A Few of My Favorite Things...

What better way to say, "I went to Michigan." than with a three-foot square emblem of sugar, flour, pride, and nostalgia... This groom's cake gave my friend Brian the competitive edge (sorry Debbie) at his wedding last month. The event was the end of an era, as I kept describing it to my friends... the day we saw Brian delightedly depart his post as singleton, and also what felt like a historic reunion for many of our school friends. At any rate, I was debating whether or not to post about this flagrant pre-wedding throw-down, when I got an email today endorsing Brian's new blog, and had to create an occasion to further it to you fine followers. If you like pippalehar you'll LOVE michigandering... Brian takes some mean photographs, has an acid political tongue, is a rabid Michigan aficionado (the whole state not just the university), and likes long walks on the beach. If this sounds like your bag, check him out! (By the way, Brian, you're slightly off the mark on the quote... it's "He writes well. Too bad about Detroit though!"). This, and other witty zingers at Pappas Life in the Mitten State.

Posted by plehar at 04:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The idea of trying to make my own veggie burgers came to me one night a few weeks ago at a restaurant as I considered ordering one from their menu. My fears were realized when a flat, generic, Boca-style patty was placed in front of me. Why is it that restaurants seem to flock to this cookie-cutter bean burger to satisfy their vegetarian clientele? I actually happen to love vegetarian food, but only if it's a bit more innovative than a pile of lettuce! Indian and Mediterranean cuisines do a good job with this. But I wondered... what is the real challenge behind the home-made veggie burger? Why do restaurants all resort to the template? Shouldn't these be pretty easy to make? So I collected my favorite veggies: leeks, Brussels sprouts, onions, garlic, parsley, and broccoli and pureed them in the Cuisinart with eggs and bread crumbs. The first dish, veggie burgers (er, on toast) turned out a little, well, soupy, and Jason tactfully declared them the perfect meal: soup AND sandwich, but I wasn't satisfied. Next time, need a vegetable that will hold the structure of the burger better, like potato or parsnip or chickpea. So I took the remaining "mulch" and used it for appetizers on the weekend - wrapping it up in crescent roll pastry and baking. This was much more successful. Overall, an interesting experiment, but I am starting to empathize with the American diner here.

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Picture of a gorgeous, calm, and very happy bride, as she recited her vows over and over again before the ceremony. We then went through the words to Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee which we were supposed to sing at the front of the church as part of the ceremony. I confess, I resorted to the bride's handy trick of singing "wat-er-mel-on, wat-er-mel-on" for probably about 90% of the lyrics anyway... but let's face it, no one was looking at me. And you can see why.

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We went all the way to Kansas City, and all we got were these burnt ends. Well, not quite. We actually went to Kansas for my friend Brian's wedding, and to visit a former co-worker, Aimee, and family at their gorgeous newly renovated home. The Kansas City barbecue was a bonus and the feast certain gave us the energy to make us through an exhausting night of dancing, although I guiltily couldn't say I noticed a huge difference between the taste of this and what you get at Blue Ribbon Barbecue out East. Even so, that's still a compliment, and I have to give Jack Stack credit where credit is due - that's good barbecue.

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