a splash of blog, a dash of sarcasm
i recently had a good friend and blog fan mention that she loves reading the candid cook for the pictures of food and the nerdy brand of humor. when i asked her if she had tried any of the recipes, she quickly exclaimed, “oh no! they’re way too complicated, and they look like they take forever! i just like to look at your pictures and make a mental list of what you should cook for us next time!”
i’m not a huge fan of sweets, so it usually takes a very unusual kind of treat for me to bust out my (lack of) baking skills. yeah, i never did follow those cursed measuring rules too well.
i figure that, since it involves very little measuring and only the slightest amount of baking, baklava is one of those things i could manage to pull off with a relatively high success rate. i was fairly correct, in my humble opinion.
after tweaking my recipe several times, i came up with what i found to be my favorite combination of chewy, sweet, nutty, and savory. of course, you can use any kind of nuts in place of the almonds, but the flavor of that particular nut paired with butter and honey is almost too good for anyone of sound mind to pass up. i’ve also made this with pistachios and a hint of rose water – that was also a big hit.
when i was younger, i could not fathom the concept of being vegetarian. i loved my steak. i loved my chicken. i loved . . . meat. there was just no way i could ever eat pasta and veggies for days on end, let alone for the rest of my life.
this notion took a sound trouncing the first time i ever visited india. one of our closest friends from college lives in mumbai (a.k.a. “bombay”), and we’ve had the privilege of visiting his country twice – once for fun and once for a wedding i am certain we will be talking about for the rest of our lives; but that’s another tale for another post. 
oh my god, i’m a guest blogger! i want to thank the academy for this delicious opportunity, god for my enviable set of taste buds (they get a lot of action)…um, and my friend renee for her undying support and patient leniency in HER kitchen. i’m sorry, renee, for what i’m sure is still a stain of hardened sugar on your beautiful stove…
bechamel (besh-ah-mel) is an excellent all-purpose base for any kind of cream sauce . . . alfredo, cheese sauce for mac and cheese, cream of mushroom soup, etc. learning a recipe for this will demonstrably improve the flavor of these dishes. i promise. i subscribe to the school of thought that french sauces are the best in the world, with indian sauces coming in a close second. i spent a lot of time (and butter) trying to learn various french sauces, and i have yet to feel as though i wasted that time (or those calories, ha!)
i am continually searching for great vegetarian restaurants. sadly, charlotte is a far cry from emulating cities like san francisco in this department. we are painfully devoid of variety, but i do see hope on our horizon.
since the 1970s, berrybrook farm has been a go-to place in the center city for vegetarian choices and natural foods.
the world of americanized chinese food is an interesting amalgamation of fried chicken, monosodium glutamate, soy sauce, and argo starch. culinarily problematic, in many ways.
nevertheless, it’s also a spot with a very particular kind of itch.
i’ve searched high and low for the best back-scratcher around, and this is my answer.
i’m not a big coffee drinker. i love all kinds of tea, and, for many years, i cultivated an elitist disdain for its beany counterpart. truly, i’m not sure why i never fell in love with coffee . . . the aroma is quite evocative, and i can see why it’s developed such a fervent following when i spend time around its diehards.
i didn’t put much thought into this choice being the first one on the blog. in truth, i’m not that purposeful. it’s a timing thing . . . and a hunger thing, ha!
it just so happens that tonight, i was cooking for a friend of mine who is “veganish”. the best way to describe his diet is to say this — if a life wasn’t taken to provide it, it’s okay to eat. i’m not passionate one way or the other when it comes to eating meat/not eating meat. if it tastes good, i’m there.
my name is renee. i love to cook. i love to write. welcome to my amalgamation of the two. on this blog, i will post some of my favorite ethnic food recipes and experiences in a way that i hope will be easy, delicious, and fun! thanks for cooking with me!
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