Monday, September 14, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Patriot Day
I'm confused as to what the purpose of naming 9/11 was. Whose idea was this? And why did I have to find out about it through my At-a-Glance Monthly Planner at work? Did someone name it Patriot Day in hopes that one day this too would be the day to bbq and go to the beach, like all our other nation-related holidays? How long did it take before people started grilling on Memorial Day and stopped giving a second thought to our fallen soldiers? I'm just saying, when I hear Patriot Day I think about a bbq while my kids play Little League Football dressed as the New England Patriots. On the other hand, when I hear 9/11 I think about the monumental historical event I wish I hadn't witnessed. I think about the soldiers who left their home soil to ensure that nothing like this would ever happen again and that our freedoms would be protected. I think about those men and women that came together to help their brothers are sisters out of the ash and smoke. I think about a nation brought together with renewed compassion and well, patriotism. But I just can't get past that name.
Whatever we end up calling it. Here's to remembering those fallen, civilian and military. And to those who stand to protect our safety and freedoms today.
Whatever we end up calling it. Here's to remembering those fallen, civilian and military. And to those who stand to protect our safety and freedoms today.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Fete des Madeleines
One of my proudest moments as a cook occurred on a blustery day in early Fall of 2007. We were walking around the charming seaside village of Honfleur in Northern France when we stopped at this bakery run by this dog.
I had traveled to France and I was going to have a Madeleine. Finally a real-live, bonafide French Madeleine. So we went in and bought one. It was good. Different. The consistency was different than the ones I make, and the flavor was not quite like mine. Immediately I began trying to figure out what I could change in my recipe to match the one in the dog-run bakery. Whilst lost in thoughts of cold butter and squirts of lemon, Brandon leaned over and whispered in my ear, "I like yours better."
And so here we are in San Diego two years later, during one of the hottest weeks of the year, with no AC, baking 8 batches of Madeleines for Brandon's work. Fetes des Madeleines he calls it. He's even put on French music from days gone by when GI's were still patrolling Paris. Though I'm honored that Brandon likes my Madeleines enough to share them with his co-workers, I can't help but think that the timing could have been better.
"Note to self: purchase more madeleine pans. They will pay for themselves."
I think when all was said and done we had about 85 madeleines. That is give or take the ones we each ate during the whole process. Alas, one must account for these things while figuring out how many times one will multiply the recipe by.
Ah, Madeleines, on est bien faible quand on est amoureux de toi!
I had traveled to France and I was going to have a Madeleine. Finally a real-live, bonafide French Madeleine. So we went in and bought one. It was good. Different. The consistency was different than the ones I make, and the flavor was not quite like mine. Immediately I began trying to figure out what I could change in my recipe to match the one in the dog-run bakery. Whilst lost in thoughts of cold butter and squirts of lemon, Brandon leaned over and whispered in my ear, "I like yours better."
And so here we are in San Diego two years later, during one of the hottest weeks of the year, with no AC, baking 8 batches of Madeleines for Brandon's work. Fetes des Madeleines he calls it. He's even put on French music from days gone by when GI's were still patrolling Paris. Though I'm honored that Brandon likes my Madeleines enough to share them with his co-workers, I can't help but think that the timing could have been better.
"Note to self: purchase more madeleine pans. They will pay for themselves."
I think when all was said and done we had about 85 madeleines. That is give or take the ones we each ate during the whole process. Alas, one must account for these things while figuring out how many times one will multiply the recipe by.
Ah, Madeleines, on est bien faible quand on est amoureux de toi!
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