I see you have elected the way of ... PAIN !!

Thirteen and a half hours until an oral surgeon shoots me up with lidocaine, and proceeds to extract all four (4!) of my wisdom teeth. As if the fear and apprehension weren't bad enough, I can't even eat or drink anything until then. For dinner I loaded up on quesadillas and nachos (my stomach greatly expands when my next meal is uncertain) but it's small comfort considering I don't anticipate being able to each much of anything after the procedure either.

Therefore, I've decided that after bravely enduring the dreaded multi-extraction, my reward will be a Special Diet. The Ice Cream Diet. All ice cream, all the time, until such time (if any) that I can chew solid foods or pass out from hyperglycemia. The fact that Breyer's ice cream is on sale now (buy one get one free) is obviously a sign from God himself that this plan is Good.

Tomorrow morning, I will stock my freezer with the following flavors:

Coffee: 50% of the time, my favorite flavor

Mint & chip: My favorite flavor the other 50% of the time. Yeah, I know it has chips that I probably won't be able to chew. I'll figure something out somehow.

Dulce de leche: I haven't tried it yet, but I'm thinking it has the potential to be my favorite too.

Chocolate: Who doesn't like chocolate?

Vanilla: I'll need something to clear my palate between courses, you know.

Yet Another Creamy Soup
Cauliflower seems to be everywhere these days. I've had it twice in three weeks. And now it seems it's the vegetable du jour, the new black, the ingredient everyone's using in all the fancy restaurants. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised: cauliflower just seems like a paler, blander version of broccoli. Now the green or bright purple cauliflower varieties, that would be something special. But I haven't seen that anywhere yet.

I'll settle for the ordinary white kind, though. Easy to cook, inoffensive to the taste, and full of helpful nutrients like vitamin C for people, shadows of their former selves, wasting away with bronchitis.

CURRIED CAULIFLOWER APPLE SOUP
[from epicurious]

1 small onion, chopped fine
1 small garlic clove, minced
1-2 teaspoons curry powder (mine is a mix of cardamon, cumin, cinnamon, fennel seed, and turmeric)
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
1 large Granny Smith apple
1 small head cauliflower
5-6 cups chicken stock (or mix of stock and water)
1/4 cup heavy cream

In a 3 1/2- to 4-quart saucepan cook onion, garlic, and salt and pepper and curry powder in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until onion is softened.

Peel and core apple. Chop apple coarse and add to curry mixture. Add cauliflower and stock and simmer, covered, until cauliflower is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Purée soup until very smooth. Stir in cream to taste.

Care package!

How did my dear family know that we're a little around here, what with Foodgoat laid up with bronchitis and me at T minus 2 days until all four of my wisdom teeth are ripped out of my head?


As you can see, I got a lot of unexpected goodies: lots of dried mangos, instant oatmeal (I can eat breakfast again!), Primo toast, Chinese sausage, cookies, the Maribella hot chocolate from Berkeley. Foodgoat got an assortment of liqueur-filled chocolates shaped like liquor bottles for his birthday.

But the best of the bunch was the otap. They're flat, flaky, crunchy puff pastry biscuits with sugar on top and an oval shape made from many layers. Using my amazing powers of deductive reasoning, I suspect that they're the Filipino version of palmier or palm leaves cookies (I've started watching "I, Detective"). Whatever you know them as, I've been craving them for ages. Now there is a little pile of crumbs around the computer desk. And on the dining room table. Oh, and in my coat pocket. Good thing Foodgoat got a new toy.

Rock On

ROCK ON
For all those in the Cleveland area, come see me Rock at the Phantasy Nightclub for Night Gallery III. (Located at Detroit and W 117 St.) We, the Firmary, will be hitting the stage at 10:00PM, so it isn't too late and after show I will be quite chatty. Go tonight and see me in a skirt ;)

Easy-cheesy

Right now, my favorite thing in the spice cabinet is the white cheddar popcorn seasoning. It's a finely ground cheesy salt that's been well-used lately, and not just for sprinkling liberally on the microwave popcorn for watching reruns of "Murder She Wrote." It's also surprisingly good on steamed broccoli too, maybe even better than fresh cheese. Works with cauliflower too. And if you're making macaroni and cheese, what the heck, put a little sumpin sumpin in that too. I'm just aching for corn on the cob season to begin. Is there any cheese incarnation that isn't good?