Category: food

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bon anniversaire mon blog!

One year ago I transferred a handful of wordpress blog posts over to theseventhsphinx.com, and the rest is all there in the archives.

My little blog is growing up.

This calls for…

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…cake.
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At kathycancook’s recommendation I used the excellent yellow cake recipe (black and white cake) from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours (an excellent book all around), which—a bit tragically, given how well it was going, really on the road to being the the nicest cake—I overcooked slightly.* Alas. Pardon, mon blog!  Not to worry, a bit of ice cream and a dousing of salted caramel improved matters. This is that kind of rich chocolate frosting you start in a double boiler with butter, unsweetened chocolate, and milk, then add vanilla and confectioner’s sugar, and it sets up as it cools.  You know the kind? I like that kind.

*This means that the next time I make it, it will be sublime.

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Let’s see, shall I recap some favorite posts? Definitely the turban (more head wraps are in order), the sweater dress (I should wear that again soon. I love that dress), the tuxedo stripe leggings (there will be more wigs), Halloween, getting my bike (which it’s finally getting warm enough to consider riding), various posts with my beloved leather jacket (which it’s finally getting warm enough to consider wearing), the bandeau top, the baseball cap, that other wig, the massive floppy hat, that mango guacamole burger…so many, really.

Do you have a favorite?

Lot’s of plans for the upcoming year in the universe of the blog, and lots of stuff I can’t wait to show you.

Thanks for reading!

x

 

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on the menu: warm grains salad

A mix of grains and vegetables is a flexible formula I often put to use.

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This is a mix of brown rice, long-grain wild black rice, and quinoa cooked with raisins and pistachios, then tossed with sauteed string beans and fresh tomatoes. A garnish of fleur de sel and toasted almonds, and a [very] light dash of rice wine vinegar and soy sauce.

This grains + vegetables concept can go in so many excellent directions. I also really like adding curry powder and cider vinegar to the base of grains (which might also include millet or cous cous), and any number of vegetables can be appealing in. I’m thinking Brussels sprouts, roasted beets, roasted sweet potato, broccoli, kale…I especially like a blend of cooked and raw. Like: raw celery, scallions, ginger, tomatoes, or cucumbers.  Alternatively the grains part of the equation could be flavored with saffron or coconut, or replaced with lentils…

I keep thinking it would be so good alongside fish but I keep kind of forgetting about the fish in the moment. I’m going to eat more fish, though.* I aspire.

*Maybe if I blog it, it will come true…