn’t putting vegetables in my mouth of my own accord! (I wish now that hadn’t been true then. It might’ve made doing so now easier. I am getting better. Evidence? You’re reading it.)

Thus, I really hate peas, and all things that taste like peas, to this day. Peas being basically the only vegetable my father would eat (at least in any quantity). My mother hates peas, but served a ton of them anyway. I just don’t get why she’d do that to us (us being her, my sister and me).… Continue reading →

[57] Bean and Potato Gratin (with Turnips)

How to Cook Everything, Revised Edition by Mark Bittman

For the vast majority of my life, beans have been involved in many meals I’ve consumed. However, each of those meals used the exact same preparation and type of beans.

Yes, I grew up in New Mexico. So I ate a lot of refried pinto beans. A lot of them. No, even more than that. Seriously. Because I really didn’t like most meat burritos, or tacos, or well, lots of things. I was basically left with eating bean burritos every time my family went for New Mexican food (except breakfast – that glorious meal). Or some variation on bean burritos. Like bean-stuffed sopapillas. Or the bean and cheese turnover at the now extinct Ron’s (Ron & Marsha’s to my parents).

Beyond that, though, I have almost no experience with beans.… Continue reading →

Experiment time!

Well. So.

The bread dough did seem to be sort of growing a little bit by the time the 2h rise was up, but not at any real pace. I didn’t have enough time to make new dough & let rise, or to change the environment and restart the 2h rise, and punch down, rise again, bake before our plans yesterday. That was what super bummed me.

So I did what any sane and curious person would do. I left it alone.

By this morning, it had definitely risen a goodly amount. I didn’t have time to do anything with it before my piano lesson, and then after I debated. Curiosity won out, as usual.

The dough has been punched down, and is waiting 15 more minutes in the warmest spot I could think of.… Continue reading →