Lemons

So I've discovered that not all citrus fruits were created equal. Within the species of lemons, there exists a Lemon, this Lemon comes from Sicily, and it is amazing. Much sweeter than a normal lemon, even the rind is completely palatable and easier to chew than your average lemon(and I've done my fair share of rind chewing, aka free lemons and sugar at applebees). The amazingly friendly and often socially awkward grocer explained to me that they are similar to meyer lemons, from california. These Lemons are ugly on the outside, usually scrawny and dark, but you'll notice the superiority in taste without needing to test it against another lemon. Having said that, I've been taking this opportunity to make many a lemon based dish.

Lemon Risotto with rucola and onion
Lemon Cheesecake with biscotti crust
Candied Lemons (for cheesecake)
Lemonade (spawned from the left over syrup from the Candied Lemons)
Lemon Icee (i accidentally freezed the lemonade, turned out pretty good)
Pasta La Vista (an experimental pasta dish that became amazing, it's in my 'Great Job' post)

the lemon cheesecake took the most effort, i got the recipe from here http://www.zencancook.com/2009/04/ricotta-lemon-cheesecake-with-biscotti-crust/ yea i made the biscotti crust (actually daniel did, but i made sure to take credit for it at dinner) and it made all the difference. I used limoncello instead of lemon zest. It came out not completely solid, didn't have that slightly crumbly cakey consistency that I was hoping for, but the taste was all there, absolutely delicious. You should not be daunted by creating cheesecake, the effort is definitely worth the reward.

Risotto

Risotto is great for many reasons, some being; it is thick and hardy, fills you up, it goes very well as a side or a main dish, it holds for a long time, and tastes good cold. You can also get very creative with risotto. The only problem is that it requires constant attention for about a half hour. This recipe is all thanks to Sofia, who taught me to scrape the bottom of the pot, and frequently reminds me of the size of my head.

this is the main formula:
in one pot:
-boil up some broth, what kind depends on your tastes
in another pot:
-sautee up some stuff, i would reccommend diced onions and sliced mushrooms, spinach is also really good, but i've also made it with sicilian lemons (an article is coming on those), tomatoes, whatever your imagination fancys. [note: if your using frozen spinach, put it in at the end, lest it get soggy]
-Add rice and lots of olive oil, let that sit for a hot second
-Add broth to rice slowly, stirring constantly and forcefully
-Add some wine at the same time, give that some time to cook in and burn out
-Once you think its done, you can add in some cheese (pecorino, parmesan, etc.) or even some yogurt (whacky)

Thanks Sofia!

Tequila Mockingbird

Drink No.1: Tequila Mockingbird
If a drink of this title already exists, it doesn't matter, this is an original, i call tabula rasa on all literary themed cocktails.

Tequila
Soco
peach schnapps
>All of the above ingredients, shaken with ice, strained into a glass, then
Rose's Lime, Stirred in
Sink Grenadine in the shape of a mockingbird

the ingredients are supposed to represent the southern roots of the novel and perhaps the theme of the drink is the stingy, sticky, o-so-good taste of justice. If done correctly, all of your friends will be wowed at how much it actually tastes like a mockingbird.

Drink no.2: The Imperial

Gin (not gonna show any brand loyalty)
Chinotto soda (specific to italy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinotto , might be able to find it in america)

this drink mixes the spicy complexity of gin with the spicy-sweet and dry (and decidedly not like dr.pepper) taste of chinotto soda. Together, it tastes like you have money.

TasteSpotting

This is a weblog full of amazingly delectable recipes that all share one common ideaology: they are [mostly] very simple recipes that end with very complex, or at least very delicious, tastes. I suggest you explore the site on a full stomach, lest you drown from salivation:

http://www.tastespotting.com/

They're all comfort foods from my childhood, except I've never seen any of them before. I'm going to be using this site on an alarmingly frequent scale when i get back to New York.

Great Job

Yesterday, in a gloriously successful attempt at dinner, an amazing sauce was created by not myself but my guest.

If i remember correctly, this is what went down in a frying pan:
olive oil and butter (butter butter butter), add lotsa rucola, halved cherry tomatoes, and some cubed salami. Let that cook then add enough white wine to create enough volume that it could actually sauce something (if sauce isn't a verb, i still suggest its use). At the last minute, throw in some bits of mozzarella, once they get gushy and melted, just throw it over some pasta, we used 'maccheroncini' which is just big fat hollow spaghetti, a bigger bucatini if you will (my italian roommates looked at it like it came from space), although i think it'd also go well with farfalle or ziti.

I'm assuming some spices (salt n' pepper etc.) were added during the cooking process, but I was busying myself with some lemon chicken cutlets (which also came out deliciously).

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Dough

That's right, like some kind of brilliant (or mad) scientist, a freak culinary mishap in the attempt at making some late night crepes ended in a concoction that tastes exactly like some gooey primordial cinnamon toast crunch.

how did this happen? observe the simplicity:
flour [a bunch]
eggs [2]
Cane/Brown Sugar [enough]
Water [a little soupyness]
Milk [some]
Butter [a chunk]
-Whisk until thick and delicious looking
-Heat a pan with butter, make the cakes thin by pouring a little batter at a time and then tilting the pan in different directions to move the batter around.
-Cook until not gooey [to flip, since you only make one massive cake at a time, try using some wrist/elbow action and flip the pancake through the air, it's very satisfying]

Cinnamon Toastyness - Quickly fry up butter with a bunch of cane sugar and cinnamon, drizzle this toasty topping all over the cakes themselves after they've been lightly buttered.

nom nom nom
~For your health

Da Streets

Haven't updated in a while, to which i'm sure all of my readers are devastated (hi mom).
Pithy summarizations of the [street] food in the cities i've visited this past month:

Cork: potato wedges and chicken baguettes washed down with 2.75 euro beamish
London: Expensive and delicious gourmet foods next to meat pies
Prague: really thin churros, cheap beer [under 2 euro], cylindrical pretzels, and potato latkes type things that all of my friends found eating more than one disgusting (they offered all of theirs to me, i accepted)
Munich: schnitzels not my fave, bar pretzels are crunchy and delish, crazy lemonade beer
Athens: gyros and souvlaki [for 2-2.50 euro!], and lots of different things baked into pie crust