Today is hubby-Eric's birthday. I wanted to do something really special for him today, and I got a brilliant idea after the party on Sunday night. See, Eric really likes carbonara (a pasta dish with bacon), but we didn't have it on Sunday night. So I decided I would make it for him on his birthday. Keep in mind that I'm not much of a cook. In fact, I'm a frightened, lousy cook. It doesn't help that all the simple recipes seem to involve chicken, which I don't like. But I digress.
I went to Google last night and looked up "carbonara" and had quite a bit of luck. A bit too much luck, truth to tell. After reading a number of recipes, I panicked and called Eric's mom, crying about the tons of different ways this dish can be made. She calmed me down, and invited me over after work to go over a recipe. She said she'd walk me through it so I wouldn't be so scared to make it. Whew!
True to her word, she found a good, simple recipe for me which she handed to me as I came in. She also found all the ingredients so I wouldn't have to go to the store and figure out what I needed. And she loaned me a pasta pot that would cook enough spaghetti for the recipe. She gave me advice on the timing of the dish, and how to cook the bacon properly for the dish. Then she sent me on my way.
So, while I write this, I've started the dish and things are going smoothly. Eric's mom is correct when she says that this is one of those really simple dishes that anyone could make, but I'm still glad she talked me through it. I feel like an Iron Chef without the knowledge and years of experience, though.
On a much more somber note...
Al Hirschfeld died on the 19th. He was, in his own unique way, a man capable of capturing the soul of a person on paper. His works live on as a testament to his skills and influence. I think my favorite moment of Fantasia 2000 was when I realized that one of my favorite songs, "Rhapsody in Blue" (today's song of the day) was going to be combined with artwork inspired by Al Hirschfeld. While his age should make his death less unexpected, Hirschfeld was one of those people that you just took for granted. There would always be Al. And now there is not. Kind of shakes up your world.
0 comments:
Post a Comment