kittystockings's Profile

Oh come on.
"Sorry folks, here you go..."

I'm not even vegan, but I have an ENTIRE BOOK called The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen that is absolutely STUFFED with pasta dishes that are *GASP!* traditionally vegan. So...yeah. It is not hard to find vegan pasta recipes.

THANK GOD. Not charming in the slightest. The fodder of cutesy foodbloggers and wedding receptions. Not fun in the slightest to dig through my dessert one layer at a time: if I wanted that, I'd eat a parfait - minus the heavy glassware.

LEMON CAKES.

Also this drink lineup is missing hippocras, and "fearsomely strong cider".

Also I should mention: if you ever get a chance to get your hands on a copy of "The Soup Bible", by Debra Mayhew, DO IT because she has some really delicious chilled soups in there (avocado, cucumber walnut, watercress and orange, and many more). That book is AMAAAAZING.

What I don't understand is why people are eating at their desks in the first place?! At the offices I've worked in, there is always a designated room for people to eat in. It prevents messes and gets people up from their butts for a few minutes at least! Eating at the desk just seems sad and strange to me.

I think all jarred "red sauce" is gross, so I don't buy it. The texture (or rather, lack thereof) is off-putting and the flavour is dull - no real tomato taste. Instead I use a can of diced tomatoes (or a diced fresh, very ripe one), add garlic and seasonings, and that's much tastier and pretty much just as fast.

For me the motivational tool to learn was THE POWER OF SHAME: I went to a hot-pot restaurant as a first outing with my Taiwanese in-laws, and the server observed my struggling, nervous, sweaty, clumsy, whitey-white self...and plunked down a fork and spoon as an act of pity. UTTERLY MORTIFIED. Since that day I vowed to be the best chopstick user ever, and now I use them better than my partner (he crosses his!) Seriously, my skills are pro. Here's two tips you might not have heard for those just learning:
- use the slightly-tapered kind, more popular Japanese style than Chinese.
- use wooden ones rather than smooth plastic or metal for better grip.
- use them every day. EVERY DAY. EVERY MEAL! EVERY SNACK! (I'm eating grapes with chopsticks right now)

I must just be lucky with potluck dinners, because we've never, ever specified any rules: we just invite people, and ask them to bring a dish. Everybody knows what a potluck is, it is not a hard or weird concept! To get the ball rolling, we tell people in the invite what we (as hosts) are providing as our "main dish" contribution. We also always do appetizers, wine and dessert (motto: "hosts should provide the mosts!") Then guests bring the rest, and we all share. We've also had great luck doing a "wine and cheese" party in a similar fashion: we provide two bottles of wine, two cheeses, and enough bread to feed an army: then each guest just brings one wine and one cheese. We end up with a HUGE amount of new wines to taste and delicious cheeses. It's so fun and a great twist on potluck that requires no effort!

Some friends recently had us over for dinner right in the middle of a heatwave, and they served the cheese course on a chilled round slab of marble (cheese was directly on the marble itself, not on a plate). It kept the cheese from turning into a puddle while we ate on the deck, I thought it was a great idea!

Well for me, aperitif is most always a wine, so I think the key is to keep the snack very, very simple: roasted seasoned nuts (cashews are always loved), cheeses, olives, marinated items (mushrooms, peppers, or tomatoes), toasts with olive oil for dipping. Nothing too heavy, as the 1st (appetizer) course is yet to come!