I dabbled in college because I enjoyed it. Basically I decided that I would cook things that I liked to eat (but was too poor to go out and actually buy), so I would find recipes and try it. More recently, like in the past year, I have run through all the favorites several times over so I like to google a country or region of the world and read about their cuisine and then look for recipes. Certain things, like baking bread, take awhile to get a feel for, but the techniques are really simple and just take practice. After awhile, once you get familiar with certain cooking techniques, you can read a recipe with a critical eye and evaluate it as good, bad, or other, and sort of tell ahead of time how it will turn out. I am not perfect, I still have huge fuckups (I'm looking at you, pie crust), but I would say I am moderate to above average and proficient. I am at the point where I don't really follow recipes for a lot of things (unless I am trying something new that I have no clue about) especially with the bread that I make. Or like, soups and stews. You figure out along the way how things are supposed to feel and smell and just roll with it. If it ain't burned, you can still eat it. Just try some stuff out and see how it goes.
Bread is one thing I've never figured out, there's a definite art to it. My bread never rises correctly, I get complemented on my attempts, but they are just way too heavy. I wish to hell my grandmother had written down her recipe for bread, because that stuff was awesome. Even at 10 years old, I was anxiously awaiting grandma's bread to come out of the oven. We'd cut into it, slather it with fresh butter, and my young mouth would orgasm.
You gotta give it plenty of time to rise. Assuming you didn't make the dough to heavy to begin with, you have to give it plenty of time to rise the second time after you punch it down. The whole "wait x time to rise" is usually the minimum you want to give it, and more is almost always better.
In Texas I could make bread and fudge. In Colorado, I never could get either right. Damn altitude. It's been awhile though, I should try again. Fresh bread is sinfully delicious. It's in direct violation of what I know works for me, but sometimes you gotta say "fuck it, carb/gluten me up." I'm annoyed. My body clock is still convinced I need to get up ass early for work. I have been staying up late, but no, I WILL rise at 5am. No sleeping in, no matter how hard I try. Firstworld problems.
The girlfriend can't cook for shit, save for a few desserts she makes really well. I usually do most of the cooking when Im around. Last night made awesome Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese. Way easier than one would think.
Why do smoke alarms pick 3 am to start chirping when the battery gets low? I mean, I was comfortably in bed while my husband rooted around for a 9V battery, but still, it was rather annoying. I am not feeling well today and we have to head over to the in-laws for dinner. They spent $20,000 on a new master bath and apparently this is a cause for visiting so we can stare at their new toilet and tiles.
I got up at 6. This is sleeping in for me by about 3 hours. My body is fucked. Mentioning it makes me feel like I've failed in some way; that my internal clock is something to be conquered to make retail happen for sub-standard wages. You keep them plugged in? All of mine are detached and gutted, sitting in a drawer until the house gets sold. Dumbest law ever. I'll do what I want in my own fucking house. Just out of spite I'm going to fry a turkey indoors on carpet soaked in gasoline. Fuck you, establishment.
My daughter woke me up late: 7am. By leg-dropping me. "BEACH BEACH BEACH BEACH BEACH!!!!!!!" (She likes the beach) So I yawn, stretch, and chuck the pillow with the best air velocity at her and lay back down.
Is it a snobbish that I laughed harder at the tag "Daily Delco" than the mugshots? Of course that shit happened in Delco.
The murderous rage I feel towards the deer that are fucking up my tomatoes is at breaking point levels. Like I'll be swerving at the mother fuckers if I see them while I drive down the road. Fuck pedestrians, fuck property, fuck safety. I am going to snare one of these bastards in a bear trap and execute the mother fucker like the last scene of Apocalypse Now.
You know what's good decision making? Having the knowledge that three very energetic foe y/o ate going to be up at 8 am at the absolute latest, yet choosing to stay up till 6 am playing Arkam City anyways.
I took a page from Bewildered's book, woke up at 7 and made a loaf of bread, then did a load of laundry and made bacon and eggs for breakfast. Fuck you, June Cleaver. Fuck you in your tight little anus.
I'm in post breakfast food coma heaven. Heading to my cousins house to grill by the pool and hopefully go to the beach. Not gonna lie, I really don't feel like putting on a swimsuit after all that food and coffee. Wah wah white girl problems. Also, are muscle tees back in style? I saw 2 different dudes wearing them and it was gross. I don't want to see your saucer sized nipples, brah.
Tank tops appear to be making a big comeback in certain communities here. I've seen a few *ahem* interesting looks recently.
My sister in law is pregnant. I'm stoked for them, they've been trying for a while. The kid should be really mellow, both my brother and sister in law are low key people. I'm starting to think boring and low key is almost always better than we'll say colorful and full of life.
So the Texas Association of First Responders is holding a barbecue benefit for the firefighters who were killed(barbecued) last month. http://www.click2houston.com/barbeq...ers/-/1736084/20770996/-/gte4k2z/-/index.html and no sees how this is funny/inappropriate.