The Project Begins

When I first decided to keep this blog my husband, Charlie, gently warned me that the difference between a successful blogger and an unsuccessful one is largely the difference between a persistent blogger and one who is not. I'm sorry to say I've fallen into the second category over the last few months. However, he also reminds me that it is never too late to start again. Doesn't he sound wonderful? He is.

March 20, 2010 marked the official start of our year-long locavore project. We started with a bang, inviting 20 or so of our nearest and dearest over for a Spring Celebration. Even though the pasta machine DID break just a few hours before the party, causing me tremendous anxiety about the homemade fettucini with rainbow chard that was to be the focus of the meal, overall the kick-off was a success. We ate. We drank. We discussed. I was reminded, yet again, of what fantastic friends we have.

And so...we've been ticking along. Over the past few months several of the problems we anticipated have resolved themselves, some were solved after a fair amount of trouble, and some we've just had to deal with (still no poultry!). It's been interesting, and it's a shame I've not chronicled it up to now. Hopefully that will change over the next few weeks. I would like to get this blog up and running again, but I hesitate to make any bold proclamations about what I will or will not do. That seems to be the death of many of my plans and ideas. Instead, let me throw out a plan: I plan on doing better. That's all I've got for now. :)

This one's for Ted...

I don't have any new pictures of food ready, so here's something else to look at today.  This is a Sweetie Monster I made named JoJo. 

I have been neglectful of this blog for the last couple of weeks.  It started when I just didn't post for a couple of days, and it quickly snowballed into two weeks.  I've been a little distracted.  My aim is to make up for that a little bit this weekend by posting a ridiculous number of ice cream recipes along with instructions and ruminations on several savory dishes.  And then...another dry spell will come along.  How do I know this?  I know this because I am going to Greece and Italy for two weeks with my best friend, Paige.  We leave on Monday, and I'm super duper excited, as you can probably imagine.  My plan is to eat my way through the entire trip, and  I will proudly accept any weight I may gain over the next two weeks.  (Of course, we are backpacking so I will probably drop a little as I have in the past.  The point is I don't care either way.)  I'm sure there will be plenty of food excitement to share when I return, and a Greek-themed dinner party will certainly be in order some time in September, shortly followed by a Naples-themed (pizza anyone?) gathering.  But for now, I shall focus on ice cream.  

Charlie and I had an Ice Cream Social a couple of weeks ago, and it was a smashing success.  Over the course of a week I made nine different homemade ice creams and a small accompaniment for each.  Here's the menu:

• Olive Oil Gelato with Balsamic Strawberries
• Salted Caramel Ice Cream in Almond Tuile Bowls
• Mandarin Orange Ice Cream with Sesame Brittle
• Lemon Curd-Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream with Blackberry Sauce
• Cookies & Cream Ice Cream with Homemade Oreos
• Basil Ice Cream with Blueberries
• Profiteroles with Honey Lavender Ice Cream and Warmed Honey
• Lime Sherbet
• Root Beer Floats (with Jones Soda Root Beer and homemade vanilla ice cream)

We had our party on the last day of July (which is national ice cream month I've learned), and 13 of our nearest and dearest joined us.  For those of you who have been to my apartment you can probably imagine how snug we were, but that added to the fun.  I've always enjoyed seeing just how many people I can cram into my place and feed.  Floor pillows and a card table usually help a lot.

So, the fifteen of us embarked on a tasting menu of ice creams, and it was loads of fun!  Fortunately, I have a gazillion tiny bowls and saucers, so the ice cream was served in courses.  I used a melon baller to scoop the ice cream and placed three small scoops (along with the appropriate accompaniment) on a tiny dish and distributed.  Even with the tiny servings we were unable to make it through the whole menu.  We stopped after the basil, and it took some finagling to get people to stuff that last one in.  Three tiny scoops of nine types of ice cream (along with cookies, brittles, tuiles, and such) adds up to a lot of food!

There is much more to say about the ice cream party, and I have a serious collection of recipes to post, but right now I'm out of time.  I have two more days of work before my trip (and I must go so I can afford my trip), and I've got to go!  Starting tonight the ice cream recipes will begin pop up so be on the look out. 

A Shout Out from Casual Kitchen

Here's a special thank you to Daniel at Casual Kitchen for his inclusion of Banging on Pots and Pans on today's CK Food Links. Click here to see what he has to say!

A Few Changes and Updates

Right now I'm tinkering with my blog a little.  I've changed the name from Yes, But Can She Cook to Banging on Pots and Pans.  There was some confusion over the difference between the title and the URL so I decided to just make things simple and switch over.  So, Banging On Pots and Pans it is!  

Also, you might notice that I've added a drop-down list of recipes.  I'm really in love with this feature, and I'm excited to watch it grow as I blog more and more!   If anyone has any suggestions as to how I can improve the drop-down list (such as other categories I should add) please send me an email or leave a comment.  I'm completely open to and would, in fact, love to hear suggestions from you!

Finally, I'm working on adding a new feature that I think I'll call Currently Cooking With that features three or four cookbooks and/or cooking gadgets that I really like.  My cookbook club's Cookbook Of the Month will always be featured so you can join virtually if you like.  These picks will be linked to amazon.com in case you would like to purchase them yourself.  :)  

Again, any feedback would be great!   Hopefully these small changes will make my site a little easier to navigate and a little more fun to explore.  

Planting a Little Garden

I've been dying to plant a garden for the last year, and my desire only increased with the announcement of the White House garden. I love my apartment (truly), but there's no space for a garden outside. I really want a huge garden full of lettuces, tomatoes, peppers, squash, and the like, but that isn't possible right now so Charlie and I decided to plant a little herb garden in the sunroom. Last Saturday we traipsed to our local Ace Hardware (only a few blocks away) and picked up a few plants. We plopped them in pots, watered them, and placed them in the windowsill. They were beautiful! Here's what we have:

• 2 tomato plants (actually on our tiny patio AKA fire escape off the kitchen)
• basil
• dill
• coriander
• cayenne pepper
• mint
• oregano
• rosemary (a gift from my Mom about a month ago)
• lavender

Everything looked just great the first day. In fact, the plants looked so good that we moved a few into the living room window sill. It was so pleasant opening the front door and seeing the little pots in the window, but when we returned from work yesterday we were met with a sad little discovery. Everything was droopy. Very droopy. So....back to the sunroom they went! Charlie and I are hoping that it was the air conditioned air that made the plants droop (and not some other failure on our part).

We've already used a few basil leaves in our cooking, and it was so great snipping them off the plant! If all goes well we will have fresh herbs galore this summer and our cooking will be the better for it!

Focus on: Senor Juguera

Please meet the acquaintance of my favorite juicer ever.  He's a lot of trouble to wash, somewhat inefficient, and the only juicer I own.  Love it.

A Modest Proposal

I seem to have taken Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal somewhat to heart.  A few nights ago my three-month-old niece, Sofia, came over for a visit.  I couldn't resist putting her in a stock pot and taking photos.  She's just the right size!  

Next time I'm going to dress her as a lobster and give her a stick of butter to hold onto.

”I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled ...”

from Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal