musings of a melancholic

i just want all you dear souls to know that i am just uregling over, fuzzling, buzzling over with inspiration to...

duh

write.

How did this happen, I ask myself.

And then, as usual - I look to the masters to help me find my words.

“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen."

John Steinbeck

things are a brewin.

my pretty little pets.

Congratulations, lady gomes. I couldn't be more inspired and proud.

"Then your soul, cared for in courage, will be so solid, so weathered and mysterious, that divinity will emanate from your very being. You will have the spiritual radiance of the holy fool who has dared to live as it presents itself and to unfold personality with its heavy yet creative dose of imperfection." Thomas Moore

"This is the goal of the soul path - to feel existence; not to overcome life's struggles and anxieties, but to know life first hand - to exist fully in context." Thomas Moore

These ladies inspire me.

celebrate good times. come on.

after almost a week of thinking of this divine soup I read about on finny's blog (that biatch is funny), I decided (gulp) to attempt this feat of cookery.

know (i must always include this caveat to those snobbery cookerys who think - oh look, a blog about cooking, and then cringe at my virginal attempts at deliciousness) that i am a very silly girl about cooking. me and silly do not typically get along, so usually i just avoid the scaries lurking in the kitchen. i don't do it...and until recently, have never wanted to.

so since tricker troner got off work late yesterday and couldn't perform his daily chores (sheesh) and i jumped at the opportunity to try out this delicious new cream (or not) of artichoke soup.

off i went to the store and couldn't locate half of the things - despite the soup's claim to fame being "what you have in your pantry."

i began to question the normalcy of having canned artichokes just hanging out in your pantry and thanked cooking for making me feel badly about my skinny ass pantry.

so here begins my shameless photo blog. you might want a cocktail. it's long.

tricker troner made me a cookin' cocktail.

sauteeing a rather obscene amount of onions

garlic to go into the onions

the main event while the onions/garlic get soft

pretending to ignore my martini

hmmmm

i am unable

enjoying unabashedly

just trying to remember what i am doing again

the cooking ware

some artichokes (hearts - though not specifed in recipie, i might add!!! this kind of unspecificity throws me way the freak off. if you mean a can of artichoke hearts, freaking SAY HEARTS...not just a can of artichokes. it's annoying and just inconsiderate, man.)

and garbanzo beans. drained and awaiting some serious garlic. they are keeping my martini company.

pouring in the free range, organic chicken stock (someone tell me, what is the difference b/w chicken stock and chicken broth? or is this yet another conspiriacy by snobbery cooks to confuse the hell out of the underdog? )

before the grand boil

wait..more booze.

30 min to boil?crap. didn't read that before hand. best drink to curb the starvation.

surprises arrive while i wait for the boil!!!!

yay for my new earrings from etsy!!!

more diversions while waiting for the dang soup

guess he liked the new earrings

i would call that a healthy boil

boat motoring!!!

i will put this on my cook book cover.

i will title it, "why cook? let's drink!"'

the finished product.

garnished with parm, heavy cream (just on top, hello thighs!!)

croutons, and parsley

tt is happy to finally be eating

the meal

that face MIGHT convey that he was done with me snapping pics, i guess. (i hope to improve my picture taking ability so there are fewer ones next time...)

well there you have it. my road towards becoming more domestic.

god help us, every one.

what do the following have in common:

jules maes pub in georgetown
once
2am obsession with finishing lipstick jungle (don't bother, but hey! i get invested!)
new additions to my family and soul - yay for new plants
potting soil hands
hot rollers
4 bottles of wine
glass etching*
striped socks
naked vulnerablity and soul-gripping laughter
gyros
an hour massage my my momma in law
ratatouille