Dinner for One

Whew, it's been a while since my last post.  Needless to say, I'm not keeping up with the New Tuesdays with Dorie.  Perhaps that's best for my waistline, but not for my kitchen skills.  I guess full time employment has done that to me....

Tonight I'm home alone.  Dinner solo.  It makes me wonder, what do other people make for dinner when they are alone.  Back when I was in college, and I was eating solo I had two default dinners: refried bean burritos and english muffin pizzas.  Healthy right?  That bean burrito is still one of my favorite comfort foods.

Tonight I'm having cheese and crackers and white wine.  It's another default dinner.  I was refilling my glass in the kitchen and just had a clear memory of back when I lived in LI during graduate school.  I didn't realize how many nights I had cheese and crackers for dinner, often with a glass..or two..of wine until my roommate pointed it out.  I guess it's another comfort...or perhaps laziness...food.

As much as I wish my husband was home tonight, I will enjoy my cheese and cracker dinner and my one..or two..glasses of white wine.  But I'll also enjoy watching my shows on DVR.  Sometimes Dinner for One isn't really that bad.

I should really check out this book...maybe other people enjoy their cheese and cracker dinners solo?

What are your favorite Dinner for One menus?

Pinterest

OMG!  I'm in love...with Pinterest.  Why had I not discovered this earlier?  Now it is my new obsession and I love it. 

I love my google reader, but I realized that pinterest allows me to link all those "Favorite" posts of recipes or home ideas in one place (but organized by boards).  If I had this when I was planning my wedding it would have been so much easier, and I probably would have wasted even more time looking for pictures/inspiration. 

I do recognize some limitations of Pinterest, if the picture is incorrectly linked to the original source, this leads to difficulties finding the correct source (not so much a problem with inspiration type images, a real problem for recipes).  And of course the intellectual property infringement possibilities are significant.  But hopefully this site is used for inspiration and sharing ideas and NOT for thieving pictures.  I know I don't take beautiful foodie pics, so I'm not really worried about my personal pics making it onto other web pages ;)

Blue Ribbon Sour Cream Pound Cake

In celebration of National Bundt Cake day, I made my State Fair blue ribbon winning Sour Cream Pound Cake.

As always, it tasted delicious, and luckily it looked beautiful too. 

This cake is a family heirloom!  And just like any other heirloom there are interwoven memories. 

This recipe was made often by my grandmother, and all of her children remember this cake with fondness.  The Bundt shape lends itself to two slice sizes, small and large.  I've heard a story from my aunts about when the cousins (a family of boys) came to visit one time and they all took large slices (unheard of in their home!).  Of course, everyone knows that the large slice should be cut in half (or slivers if one is dieting).  I still think of that story every time I cut the cake. 

When I was in 4th grade, I entered this cake in the SC State Fair and won a Blue Ribbon!!  The funny thing about the win was that my stepfather LOVED the cake, but HATED sour cream and didn't know that this recipe included a full cup of sour cream.  My mother told me that if I won in the fair, I could tell him that the cake had sour cream, not only as an ingredient, but also in the name!!  I still remember the joy I had at the dinner table that night to spill my secret.  Of course, my stepfather wasn't as fazed as I would have liked.  He'll still eat the cake, despite the "slimy stuff". 

When I won the Blue Ribbon, my grandmother was so proud of me, she at that time passed on all rights and privlidges of the recipe to me.  It became MINE!  And hilariously all of my Aunts now refer to it as MY Sour Cream Pound Cake.  I had this rediculous name for the cake: MY FULL NAME South Carolina State Fair Blue Ribbon Sour Cream Pound Cake.  Now I have the recipe on my windowsil with the name "MY Sour Cream Pound Cake"  But I think at this time I should just change it to "Blue Ribbon Sour Cream Pound Cake". 

Every summer I make this cake for my husband's family's beach week.  They love to serve it for breakfast, sometimes after warming it on the griddle with butter!  I think this cake has even passed its heirloom status into their family.  At this point, a week at the beach might not be the same without a sour cream pound cake there.

My bundt pan is a cast iron bundt pan from Lodge which my grandmother bought for me on one of her trips South.  I've properly seasoned the pan, and it has been used 99% of the time to make this one cake.  I always use Crisco to grease the pan, and then flour it myself.   I've never tried that Baker's Joy stuff,  I wonder if it works?

Inspiration

OK, I did cut and paste this from another blog, but it got me thinking:

Steve Jobs quote: "Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

 

This really resonated with me based on my current situation.  I think I'm a super-planner and I'm not happy without a plan and right now I certainly don't have a plan. 

 

I do keep wondering if all this upheaval I've experienced is some other force (destiny, karma, God) trying to tell me something. I think I may be stubborn and might not be listening, or maybe this is all teaching me patience, or maybe it's a time to clear out the waste and focus on just what I need.  But this quote gives me a sense of calmness that it will all come together, in the future.  I think I'm just anxious to start experiencing the change, rather than wishing for it to happen.

Chocolate Covered Oreos

Please note: I did manage to upload the cinnamon raisin bagel picture onto the older post. Last week, I made full recipe of everything bagels and a half recipe of cinnamon raisin, from A Bread Baker's Apprentice.  With some of the cinnamon raisin made as "decadent"...translation: after baking, dipped in melted butter and covered with cinnamon-sugar mixture.  I love these, some without a pronounced sweet tooth may not.

My goal for today is Chocolate Covered Oreos.  If I get creative, I'm thinking white chocolate or mint chocolate drizzles.  These will be enjoyed at home and going off in care packages to my girlfriends. 

I had requests this weekend for dark and milk chocolate covered oreos.  I think I have bags of both in the pantry, so hopefully I'll get them done.  I'm trying to think about packaging these...my thought is small pieces of wax paper between the cookies to keep them from sticking, and hopefully not melting in transit.  We'll see....

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Other Blogs:
It's that time of year again, the month leading up to National Bundt Cake day.  Mary over at The Food Librarian does such a good job with this.  Please check out her blog today, and for the next 30 days, she is celebrating her 3rd anniversary of Bundt cake month.  Bundt inspiration abounds!  I promise to present some bundts here in celebration of Nov 15, National Bundt Cake Day!

Patience

I went to a yoga class yesterday with a calming instructor I've known for awhile.  Her theme for last night was patience, we did a lot of balance poses focusing on our patience to move into the pose.  Besiede teh accomplishment of holding the challenging poses, she wanted us to practice patience in our daily life.  She reminded us that we shouldn't be anxious for the "end result" instead we should embrace the journey because that is what our life really is: a journey not a race to the finish line. 

I am trying to keep this thought in the front of my mind, reminding me to embrace this part of my journey.  Sometimes I am anxious and ready for the next phase to start, but I should embrace this calming period.  I should cherish this quiet, peaceful time, for in the near future it could be changing.  

Thoughts:

Cherish an early bedtime, as it allows me to focus better during the day.

Soak up a morning focused on self development, these small moments in the morning do provide motivation and clarity.

Enjoy this moderate schedule,as it has already provided new opportunities (sprint triathalon, traveling, experimenting in the kitchen)

Homemade Bagels

I'm making homemade bagels again.  I made them a week or so ago, but I'm making a full batch of Everything Bagels and a half batch of Cinnamon Raisin Bagels.  The Cinnamon Raisin Bagels are going to be a hostess gift to a friend this weekend, and I'll probably include some Everything Bagels as well.

Ok, I'm not very good with taking pictures while I bake, but I'll try to make an effort to increase my picture taking, especially during the important stages of baking.

My goal for this new blog is to include the Baked Goods I am interesting in making this holiday season. 

Here's a list of items I'd like to present over the next few months:

Sweet Treats:
Homemade Caramels
Chocolate Covered Caramels
Chocolate Covered Oreos
Other Speciality Chocolates
Cheesecake
Ginger Molasses Cookies
Apricot Filled Pecan-Sugar Cookies
Pecan Nut Roll
Sour Cream Pound Cake
12 Layer Chocolate Cake*
Petit Fours*
Mini Bundts (not sure of flavor yet)

Breads:
Apple Cinnamon Bagels*
Ciabatta
Foccacia
Banana Bread

Menus:
November Family Dinner
Thanksgiving for Two*
Homemade Vegetable Soup with Corn Bread Muffins*

*Items I've never attempted.  (Should be interesting)

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