Rosé and Cats

My father left me alone this weekend.  Again.  Although this time I didn’t get his fancy car, just my lovely little Volkswagon Beetle that makes a plethora of terrifying noises and really doesn’t like chilling in first gear in Newport traffic.

I’m also working both Saturday and Sunday at The Shack, which means the poor kitties will be sad and lonely all day.

This is what happens to the cats when they are alone all day.

There is something truly wonderful about this weekend though (not that I don’t love working) and that is rosé.

Birthday Cakes and Entertaining

I am an introvert.  I enjoy being an introvert.  I like to sit next to my cat and write about food.  I also like to sit next to my cat and read books.  Or watch Arrested Development.  Anything really, as long as its just me and my cat.

He’s into the sound of silence.

Being an introvert doesn’t mean I don’t like people.  I love them and I have a small number of close friends that I cherish more than anything in the world besides Jethro.  I’m quite happy to spend almost all of my time with them, because being with them, I don’t need to entertain.  I can sit silently or be aggressively chatty or eat more cheese than any of them and it doesn’t matter.

But people I don’t know?  That’s another story.

The Graduate Returns Home

I’ve graduated!  I’m done!  No more classes, no more registering for classes, no more grades, no more papers, no more readings.  No more nothing.  Well besides the real world and a real job eventually.

graduated cat

I start work immediately, but I luckily somehow have three days off my first week.  This means I have three days to sit in the sun (actually will be rain) with a lot of sunscreen and a cat.

And three days to drink sangria (and gin and tonics if I’m in the mood).  Along with my sangria, I’ll probably serve some nice cocktail foods.  I’m a grazer, not a meal eater, so I tend to snack all day on little things.  I’m at home so I’m going to allow myself to splurge on items like burrata and fancy prosciutto.  Because why not?

Emily’s Birthday: Chocolate Almond Brown Butter Lime Tea Cake

Last Friday, my friend Emily turned 22.  Emily is my poet friend.  Literally.  She likes to spend evenings with a glass of wine, writing poems.  We met because we were both interested in The Pop Culture of Early Modern Europe, one of my favorite class topics at Hopkins.  I like witchcraft and charivari and carnivals and all those fun things.  Also my favorite childhood story was called Cat’s Carnival.  Go figure.

Key Limes in Baltimore? Key Lime Pie.

Currently, I have two finals to write and a French essay I should do.  Its my last finals week ever and all I want to do is bake.  Also I want to watch all of Hemlock Grove, the new Netflix series by Eli Roth of Hostel fame.  I’m now 5 episodes in, completely confused, alternately terrified and amused.  The acting is quite bad, the writing is terrible (example: “I don’t have a recall” Don’t you mean recollection Eli Roth??), and its a horror series, not my favorite type.

Maybe I watch it because there’s a Skarsgard in the show.  The youngest Skarsgaard.  Bill Skarsgaard.  His brother plays evil Erik in True Blood.  His father (Stellen Skarsgard) is just a famous actor for a lot of roles.  The youngest Skarsgard looks like a heroin addict (but a beautiful one) and plays someone slightly evil and completely sex obsessed, although it seems he really just likes blood?  I’m not sure.  But he’s very pretty.

Guinness Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lime Frosting

This week is the last week of classes.  Its a mad rush to get everything finished in the one week where every teacher assigns something to be due.  We’ve got tests, papers, presentations, what have you.  But as a senior, you know what?  Its okay.  And by its okay, I mean I’ve watched a lot of netflix recently and am none to bothered about all of my papers and tests.  Sorry parents.

This weekend, therefore, I did little in the way of work.  And Friday I made cupcakes.

The Hummus Games

I love hummus.  I think its one of those perfect foods that I can just eat and eat and eat because its so versatile and simple and tasty and filled with things that are all good for me (or so I tell myself).

Normally when I make hummus, I use David Lebovitz’ recipe.  I like that its a bit chunky and has a lot of vibrant colors and flavors in it.  But seeing as its spring time, a time for change and renewal, I decided to make a new hummus.

Classic Desserts: Chocolate Chip Cookies

The first food I ever really made on my own was a batch of chocolate chip cookies.  I was in my early teens, armed with the back of a bag of Ghiradelli chocolate chips, and definitely used the gas stove to heat the butter so it was warm enough to cream.  No adults helped me and I may even have been alone in the house.  I ate a lot of creamed butter and sugar before I realized it was a necessary component of the chemical makeup of cookie dough.

They were still quite good cookies and everyone ate them. Because chocolate chip cookies straight from the oven will warm the cockles of anyone’s heart.

Almond Cake and Failure

My weekend failed cat.

This weekend was a failure.  Utter and total disappointment on all food fronts.  Although someone did buy me a drink at a bar that was not an alcoholic slushy.  That was probably the highlight.

Lets start with Thursday shall we?  Because we all know that the weekend truly starts then.

Cooking With Gummy Part 2: Matzoh Ball Soup

Last time, I shared Gummy’s sponge cake recipe.  This time we’ll be discussing the Passover staple that is Matzoh Ball Soup.