Smitten

Deb Perelman is the ultimate culinista.  Perelman's blog Smitten Kitchen has me salivating each time i visit.  Her food is both accessible and aspirational, pairing bits of homey wisdom with artful touches.

The highlight of my week was the arrival of Perelman's The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.  The inimitable extremely relatable voice she honed through years of blogging is captured so well in Deb's new book.

When I finish reveling in Deb's beautiful photos  I can't wait to get cooking!

Eating Single (aka Operation Don't Get Fat)

It's funny to have a friend open your fridge and burst into laughter,  dismissing its limited contents as "such a bachelorette fridge."  Bachelorette fridge?  Greek yogurt?  Mushrooms? Red Pepper?  Lots of greens? Organic orange carrot juice?  Don't scoff! This is good stuff.

I finally made a condiment run for my new place.  It's so nice to have mayo, maple syrup and horseradish mustard! I realize that my staples may not be what the world at large considers essential.  Sure I had a huge bowl of kale and half a turkey sandwich for dinner.  It is my determination to cook when the mood strikes me and not to eat crap.  So far we're good on both counts :-)

The first meal I prepared in my new digs was Pinterest inspired.  Drooling over mascarpone grits I decided to whip up a southern classic, shrimp and grits with maple bacon.

I have been consuming the same salad several times a week.  A concoction of spinach, goat cheese, crushed pecans, dried cranberries and red onion.  

An overnight guest in town from Boston motivated me to saute some green beans in olive oil and garlic with baby bella mushrooms sliced thin and red pepper.  Teriyaki salmon and brown rice made for a nice balanced dinner, just elegant enough for company.