The Mystery:

Last week was a fun one for me. We had a friend come to visit. We saw a Chicago Jazz legend, Van Freeman, play a beautiful rendition of one of my favorite songs: Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered. Though we were threatened with multiple snow storms, we only received light dustings (of which already melted!). I successfully cooked a middle eastern feast for my hungry honey! And I realized that I someone loves me, oh so very much!

Meat Free for the Meat Eater:

There has been a lot of talk lately about Meat on all sides of the spectrum. From the Global Conference on Sustainable Beef to Oprah's 21 day Vegan Challenge, America's interest in meat is probably at an all time high. I had seen on other blogs that people were partaking in Meat Free Weekdays, (be it Monday, Sunday, or any day in between) in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is a great idea, which I stand by 100%. If less meat is being demanded, less meat will have to be transported to market and less meat will have to be farmed. You can see where the greenhouse gases slowly start to diminish. So, I made a note in the back of my mind to give it a try, and unfortunately, it didn't go so well.

A Cook's Poem:

A Cook's Poem:
Does the vino lose its power in the Crockpot overnight?
In a flambé baked Alaska, does the brandy lose its bite?
Does the alcohol all burn off, as the cookbooks say it does?
Or can you eat a plate of coq au vin and get a little buzz?
When you cook with wine or brandy, here's the latest scoop:
There will always be some alcohol remaining in the soup.
Robert L. Wolke

Winter Dinner:

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Is there anything better than a perfectly roasted chicken? When the skin is salty and crisp while the meat inside remains steaming and juicy? I think not, and a craving for a perfectly roasted chicken is exactly what inspired this post. I'm often called upon by family members and close friends to recommend a delicious idea for a party, a dinner, a pot-luck, etc. You name it, I've helped plan it! I would like to think it's because I know amazing recipes off the top of my head, but in all honesty, I think it's mostly because I know a good recipe when I see it.

Lovely Kitchens: Shelves

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Photo via A Place to Dwell
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I love organization. I go through kicks of needing everything perfectly organized, some might call it slightly OCD but I like to think of it as more along the lines of extreme efficiency. All of the kitchens in the above photos have some form of open shelving which I LOVE. I would die, literally die if I had any of these setups, from cubby holes to industrial kitchen shelves. I love the idea of open front storage, it not only gives you an excuse to stock up on matching storage containers, but also a reason to be super organized. I feel sorry for my fiance from time to time, he couldn't care less if the tea gets put back into the same place from which it came, but he still tries to keep things organized to maintain my sanity. Though, I feel that if I ever tried to incorporate any of these shelves into our future kitchen, he would be less than thrilled at the idea of constant organization!