Kate's Perspective

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Friday, January 30, 2004

A few years ago, I discovered Cook's Illustrated magazine. I love it because each recipe is prefaced with an explanation of the chef's goal and detailed information about why specific amounts of each ingredient worked to achieve the goal. It makes me feel very secure to know exactly why each step is necessary, and I've had great success cooking new recipes-- even for company. Once in a while, (ssshhhhhhhhh......) I have cooked something that tasted salty to me. But how could I justify cutting salt when the science called for it and a panel of tasters approved it? I decided to ignore it and adapt. And, really, it doesn't happen that often.

My father-in-law, Sam, gave me a great Christmas gift: a subscription to the Curmudgeon's Home Companion. Sam has an interest in food and cooking, and is friendly with many prominent chefs. He must have seen I needed some balance in the sources from which I draw cooking inspiration. The Curmudgeon's newsletter centers on a "delightfully mean-spirited" essay, and includes several recipes relevant to the essay topic. The most recent issue discussed brines for meat.* Cook's Illustrated contends that brining meat in a sweet/salt liquid for hours before cooking boosts its flavor and helps it maintain its moisture. I have never tried this, but the Curmudgeon has. He states that he ate the resulting (horribly salty) brined cooked turkey under duress because it was the only cooked turkey in the house. Curmudgeonly conclusion? Brining is another of [CI editor] Christopher Kimball's crimes against reality. This cracked me up, and is helping me take cooking a little less seriously.

Thanks, Sam!

*Unfortunately, I have misplaced the current issue, so I can't quote it exactly-- any errors or misrepresentations are mine alone.

posted at 5:07 PM # (0) comments

Wednesday, January 28, 2004

I stitched this up a week ago for John's mom, Sally, who inadvertently made a large needle purchase. She ordered a book from the knit shop, and asked the clerk to please send along the appropriate needles for her project. The helpful clerk looked at the materials page FOR THE ENTIRE BOOK, and sent her one of each. I don't know how many pairs this amounted too, but I thought it was kind of funny. And a great reason to sew up a needle case and turn the extra needles into something to be admired. John bought me a similar case full of needles a year ago at Christmas, and I've been very surprised at how useful all those different sizes have been.

In pregnancy news, we are busy seeking out and meeting doulas to help during labor. I am very resistant to medical intervention (always have been-- my mom took me to the emergency room when I smashed my thumb during lacrosse practice. When the doctor got out the drill to drain the blood under my thumbnail and "relieve the pressure" I got up and ran out the door. NO THANK YOU!), so I am looking forward to having an experienced labor support professional help me have a natural childbirth without IVs, etc. The past few days I feel as though I've gained 60 pounds right under my belly button and I am beginning to look forward to evicting the baby. Since my due date is now moved back to March 24th, the last two weeks have each been number 32. On Friday I can finally move to week 33. Yippee!

posted at 10:00 AM # (0) comments

Wednesday, January 21, 2004

Here's the quilt top I made for the baby-- I wish the yellow I had were a little stronger, but overall I like it. I'm going to send it out for machine quilting, I think, to free myself up for the slipcover, the sweater, etc.

I am so productive these days-- I hope it's not just the hormones, because I sure will miss this energy!

posted at 4:31 PM # (0) comments

Tuesday, January 13, 2004

The blog has been quiet, but the activity level is high. Suddenly, the baby's arrival seems right around the corner-- except when I think about carrying the baby around for another 9 weeks. Nights are increasingly less comfortable, but I really have no complaints. I seem to be having a textbook pregnancy, and I hope the labor and delivery will be textbook too. (Honestly, I'm hoping for a record-breakingly easy 3-hour labor, but that seems pretty unlikely. I can still dream!)

Here's a glimpse of what we've been up to:

Researching and shopping

Painting, assembling, furnishing

Knitting

Growing

posted at 1:20 PM # (0) comments

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