Wednesday, October 13, 2010

I may be picky but I know what I like!

So for dinner the other night I made mac and cheese to go with meatloaf. Actually, it was ziti and cheese, but you get the idea. After I was finished the kitchen had that,
"Logo's been cooking again" sort of look about it. Mr. Logo does adore it so.

The answer to the obvious question there (obvious to SOME people anyway) is, "No, I don't neeeeed all the cupboards open. That is just a bonus!"
Anyway,
I started with a roux, and used about a pound of sharp cheddar cheese. However, I swear it wasn't as unhealthy as it could have been (the roux used more olive oil than butter for example), and at least it wasn't fake food.
Some things should NEVER be in a powdered form, and cheese is on that list.
As are toys for children (those are NOT monkeys, and that ain't the sea)
and tea (Get thee behind me, Lipton).

So this was the stage where I couldn't keep Thing Two out of the pot,
and here is what it looked like afterward.
I had to eat fast because my pal and I had big plans.
The guy who wrote Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet did a stop over not tooo far from where I live and since we both love this book, it seemed the perfect way to pass an evening.
Jamie Ford was articulate, funny, smart, and all the things you hope for in an author making an appearance. I totally have a crush now.
He met his wife at a library and proposed in a bookstore. Now, THAT is a relationship with an excellent start.
Single worst moment of the evening though? When the old, and apparently backward, woman in the row directly behind me asked the half-chinese author of the book how you can tell Chinese people from Japanese people when you are looking at them. I KNOW my face registered horror and disbelief in the split second before I realized people looking at her from the front half of the room could totally see my face so then I attempted to slap on a nonchalant and neutral expression.
I probably managed to appear startled and addled, but it was the best I could do at short notice.
I mean, really???
Jamie Ford was very kind and diplomatic in answering the question, far more so than I would have been. That might have gone more like this,
"How do you tell a Swede from a German? What differentiates the apppearance of a Scot from the Welsh? How do you distinguish a Russian woman from a French woman? Oh, you can't always tell? I wonder what you might extrapolate from that?!"
Grrrrrrrr...


4 comments:

quilly said...

How do you tell an intelligent woman from an idiot? Wait until she opens her mouth and see what comes out!

You know, all of those people in front of you who could see your face actually turned around to stare at that old lady in shock and disbelief themselves.

AND, I made mac and cheese the other night. Into it I also put, sirimi, roasted red peppers, and a hint of sauted garlic (it was pressed into the butter & oil oil). Charley dang near ate the casserole dish, too, so I surmise he liked it.

Anonymous said...

i lurve mac & cheese....try a splash of worchestire sauce in the roux..i know i know...sounds funky..but it's good.

urs looks awesome

Logophile said...

Quilly~ I was just appalled. Yikes. Mmmm, the sauted garlic is an important part of my recipe too. Delish

Coop~ I actually do a splash of balsamic vinegar, similar effect but with an Italian flavor. Worcestershire sauce would be fav too, yum.

Logophile said...

Actonbell~ Mmmmm, mac and cheese, never a bad choice in terms of taste and enjoyment. It's a perfect fall dish. I think you would really enjoy Hotel.

Lime~ Good for you! I am a big supporter of injecting a little reality check into the world of people who don't appear to have a clue.