Same stories, different year
January 3, 2008
Happy New Year! Better late than never, I say. I didn’t make any real New Year’s Resolutions as I so rarely do except to start running more. The time of year that just passed is tough on the waistline, and while I’ve been antsy about my weight recently, I have yet to make a concerted effort about doing something about it. On the other hand, for the last several years January 1st has marked the day I buckle down and start running again after taking a December break, so perhaps there’s something to it after all.
My New Year’s Eve was pretty subdued. No partying, no overdrinking, and just barely staying up until midnight. I had originally promised Hanne a nice dinner, but I had to change my menu on New Year’s Eve Eve when I was supposed to make pizza for my Dad’s late birthday celebration and too many people were going to show up. I can’t make pizza for seven people without making multiple pizzas, so I just swapped menus: my Dad got lasagna for his birthday dinner, and I made pizza for Hanne. No fuss, no muss.
I love making lasagna, too. It always ends up in such a neat and tidy package even if it gets messy once you cut into it. I hadn’t cooked it in so long, it inspired me to make it again later to use up the rest of the no-boil noodles I bought, and of course it will necessitate buying a nicer lasagna pan. I have a 9″x13″ nonstick pan I probably picked up for $5 or so, but I’m willing to splurge and drop the $10 on a Pyrex one.
Of course there was beer on New Year’s Eve, leftover from my trip to John’s Marketplace the day before to stock up for my Dad’s birthday dinner, but I didn’t finish it all. No, I was too tired to finish all the beer on New Year’s Eve, oddly enough. I was ready to hit the hay at 10 PM from a combination of alcohol and eating way too much food, but I popped in another movie and stayed awake until the ball dropped at midnight. Well, the rerun from the original airing on the East Coast, at least.
Hanne and I had a nice New Year’s Day, as well. I planned on spending my Christmas money at Sur La Table (again) this year, so we walked to the one in the Pearl district and I picked up a set of stainless steel mixing bowls to replace my plastic ones, a very nice pizza cutter to replace the one that always earns my ire whenever I make pizza from scratch, a carbon steel wok so that I (well, and Hanne too) can make stir fry, and a 3 qt. stainless steel sauté pan that I’ve been dreaming of for years so that I can properly make my tomato sauce for pasta and hopefully, more lasagna.
I love it when the cooking bug strikes me. I browse kitchen websites endlessly. I pour over copies of “Bon Appetit” looking for ideas and inspiration. And in the end, I cook at least one dish that frustrated the hell out of me before I give up for awhile. Then later, the whole cycle repeats itself. At the very least, I scored a nice pan and a wok out of this time, and it’s forcing me to catch up with all my missed issues of “Bon Appetit” that I haven’t gotten around to because I’ve been playing catch-up with my issues of “The Economist” all year long.
First up before I revisit lasagna is chili. It’s been a whole year since I last made it, and I’m ready to get things simmering on my stove again. Then more lasagna, thoroughly vegetarian for Hanne’s benefit, though I am considering putting in some veggie crumbles so that I can at least fool my taste buds into thinking I’m eating real lasagna. I’m going to hold off on the real lasagna for awhile, at least until I can get my hands on some fresh tomatoes, when I can simmer a ragu on my stove for three or four hours and soften a pork loin in the simmering tomato sauce until it’s pretty much pulled pork. I figure if I’m going to spend that much time making a sauce, I’m going to make it right. I’m not looking forward to making the noodles myself, but if I’m going to do it right, brother, I’m going to do it right. I can use a stockpot for that, and fortunately, I have two.
I was horrified to discover the other day that my oft-used Lucky Lab pint glass had a crack in it, so I had to put it to rest with the rest of the recycling. Damn. I loved that glass. As Hanne pointed out, though, it just meant we had to go back there so I could get a new one. What a pricey brewpub trip that turned out to be, though. Hanne and I met there last night after I got a haircut, and I was happy to see they’d re-released their excellent Super Duper Dog double IPA, though only in bottles, and roughly twice what I’d pay in the store for a beer of equal quality. Still, I’m not one to pass up opportunity when it comes my way, and in addition to dinner and pints I took home two bottles from their limited run plus my brand new pint glass. I dreamt last night that I’d gotten home only to find my new pint glass in shards in the bag I carried home, and since I was in such a fog this morning after getting up, I went into the kitchen just to check if I’d brought home a pile of broken glass with the Lucky Lab logo on it.
My new pint glass was sitting intact on my counter.
Tomorrow evening Hanne and I catch a flight to Boston to visit both her family and friends of mine in the area. It should be a nice trip, even if it’s going to be cold and snowy. Seriously, who visits Boston in January? This is the only time Hanne can go, though, since she starts up school again so soon, and I’m taking Monday and Tuesday off to extend the weekend a bit. Not sure what’s in store for the weekend, but it’ll be good to see Dan and Kristine as well as Hanne’s parents and brother.
Now, off to look for good chili recipes and hopefully find one that requires beer. I have a feeling my Purple Circle Porter would make an excellent chili base.
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