Food...all kinds

I bet you could guess that I like food, bit then again maybe you couldn't. Well I do, ever since I was able to be out on my own I have this liking of all different kinds of food, mainly baking but i do enjoy discovering new foods.

The further I trace my roots back, the more I discover that my Ancestors came from France. They came from the Champagne region and also what the French call, la campagne ( countryside) of Brittany. How ironic I know but that's not what I'm talking about, I really enjoy French cuisine. There is something about their food that is addictive and delectable. I love bread and the French are all about bread and wine it seems, but they have so many different types of bread and usually it's fresh from the boulangerie (bakery) there are baguette, croissants and this really hard and round type I can't remember at this time.

Usually you can get all kinds of baked goods at a boulangerie from pâtisserie (pastries) such as my favorite, tarts. Sad thing is I can't find anything that would remotely resemble a bakery around where I live, there are a few but none of them make fresh bread. They mostly do cakes, cookies and some will even do tartlets which are smaller versions of a tart meant for one person. I like Strawberry, and fruit tartlets, those are really good.

I like baking more than cooking. Some would ask "isn't it one in the same?" My answer would be it's the same mess wise and production wise, but in the end baking to me envolves a lot more attention to detail. It's fun to try a new recipe and try to see how it comes out, and most of you know, as well as my mom, 99% of the time it doesn't come out like the picture. Baking is an adventure as much as cooking is and I'm always trying to "up the anty" by finding new things to cook and bake.

When I was growing up my mom didn't experiment much in the kitchen, probably due to some a-holes taste buds and I'm not talking about yet current Hubby. Although he is rather set in his ways, mom grew mire as a cook with him then she ever had. Her speciality is crockpot candy, sweet and salty all in one...oh how addictive they can be! I was having a conversation with my friend quagmire one night, just talking about cooking, and food. We both love to cook it and he loves to eat it! The thing is, I have not tried or ate sOme of the things he has. Quagmire has eatin all kinds of shell fish, like oysters, mussls, clams, and crab. All I've had is shrimp, lobster tail, and oyster stew (although I think I called it horsey stew, and naturally like any kid, I ate it with catsup). My family was never a big seafood conoiseour, we grew up on grits, mashed potatoes, a steak on the grill, porkchops, and collard greens. Sometimes I swear I can still smell my Nanny cooking them, man how those things stunk up the house...I NEVER ate them, probably because they smelled bad.

Italian food is another favorite of mine, oh, how I love pasta! Although I'm beginning to think that meat in the pasta sauce maybe a Southern, or an American invention. I made pasta ( which I keep forgetting I'm NOT supposed to have/ eat a lot of) the other night, it was...ok although fire roasted tomato sauc with Cabernet Sauvignon is NOT a good combo with meat, I think it's because Cabernet Sauvignon is a red wine, and it goes better with fish. I stay far away from fish, memories of catfish from the pond when I was little, although seeing a whole fried shrimp has not turned me off shrimp. That was a Greek experience...ordered fried shrimp for lunch at this place in Greece, and we got grief shrimp all right, eyes, attenna, everything!

Now, I can't make any Italian dessert, I can however eat some terramisu. Which is the classic italian desert of lady fingers soaked in expresso, with a vanilla custard and coco power lightly sprinkled. I'm having thst in just a few days, I can not wait!

Until next time, this is my end tonight! Happy?