a string of successes is better than a string of pearls;

at least for my ego it is!
Well, inspired by Like Water for Chocolate, which I read yesterday, it's been all Mexican food. Two nights ago it was sopes with blue masa and chorizo con papa filling, last night it was a sweet potato salad from Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food, and tonight we're making chile rellenos! Today I also made my own cheese for the first time. Right now I'm letting it drain but I can hardly wait to taste it! And wasn't it easy! Thanks to Natalie for the recipe, 2 quarts milk & 2 cups buttermilk placed in a pot and heated to 170 degrees over medium heat. Scoop the curds out with a slated spoon and place them in a strainer lined with cheesecloth. When new curds stop appearing, strain the remaining contents of the pot through the cheesecloth. It's so easy, I'm going to be making my own cheese very often.

mi cocina;

I think I started cooking for two reasons: 1) my good friend Liz came up to Olympia to visit and said to me "Cooking has become my new painting. the colors and textures are all there but with the added bonus of good smells and feeding people." (and boy did Liz cook me some good food, she really is an artist) 2) I decided that my hobbies needed a re-prioritizing. Between school and work, I really didn't have enough time to paint, or draw, or keep a sketch book, and I wasn't feeling good about not having any creative mission. So I decided to cut out any hobbies that aren't practical. This sounds brutal, but it makes a lot of sense. Why not enjoy the things I already have to do? This began with knitting (thanks to Sadie). I needed warm clothes + I couldn't afford to buy them + My mind was restless = knitting. With a similar formula came cooking. I am hungry every day + Eric is hungry every day + I want to do something creative + there are thousands of spices in the world + I don't have much time to paint = Cooking.
First it was a cast iron skillet, then a few sauce pots, then some bamboo spatulas, Erics cousin Erin gave him a wok for christmas, I have some aprons from my Nana, some table linen from my Auntie C, a pattern to knit washcloths/potholders from my cousin Linda, and it's still growing... My kitchen is now my studio. I am the master of this laboratory and Eric is the test subject. (and let me just say, that there are no complaints on the Eric side of this equation, unless he isn't full... then we have a problem)
When I took a break from reading Slow Food Revolution to go see Julie and Julia, I thought "What the fuck? I could do that." So, I'm now on a mission to become a better cook. With Eric as my enthusiastic side-kick & lab rat, the ultimate test on if there is enough food and if it's any good, Mr. Donahue the human garbage disposal and love of my life, along for the ride.