Coq Au Riesling

I haven't eaten meat in 9 months. I haven't missed eating meat for 9 months. Until I made this. The smell of chicken and bacon simmering in white wine and mushrooms surely is one the smells wafting out at the gates of heaven. Sweet baby Jesus this smelled good. However I still didn't have any. All I had to do was remember back to 15 minutes before when I was ripping the skin off the poor bastard and ripping his bones apart from each other to put my stomach in a good enough knot not to eat meat for another 9 months. Let me tell you when I was prepping the meat for this dish I was admiring myself for the level of devotion I was displaying to this project. Here's a pescetarian mutilating a poor little chicken just because she said she would make all the recipes in this book. Even amongst my pure disgust I was a little in awe of my own stubborn determination and level of commitment.

Anyhow, for the meat eaters this dish will amaze you. Husband enjoyed it and the aromas will carry you to the kitchen like a Looney Tune Cartoon.

Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

Well Grandma K is chalking up another year on her belt and to help get her in the celebratory mood I thought why not make her some fudge? If anyone love fudge it's Grandmas. This is so easy to make and so delicious to eat. If you're in someone's bad books just make them this fudge. God Damn it is good. Right now Grandma K is probably thanking God that her grandson married me. Solely based on her enjoying some pistachio fudge right now. Forget the fact that I haven't given her any great-grandchildren. I've given her something better. Fudge.

Pappardelle with Escarole

I was really excited to make this recipe it looked so yummy and sounds a little exotic. I was let down. This recipe is lacking in exoticism. It's okay to make as a side dish but stop it there. This can't pull off a main course.

I had to call my sister from the grocery store for this too. I was all full of confidence when I made my grocery list but the in the grocery store my confidence was shattered when I didn't find and egg pasta labelled pappardelles and I started to wonder is this pappardelle even an egg pasta? My nerves became shot and I reached for my cell phone. I did not want to get home and then find out I'd bought the wrong thing. So I phoned it in and was told to buy a fat egg white noodle. Which I did.

Then I came home cooked her up, and was terribly let down. Well maybe not terribly, but I was painfully aware that I was eating an okay dinner on my half pleather couch in the middle of suburbia and not somewhere exotic eating fantastic foods and laughing heartily at some snobbish joke about the little people. No this meal made it painfully clear that I am that little person someone somewhere is laughing about. I can hear them now:

"Wilted lettuce on a egg pasta for dinner Charles, can you imagine Darling?"

"And the worst part is they're probably eating it on a half pleather couch Camilla dear."

Yes the heir to the throne and his chuffed up booty-call were probably having a good chuckle about the little people while I ate this for dinner. Well the jokes on you Charles because we all still remember those dirty phone sex conversations you had with your "classy" wife. What an SNL skit those made.

All bitterness aside, flip past this page in the book.

Chickpeas with Rocket and Sherry

Good Gravy this was awful!!!!! Pelgh!!! Don't do it.

Spiced Peaches

Yesterday was one of those terrific September afternoons where the sky's are brilliant blue and the air is crisp and opens your lungs. There's still a feeling of summer about the day but there are undeniable fall undertones too. Like the smell of leaves in the air and a slight chill to the wind. Those are by far my favourite days and Husband and I made the most of it by going on a fabulous bike ride in the park by our house. Past the pigs, peacocks and cows. Just and awesome afternoon. I came back from the bike ride hungry and wanting something that would really just make the world seems perfect after that. You know like when you were a kid playing outside in the winter for hours, and when you come inside and you can feel the cool air in your cheeks while you drink a hot cocoa and warm by the fire? I wanted to get that feeling from my lunch. Well, these spiced peaches delivered in full force. The peaches give you the summery feel but the cinnamon and the soft gentle heat give you that cozy fall feeling. This is an amazing dish for the September/October months. Making this for your Thanksgiving will be delightful. Nigella suggests to serve this with a ham...and I'm sure that it would be good... if you like ham. But don't think you can't make/serve these on their own. I really, really enjoyed this and if you're looking for a fall comfort dish next Sunday afternoon, this is your ticket to paradise.

BTW, I also highly recommend watching Boardwalk Empire for anyone with HBO. I just watched the premiere and I'm hooked.

Ginger Pom

Argh! What a day I had yesterday. I couldn't get any work done but I was running around around like a chicken with it's head off anyhow. I felt like my brain was going to ooze out my ears when I left work last night. So I had definitely earned a drink. This drink is made with Pomegranate Liqueur which is $40 for a bottle. I didn't want to spend $40 for just a couple ounces of Liqueur. So I decided that a proper substitute would be the Grey Goose that's down in my basement. This turned out pretty well and I quite enjoyed the drink. It's not very boozey either so you could easily drink a lot of these not realizing how much or how fast you're getting liquored. Lucky for me I avoided that situation. (must be a first!)
Anyhow, this drink is perfect to serve at a cocktail party. Everyone will like it and there's much more juice to the drink than alcohol so you don't have to worry about someone getting trashed after 2 drinks and shouting at one of your guests that they've always hated them. PS. stop inviting that person to your parties.

Golden Goat's Cheese

Well, today was an interesting day. I have to tell you the office that I work in is quite entertaining. It's pretty rough and tumble. You'd better not be sensitive or your feelings will be hurt. We all tell it like it is without too much sugar coating (if any). And if you're on some one's nerves they won't hesitate to tell you to eff off. But everyone gets along for the most part and we try to make going to work fun. Today we had a meeting and we got a little off topic. Someone started telling one of Aesop's Fables. The story of The Wind and the Sun. (I'm making a very long story short here.) So they're telling how the wind was blowing and blowing harder and harder trying to get the man's jacket off and another co-worker pipes up and says "I bet it was the best blow job he ever had!" and the laughter ensued. I had tears running down my face. No one could believe their ears...what made it funnier was the story teller just pressed on and acted like nothing had happened. Which made me laugh even more. Oh my god, it has it's golden moments my office does. This was one of those times.

Anyhow, I came home from a hilarious day at work to make a fabulous salad and top it off with Golden Goat Cheese. I was expecting to have to fry this, but Nigella gives a baking option and I gotta tell ya. This recipe most certainly is golden. I loved this! This was soooo easy to make too. I'll make this again fo' sho'. Honestly, don't be scared of this. There's no frying, slice your cheese cover it in egg, then cake with bread crumbs and pop it in the oven for 9 minutes. What's simpler??? Not too effing much. Make this one for sure, you'll love it, your friends will love it. This will take a salad from ordinary to extraordinary.