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On Saturday I went to my youngest aunt's house with my mother to help her make the winter's kimchi.
This is called Doing Kimchang, and it's one of those skills (that is, making kimchi) that I don't actually know very well, and I torture myself for not knowing it.  What if everyone I know suddenly dies and it's up to me to keep Korean Civilization ( Read more... )

My mother is a fantastic cook.  She uses the best ingredients, has the best ideas.  EVER.  She's so good that the standard around our house at any restaurant meal is - Does this taste almost as good as Mom' makes it?

Sundays are when she does a big cookout.  I should record more of these, since these meals are important to my life.  They make me ( Read more... )

I had a rough day.

So on my way home I bought some groceries and made myself a potful of coq au vin.


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 Things I did last night.

A. 
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Ever since acquiring the fantastic cookbook by Nigella Lawson, I have been cooking up a storm, drawing up a weekly menu of delicious dinners of exotic materials I've never before cooked with: lamb chops, salmon, pork. Ha.   Cooking has of all things become NORMAL.  I just do it.  :)  Very pleased.  A very nice side effect of the very slow market.

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I think it's the coming of the fall that's maybe bringing out my urge to cook and bake.  Or maybe i"m just sick of mass-made purchased food, whether from restaurants or cafes.  I've eaten that 5 days a week for 4 years now.  Even a homemade peanut butter jelly sammich tastes more flavorful than cafe food, no matter how overpriced the cafe.

This ( Read more... )

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I want to lose weight. Like, a lot. 20 lbs of it. The thing is I hate the thought of trying to lose weight. I just want to lose it, like all the umbrellas and right-hand gloves and right-side earrings I have lost over the years, by accident, by surprise, without any real effort. Or intent, for that matter ( Read more... )