One Election Please, and Hold the Chef

There is no doubt that our voting system is outdated and severely flawed. For instance, I went to vote at 6:30 this morning in the lobby of the building next door. The line was about 50 people long, so I decided to vote after work (half day) and I waited about 25 minutes then. I did warn Erik that he'd have to get up early to vote...but by the time he got there the wait was over 3 hours. Of course he couldn't wait and he just went to work. And being a chef he won't be done with work until after midnight. Missed opportunity. Too bad for him, because we voted for different candidates and got my vote in.


DCW_NYC
-Hilary-

Picky Picky

I am more than grateful that my husband is a chef. I love when he treats me to dinner at a new restaurant doing outrageous things with food. I've been exposed to some of the world's best restaurants; I've tried everything from fois gras to lamb's testicles (well, actually I only ate one testicle, but still). And my rule of thumb when dining out, is that I'll try anything- once.

BUT, there are several things I do NOT like to eat. I've tried them all, most more than once but there is just something about them I don't like. My mother always said, "Life is about choices, and I choose not to."

I now present you with the list of foods/food types I do not enjoy eating.

1. anything that has been bruleed.

2. chunky mushrooms

3. ginger...unless in cookie form

4. fatty meats. SICK. I can't stand that floppy chunk of clear goo on a nice piece of beef.

5. fermented black beans

6. anything that has been turned into a gelee. I'll eat it, but after a while that texture-less glob sort of makes me gag

7. foams. They look like spit.

8. Unfried spring roll wrappers

9. hot mustard. I'm a French's yellow mustard gal

10. wasabi, I like spicy, but not that kind of spicy.

** This one is the one I hate the most!
11. cooked fruit chunks! Because of this phobia I don't even like apple pie. There is something about cooked fruits that makes me say "pass".

I'm sure most foodies would be surprised to know this list was written by a chef's wife. But oh, well. Notice, lamb's testicles didn't make the list. They aren't that bad after all.

DCW_NYC
-Hilary-

Head Toward the Light (of bacon)

You know, the bacon alarm clock really had me excited, but now I'm plotzing. A bacon lamp might be the best invention ever. Thank you Serious Eats for brining this to my attention.

So in my dream world, I'm waking up to the fresh smell of bacon, rolling over and popping a piece into my mouth as I hit the alarm and turn on my bacon lamp. Ah, heaven...

I wonder if the lightbulb works like an easy-bake oven and cooks the bacon. Now THAT would be amazing.

DCW_NYC

-Hilary-

Trick or Treat!

I dressed up for my students today and they seemed to enjoy. Although, they did call me Ratatouille, which is a food so I think we need to work on comprehension next week.

And you know, I like wearing this coat...I feel sort of superior and prestigious. No wonder the chefs act the way they do, it's all in the whites. What are your plans tonight? I'll be passing out candy in full costume. It's been a long week and as nice as it is outside, I'm happy to be dishing out the good to the little ones.

Happy Halloween!

DCW_NYC

-Hilary-

Chef and Wife

I loved my dress. I hate my bangs! I loved my old blunt bangs, but my hairdresser/friend said they made me look like a kid so she swept them over and now I kind of hate it. I look like a nerd-girl.
DCW_NYC
-Hilary-

PS. My computer is fixed!!

Sure, I'll Eat Anything!

Erik and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary this past weekend. We drove upstate to Tarrytown to eat at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. It was fantastic! They brought us some of the produce, still dirty from being pulled right out of the Earth, to show us the before and after. The presentation was fun and interactive, too. The food came out on large flat stones, the same kind that the barns are built of. Also, there were wood blocks with nails sticking out that held the freshly seasons vegetables. And the craziest part was when the server brought us a small plate with an egg over something unidentifiable. He hinted that we should eat before he told us what is was. Keep in mind that Blue Hill has no menu, they serve what they serve. Well, I looked at this kid and with an air of coolness I leaned back and said, "I've eaten pretty much everything there is to eat. Come on, what is it?"

Lamb's testicles. 

My jaw dropped, but I ate it and it tasted like sweetbreads. Not great, but I'm so proud of myself for even trying it. 

So the big question is, would you eat lamb's testicles??

DCW_NYC

-Hilary-

Hydroponics: Lettuce Update

How fast did this lettuce grow? I cannot believe it! And this picture was taken today after I picked a bowlful for my salad. I highly recommend growing lettuce if you've got a hydroponic set up because it's much easier than any other plant and it grows so fast. 

DCW_NYC

-Hilary-

ChefMumbles: Spanish Edition

Dios Mio! Mi esposo molestame en la noche. 

The other morning I was creeping by Erik to day good-bye when he mumbled:

"Tiempo! I need the timer. Tiempo!"

I know most of you enjoy reading this segment of the blog, however I'm taking this personally now. I mean why can't he just turn on at least 5% of his [English speaking] brain to mumble the words I want to hear? ....I love you...good-bye...have a good day....you look so sophisticated in that sweater....something!

After all, I get up during my sleeping time to: fix a late night meal, watch tv, chat, clean up the late night meal, and even talk in bed. But on the other hand, I suppose he can't control his midnight mumbles. Unless he worked less than 72 hundred hours a week. 

DCW_NYC

-Hilary-

Healthlife Part 2

I just got back from the doctor and the news I heard wasn't something I wanted to hear. The good news comes in two parts. First, I don't have to wear the heart monitor anymore. Second, my blood work came back excellent. The thyroid is good, cholesterol is good, the liver is good...good, good, good. BUT, I have to wait another week to get the results of the EKG. And there is a chance it could be an arrhythmia. I didn't like the way my doctor said that was a "problem" either. So, until then, I'll just keep talking about this because that will help me to relax. 

DCW_NYC

-Hilary-

Computer Nightmare

Since I have the rights to www.desperatechefswives.com it's my responsibility to keep the website going. Well, let me tell you about my Sunday evening nightmare. I've been getting email reminders that I need to renew my domain registration. BUT I DID! And I have the receipt for it too. So I thought nothing of it until my website was shut down and it was taken over by some scamming search engine with my blog name! I was fuming! So I tried about a million ways to get the website back and nothing was working. I was in such a rage that I threw my laptop on the floor (trying to prove I was mad, not trying to actually do any damage) and now it won't turn on!! I am freaking out! Meanwhile, the website is back on, I guess google finally got it together. I am so grateful that Erik bought the Mac I'm typing on now. I'm bringing my laptop to the school's IT guy tomorrow and hopefully it will be ready by the weekend. If I had no computer...I'd probably suffer miserably. Luckily, I've got my iPhone, just in case. 

DCW_NYC

-Hilary-