It Started with Cauliflower

It was nearly three years ago that I had the idea to start a food blog. I was eating a cup of Roasted Cauliflower with Poblano Peppers from the Birchwood Cafe. It was truly amazing. The flavors were deep and subtle. Ask yourself, just what does Cauliflower taste like? I’d never thought about it before and now that I do, I relied on the white bulbous shape to carry other flavors, whether its the dill dip it’s been dunked in or the curry powder that’s been sauteed in. This soup actually tasted like Cauliflower. It was then that I decided I had to recreate it.

Instead of kindly asking the Birchwood for the recipe, I went to the grocery store and bought lots of Cauliflower and Poblanos. I was going to figure out this recipe by myself. I didn’t even allow myself to pull “The Joy of Cooking” off the shelf for some guidelines. Nope, this time I was going to make a dish instinctively. And then I’d write about it. Success or Failure. That was the plan.

I roasted the Cauliflower and the Poblanos in the Oven. The Poblanos roasted beautifully and I pulled their thin skins from their bodies after they sweat it out in a paper bag. The Cauliflower was more difficult. How long should I roast it? When is it done? Does it need to turn a little bit brown? I had sprinkled the pieces with olive oil and they were beginning to turn a light brown like a marshmellow over the gentle part of a campfire. I decided they were done. Into the blender they went with a bit of chicken stock and the poblanos. But at what ratio?

I still had high hopes when I turned the blender on. The whirr of the machine called the dog into the kitchen. The chunks of vegetables quickly disintegrated into a fine slurry. I poured the mixture into a bowl, added a pinch of salt and a twist of pepper, stirred and reached in with a spoon. Wow. Really, truly, wow. It was horrible. What happened? Husband came into the kitchen at the sound of my angst and I handed him a spoon. Not a chance.

I looked into the bowl again and saw what Husband saw. A bowl of paper mache gunk. But actually, that might have tasted better. This “soup” had the sharpness of the peppers with just a hint of olive oil. And that was it. No other flavors to speak of. None of the depth and subtlety that the Birchwood had achieved. Not even close. I was so far off, that even failure couldn’t be written about. I poured the contents of the bowl down the disposal and quickly washed out the blender. Better to just put this behind me. The Cauliflower, the Soup and the Blog. The blog was put on hold. I needed time to regroup.

When the kitchen was cleaned up I turned to see Husband’s rejected spoon on the counter. It was still coated in the “soup.” The dog had remained underfoot and was staring up at me with his big brown eyes. I leaned down with the spoon and sure enough, he licked it clean. Huh.

I’ve been eating, I mean, thinking…

I started writing this blog shortly after I finished Grad School. I earned an MFA in Creative Writing and I could tell, even just weeks after completing my Thesis, that I needed to find another outlet for my writing or I wouldn’t keep at it. My focus was fiction, my thesis was a novel, so I started a blog about food. I love to cook, and more importantly, I love to eat. For the past two years I’ve written about dishes I’ve made, meals I’ve had at restaurants and anything else even remotely related to food. I loved it. I loved gathering ideas. I loved taking pictures of dishes I’d made. I especially loved it when I found a dish (in or out) that really moved me, either with it’s flavors, it’s plating or it’s story.

Then in March I had a baby.

Time became short, I rarely cook, I never bake. And what’s strange is I don’t miss it. But I do miss writing.

The goal of this blog was to get me to write, but after two years I had started feeling that I was forcing the writing. I’d post a photo and add a link and that would be that. And the writing all but disappeared. Since March I’ve taken many photos with the intention of putting them on the blog, but I haven’t had the chance to write about them. It’s been three months, I’m back at the day job four days a week and Baby is off at “school” those days. Strangely, that buys me some free time. It also allows me to think about where this blog is going.

And I think it’s time to slow down and bring this blog back to where I had intended it two years ago. To showcase my writing. My writing about food. So, in the future, expect more writing, but not as often. Real, substantial writing. I hope to still post recipes and photos, but they may be just that. With the writing coming at other times. We’ll see how it goes. And tell me what you want to read, what you want to see. Is there something you want to know more about? Like just what the heck is Kohlrabi? Or where’s the best Ethiopian Restaurant in the Twin Cities? Give me some time, and I’ll give you the answer, and not just a link to wikipedia. Okay?

So it’s time for a change. The rest of my life is changing, so why not my blog. And that’s the beauty of the internet. It can change. At any moment. Right?

Barkers in Hudson

I met my Sis-in-Law in Hudson, WI a few days ago for some shopping and lunch with the kids. We went to Barkers and hid in the back between the strollers. The place is loud enough to handle a few kids and they were very accommodating. We each ordered a salad. Even though it was drowning in dressing, the chicken was perfectly prepared and really delicious.

Next time just the chicken sans salad.

As for Hudson, it’s a great little town for strolling and shopping. Especially half-way up the hill at Knokes, the ice cream and chocolate shop. How did I almost forget to mention it? Wow…

Bread from the Bikery

The last two weekends I’ve had some bread from the Bikery in Stillwater. (through the In-Laws) Both loafs were amazing. One was a Cranberry Bread (with the walleye) and the other was just a baguette. But I love bread. And this was good bread.

The Bikery is a bakery, bike shop and coffee shop just up the hill from beautiful Stillwater, Minnesota. Someday I’ll get there in person. Until then I’m relying on the In-Laws to keep me stocked! (hint)

FIsh Fry, Etc

The in-laws went to Lake of The Woods last summer and did some Walleye fishing.

And finally, we had a fish fry to gobble up that amazing fresh-water fish. We used a beer batter (with Newcastle) so I knew it would be good. I went outside with the baby and the three dogs to keep them away from the hot grease while frying. When we came back in, we were ready to eat and it was amazing. The batter was thick and the walleye was delicious.

We were sent home with a platter of leftovers and spent the next two days eating walleye fillets around the clock. I think each piece I has was better than the one before. Yum.

Spring Form Pan and a Cake!

A friend called the other day in need of a Spring Form Pan. I have one, and while I’ve used it only a handful of times, I’ve loaned it out more. And this time when I got it back, it had a few pieces of the most delicious chocolate cake in it. It had a Grand Marnier frosting, and while it looked really rich and dense, it was surprisingly light and not overwhelming at all. I will need to get the recipe, or maybe just loan out the pan more often. Anyone need to borrow it?

The recipe is after the jump… feel free to share:

First Corn of the Season

I saw sweet corn at Super Target, and knowing it was a little early in the season, I had low expectations. But this corn was good! Really sweet and the kernels popped when bit into. It’s just a preview of the delicious food we have to look forward to this summer. Nothing better than locally grown goodies. Yum.

Sea Salt is Open

I introduced our new daughter to our favorite restaurant, Sea Salt Eatery

She didn’t order anything, but the rest of us loaded up with Calamari (best in the twin cities), Fish Po’Boy, a Oyster Po’Boy, Red Curry Soup and Fish Tacos. We made it there about 20 minutes after they opened for the season and it was as if they had never closed for the winter. We’ll be returning quite often, too often probably, but the daughter will just be along for the ride until next season. More for us!

Tuna Rolls

So, remember the Tuna we bought for Husband’s birthday? We made these beautiful spicy tuna rolls with it. They’re simple, beauty and taste out of this world. Basically, dice the tuna and mix it with goodies such as soy sauce, garlic spicy sauce, chives and a few other things. Cut an english cucumber thinner than you think is possible, and roll them into cylinders. Spoon the tuna mix into them and top it with a dollap of spicy mayo. Then pop ‘em into your mouth one at a time and enjoy. We had these at a friend’s holiday party and since I couldn’t eat Tuna then we made ‘em just as soon as I could. They are so good and so refreshing and so easy and so impressive. Leave a comment if you want the recipe. I know it’s from Martha but I couldn’t find it online.

And then enjoy the weekend!

Dinner from Coastal Seafoods

It was Husband’s birthday recently and with a newborn there was little chance of making a real meal or hitting a restaurant. Instead I made it over to Coastal Seafoods and picked up some pre-made specialities, including the Imperial Crab Cakes, Lobster Bisque and a slab of fresh tuna. All were fabulous and rich. What did we do with the tuna? Stay tuned…