RANDOM

It has been a while since I've posted and I am not exactly sure where July went, but it is almost officially gone. I have been super busy with work and moving to an apartment (that is on the other side of town, but feels forever away), so I have been neglecting the food, though I have not stopped thinking about it, so here (in no particular order) are my random thoughts:

1. I love picnics! I have to thank Whitney and Megan for making me go on them, but I am always happy that I do. Really I think I just love eating outside and any excuse for a party. (And Matt missed it, but we had scrabble cheese-its that were yummy and educational.)

2. Cinnamon. I know I have taken WAY too long answering Bryan's question. He asked, "Why is cinnamon hot/spicy in foods like gum and gummy bears, while it is not hot on things like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Snicker Doodles?" I thought about it, performed some very scientific kitchen experiments and consulted a food science expert and still I have no concrete answers, but I have a few pretty good hunches-
a. Theory 1: The amount of sugar, here is a very simple kitchen science experiment: pour a little bit of cinnamon on a plate, get a good amount on the end of your finger and taste it. If you get enough and your cinnamon isn't too old I think you will be surprised how "spicy" it actually is. Part 2 of this experiment is to add sugar to the cinnamon. (No less than 2 parts sugar to 1 part cinnamon). All of a sudden it is sweet and yummy.
b. Theory 2: There are different kinds of cinnamon, though according to my expert only one is prevalent in the U.S., so this is less likely.
c. Theory 3: Red dye. Now I know that this is highly unlikely, but I would just like to point out that all of the "spicy" cinnamon foods are red, coincidence?

Bryan- you can decide for yourself which theory to believe. Let me know if you have any other pressing questions.

3. This thought has been stewing for a while, but started when I went out to dinner for a birthday party. I noticed this pattern occurring in myself and in those around me. We go to a restaurant, sit, immediately open the menu, stare at it, if you are me you then drink 3-7 glasses of water, stare at it some more, order something that you have settled on, eat it (and drink another 5+ glasses of water), and then say something like "I wish it had come with broccoli instead of carrots." Or worse, sometimes before we even order we say, "I want chicken, but with pasta instead of rice," and then because we don't want to be the confusing/ complicated customer we order another chicken Caesar salad.

So, here is my revolution! I am going to stop ordering what is on the menu. I have worked at food institutions for long enough to know that the customer is always right and if I want an entree of salmon to come atop a salad, they will do it, if I want rice and pasta with my chicken, they will probably do that too. Why do we let ourselves be limited by the options they have created for us?
DISCLAIMER: Restaurants do have menus for a reason and have a limited amount of ingredients and time in which to prepare your meal, so please be reasonable in your requests and understand that special requests sometimes come with a special price tag :)

Happy eating!

Love

Love is the only way to describe the way I feel about my Kitchenaid. I get a little bit happier everytime it perfectly distributes chocolate chips, or kneads pizza dough so I don't have to. For its 90th Anniversary Kitchenaid has released a special edition mixer, available exclusively through Williams-Sonoma. I already have a mixer (and I much prefer my almond color to the fire truck red), but I am already awaiting the 2010 release of the glass bowl. Is there a saying about good things being worth waiting for? I am sure this falls into that catagory.

Happy mixing!

Food on the Fourth (and the third!)

Lucky for me I was invited to my brother-in-law cabin for the 3rd of July to celebrate the holiday. We had a blast! My mother taught me not to show up to something empty handed, so I tried out a new recipe for rolls. They were a hit.

Oatmeal Rolls--

1 cup oatmeal
2 cups boiling water
3 Tbsps. butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1 1/2 tsps. salt
2 Tbsps. yeast
1/2 cup warm water
5 cups flour

Mix first three ingredients and let cool. Add sugars, salt, yeast, and warm water. Add flour. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Let rise in large bowl for at about an hour. Punch down, then form into 20-24 dinner rolls. Put in greased 9x13-inch pan. Let rise again. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350F. Brush with butter while still warm.

(Hint: Once you put the rolls in the pan, let them rise for at least 30 minutes before baking, and they will be fluffy and delicious!)

Before we enjoyed our own private fireworks show (Thanks Margaret and Brett!), we chowed down on brisket, scalloped potatoes, salad, and make-your-own ice cream in a bag. We all ate way too much, but you are allowed to do that on holidays, right?


I came back to Idaho Falls for the 4th and again enjoyed some scrumptious food. We made hamburgers and strawberry shortcake (with home-grown strawberries). I was even able to catch some of the Melaleuca Fireworks. Did you know that Idaho Falls is home to the biggest firework show west of the Mississippi? I didn't, but even from 3 miles away it was amazing!

I hope everyone enjoyed celebrating our freedoms as much as I did- and that we will all be able to fit into our pants tomorrow!