We got a bread maker for the wedding and I hadn't used it yet, so I deemed this weekend the test-the-bread-weekend. Instructions on the breadmaker say to let it run through a cycle with nothing in it to "burn off the minerals and oils used in manufacturing." Lucky me, my house got to smell like burned plastic for three hours. But, fear not, I baked my first loaf of breadmaker bread yesterday: French bread.
This recipe is from Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Cooking Light cookbook. I really like her books because they show pictures of every recipe. We made this pizza and loved it!!
Just finished reading Julia Child's memoir My Life in France. Inspired to "not be afraid" in the kitchen, I'm trying three new recipes this week. Chicken with roasted garlic pizza, island chicken with brown rice and pasta in a lemon-cream sauce with asparagus and baby squash.
Also tested out brunch recipes with my parents visiting on Saturday. Ham and cheddar stratta, fresh fruit salad and orange muffins. Hubby is enjoying my newfound culinary kick :)
On Friday night, I went out with my friend Lani. We ate at Proof in downtown Des Moines. They do a prix fixe menu on the weekends. For $25 I had duck and pear skewers with mango chutney, sea bass and fruit salsa, and for dessert was a flourless chocolate torte with basil ice cream. I never thought I'd be into "weird" ice cream, but was excited to try something new. Basil ice cream. Two words: Ohmygoshthisstuffissoamazing. IhavetoeathereagainIloveit! Definitely worth a try. Maybe I can get Daniel to go there this weekend for Restaurant Week :)
As of yesterday, I have been married one month. It has already flown by! Dan and I have already gotten lost on our honeymoon, had our first fight and practically blown up the house. But other than that, we're still very happy to be newlyweds :)
Dan was accepted into the Physical Therapy Assistant program at a local medical school and starts classes on Sept. 8. I'm still working at the PR firm and am getting really into becoming fluent in Spanish and then learning French. Found a cool new website called EduFire. They do live video learning - via Adobe meeting or my tutor and I used Skype. I think it could be an affordable and convenient way to get tutoring for my new lanugage learning endeavors. My one-hour session cost me $12 via paypal. The tutor I found on Craigslist was going to charge $20 an hour, and I would have had to meet him somewhere. We'll see how it goes!
Work has been getting a little crazier lately...business seems to be trending up, so that is good.
Call me old-fashioned, but am I the only one that thinks making brownies wasn't that difficult before the Perfect Brownie Pan? I mean really....
I went with my friend Rachel Q. to see 'Julie and Julia' last night. It was absolutely adorable!! I've read Julie Powell's book, and I'm reading Julia Child's 'My Life in France' right now. The movie really brought both stories to life. Highly recommended. The movie also made me all the more determined to:
I've decided I really want to write and publish a novel. Based upon my honeymoon and perhaps the first year of marriage. Is it bad that I've only been married 3.5 weeks and I already have material for a book!?
