A bit of this, a bit of that, and some promises of what is to come

Sorry friends, no time (or energy) for a full post with recipes tonight. My weekend was a standard mess of activities (happy hour, traffic school, miniature golf, Farmer's Market, work, movies, playing with Fudge, etc.). I did do plenty of cooking (and even some baking), but you'll have to wait a few days for the full account of my recent culinary adventures.

Did you notice how I slipped traffic school in there all casual like? I admit it -- I broke the law by turning left directly in front of a "No Left Turn" sign. However, I'll have you know it was my first traffic ticket *ever* !

Oh, and I also neglected to mention that most of those activities were done one-armed. Yup, my left arm is in a sling. I have a pinched nerve in my elbow and I'm under doctor's orders to wear a sling for the next few weeks while I'm doing any activity that puts pressure on my elbow. A serious (and occasionally painful) inconvience, I assure you. :(

Anyway, for tonight's post you're going to be blessed with some pictures of dishes I cooked in the past week, and a teaser for the next few posts. The pictures are below...... and the teaser?... Well, the topic of the next posts are:

My Mom's Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

and

Strawberry Sorbet with Thai Purple Basil.

Do you feel sufficiently teased? :)

On to the food pics!

"Chinese Spinach" (at least that is what the label at the Farmer's Market said). Huge leaves and beautiful color. It doesn't taste much like traditional spinach, but it was wonderful in the stir fry below.



Shrimp stir fry, with snap peas, Chinese Spinach, fresh ginger, and black sesame seeds. Served with brown rice. Delish! (Except for the shrimp, which turned out cardboard-y -- I think they were freezer burnt at some point in their little shellfish lives).

Salad, with sunchokes, hearts of palm, and olives.



Can you guess what this is?


It is the chicken roasting pan my parents gave me for my birthday earlier this month!

You fill the cup in the middle with some flavorful liquid (in this case wine) and place the chicken over it to bake. The chicken gets steamed internally by the liquid as it roasts on the outside. This particular chicken was slathered in olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary and then placed on a bed of garlic, carrots, and celery. The wine flavor delicately permeated the entire bird, and the rosemary was a wonderful woodsy counterpoint. It was divine (and the homemade chicken stock made from the carcass and the roasted veggies already smells fantastic)!

That is all for now, friends. I promise the next post will be witty, charming, and contain at least one delicious recipe. At this moment, however, I'm too tired to be witty or charming, and I can hardly remember the recipe for a ham sandwich. :)

Until next time...