use real butter

Last night I had trouble sleeping because I had clearly eaten beyond my physical capacity (but it was SOOOO good!). I had tremendous pressure in my chest in all likelihood due to gas. The lessons of the dairy-loving lactose-intolerant are never learned… I felt as if I was going to die, but taking a swig or two or three of mylanta helped some. It left me feeling pretty tired and pretty crappy this morning as I dragged my carcass into work.

On the way home, Jeremy drove me up the canyon and I recall passing out halfway – next thing I knew, we were home. I was going to take a nap, but figured I could get a jump on making dinner since the turkey meatloaf had to bake for an hour. I chopped onions, made the sauce, mixed the turkey – all in a haze. When dinner was ready, Jeremy was cutting the servings while I dished out the veggies. He noted that the meatloaf seemed to be missing some bulk. I looked at it, thought, and then realized I had forgotten the egg and the breadcrumbs. So we essentially had meat, without the loaf part. Damn. I didn’t consult my notebook because I knew the recipe by heart, except today. It tasted fine, but it wasn’t meatloaf.

I took a decent nap and then put together my review of The Kitchen which can be found here. It took forever because there were fourteen courses. Sheesh. Just recounting the food made me feel full. Is it possible to desire a man solely for his culinary skills? This shot was taken after 11 courses. Andrew always looks like that, but Nicole is clearly on her way to food coma…

andrew and nicole with the chef

Nicole and Andrew joined us for Community Night at The Kitchen tonight, and it was so much fun and so bloody incredible! The menu is determined by 4 pm that day. You don’t get to pick, you just eat what they serve and for any foodie worth her salt, she’ll enjoy every damn bite of it. Let me just state that The Kitchen has been featured in the New York Times, Food and Wine, and other lofty, high brow publications. What I love about The Kitchen is that the food is 100% solid goodness. They serve organic when possible, buy local, and maintain high standards for fresh ingredients. Additionally, The Kitchen serves up incredible food in a non-pretentious, simple, elegant, yet utilitarian fashion.

the kitchen

**Jump for more butter**

A beloved Emile Henry baking dish cracked a few nights back. So I called reliable and overpriced Williams-Sonoma and asked what my options were. She said if I had my receipt, I could get a full refund. It’s a good thing I’m so OCD – I not only had a record of EVERY purchase made since 1997, but I also have every receipt in chronological order since 1997 too. I found it in late 2000. I got my refund, and instead of purchasing yet another (that’s the second that has cracked on me) I opted for something that doesn’t crack:

a digital scale

Of course, the first thing Jeremy did in the store was determine the scale’s statistical uncertainty. He told me he was unable to determine the systematic uncertainties in the store – not enough time. He also tested it’s calibration and gave me the thumbs up. On the way home…

jeremy: what are you going to use the scale for?
me: things that are difficult to measure, like grated cheese or shredded chocolate.
jeremy: oooh, that sounds delicious. i’m all for it. it measures in grams or that other funny unit.
me: what?
jeremy: ounces.
me: yes, with the gram measure, i can make those fancy european recipes.
jeremy: mmmm, european…