christmas dinner

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night! 
                                                          - Clement Moore

Every family that celebrates Christmas has some sort of tradition, I'm sure. In my family, that involves going to the candlelight service at church, followed by a Christmas dinner of oyster stew, then the opening of gifts with a hot mug of cranberry tea in hand. This year was no exception. The only thing that's changed over time is who makes the stew - a job that's fallen to my grandpa, brother and I as my grandma is in a nursing home. 


The recipe, like many of my grandparents', is simple and less a matter of exact measurements than taste. I kind of like that approach to cooking; it allows for variations based on what (and who) is in the kitchen. The only constant is good food on the table and a happy family.

holiday brekkie

“Hallo! Whoop! How are you! Merry Christmas!” 
                                                       - Ebenezer Scrooge 

I woke up this morning at a lovely late hour in the mood for a good breakfast. Then I realised it's Christmas Eve, and I especially wanted something nice. Lucky for me, I had on hand half a loaf of thick-sliced honey wheat bread and just enough bacon to feed my brother and me. French toast and bacon it was!

bon appetit

Finals week has a way of completely disrupting one's normal schedule. Not that my schedule could be called normal in the first place... nevertheless, I'm back after a week of craziness followed by a week of partying - er - recuperating. Until I get everything back in order, here's a taste of what my fabulous foodie friends and I have been up to... 

grated garlic cheese and sauteed chicken...

plus crepes and wine...

and some veggies for good measure...

equals one happy family!

when in ireland - part two

What I say is that, if a fellow really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow. - A. A. Milne

I'd bet that the first two things that pop into most people's minds when they think of Ireland's food is some variation on meat and potatoes. (I know that's what I always thought, but maybe it's just my Irish blood at work...) I had no clue until I actually got to Ireland just how prevalent these staples are. From shepherd's pie to Irish stew, almost every dish focuses on some kind of meat paired with some preparation of potatoes... even fish and chips, if you want a broad take on the idea. 

I'm going to digress for a moment to talk about chips and how to eat them.

soup and salad, virginian tavern style

What is patriotism but the love of the food one ate as a child? - Lin Yutang

please focus on beautiful Mount Vernon, and not my hideous coat...

After writing yesterday about peanut butter and Christmas and childhood, I started thinking about peanut soup.  I can remember very distinctly one lovely December day 15 years ago (almost exactly to the day) spent at George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate, concluding with a candlelit dinner at the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant. On the menu was Virginia peanut & chestnut soup. We ordered some at the recommendation of the waiter (and out of our curiosity - it runs in the family) and instantly fell in love. 

the perfect peanut butter cookie

If you can't control your peanut butter, you can't expect to control your life. - Bill Watterson


Peanut butter is practically the love of my life. It's seriously a magical food: sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy... I've used peanut butter in everything from cookies to soup. An obvious sandwich spread, I love peanut butter paired with jam, Nutella, or bananas (I call that last one a PB² sandwich. Yup, I'm a geek). I stir it into my ramen to add protein and flavour. And I make a killer peanut sauce that's perfect with Vietnamese spring rolls. Then there is, of course, the classic jar-and-spoon approach (talk about a really fast and portable breakfast... I've definitely taken a jar of peanut butter with me to an early class on more than one occasion).  Funny story: my brother and I used to make 'dessert mashed potatoes' by pouring honey over spoonfuls of peanut butter in a bowl. However overly sweet and ridiculous that sounds now, let me tell you... we enjoyed it immensely.

when in ireland - part one

Tea should be taken in solitude.  ~C.S. Lewis


*Resisting the urge to digress about C.S. Lewis...*
The subject at hand: tea and toast.

When travelling, the things I'm the most excited about are almost always food-related. I love checking out local food. There's a lot to be learned from a culture's culinary traits, and I find it incredibly interesting to experience this stuff... not to mention incredibly delicious at times!

good grief

The next to last week before finals - also known as hell week - has at long last come to an end. And all I have to say is...

...and thank God for caffeine.

Hoping to put up a real post in the next day or so!