Tall, Large and Delicious

On August 22, 2009, Alan and I hosted a little cocktail party for family and close friends, in order to celebrate our recent marriage. We skipped most of the wedding fluff (like having a ceremony, and having me wear a big white dress) and cut straight to the party part. There was hors d'oeuvres, flowers, wine, champagne, dancing and a big wedding cake.

I made the wedding cake. Against all advice that I received, from everyone, I decided that I would really love to make a big cake. I have always loved making cakes. (For those of you who don't know me, I am constantly trying to feed everyone cakes and cookies and pies.) This celebration was an opportunity to make the biggest cake I've ever made in my life. After weeks of deliberation and trying out different recipes, I decided to make a three tier orange zest cake, with apricot mousse filling and buttercream icing. It was tall and large and tasted delicious.

Everyone had a lot of fun, especially me.

Kobayashi Maru

Being a vegetarian is such a struggle. Every day I am confronted with tasty meats, sausages, steaks and stews (...and lets not even talk about Hawaiian pizza). Sometimes I feel like I can't take it anymore. I just love food so much, I don't want to miss out on any tasty meals. I crave meat and I can't control my cravings. There is a constant torment going on in my mind, in my heart, in my tummy. Is being a vegetarian worth this anguish? Is this what drug addicts feel? Am I really making a difference in the world and the environment by not eating meat? Am I healthier now? I just don't know.

I have positioned myself so that if I eat meat again, I will feel guilty for breaking with my convictions and embarrassment for my lack of follow through. If I don't eat meat, I will forever bemoan what I am missing out on. No matter what I do, I can't win. I did not know that I would be signing up for this when I decided to become a vegetarian.

Julie and Julia

Julie and Julia is a new movie by Nora Ephron. The movie tells a story about Julia Child, her modern-day fan Julie Powell, and how both their lives were improved by french cooking. I saw the movie this evening. (I had been looking forward to it for weeks!) In my opinion, the movie raised some interesting questions. For example:

- Is it narcissistic to blog?

- How does Julia Child's beef bourguignon taste?

- Life is short and meat tastes good; why am I a vegetarian?

- How difficult is it to graduate form Paris' Cordon Blue Cooking School?

- Is there really nothing better than butter?

I don't know the answer to any of these questions. All I know is, I really wish I were in Paris right now, drinking wine and eating brie.

What are Fajitas?

Over the weekend I attended a fun, backyard BBQ with some new friends. The main dish served was fajitas. Eventually the question surfaced: What ARE fajitas, exactly? The lively discussion that followed led to some interesting ideas, which I have thus documented:
- Fajitas are like burritos, but without the beans and rice.
- Fajitas are burrito- wannabes. (I wish I had a burrito.)
- Fajitas must be the burrito of poor people, who cannot afford rice or beans.
- Cole is no longer in charge of planning menus.