Time to catch up...

Potato and Leek Soup with Creme Fraiche... Yum!

It's been so long - where to even start? Well, the potato soup turned out great - we loved it, definitely will be making in again! Since then I've gone to the Farmer's Market a couple times. Got some amazing Swiss Chard for $1 a bunch... they were so beautiful and inspiring! At the other Market I found some fresh bread, Liverwurst & Quark. I used to have Liverwurst sandwiches made on white bread with lots of yellow mustard and sliced onions all the time when I was little and thought I'd be reminiscent and try it again.... Let's just say that some things taste better when you're 8 years old apparently! Sadly, I think the rest of it will not be enjoyed - at least not by me. Maybe some animal at the All-You-Can-Eat-Dump?

 Anyways, on to the Quark.... Very odd - It's basically German cream cheese. I got the Vanilla bean flavor. If you've ever had it and have a recipe, I'd love to know it because it does not taste good on toast - homemade jelly doesn't even salvage it. The bitterness reigns. And I say 'Down with the bitter! All hail sweet!'

I also hit up Trader Joe's and found some Parmigiano Reggiano as well as Gruyere cheeses. The later became homemade Mac 'n Cheese along with some cheddar and lots of milk and penne pasta. That dinner was an adventure! It began so smoothly... Boiled the pasta, started on the sauce, kept it nice and creamy, melted the cheeses in, added the pasta... All while boiling and then simmering the syrup for my Lemongrass Lemonade. That's where the smooth became bumpy. Not nearly enough pasta for all that sauce - What could I have done wrong? It said 1/2 lb of pasta... surely I didn't eyeball 1/2 a bag that badly! Milk... 2 cups?Oops.... I put in 4. There were 4 Tbsp of butter after all... How to solve this one!!?? If I make more butter and flour roux then I have to add more milk, and 2 more cups of milk will defeat the purpose! So, I boiled the rest of the pasta and made more roux and only added 1 cup of milk and whisked like a crazy woman, cooked it a bit and poured in the previous sauce and pasta and stirred and hoped for the best! Topped with breadcrumbs and baked it came out quite tasty! I sautéed the Chard with bacon, garlic and lemon and served that with it alongside a nice refreshing glass of Sparkling Lemongrass Lemonade. Another fun adventure has been non-food related... With a phone call to my do-it-yourself audio friend and my own personal speaker installer (aka my electronic-savvy roommate), I picked out, purchased and helped install new speakers in my car! They sound amazing now - now more crackling, buzzing and vibrating while listening to horrible bass at even a very low level! Yay! Even managed to replace a burnt out brake light bulb in the process. Now, to get those back seats hooked back in place.... Have to get some assistance for that one!