Though I haven't joined one, I am thrilled with the trend emerging from online food communities: Cook the Book Clubs. A good example is at
Loulies, offered
here. The premise is simple: for one month, cook everything you can out of a single cookbook and optionally share your experiences with others doing the same.
I love cookbooks, and even though I'm not yet a full-fledged collector, I already have more than I regularly use. How does this happen? I get a new cookbook, get my panties in a twist about making everything in it, then for the next year or more it gathers dust on my shelf and a good splattering of grease (note to self: get books away from the stove!).
Well, the "cook the book" idea has been nagging at me for months, so this last week I took several minutes to degrease and dust a cookbook my dad gave to me last year for Christmas (he even got it signed by the author, aww),
Everyday Dining with Wine. Armed with determination and a grocery list to drain my newly plumped checking account, I set out to cook several meals from it in December. Oh boy, have I begun to do just that.
The meals are decidedly simple but emphasize quality ingredients and classic methods. I have found the "everyday" aspect is in regards to the modestly priced wine recommendations and not necessarily the ingredients. Expensive vinegars and oils abound, though I happily oblige since reading David Lebovitz' blog post,
"10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Cooking," specifically numbers two and four, "upgrade your oil" and "rethink your vinegar." Come to think of it, I have started cooking with a lot of shallot as well, so that knocks out number three without even trying!
The scrambled eggs with Spanish chorizo and manchego frico called out to me in the beginning because I never realized there were different kinds of chorizo. I never even ate chorizo until I lived in Austin in a Mexican community and shopped at grocery stores that offered cases of it. Jimmy Dean even sells chorizo, though in places like Seattle you would never know it (but really, we want the real thing anyway. Sorry, Jimmy). I have since learned that I was eating Mexican chorizo, which is an uncooked variety of chorizo, one which the Spanish would call
chorizo fresco. This time around, my more equipped self sought out Spanish chorizo, which is cured. I couldn't find Spanish chorizo, or Manchego cheese for that matter, at Safeway but had luck with both at the gourmet market.
The combination of flavors in these scrambled eggs makes it so much more than "scrambled eggs." It becomes a perfect breakfast-for-supper dish, especially on those nights that you are short on time or just feel lazy. The
frico is really just a fancy word for cheese crisp. Manchego is a sheep's milk cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain, and broken over fluffy eggs laced with heat and spice from the sausage, offers a unique peppery bite. My food substitution book suggests Monterey Jack as a replacement, though I don't think it would suffice in this case.
Scrambled Eggs with Spanish Chorizo and Manchego Frico2 eggs
1 ounce Manchego*, grated
1.5 ounces Spanish chorizo, diced
3 T red onion**, chopped
splash half and half
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
pepper and sea salt
To make the frico, heat grated Manchego in a small nonstick skillet until it melts into a lacy circle and begins to brown on one side. Remove from heat for about 30 seconds to let crisp, then flip and crisp on other side. Drain on paper towel.
Cook chorizo on medium heat until fat begins to render, then add chopped onion and cook until softened. Beat the eggs with splash of half and half and salt and pepper, and pour over softened onion and sausage. Scramble. Garnish cooked eggs with fresh chopped parsley and frico.
*The Manchego was difficult to grate. Next time I will freeze for 5-10 minutes just prior.
**A sweet yellow onion would have been ideal, had I had it on hand.
That's Aiden, a black pomeranian I got when I was in college but had to leave behind with my parents. He has the kind of personality and smile (pomeranians smile!) that can't help but cheer you up, and I will be needing it since Cassie is not doing any better. Aiden is also my date for new years, and I expect the kiss to be grand! ;)
Far from shopping malls and long customer service lines, the day after Christmas I will be driving to Rockport, Texas, where my grandparents (Hi, Pawpaw and Tutu!) have gone all out this year and are hosting a 
I have not done nearly enough to prepare for my trip home...a myriad of sewing projects are yet to be finished, clothes yet to be washed and packed, my apartment is a complete wreck, etc. I need to get my butt in gear!
texas countdown: nine days. The dog I grew up with, Cassie, seems to have had a stroke and is not improving. I really hope she can make it at least through Christmas.
As I mentioned last week, I am "cooking the book," Everyday Dining with Wine. One thing I am finding I like about this book is that it emphasizes wine-friendly combinations of flavors more than it teaches novel cooking methods, so the ideas are easily adapted and don't require you to closely follow a recipe. An example of this, probably my favorite to date, is roasted ratatouille. Since the kid's movie this summer, ratatouille has been at the forefront of food blogs everywhere, though I never jumped on the bandwagon until now.
The scrambled eggs with Spanish chorizo and manchego frico called out to me in the beginning because I never realized there were different kinds of chorizo. I never even ate chorizo until I lived in Austin in a Mexican community and shopped at grocery stores that offered cases of it. Jimmy Dean even sells chorizo, though in places like Seattle you would never know it (but really, we want the real thing anyway. Sorry, Jimmy). I have since learned that I was eating Mexican chorizo, which is an uncooked variety of chorizo, one which the Spanish would call chorizo fresco. This time around, my more equipped self sought out Spanish chorizo, which is cured. I couldn't find Spanish chorizo, or Manchego cheese for that matter, at Safeway but had luck with both at the gourmet market.
Cooking as a single person means two things:
Not wanting to bulk up my pocket camera with a traditional case, I decided to follow the ipod-cozy trend and sew one up for my Canon PowerShot SD750. I followed Julie Ree's ipod cozy design--the elastic closure is pure genius.
