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Thursday, January 18, 2007

The Taming of the Shrew...d

I've always thought of myself as very independent, a tiny bit wild, a bit of free spirit, and often unconventional at times (I had a dream this morning that I was Britney Spears and Eminem was trying to kill me...that has nothing to do with any of the above, but I just remembered it).

But I'll tell you a secret. I've lately been becoming a little bit more domesticated. Don't go thinking that someone has roped this pony yet but...

I still hate cleaning and all of that, but ever since I moved into my own apartment (as in it's mine, I own it), I've been cleaning a lot more and lot more thorough than usual. Maybe I am starting to take pride in my humble abode, I don't know. But I do know that living on my own, in the big city has kind of brought a sense of stability and, gasp, responsibilty, to my life (still don't like the R word though).

I even took flowers that Ross had recently given me and made potpourri out of them. Granted, they don't smell like potpourri should but they sure are pretty.

I've also started experimenting with cooking. I'm starting to really like it. And I really like it when I make meals for my man.

Last night, he came over to my place after a hard day's work. I had spent the day doing fuck all and planning our meal for tonight. Usually we go out for eats at a restaurant we've never been to before, like last week when we went to the New India restaurant on Davie St. (which always intrigued me because of the doorman with the Indian hat outside) and Ross had boiling butter chicken spatter out of his dish and go in his eye.

But since buying yet another Rachel Ray cookbook (this one was low-carb and low-sugar for diet conscious people like myself), I was inspired to cook him something special.

Now I often cook for Ross or we cook together. It's a fun thing to do and a nice change from watching TV. Usually we make my special whole-wheat pasta with Vodka sauce but since I've been avoiding pasta as of late, I decided to do something a little more decadent.

Though the picture makes it look like a pile of turds, I can assure this tasted very good...as it should of since it was the most complicated meal I have ever made (probably because I made it all from scratch, including the sauces). How sad is that?

This is proscuitto-wrapped roasted endives with a balsalmic fig reduction, served with almond-crusted chicken and a sweet, caramelized zucchini sauce (sauce not shown in picture because it tasted better than it looked).


I followed the endive and fig thing to a T, while the chicken I kind of went off and did my own thing (I used almonds instead of hazelnuts, made my own zucchini sauce instead of gorganzola dressing).

Then we had this for desert:


The reverse of a chocolate-dipped strawberry, this is a roasted, dark chocolate stuffed strawberry (achieved by hollowing out the berry and filling with dark DARK chocolate). So damn good!

So as you can see, I've slowly warmed up to the idea of being an occasional adult, even though today I will probably bite into a hunk of cheese and eat olives out of the jar and call that dinner.

(and I certainly will not mention the fact that I later hemmed his pants. That would be too embarassing).

11 comments:

Kass said...

Mmm strawberries with dark chocolate *drools* So tasty!

So I take it the Rachael Ray cookbooks are quite good? I've been considering picking one up.

Wanderlusting said...

Well they are good if you are culinaryly inept like I am. I just like that Ray hasn't had any formal training in cooking so it kind of makes in less intimidating for people who don't know what the hell they are doing...like me!

almost famous kiwi said...

Ha ha you're classic. I know what you're talking about though. Sometimes I get domesticated, like the other night when I started out doing the dishes and ended up washing the bathroom and my bedroom.
Cooking and baking is a fun thing for couples to do together. Alex and I do it all the time. I guess it helps that he's a chef though!

Kass said...

Well I wouldn't say I am culinaryly inept, tho I do have troubles with onions, but they sound pretty cool. I didnt know she hadnt had any training which gives us all hope I guess lol.

Indiana said...

Damn Lusty, I wouldn't say you are becoming domesticated, your ARE domesticated...you mentioned cleaning, cooking (inc. Sauces from scratch and dessert) and sewing all in the same blog post...your only saving grace is that you didn't mention washing or ironing or the transformation would be complete.

You are well on your way to becoming a Susie-home-maker ~grin~

Wanderlusting said...

Kiwi - Ah, see with a cook you get hands on training!

Indy - I know you are just saying those things to get a rise out of me because when I say "cleaning", I really mean sweeping dirt under the rug and stuffing clothes under my bed (outta sight, outta mind).

And when I say "hemming," I mean haphazardly sewing fabric together (just ask Ross, it's his poor pants). I'm no seamstress...

As for "washing," I do my laundry about once every two weeks (which is why I have so many pairs of undies and bras, so I don't have to wash them often). And I chuck dry-clean only stuff in the machine.

And the cooking...well, the cooking is something I can live with. I wanna be good, dammit!

M said...

oh my god chocolate AND strawberries. Two of my most favourite things. yum. I love those easy to follow recipe books. Over here Donna Hay is the one to get!

Mark Brown said...

OK, I need to add that chocolate Strawberry into a Poem on the Automated Poetry Machine.

Name: wanderlust
Topic: Domestic Bliss
Feeling: Estatic, drizzly, chocolatey

Visit the Automated Poetry Machine at
http://automated-poem-machine.blogspot.com

Markb

Anonymous said...

Damn..Those are some big arse strawberries. I have tobe domesticated 'cause I got kids...I even bake cakes...I have to get out more LOL

Anonymous said...

I enjoy cooking for my friends. I have a fantastic recipe for a cream puff dessert that you bake in a 9x13 baking dish. You make the cream puff stuff, bake it and then you put the cream puff mixture on top, cover with Cool Whip, drizzled chocolate and toasted nuts.
We have a lot of pot lucks at work and this goes faster than anything else.
I also make a fantastic Spanish Chicken casserole.
I hate cleaning though.

Mark Brown said...

Oh dear, I have ANOTHER poem for you from The Automatic Poetry Machine has a poem for you about Strawberries!

You have to stop making my mouth water..
First this, then David Copperfield!
whoa!

At any rate, visit the the APM yourself, and make your OWN suggestion for a poem!