Where I've Been
It's been two years almost to the day since my last post. I was in the middle (probably closer to the end, as it turned out) of my grand sourdough experiment. I'd done pretty much everything I could do with and to the starter, and eventually there were a couple of mason jars, filled with starter, languishing in the refrigerator; there were also a half dozen bags of it in the freezer. Then I just stopped. I stopped using the sourdough and I stopped writing posts on this blog. In fact, other than e-mails, comments on a couple message boards, and the occasional Facebook posting, I've written exactly nothing.
It's not that I got bored with either thing. I just realized I didn't like sourdough*. As for the blog, I ran out of things to say. But I haven't stopped cooking. Dinner club is in its fourth year. I've both surprised and impressed myself with some of the food I've made for that monthly party. I cooked a pretty mean cassoulet, I grilled lamb for the first time, and with invaluable help from my husband, I tackled timpano, which you should be familiar with if you've seen Big Night (if you haven't seen it, you need to track it down and watch it immediately). Timpano is hard work, and it's time-consuming. It took us three days to do it, and it was worth every second we put into it.
I still try to cook dinner a few nights a week, "try" being the operative word. My arthritis and my degenerating spine have had a huge, not-in-any-way- good, impact on every part of my life. I'm not even kidding when I say that, from one hour to the next, I don't know what I'll be able to do. I used to cook dinner six nights a week. I can't do that anymore; I've reluctantly passed on some of the cooking responsibilities to my husband. Good thing he's a natural.
I've also improved my baking skills, but I'll get to that in a later post.
I don't set goals, make deadlines or give myself ultimatums, so I can't make any promises about how often I'll be posting here. I can only go with my inspiration and my energy level. If I'm lucky, I won't throw my laptop out the window.
*However, it took me until this past fall to get rid of the sourdough. Hope - it does spring eternal.
It's not that I got bored with either thing. I just realized I didn't like sourdough*. As for the blog, I ran out of things to say. But I haven't stopped cooking. Dinner club is in its fourth year. I've both surprised and impressed myself with some of the food I've made for that monthly party. I cooked a pretty mean cassoulet, I grilled lamb for the first time, and with invaluable help from my husband, I tackled timpano, which you should be familiar with if you've seen Big Night (if you haven't seen it, you need to track it down and watch it immediately). Timpano is hard work, and it's time-consuming. It took us three days to do it, and it was worth every second we put into it.
I still try to cook dinner a few nights a week, "try" being the operative word. My arthritis and my degenerating spine have had a huge, not-in-any-way- good, impact on every part of my life. I'm not even kidding when I say that, from one hour to the next, I don't know what I'll be able to do. I used to cook dinner six nights a week. I can't do that anymore; I've reluctantly passed on some of the cooking responsibilities to my husband. Good thing he's a natural.
I've also improved my baking skills, but I'll get to that in a later post.
I don't set goals, make deadlines or give myself ultimatums, so I can't make any promises about how often I'll be posting here. I can only go with my inspiration and my energy level. If I'm lucky, I won't throw my laptop out the window.
*However, it took me until this past fall to get rid of the sourdough. Hope - it does spring eternal.