Good Stuff

It's only been the last couple of years that I've made resolutions. I'm big on resolutions that focus on the creative and social sides of life. And for good reason... when I have loads of work to do, it's ok to spend an evening grinding spices and slow simmering a sauce, because, Hey! I have a resolution to keep!

The {food} resolutions this year::
(1) Expand and improve my quiche making
(2) Get a little tart; learn to make some fantastic tarts
(3) Make some great Indian dishes... my first results blogged here

I was lucky to make some of resolutions clear before the holidays, and received the goods to support my goals::

Kitchen, I have my eye on you.

I have to say, the world works in mysterious ways. See that Tartine cookbook up there? My brother gave that one to me, little did he {or I} know that I'd be eating at Tartine a week later.... and really, I didn't make the connection until I returned to Boston and had some time to browse through the book. IT'S AMAZING, just like being back in their shop. Full of extra deep quiches, bread puddings, lemon bars. So much good stuff.

When in San Francisco, stop by Tartine for lunch. You'll have a hard time getting a table, but you won't be disappointed!


If you're looking for an authentic Indian cookbook, I can't recommend Classic Indian Cooking enough. It provides a thorough description of ingredients and methods before you get to the recipes. It's one of those cookbooks that's fun to just sit down and read. During these cold, dark winters, I love to treat myself to a cup of chai. I was excited to try the chai recipe in the cookbook, but before I even got to it, Angry Chicken posted this link for Chai Concentrate! I bought the sweetened condensed milk yesterday and am going to whip up a batch this afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes.

While wondering around the Bay Area after Christmas, I came across this delicious Indian treat::It's a spicy, nutty Indian candy made made locally. A little bit like peanut brittle, but better!

There are a few new links to my side bar {look right}. One is a cooking blog called Whisk Kid ~ this is a new-to-me blog full of fun recipes and beautiful photos. How could you go wrong with a cake like this:: Rainbow Cake!

And one more food link that looked too good not to share. Here's a salad to balance out the heavy food in this post:: Vietnamese Salad. It calls for raw bok choy. I tried some in my salad last weekend, and I'm a reformed bok eater ~ from now on it's out of the soup and into the salad! *enjoy


Other resolutions?

~Remember that violin I got last year? practice, practice, practice!

~Crack open these puppies {also from my Christmas list}, and start sewing!::

~Stop biting my nails... so not all of the resolutions are fun, but it's about time to follow through on this one.

Hold me to it.