Writer's Block
I've been trying to put together some Valentine's Day stuff, along with a couple of other new menu items, for the past couple of days. I'm writerblocked like I've never been writerblocked before. I'm coming up with absolutely nothing. My timeline basically looks like this:
9:00 - Open Microsoft Word, stare at the screen for ten minutes.
9:10 - Play two games of Snood.
9:30 - Come up with a couple of crappy ideas, just to have something to write down. Instant message girlfriend.
9:40 - Start looking through cookbooks for inspiration.
10:02 - Write down a couple more ideas, which are a little better this time, and go have a smoke (nicotine stimulates creativity...or something like that.)
10:07 - Shower, shave that godawful patchy "beard" that's been growing for the past five days. Hope being clean and in normal clothes instead of sitting around in my pajamas helps me be more productive.
10:30 - No help. Download the latest "Heute Morgen" Podcast - for some reason, having the news read to me in German relaxes me - it's a nice feeling listening to the radio and trusting that you're not going to be screamed at and bullied into buying a used car.
10:45 - Pour another cup of coffee (cold by now)...dig through more cookbooks.
10:55 - Throw up hands in disgust, play a couple of games of Sudoku.
11:15 - Shoot staples into the garbage.
11:20 - More creativiity stimulation. Serioiusly consider the "Bleeding Heart Tart."
11:28 - I have to leave for work in two hours. It's time to get down to business...and update my Livejournal.
11:30 - Stare at blank "Update Journal" screen.
11:40 - More Sudoku.
11:45 - Throw down the first ideas that come to mind - that's why they call it "brainstorming."
11:55 - Get to that Livejournal entry - now I'm getting somewhere (ha).
So this is what I've got so far, if anyone's curious:
Valentine’s Day
Appetizers
-Butter Poached Lobster and Heart of Palm Salad with Lemongrass and Coconut Milk, Tarragon Oil
-Hearts of Palm wrapped in Bacon, Roasted Artichokes, Balsamic Reduction, Lemon Vinaigrette
-Lobster/Mache Salad w/Carrot Blinis, Basil Oil, Zucchini Puree
-Smoked Foie Gras w/Duck Confit/Roasted Apple/Balsamic Crepes
-Squash Risotto with Pumpkin Seed Oil, Smoked Foie Gras, Marsala
Entrees
-Black Trumpet Pasta with Black Truffles - parmigiano reggiano
-Duck Breast Marinated in Coffee, Cinnamon, and Cardamom, Madeira/Ruby Port Reduction, Apple Cider/Scallion Risotto
-Roasted Poussin w/Polenta and Root Veg
Desserts
-Pomegranate “Panna Cotta” (Greek yogurt)
-Strawberry and Champagne Tortes with Mascarpone and Balsamic Vinegar
-Honey Lavender Ice Cream with Vanilla and Chamomile Tuiles
-Bombolini w/Espresso Foam, Vanilla Zabaglione
-Chocolate/Hazelnut Tortes with Passion Fruit Coulis
-Chilled Chestnut Soup with Crème Fraiche and Raspberries
Tuna Tartare Replacement
-Tuna/Salmon Tartare with Bacon Tempura, Watermelon, Cucumber, Soy/Ginger Dressing
-Tuna Tartare w/Lemon Vinaigrette, Pepperocini, Capers
-Tuna Tartare, Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette, Fennel Salad
Lunch Chicken Pasta
-Chicken Saltimbocca Pasta - sage, provolone, prosciutto
-Smoked Chicken, rapini/broccolini, cherry tomatoes, parmagiano-reggiano
-Penne w/goat cheese, chicken, rosemary, caramelized pears
That'll do for now, I guess.
So I guess this is the part where I talk about my weekend. It was okay, I guess. Kim and I were talking about flying out to Boston Saturday/Sunday, but none of the options for getting there were really good - we didn't want to pay $400 each for round trip tickets, and the generous offer made by sunnibec18 was nixed because we would've had to fly standby from Milwaukee, and there'd be no absolute guarantee that we'd be able to get back by Sunday night so Kim could get to work Monday. Oh well. So we went to go see King Kong, which was really long, but very well done (minus some over-extended dinosaur/King Kong fight scenes), watched a couple of the football playoff games, fell asleep on the couch, went to Borders, and all of that.
So it's time to stop procrastinating and finish up this menu stuff.
9:00 - Open Microsoft Word, stare at the screen for ten minutes.
9:10 - Play two games of Snood.
9:30 - Come up with a couple of crappy ideas, just to have something to write down. Instant message girlfriend.
9:40 - Start looking through cookbooks for inspiration.
10:02 - Write down a couple more ideas, which are a little better this time, and go have a smoke (nicotine stimulates creativity...or something like that.)
10:07 - Shower, shave that godawful patchy "beard" that's been growing for the past five days. Hope being clean and in normal clothes instead of sitting around in my pajamas helps me be more productive.
10:30 - No help. Download the latest "Heute Morgen" Podcast - for some reason, having the news read to me in German relaxes me - it's a nice feeling listening to the radio and trusting that you're not going to be screamed at and bullied into buying a used car.
10:45 - Pour another cup of coffee (cold by now)...dig through more cookbooks.
10:55 - Throw up hands in disgust, play a couple of games of Sudoku.
11:15 - Shoot staples into the garbage.
11:20 - More creativiity stimulation. Serioiusly consider the "Bleeding Heart Tart."
11:28 - I have to leave for work in two hours. It's time to get down to business...and update my Livejournal.
11:30 - Stare at blank "Update Journal" screen.
11:40 - More Sudoku.
11:45 - Throw down the first ideas that come to mind - that's why they call it "brainstorming."
11:55 - Get to that Livejournal entry - now I'm getting somewhere (ha).
So this is what I've got so far, if anyone's curious:
Valentine’s Day
Appetizers
-Butter Poached Lobster and Heart of Palm Salad with Lemongrass and Coconut Milk, Tarragon Oil
-Hearts of Palm wrapped in Bacon, Roasted Artichokes, Balsamic Reduction, Lemon Vinaigrette
-Lobster/Mache Salad w/Carrot Blinis, Basil Oil, Zucchini Puree
-Smoked Foie Gras w/Duck Confit/Roasted Apple/Balsamic Crepes
-Squash Risotto with Pumpkin Seed Oil, Smoked Foie Gras, Marsala
Entrees
-Black Trumpet Pasta with Black Truffles - parmigiano reggiano
-Duck Breast Marinated in Coffee, Cinnamon, and Cardamom, Madeira/Ruby Port Reduction, Apple Cider/Scallion Risotto
-Roasted Poussin w/Polenta and Root Veg
Desserts
-Pomegranate “Panna Cotta” (Greek yogurt)
-Strawberry and Champagne Tortes with Mascarpone and Balsamic Vinegar
-Honey Lavender Ice Cream with Vanilla and Chamomile Tuiles
-Bombolini w/Espresso Foam, Vanilla Zabaglione
-Chocolate/Hazelnut Tortes with Passion Fruit Coulis
-Chilled Chestnut Soup with Crème Fraiche and Raspberries
Tuna Tartare Replacement
-Tuna/Salmon Tartare with Bacon Tempura, Watermelon, Cucumber, Soy/Ginger Dressing
-Tuna Tartare w/Lemon Vinaigrette, Pepperocini, Capers
-Tuna Tartare, Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette, Fennel Salad
Lunch Chicken Pasta
-Chicken Saltimbocca Pasta - sage, provolone, prosciutto
-Smoked Chicken, rapini/broccolini, cherry tomatoes, parmagiano-reggiano
-Penne w/goat cheese, chicken, rosemary, caramelized pears
That'll do for now, I guess.
So I guess this is the part where I talk about my weekend. It was okay, I guess. Kim and I were talking about flying out to Boston Saturday/Sunday, but none of the options for getting there were really good - we didn't want to pay $400 each for round trip tickets, and the generous offer made by sunnibec18 was nixed because we would've had to fly standby from Milwaukee, and there'd be no absolute guarantee that we'd be able to get back by Sunday night so Kim could get to work Monday. Oh well. So we went to go see King Kong, which was really long, but very well done (minus some over-extended dinosaur/King Kong fight scenes), watched a couple of the football playoff games, fell asleep on the couch, went to Borders, and all of that.
So it's time to stop procrastinating and finish up this menu stuff.