Last Time I Cooked Hardly Anybody Got Sick

    Have you ever seen that kitchen plaque that says "Last Time I Cooked Hardly Anybody Got Sick"? Our neighbor very generously gave us some of the wild chanterelle mushrooms he and his wife harvested. Now I have to admit, this made me a little nervous. But many people here eat them with relish (enthusiasm, not the pickle) year after year. Our neighbor sells them to restaurants, and most likely knows what he's doing...I hope.

 
 They hit the sauté pan right after the butter started singing a duet with the garlic...you know..that soft little sizzle noise? If it were a tango, it would be the slow steps followed by a dip.

   Meanwhile, the pork tenderloin was in the oven, and the wild rice and bulgar risotto was in the other pan. There was a pile of freshly grated Parmesan cheese in a dish. The smells....mmmmm.

 
One of my weak points in the kitchen is plating and presentation..or is that two? I don't know how you learn that. Ed says he doesn't care, as long as he gets to eat it. And on this particular day, he'd hurt his eye and couldn't see well anyway. Lucky him..all he could do was taste.

Now if I could only figure out how to get the camera to take pictures without washing out the color....




But wait...there's more! I had some left over strawberries from the garden that would spoil if I didn't use them soon. although I had a perfectly good recipe for fruit cobbler, I just HAD to try a new one. I was kind of suspicious at the volume of butter it called for...1/3 lb for the pan, and 1/4 lb for the batter. It came out like a brick...a buttery brick.
Ed liked it, but I thought it was very heavy. sometimes it's just best to stick with the tried and true recipes.

Pastabowlaties

     I bought pasta bowls yesterday. I've been looking for the perfect bowls for some time. I wanted them to be big enough for a generous portion. Maybe sides high enough to hold bouillabaisse or chowder and a hunk of bread. Or I could use them for a dinner sized caesar salad with grilled chicken...

    I found them at Ross. At $4 each I could hardly lose. Well, actually they're made in China so they're probably filled with lead or some such thing and I'll wind up poisoning my guests, in which case we'd all lose, but I digress. Generous size, high sides, interestingly shaped, inexpensive. I'll take six, and take my chances with the lead.
  These are some of the eggs my girls crank out, used here for scale. Yes, one is green. Dr. Seuss would be proud.