I have dough hooks
Signed the employment papers, non-disclosure agreement, etc today. Now I'm packing up some of my things in preparation for my move to Rochester. I don't have long-term housing settled yet, but I can crash for a while with Potter (after he gets back to Rochester on the 2nd) while I find permanent digs. I'd like to be in Rochester before the weekend, so I can enjoy NYE with my peeps from the Flower City; let me know (preferably via email) if you'll be in town and want to hang out and/or are willing to let me sleep on your floor.
I got the 450 Watt Heritage Series Stand Mixer from Sunbeam for X-Mas, and haven't yet broken it in, as I didn't want to clean and re-pack it as soon as I had used it. It was exactly what I wanted, and I owe it all to the fact the my family is so hard to buy for that we often just ask one another "what do you want?" The Kitchen-Aid stand up mixer (like the one Sunday got a great deal on) is pretty nice, but I can't justify the extra $100 for the attachment thing on the front - if I'm going to grind sausage or make my own pasta, I'll buy a new gadget expressly designed for just such a task. I also picked up some heat-proof silicon spatulas, spring loaded tongs, and an enameled cast-iron dutch oven. Pat returned my Gamecube to me, and gave me two new games to go with it; I don't have a TV, so it'll likely go unused until early February.
Even without the use of my mixer, I did a lot of good cooking this week: porkchops with apple stuffing, roast beef (made gravy w/ the jus), yogurt cheese, spanikopita, baklava (improved the syrup from the recipe used for the Greek dinner two weeks ago), and chicken scampi (vastly improved over the version I made at Wendy's [more butter, much more garlic, very little oil, thickened with a roux]). If I stay in Maine another day or two, I'll probably make chocolate truffles with my Mom. The nearest place that sells good beer (that I'm aware of) is in Portland. I'm looking forward to working in the same plaza as Beers of the World.
I got the 450 Watt Heritage Series Stand Mixer from Sunbeam for X-Mas, and haven't yet broken it in, as I didn't want to clean and re-pack it as soon as I had used it. It was exactly what I wanted, and I owe it all to the fact the my family is so hard to buy for that we often just ask one another "what do you want?" The Kitchen-Aid stand up mixer (like the one Sunday got a great deal on) is pretty nice, but I can't justify the extra $100 for the attachment thing on the front - if I'm going to grind sausage or make my own pasta, I'll buy a new gadget expressly designed for just such a task. I also picked up some heat-proof silicon spatulas, spring loaded tongs, and an enameled cast-iron dutch oven. Pat returned my Gamecube to me, and gave me two new games to go with it; I don't have a TV, so it'll likely go unused until early February.
Even without the use of my mixer, I did a lot of good cooking this week: porkchops with apple stuffing, roast beef (made gravy w/ the jus), yogurt cheese, spanikopita, baklava (improved the syrup from the recipe used for the Greek dinner two weeks ago), and chicken scampi (vastly improved over the version I made at Wendy's [more butter, much more garlic, very little oil, thickened with a roux]). If I stay in Maine another day or two, I'll probably make chocolate truffles with my Mom. The nearest place that sells good beer (that I'm aware of) is in Portland. I'm looking forward to working in the same plaza as Beers of the World.