Cooking Simplified

I wish I had thought to take a picture of dinner last night. I made a Chicken Provencal and the chicken with the fresh parsley and kalamata olives on top looked lovely. (If I may say so myself.) Not that I can take full credit. My sister got me a new cookbook for Christmas. This cook book is a slam dunk. It is from the editor's of Cook's Illustrated and is called The Best 30-Minute Recipe. Not only do the recipes generally stick to the 30-minute rule (and sometimes, *gasp,* less), but there are also hints like, while the broth boils chop the onion and garlic. After working all day I love a recipe that tells me when to do the different tasks. Also, it has tips on the best way to bread pork chops and shred chicken and pan sear shrimp...I feel like I'm learning as I use this which makes it even more delightful.

I started thinking that it felt like I was cooking a lot of new recipes this year from this cookbook, so I decided to sit down and actually jot down what I have tried so far. This is every recipe I have made from this cookbook so far (1 month) and they have all been delicious:

• Carrot Ginger Soup
• Tortilla Soup
• Chicken Provencal
• Pozole
• Spicy Thai Basil Stir Fry
• Pan Roasted Chicken Breast with Potatoes (20 minutes! Shocker!)
• Chipotle Lime Glazed Shrimp
• Parsley Lemon Butter Shrimp
• Curried Chicken Salad

Just thought I would brag a bit, give kudos to my sis and spread the word about this wonderful cookbook. Do you have a favorite cookbook that consistently performs well? If you buy this, let me know how you like it or your favorite dishes. Plus that way I will know not to give it to you as a gift....

Internal Switch

Last week in Toronto, I bundled up and went for nice long walks in the snow. After a full day trapped in meetings, it felt great to wander the metropolis, to window shop and to listen to the crunch of snow and ice underfoot. While in Toronto I heard myself refer to the weather as "brisk, but totally walk-able." The temperature at the time was single digits Fahrenheit.

Now, I'm happily back in Austin and my internal switch is once again set to Texas. I just stepped outside to go grab the mail and thought it was very chilly and did I really want to leave the house..The temperature? It's a solid 51 degrees. Nearly 40 degrees warmer, yet it *feels* colder to my walk-ability checker.

Sure, in Toronto I didn't step foot outside without properly bundling and here I am a bit more lax with scarf and gloves. However, I feel the bigger difference is in my switch setting. In Toronto I am set to "Chicago" which activates my "stronger than thou silly weather" impulse. I see the bright side of 8 degrees. Immediately upon my return to the Southland, my switch switches back to Texas...Home in Texas I expect to feel warm sunshine and am annoyed with crisper temps. Can I trick my brain into still expecting Toronto cold and feeling "warm" at 40's and 50's? What other switches are unknowingly tripping up my ability to fully enjoy my moment wherever that moment finds me?

Drinking in Toronto

I have not had a single Molson on either of my trips to Toronto. Some might say I am falling behind on the Canadian experience. I beg to differ. I'm officially here for work, but wanted to check in on some of the more important finds of this trip -- namely a few local brews.

For added flavor, here is a small anecdote for how my trip started... I had a quick layover in Houston International and upon touching down in Toronto I realized I had left my outer Gortex shell in the Houston Terminal. That first night I layered long sleeves, cardigan and fleece and headed out to meet some friends for a drink and dinner. That night was well below zero on both the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales. The kind of cold where breathing makes you cough and speech gets slightly slurred from numb lips and face. (I swear the slurring was the cold...) I found my friends at a pub, Hemingways, seated next to heat lamps. I defrosted as I sipped my first beer of the trip a Mills St. Original Organic. Very smooth German Pilsner. Yum.

Thankfully, my pitiful coatless state inspired a taxi to dinner. I got another recommendation for a local beer; this time the winner was Sleemans Honey Brown. This lager is described as having "clover honey notes," I just know it was deliciosa! Sleemans is actually brewed in a small town outside of Toronto called Guelph, but that still counts as "local" to me.

Tomorrow night we are having our office party at the Steam Whistle Brewery, so I may have another addition to Drinking in Toronto. On my last trip here, I discovered one more local - the blonde by Amersterdam Brewing. There are plenty of brews out there that I am not crazy about, but so far all the Canadian beer has been excellent.

For the worry prone: Never fear, the coat was 15 years old and though I am still hopeful that it will turn up and make its way back to me...I definitely got my money's worth out! Also, my boss has leant me one of her extra down coats and I am far warmer in her loaner, than my wayward Goretex. It all works out.