It's been such a busy, busy few weeks that I'm starting to feel like I'm falling off the food blogging wagon. My goal has always been to limit the backlog to about one week, but lately it's been more like two weeks. But, such is life with a full-time job that's more like a job and a half, plus a lot has been going on in my personal life lately (good stuff!) that has taken up a lot of my attention, so...what are you gonna do. Here is a list of posts I have in the works, in semi-random order, if just to keep myself and my head organized:
- Paris 66 - Went there this past week for a food bloggers meetup. I had such a fantastic time and it was great to finally match some faces with blogs! (Shout out to those I met and are reading this right now!) And, I already want to go back for some dessert crepes.
- Franktuary - Was there for lunch a week and a half ago, loved it, but might go back before I do a post on it because I'm thinking I'll be going back pretty soon. I had wanted the "Mexico" which they didn't have the day I was there, and I've been craving it since!
- El Paso Mexican Restaurant - Went this past weekend for a quick dinner. Casual, good for the price, blog-mention-worthy.
- Homemade Chocolate Chip Banana Bread - Was a huge hit at work! Making another one this week.
- Andes Creme de Menthe Cookies - Cooling in my kitchen as I type! Om nom nom...
- Tofu with Red Curry Paste, Peas, and Yellow Tomatoes - Delicious homemade meal I had this past week.
- Artisan Pizza Co. - It's a take 'n bake pizza place that I tried for the first time yesterday. Fresh, natural, simple. Tastes like homemade.
- Jeni's Spendid Ice Creams' Bakeshop Macaroons - This one has been in the works for months and I really need to finally just get it done! :)
- Zuppa's Deli, take two - I've been back to Zuppa's since my first blog on it and finally tried something new which I'd like to document in my blog, but just haven't found the time.
Summer is a great time because I am quite a bit less busy at work, which means I have more time to try new things in the kitchen. Some of the grand plans I have in my head right now include:
- Making ice cream, Jeni's style! Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home will be released on June 15, and you betcha I already have it pre-ordered! I'll be curious to see how the recipes and methods might differ from the Food & Wine feature from a couple years back. What I'm looking forward to doing is not so much recreate Jeni's flavors in my own kitchen ('cause I can just go to Whole Foods and get the real thing!), but to use Jeni's methods to create my own flavors of ice cream. I have tried it in the past with taro, purple yam, and fresh bananas with success. This summer, I'd like to try taro and purple yam again, and maybe (if there is time) basil; coconut; and some kind of a chocolate-coconut-curry combo reminiscent of an early Jeni's flavor, Coco Curry Cocoa.
- Making my grandma's signature shrimp balls - the only authentic Chinese dish I know how to make, but hey, it's better than what you get at restaurants. ;) Maybe I can pair them with a lap cheong fried rice that my dad taught me how to make, oh, about a decade ago.
- Making sushi rolls. I haven't made them in two years and would like to get some practice in this summer.
- Trying some of Aarti Sequiera's recipes, finally!
- Continue practicing making waffles with my fancy schmancy George Foreman grill. I've been making them with Stonewall Kitchen's Toasted Coconut Waffle and Pancake Mix and they are so delicious!
Two more things I'll be doing this summer:
- I'm spending a week or so in my hometown Toronto in early June. It will be a busy trip for various reasons, but I recently started a restaurant wish list for Toronto and I hope to hit at least a couple of those places while I'm there. We'll see.
- Pig out in Italy!! Yes, I'm going to Italy this summer! Talk about a foodie heaven. Hope I don't get too spoiled there. ;)
And somehow, I'm going to try and not gain weight this summer. Wish me luck!
