My new baby

French Fridays: Cheese-Topped Onion Soup

This took forever to make.

The recipe said to cook the onions on low and to get them to a deep caramel brown. 2 hours later, I was turning the heat up and getting them to a caramelish hue. 

This was good, but I know that we won't finish the leftovers and for me that's the telltale sign that I shouldn't make it again.

TWD: chocolate truffle tart

From Baking With Julia. Awesome recipe.

This wasn't so much complicated as it was time-consuming. The chocolate crust was great and could be used in a lot of great spin-offs.

The finished product is beautiful and tasty.

And I loved all of the different textures and flavors that come with using the different types of chocolate and biscotti.

Baltimore Ramblings

I was really excited about moving to Baltimore. Well, excited and terrified. For the first month that we lived here I was scared to leave our apartment by myself. G had to go to his mom's for a weekend and he was afraid to leave me alone. But other than that, it was fun to be in a big city. Plus we started seeing the nice neighborhoods like Fells Point and Federal Hill and I fell in love with the quirkiness that the city has to offer.

I guess that lasted for about a year.

Three years after we moved here I have a very different opinion on this place where we live. There's a level of apathy that I can't begin to describe. It starts with the local government and runs through a lot of the citizens. The segregation here is persistent and blind to the atrocities that many of our lower socioeconomic class neighbors are enduring on a daily basis.

In the 3 years that I have been here, I have worked in the public schools, with HIV/AIDS patients, IV drug abusers, and with victims of domestic violence, as well as many other groups of impoverished, uneducated, and marginalized people. Sometimes my friends will ask me if Baltimore is really like The Wire and I always say yes.

But really, it's worse. Trust me.

Bo ssam

My version of Momofuku bo ssam.

Parkway Deli, Silver Spring, MD

I had some amazing matzoh ball soup yesterday from Parkway Deli. We had some other great food there, as well, like blintzes and potato pancakes and corned beef. Oh and a pickle bar. My friend and I were in Jewish girl heaven. But seriously, the matzoh ball soup. Especially if you're like me and have a head cold and just want to lie on the couch all day reading Hunger Games and watching Millionaire Matchmaker.

Tuesdays with Dorie: White Loaf

Tuesdays with Dorie 

Baking with Julia: White Loaf

NYC