French courtesy of Devin

Devin surprised me the other day by planning a menu, going grocery shopping and making dinner for me--all by himself! People who know me well know that while I do enjoy some assistance in the kitchen from time to time, for the most part I prefer to do thing by myself. I find cooking to be a sort of therapy--it is methodical and relaxing. You can put on some soothing music, sip a glass of wine, and generally just unwind. 

However, I had been having a particularly tough week, and I think Devin could just sense that I needed some taking care of. He generally sticks to baking, but I was thrilled at this amazing menu he put together. It was just the thing to pick me up after a hard week.

• Filet of Beef au Poivre (Ina Garten)
• Roasted Asparagus with Hollandaise (Ina Garten)
• Garlic mashed potatoes
• Profiteroles (Ina Garten)

Just yum.

Dessert!

The next morning for breakfast he indulged me yet again by using leftovers from the previous night to prepare a decadent breakfast of poached eggs with asparagus and hollandaise sauce with grilled mashed potatoes. 

Decadence, Paris Style

Sometimes the most enjoyable meals are the least preparation heavy.

In the spring of 2006 I studied abroad in Paris with two of my best friends in the world, Niki and Katie. We lived in a lovely (ha) little apartment for several months, during which we enjoyed countless types of cheese and many a bottle of champagne. Our time in Paris was incredibly enriching in many ways, and food always seemed to be a focal point. It was a pretty decadent semester.

Recently Katie and Niki came over to enjoy a girls’ night. To relive old times, I whipped up a favorite drink of ours from Paris, Kir Royales. The kir royale is an adaptation of the traditional kir (white wine with crème de cassis), a common aperitif. It is pink and bubbly and delicious. Along with some tasty local cheeses from the Kick*ss Dairy Bar, I made some yummy dipping oil for our bread. Enjoy!

Kir royales
Ingredients
Champagne
Crème de cassis

Directions
Fill a champagne flute or goblet with champagne. Add about 2 tsp of crème the cassis, or enough to turn champagne pale pink.

Parmesan-garlic oil
Ingredients
1 c. good olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 c. grated parmesan (or other hard cheese—asiago would work well too!)
1 tbsp fresh, chopped herbs (whatever you have on hand)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Mix together in a small bowl. Serve with sliced French bread and a array of cheeses. Enjoy the decadence.

The lovely ladies, Katie and Niki (Nous devons retourner!)

First Post

Dear Reader(s?),

My name is Abbie. I am 24 and this is my first blog. I live in Somerville, MA, and I love to cook. By day I am a development associate at a NFP in Boston and a nanny. By night, I am a cooking TV show host (well...I pretend). I have always loved food...thinking about it, looking at it, preparing it, and eating it. The TV, when on, is usually on the Food Network channel.

My experimentation in the kitchen from an early age eventually led to a desire to take actual classes to get some real skills under my belt. While studying abroad in Paris I had the opportunity to take a great cooking class with French chef Francoise Meunier (http://www.fmeunier.com/). I was hooked. Back in the states I took two more classes: an Italian cooking class and a vegan gluten-free class (by accident...I was under the impression it was vegetarian.) This accidental vegan class sparked a passion for vegan cooking...however, sadly, I am am an omnivore at heart and a cheeseaholic. So while I have incorporated vegan cooking into my repertoire, I don't think I will ever be able to convert fully. However, I do hope that you will enjoy my musings, ramblings, pictures, recipes, and whatever else might enter this blog.

Thanks for reading!

Abbie