My Future Lakehouse




Probably not going to happen, but I like to imagine that it could be true....   This will be my lakehouse someday.  And where is it exactly?  What is its history?

The Spence

So I went the other night with some friends to dinner at the Spence in midtown... some things were great, some not so much.... but to be fair - we were warned when we ordered it.  

Beet salad with Point Reyes blue cheese

 Also - I was happy to find out that Richard Blais really is present in the kitchen most of the time.   I always wonder in these restaurants with celebrity chefs - are they ever really around.  The answer here was yes.  Apparently he is usually in the place Thursday through the weekend...  And many of the folks who work there have been part of his crew since his first restaurant in Atlanta.

Bone marrow with eggs


I decided to have a culinary adventure when I was choose my meal.   The beets were delicious, which was a special treat since I never make them at home.   Too messy to tackle myself.   And I love that the beets were homegrown by a member of the kitchen staff.    The locavore element, without being the only draw to the restaurant,  was a welcome touch.   The marrow was new to me but was very rich and impressive on the plate.

Now on to what did not work so well.....

Things that seemed like a good idea at first....



Bialys

So the first time I had this it tasted so good.  Maybe because I had no idea what I was in for since I bought it just for fun to try it out.   The next time I picked it up though.... it just didn't seem right anymore.  Too much poppy seed and  too much onion to be truly enjoyable.

This reminded me that I am embarking on my 101 Classics project which includes lots of new recipes.  So I looked through it again.....  um there a few that I do not particularly like.  I am not the biggest fan of buffalo wings and really not into the chicken liver pate.   This is going to be an interesting adventure!

Carolyn and the 101 Classics

You have probably have at least heard about "Julie and Julia" even if you did not see the movie or read the books....   so here is my idea for a similar project.   The 101 classic recipes issue of Saveur magazine just arrived in my mailbox.   I am going to cook every single one of them over the next year.  And I will write about them as I go.    I know this may not seem like the most original project but I have a history with this kind of plan. 

Less meat but not vegetarian....

I didn't make this, but I did eat for my dinner.   Apparently this is gong to be a pasta heavy week....  and that is ok by me!   This is a great example though of how I am trying to eat these days.   There is only a little bit of chicken mixed in here with the pasta, cheese and red bell peppers.   Why does this matter you ask?

Having flirted with going vegetarian, eating only organic, hormone and antibiotic free meat or only having meat one meal a day, I have discovered a few things about myself and the food system we live within.

What to do with.... last of summer squash!

I can't get enough of the yummy yellow squash and tomatoes from this summer.   I have been having fun coming up with new ways to incorporate the veggies into my dinners.  This is the latest experiment....