VeganMoFo Meme

Yes, I know. I haven't been a vegan in quite some time. However, I love vegans, vegan food, vegan cookbooks, vegan blogs and things veganesque. Speaking of vegan bloggers, Bazu at Where's the Revolution posted a meme with all kinds of interesting questions. Since Bazu tagged all readers, I'm taking up the challenge with the meme below. Please consider yourself tagged if you haven't already participated. Let me know when you've posted yours. I'll happily come read it.

1. Favorite non-dairy milk? Currently, it's unsweetened vanilla almond milk, although vanilla rice milk comes in a close second.

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook? Coconut biscotti, carob orange French cake, and another pear pie.

3. Topping of choice for popcorn? I'm a purist. Salt.

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure? Either millet or the time I murdered a pound of asparagus with several lemons.

5. Favorite pickled item? Pickled string beans from the Famous Fat Dave food tour (soon to be posted here).

6. How do you organize your recipes? Not very well. John and I were just talking about buying me a very large accordian folder for the printouts and pages from magazines.

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal? We use trash and the garbage disposal. I wish I owned my house and yard in a place where we could compost. Unfortunately, our homeowners' association is way behind the times.

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods...what would they be (don't worry about how you'll cook them)? Bananas, avocados and brown rice.

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood? Mom teaching me how to eat pomegranates.

10. Favorite vegan ice cream? My Perfect Vegan Scoop.

11. Most loved kitchen appliance? A tie between my immersion blender and stand mixer (both by KitchenAid).

12. Spice/herb you would die without? Salt

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time? Ironically, although I've technically owned my Moosewood cookbook the longest, it was in my mother's bookshelves for 10 years.

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly? Orange ginger marmalade.

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend? Peanut butter cookies.

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh? Seitan.

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)? Probably Indian food -- naan, dal, saag. MMM.

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator? Our rice maker and vitamins.

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking. Pistachio nuts, cornmeal, and tomato sauce.

20. What's on your grocery list? I just went shopping this morning, so nothing for a change!

21. Favorite grocery store? Whole Foods, but it's too expensive, so we go to Stop and Shop.

22. Name a recipe you'd love to veganize, but haven't yet. I'm working on a carob spice cake and am nearly there. Just can't nail down the eggs yet.

23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa's because I know you check it everyday). Or maybe the top 3? David Lebovitz, Culinary in the Desert, and Cream Puffs in Venice. If I were truly shameless, I'd post my other blog. So there! :D

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate? Carob mint creams.

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately? Non-vegan items I won't say.

26. Veganaise or Nayonaise? Mustard!

27. What is one recipe or ingredient or cooking technique that you've become familiar with in the last year that you can't imagine you ever lived without? Using pureed white beans to replace up to 1/2 the fat in a recipe. Super idea!

28. What would be your last vegan meal? Definitely an Indian feast ending with my vegan ice cream.

29. Make up your own question to put here (and answer it!)

The Unedited Fridge

Seems there's a bit of a fridge meme making the rounds these days. Above is my little fridge, complete with its many magnets. Some are from Mom (5 fruits/vegetables a day), while others are magnets I've picked up in my travels (London, Memphis, Utah, etc.).

But what's inside, you say?


From the top down:

• First shelf -- (in ziplock bags) spinach, whole wheat pitas, cauliflower, salsa, bread, more bread, leftover rice and beans, thawing frozen salmon, and John's pork chop (in the container).
• Second shelf -- two cartons of eggs, fake chicken strips, fake sausage patties (in the plastic bag leaning on the fake chicken strips), organic apple sauce single serving cups, fat-free cream cheese (it's awful! I won't get it again), canned crab meat (for a future recipe), and the leftover dulce de leche (in the container under the meat drawer).
• What you can't see in the meat drawer -- a container with John's turkey for lunch, sliced swiss and provolone cheeses, and montasio cheese I've been saving for fricos.
• Bottom shelf -- water, 1% milk, Sprite, two containers of pineapple juice, vanilla Rice Dream, lemon-lime seltzer, chives, can of baking soda, and the stuff you can't really see is rolled oats and organic pastry flour.
• What you can't see in the crisper drawers -- apples, lemons, pears and kiwis in the one on the left; baby carrots and salad greens in the drawer on the right.
  

I think the door of the fridge deserves its own photo.

• Top shelf -- butter and vitamins in the butter keeper; vitamins and supplements.
• Second shelf -- really good no-sugar-added fruit spreads, mustards, horseradishes, tahini, chopped ginger and garlic, pesto, and pickles.
• Third shelf -- ketchup, mustard, mayo, maple syrup, hot sauce, A1 sauce, tamari, salad dressings, parmesean cheese, and worchestershire sauce
• Fourth shelf -- taco sauce, lime juice, sundried tomato pesto, barley malt, peanut butter, cashew butter, carob candy, lemon juice.

But what about your freezer, Deb? OK, I'll show you.


You can tell I just went shopping for meat for John, it's all piled up on the left.

• Top shelf -- giant pile of assorted meat for John (chicken, turkey, pork chops, sausage), fake sausage for me, shrimp, salmon, tilapia, lots and lots of bread, my wee ice cream maker, lots of frozen veggies you can't see, popsickles, and baking soda.
• Bottom shelf -- coconut flour, fake bacon, cheese, my tomato sauce, more popsickles and knishes.

Finally, the freezer door, which is more a testament to our injuries than anything else.

• Top shelf -- raw cashews and walnuts, veggie burgers, carob chips, ice packs, and ice cubes.
• Bottom shelf -- whole wheat flour, lots of ice packs, baking soda, and more bread.

I feel so exposed! What's in your fridge??

Five Things You Don't Know About Me

Well, in some cases (family and very close friends), that may not be true, but for you fellow bloggers and other happy visitors, here's my entry to the meme that's been making the rounds.

1. I made history (with a number of other women) by participating in the first women's sabre fencing competition at the U.S. nationals. (Prior to that, my 15 minutes of fame came when I battled the state of NJ in the press for my Title IX right to fence sabre on my high school varisty sabre team. Title IX applies here because foil is not equivalent to sabre, even if there is a girl's foil team. It's simply not the same sport, albeit similar in nature. At that time, as far as I know, I was the first girl to fence sabre on a high school varisty team.)
2. I love maps and the ability to become "un-lost," if I can find a map of the general area. Years ago, when the New York Public Library announced an exhibit on maps, I looked forward to it for weeks. I'm also very fond of my GPS.
3. I'm great at keeping secrets, most likely because I have a terrible memory. If I don't write something down, it's gone. Just call me "Ten Second Deb."
4. When I was little, I wanted to be either an astronaut or a lawyer. I'm neither, although I like a good debate and tend to challenge quite a few things people say if I know them to be untrue.
5. I turn 38 a week from today. It's not bad, really. The best stuff has happened in the past few years. I can only imagine what will come next.

Feel free to do your own five things.

A New Meme: Your CD Collection

This meme is a bit different than your typical q & a about myself. It's more a snapshot of my CD collection. I hereby invite all bloggers and non-bloggers to participate in whatever way pleases you the most. Please supply photos to go along with each question.

1. How do you organize your CDs (e.g., in alphabetical order or by genre)?
I recently changed from genre to alpha order. As a result, you'll see in the photos in this post that it's like having a wild party. Imgaine Ella Fitzgerald sitting with The 5.6.7.8's, talking about their groovy tunes! (If you haven't heard of them, they do the Whoo Hoo song in the Vonage commercials.)

2. What is your favorite style of music?
That really depends on what I'm doing. If I'm cooking or making chocolate, it may even depend on precisely what I'm making. One of my current favorites is Juana Molina. She's an amazing musician from Argentina. You can sample some of her music at Amazon.com. My favorite song of hers is Slavese Quien Pueda. Most of the time, if I'm writing or editing, you'll find me listening to classical music. Other types, like jazz, require that I pay too much attention to the music to do much of anything else except maybe cook.

3. If you arrange your music alphabetically, what is the strangest combination of artists in your collection?
Tough to say, but probably Beck, Beethoven, Tony Bennet and Bjork might top my list. Although, ELO and En Vogue might come in a close second.

4. Along the same lines, what is the best combination of artists/styles that popped up just because you alphabetized them?
This one probably makes more sense -- Jimi Hendrix and Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Greats. Another would be John Lee Hooker and the Indigo Girls. However, I'd pay good money to see The White Stripes play with Stevie Wonder.

If you enjoyed this little glimpse into my diverse CD collection, please 1. let me know, 2. do one of your own and link to it from the comments here. I'd love to see yours.

P.S. This came about as a result of having to pack up all my CDs in boxes when our bedroom recently was painted. They haven't been this well organized since I first bought the house almost four years ago. Mind you, this is only my collection. John's is in storage since he put his entire collection on his computer to be able to use his MP3 player. He probably has around 250 CDs as well. We'll need to build some serious shelving in our next house.

Things to Eat Before You Die

Melissa from The Traveler's Lunchbox (a wonderful blog) started a Meme based on the BBC list of 50 things to eat before you die. The BBC list has many things that I've had and quite a few that I'm pretty unlikely to ever try. Some examples of the latter are alligator, haggis, guinea pigs and reindeer. Of the former, I've certainly eaten my fill of the American diner breakfast, sandwiches, Mexican food, pizza and Thai food.

In the spirit of Melissa's very long list, I've put mine recommendations here:

1. Mom's matzoh brei
2. Really good lox and Temptee whipped cream cheese on a Brooklyn bagel
3. Peas in their pods right off the vine
4. Freshly made chocolate mousse (just because I don't eat it anymore doesn't mean I can't recommend it)
5. A multi-course meal at Millennium in San Francisco (it's vegan, so be prepared)

And, while you're in San Fran, don't miss a trip down the coast to Point Lobos. It's south of Carmel by the Sea, so wave Hi! to Clint Eastwood for me on your way down.

Confessions in a Group of Five Meme

Yet another meme circulating. Here are my replies.

Five Things in my Freezer
1. Easy-peel, uncooked shrimp
2. Homemade orange sherbet
3. Whole wheat sub rolls
4. Frozen spinach from Trader Joe’s
5. Frozen peaches from Trader Joe’s

Five Things in my Closet
(I chose the big downstairs closet since my bedroom closet is just clothes and shoes.)
1. Camelbak backpacks (they have water bladders – good for hiking)
2. Insulated shipping boxes and food-safe packing material for Deb’s Delectables chocolates
3. A case of St. John’s wort tea
4. Ziplock freezer bags
5. My late Grandpa Joe’s old 8 mm film projector

Five Things in my Car
1. Roadmaps for at least 5 counties in NJ and a great foldout NYC map
2. NJ Parkway tokens (which I no longer use because I have EZ Pass)
3. A tennis ball for my back
4. Bottled water (because you never know)
5. Surprise love note John left on my dashboard when we were first dating (in the map holder)

Five Things in my Purse
1. Wallet
2. Kiehl’s lip balm
3. Sony Clie’ (electronic date book like a Palm pilot)
4. Glasses case with either my prescription sunglasses or regular glasses in it, depending on which of the two I’m currently wearing
5. Cel phone

Feel free to join in. Consider yourself tagged.

Feeling Meme-y

This one comes from Alfred's Mom.

1. What curse word do you use the most? I have very firm rules for myself about vulgarity in my blog. I just won't do it. However, offline, I have a favorite which I will only reveal in person.

2. Do you own an iPod? No, I own a wee Creative MP3 player that really comes in handy when I travel.

3. Who on your MySpace “Top 8” do you talk to the most? I don't participate in Myspace.

4. What time is your alarm clock set for? 5:00 am, which is not to say I actually rise at that time, but if I triumph over the cushy bed, I walk for an hour before starting the day. If I'm very lucky, John walks with me.

5. What color is your room? I'm assuming this means bedroom, but if you want to see the paint job in other parts of the house, click here. You'll have to scroll down through some chocolate photos, but you might enjoy them, too.

6. Flip-flops or sneakers? Neither, these days I'm either in Dansko clogs, Born sandals or Ecco technical sandals.

7. Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture? Take it.

8. What's the last movie you watched? Capote. I highly recommend it. It's very well shot, colorful and well acted.

9. Do any of your friends have children? Yes.

10. Has anyone ever called you lazy? No.

11. Do you ever take medication to help you fall asleep faster? Not for the last 10+ years.

12. What CD is currently in your CD player? It depends where I am. In my office (the room across from the bedroom), I use John's CD jukebox. It's filled with many CD that are agreeable for concentration, such as classical music, Hawaiian Slack Key guitar and other atmospheric music. In the car, that's a different story. I have White Stripes, Queen, Fiona Apple, The Proclaimers, The Pretenders and Prince. If you don't have it, invest in Prince's first album. It's brilliant and you'll love it. Same goes for Fiona and The Proclaimers (you'll need to read the lyrics first for that one).

13. Do you prefer regular or chocolate milk? Neither, I'm more of a juice and herbal tea drinker.

14. Has anyone told you a secret this week? Yes. Just yesterday.

15. Have you ever given someone a hickey? Probably in junior high school.

16. Who was the last person to call you? Mom.

17. Do you think people talk about you behind your back? Yes, on occasion. I was hoping for a good rumor, but it's never happened.

18. Did you watch cartoons as a child? Definitely. We watch cartoons as adults, too. South Park, Bullwinkle, Ren and Stimpy.

19. How many siblings do you have? One brother, two step-brothers and one step-sister.

20. Are you shy around the opposite sex? No. I'm not shy, I just try to be friendly and approachable in general.

21. What movie do you know every line to? None. I'm much better with song lyrics.

22. Do you own any band t-shirts? I still wear the Cars t-shirt from the very first concert I saw back in 1982.

23. What is your favorite salad dressing? I really like what Mom does with the artichoke juice left over from a jar of artichoke hearts.

24. Do you read for fun? Yes, everything by Alexander McCall Smith.

25. Do you cry a lot? No. Just once a month.

26. Who was the last person to text message you? Robyn.

27. Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop? Laptop. It's a build-your-own from Tiger Direct.

28. Are you currently wanting any piercings or tattoo? Nope. I'm done there.

29. What is the weather like? Sultry. Feels like it might rain today. It would make the plants very happy, I'm sure.

30. Would you ever date someone covered in tattoos? Nope. I'm very happily married.

31. Is sex before marriage wrong? Murder is wrong, prejudice is wrong, theft is wrong. Nookie is not wrong.

32. When was the last time you slept on the floor? At least 10 years ago.

33. How many hours of sleep do you need to function? To function well, at least 5. To get through the day, an hour or two.

34. Are you in love or lust? LOVE.

35. Are your days full and fast-paced? Definitely full. Sometimes fast-paced.

36. Do you pay attention to calories on the back of packages? Most of the time.

37. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 38

38. Are you picky about spelling and grammar? Very much so. Once an editor, always an editor.

39. Have you ever been to Six Flags? Yes, Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ.

40. Do you get along better with the same or opposite sex? I have good friends of both genders.

41. Do you like cottage cheese? Yes. When I was little, Mom used to toast rye bread and spread cottage cheese or farmer cheese on it.

42. Do you sleep on your side, tummy, or back? It depends on what's hurting. If my back is bad, it will be my left side. If it's my knees, I'll be on my back.

43. Have you ever bid for something on eBay? Yes. This week, I won Tupperware cake keepers and freezer pop sets as well as a pair of Born sandals.

44. Do you enjoy giving hugs? Yes. I'm a hugger. People often compliment me on my hugging.

45. What song did you last sing out loud? I'm really not sure, but any of the CDs I mentioned earlier have songs I'll accompany.

46. What is your favorite TV show? It's a toss-up between House and Gilmore Girls, I've been a bit disappointed by Gilmore Girls lately.

47. Which celebrity, dead or alive, would you want to have lunch with? Either Julia Child (for obvious reasons) or Ceasar, the Dog Whisperer. He seems like such a great person. John picks him or Jeff Corwin, the Discovery channel personality. He seems like a load of fun.

48. Last time you had butterflies in your stomach? I had to give a presentation on a topic that I wasn't sure if I knew 100%, but it went well regardless.

49. What one thing do you wish you had? One thing? My wish list is very long. Well, much more closet space to start...

50. Favorite lyrics? Currently, I've been listening to Fiona Apple's Tidal and Extraordinary Machine CDs, and the lyrics are impressive.

So, if you read this, your turn to Meme...

4 Things Meme

The 4 Things Meme is still making the rounds, and I've been tagged. Here's my responses:

Four jobs I've had:
1. Recording Engineer
2. Clinical Research Associate
3. Managing Editor (technical magazines)
4. Freelance Writer

Four movies I could watch over and over (not in any particular order):
1. Room With A View
2. Wallace & Gromit, Curse of the Wererabbit (I love the little bunnies)
3. Moonstruck
4. Auntie Mame

Four places I've lived:
1. Mission Viejo, CA
2. Atlanta, GA
3. Montclair, NJ
4. Allentown, PA

Four TV shows I love:
1. Gilmore Girls
2. That 70's Show
3. Paula Deen's cooking show
4. House

Four places I've vacationed:
1. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
2. Zion, UT
3. Acadia National Park, ME
4. Venice, Italy

Four of my favorite dishes:
1. Mom's matzobrei
2. Vinnie's Sicilian pizza with eggplant
3. Chips and my guacamole
4. Macaroni & cheese -- this, of course, is tied with grilled swiss and tomato on rye

Four sites I visit daily (tough choice to pick just four, but these are the first four I visit):
1. Washington Post comics
2. The New York Times
3. Kiplog Food Blog
4. NOAA (local weather in Somerset)

Four places I'd rather be right now (all are with John):
1. Alta -- skiing because it's STILL snowing in Utah
2. Exlporing parts of Italy I haven't seen yet
3. Australia
4. London

Four Albums I Can't Live Without (I can certainly live without most things, but these are the ones I'm crazy about right now):
1. Prince, Prince
2. Waltz for Debby, Bill Evans Trio
3. Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Masters tied with Jacqueline Du Pre's Impressions (love that dark Elgar stuff)
4. Ella a Nice, Ella Fitzgerald (Can't beat this one with a stick)

Four Vehicles I've Owned:
1. 1997 Honda Accord
2. 1985 Buick Skyhawk
3. Not sure what year VW Rabbit
4. I've only owned 3 cars.

Four Books I Have/Could Read Multiple Times:
1. Golden Gate, Vikram Seth
2. Anything by Alexander McCall Smith, especially the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series
3. Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck
4. Just For Today

Four Things I Don't Do Well:
1. Bake bread (I'm hoping that will change when I buy a bread machine)
2. Lie
3. Dive into water
4. Lose those ___lbs that haven't moved in three years

Four Talents I Have:
1. Writing
2. Editing
3. Making pretty chocolates
4. Cooking

I'm not going to tag anyone for this formally, since it seems that everyone and their mom (not my mom, but other moms) have been tagged for this. Mom-- if you want to, feel free, but no pressure here.

If you're a blogger and haven't been tagged to do this meme, and you like doing memes, please consider yourself tagged. Blog away!

A Different Meme

This one tags anyone who reads all the way to the bottom of it, so in the true spirit of Meme-ing, here's my replies:

1.Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4: Well, the nearest book to me is the Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language. It's a tome, to say the least. Line 4 on page 18 is the last portion of the definition of "acoustooptics" -- tic, a-cous' to-op'ti-cal, adj. --a-cous'to-op-ti-cal-ly, adv. (The definition, by the way is "the science and technology of the itneractions between sound waves and light waves passing through material media, esp. as applied to the modulation and deflection of laser beams by ultrasonic waves. Aren't you glad you know that now? What a conversation starter!)

. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can and see what you touch: The Swingline stapler or the caller ID unit.

3.What is the last thing you watched on TV? The opening ceremonies of the XX Winter Olympics last night.

4.Without looking, guess what time it is: 10 am.

5.Now look at the clock. What is the actual time? 10:09 am.

6.With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? That's it. The house is quiet and it's quiet outside.

7.When did you last step outside? What were you doing? I was outside less than 1 hr. ago. I was giving my pal Sly a lift to work.

8.Before you started this survey, what did you look at? The blog where this meme originated (The Schell Cafe).

9.What are you wearing? It's chilly, so I'm wearing my flannel-lined pants and a few layers on top. And I'm still a bit chilly.

10.Did you dream last night? Yes.

11. When did you last laugh? Earlier this morning.

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in? Right in front of me is a wall calendar, a photo of John and me, a really pretty dried flower "Debra" sign Dawn made a few years ago, a poster from the Penta New York International Sabre Tournament from March 1989 (I was a timekeeper), little works of art, a photo collage that John made from our trip to Ecuador, and a Shaker mirror that used to be in the kitchen bathroom in Dawn's Dad's old house in Montclair.

13. Seen anything weird lately? Well, one woman's weird is another's normal. So, no.

14. What do you think of this quiz? It's not the most interesting meme, but it's different than the ones making the rounds.

15. What is the last film you saw? The Chronicles of Narnia.

16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy? Wow! Is that ever a big list! I'd definitely buy John the Airstream he wants and a good hybrid truck to haul it around. The "real" house with everything we'd want is definitely near the top of the list. And, a hybrid or hydrogen car for me and a Shelby Cobra for fun. A Mr. Peabody dog. Then, all the cool cooking gadgets -- the bread maker, the Le Crueset wok, the 14 in All-Clad frying pan, a really small panini press, and a chocolate tempering machine. That's enough of the list for now.

17. Tell me something about you that I don't know. I'm not sure what you know and what you don't. It's a tricky question. However, if you are a visitor and not a friend or family member, something you wouldn't know about me is that in college I served an internship at CNBC doing audio and camera work. I worked on Dick Cavett's show, Morton Downey's insane show, and the daily news shows in the morning. I usually started my day working the non-robotic camera on Neil Cavuto and Cathleen Campion's The Money Wheel. I'm amazed at how famous Cavuto's become. After that, I worked as a recording engineer and editor in NY in an antique studio on the upper west side. Boy! I could tell you stories.

18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do? I would clean house in all the governments and put in folks who were altrusitic and really didn't want the job.

19. Do you like to dance? Yes. Even if it's the geeky white girl's dance club.

20.George Bush: Did you see the Impeach Bush rally on CSPAN 2 the night of the State of the Union Address?

21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her? No kids for me, thanks. I'm driving.

22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him? Same reply here. However, when we get a dog, John wants to call him Mr. Peabody.

23. Would you ever consider living abroad? Definitely. I did live in Germany for a few weeks one summer when I was a teenager. I'm truly grateful for the opportunity. It does broaden one's sense of the world.

24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gates? Did you eat yet? Here, you can eat all the stuff you couldn't while you were on earth--and, you don't gain any weight, get sick or suffer negative consequences. I know you've been missing those almond horns, and I know you wanted to try your own chocolates, so here you go...

25. 4 people who must also do this meme in THEIR journal: anyone who reads this far, consider yourself tagged! Just please track back to me so I can see what you wrote! Thanks!

Catching up on Memes (The Cook Next Door)

This is a fun one at Delicious Days, called The Cook Next Door. From the map below the posting at the site, it appears that most everyone has participated. I'm such a latecomer. The original blog entry was in June.

Here are the questions and my responses:

What is your first memory of baking/cooking on your own?

Growing up at my Dad's house, we had a library of soft-cover cookbooks that I would page through to pick out new things to make or eat. I'm sure I cooked earlier than this, but I remember helping Dad make popcorn the old-fashioned way in a pot with oil at the bottom, shaking it back and forth, constantly. He had been a soda jerk a very long time ago, and knew how to cook "diner food," and taught me how to do the same. Not sure how old I was, but I couldn't have been more than 12.

Who had the most influence on your cooking?

The soft-cover cookbooks at Dad's, Mom's little recipe cards from the Temple, and Internet cooking/recipe sites.

Do you have an old photo as “evidence” of an early exposure to the culinary world and would you like to share it?

People were lucky to get photos of me at all. :) You won't find many of me period.

Mageiricophobia - do you suffer from any cooking phobia, a dish that makes your palms sweat?

In the Meme below, there's a culinary confession about animal food anatomy that answers this question. It's not so much a phobia as an aversion.

What would be your most valued or used kitchen gadgets and/or what was the biggest letdown?

Great appliance: the immersion blender
Great gadget: OXO hand-wind can opener
Let-down gadget: the tool that's supposed to cut carrots into curls -- it didn't work, and it sliced the side of my index finger straight down to the knuckle.

Name some funny or weird food combinations/dishes you really like - and probably no one else!

Not sure how weird it is, but I add peanut butter to my hot oatmeal and museli.

What are the three eatables or dishes you simply don’t want to live without?

Cheese, most likely some swiss holey variety.
Guacamole -- my chunky version made with salsa verde
Carob coconut cashew squares

Three quickies:

Your favorite ice-cream…

I started making my own recently -- fat and sugar free. It's definitely not the same, but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do for your health. I'm still developing flavors, but like the entry above, I favor the carob cashew flavor.

You will probably never eat…

Oysters (edit: forgot snails!) -- same as the original meme I mentioned above. Also, I won't eat scallops and poultry.

Your own signature dish…
Rice and beans

Culinary Confessions

I'm a bit behind the meme on this one, but I've been busy making chocolate for the season. My favorite was David Lebovitz' 23 Sept. entry. Here's my list of top 5 culinary confessions:

1. I am a failed bread baker. Many years ago, a loaf I baked was so bad that my roomate at the time ran out into the middle of the street and threw the thing as if he was a Heisman Trophy winner. I have to dig it out of the attic, but there's a photo of the scene. Bits of the loaf traveled many miles in the treads of tires belonging to the multitude of cars that drove down Boulevard in front of our home in Passaic Park, NJ.
2. Even though I create tons of chocolate candies, I cannot taste any of them. The sugar makes me moody, and I've been off caffeine for almost 10 years. I make the filling flavors strictly by smell and by feel. I am utterly dependent upon my host of picky testers, and I really miss tasting chocolate sometimes. When the scent is too much for me, I try to make guacamole or some other garlicky bit that satisfies.
   
3. When I can discern the anatomy of animals prepared for food such as poultry or fish, it really freaks me out (that's the technical term). Just today, I opened a can of Bumble Bee's canned salmon and it had a chunk of vertebre in it (not to mention way too many other bones). I had to toss the thing in the trash. Did I mention I had been vegetarian (ovo-lacto) for 15 years until September this year?
4. I cook and eat Kraft macaroni and cheese sometimes. Not terribly often, but enough to say I do. I add shaved cheese to it while mixing the crazy orange powder with the "pasta," and typically use less milk and butter to make it thicker. All this is not to say that I don't make my own baked mac n' cheese on occasion, but these are confessions. So, there it is.
5. I'm very possessive of my kitchen (or anyone else's for that matter) space. While John and I cook together often, I'd like a much bigger kitchen so we could each have our own prep areas. Recently, with the help of my step-father, I ejected my mom from her kitchen so I could make our Channuka latkes in peace. Next house, bigger kitchen.