Tag: hazelnut

3 February

Just when I had come to terms with the fact that I was not getting a callback, there it came!  A call from an unknown number in LA mid-wine tasting.  On a side note, I would like to give kudos to the Tasting Room in Sandy Springs for hosting one of the best and most informative wine tastings I’ve ever attended.  Back to the phone call.  Not having yet realized the importance of the mysterious number in my call log, I thoughtlessly  dialed voice mail while perusing the isles of the wine shop next door with my girl friends.  Stop.  Drop.  Squeal!  They called and are wondering if I’m still interested!  Duh, of course I am.  Roll camera!

 

It all started with leftover nuts.  Hazelnuts, to be exact.  I have quite an assortment of nuts lingering in my pantry from Christmas just begging to live up to their full potential.  Who am I to deny a lonely hazelnut their proper fate?  And so I thought, hazelnuts and…..orange….and….fish!  Yes it sounds like a bizarre combination, but upon my required due diligence I found that many a chef has gone there before.  And so I had my main course, orange scented hazelnut encrusted halibut or err…salmon.  With sides still TBD, I kept thinking until I came up with a more complimentary rendition on a braised fennel I learned in a cooking class in Italy and, last but not least, the curious potato risotto from this month’s Bon Appétit

 
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26 January

So there’s a lot of devastation in this world and not just the current tragedy in Haiti; it’s all around us and we don’t always think we can do anything to help.  That’s like saying your vote doesn’t count.  You realize that, right?  Everybody counts.  Everybody counts and we all have unique gifts and talents we can offer despite our financial situation or busy schedule.  Let me tell you a little story about Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody:

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure Somebody would do it.  Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.  Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job.  Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.  In the end, Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

 

Inspired by a book I’m currently reading, I decided to stop blaming Everybody and take action.  I gathered some friends at work, we spent Sunday baking, and voila we had a bake sale.  Our co-workers came in to some delicious treats, we raised money to send to Haiti, and I’m pretty sure we enjoyed our time in the kitchen. 

 
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