Sweet Vidalia

I do love Vidalia onions, and have to snap them up whenever I see them at the grocery store, which I did on Saturday. Trying to figure out a way to work in as many fresh spring veggies as possible with very little fresh meat on hand, here's what I made for dinner on Saturday night. It's kind of a hybrid of a couple of different recipes that I found in Cooking Light and online from Food & Wine. This was a big hit with the husband, it worked in a couple different veggies (even more since I served it with a small salad) and since I cooked it for just the two of us, it made lots of leftovers as well. You could also add zucchini or red peppers if you wanted more roasted veggies. I recommend serving with a salad, some good bread, and a nice glass of Savignon Blanc.

2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. asparagus
1 Vidalia onion
1-2 tbsp. fresh thyme
Salt & fresh ground pepper
1- 2 tbsp. olive oil (with additional for drizzling)
1 lb. penne pasta
~2 oz. crumbled goat cheese or feta

Preheat onion to 400 degrees. Cut asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces on the diagonal and slice onion. Spread garlic on the bottom of a rectangular baking pan / sheet coated with cooking spray. Follow with cut asparagus, sliced onion, and thyme. Sprinkle salt & pepper on top to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and combine with tongs or hands. Roast uncovered for 20 minutes or until onion is soft.

Cook penne according to package directions and drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking water. Return pasta to cooking pot, and toss with roasted asparagus / onion mixture (being sure to include the yummy roasting liquid from the bottom of the pan). Add cheese and combine. Add reserved water, one 1/4 cup at a time, to taste. Add salt & pepper to taste. If desired, drizzle additional olive oil onto pasta to taste. Serve immediately.

Stealing Buddha's Dinner

I just finished the book Stealing Buddha's Dinner by Bich Minh Nguyen. It is a memoir about her childhood as a Vietnamese immigrant growing up in the 80's in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was a very quick read, but I enjoyed it for the most part. It was fun to lose myself in Nguyen's nostalgic homages to "all-American" foods like Hostess Cupcakes, Wonder Bread, Pringles, and Superman ice cream. It turned my stomach a little to think about the processed glory of all the foods of her (and my!) childhood. Even more appealing to me were the descriptions of the traditional Vietnamese food that Nguyen's grandmother made for the family throughout her childhood. Cha Gio dumplings, shrimp cakes, spring rolls, and beef satay. Her descriptions made my mouth water for rice noodles and such way beyond any description of Twinkies inspriring cravings for plasticky white cream filling.

Food punctuates Nguyen's memories first and foremost (maybe even a little much at times), but a close second in her memory are some familiar friends from my own youth. Like me, she was a bookworm as a child, and she goes into detail on her memories of Harriet the Spy, Laura Ingalls, and Ramona Quimby. She also spend a good amount of time remembering beloved 80's music. Throughout the book, it is clear that she is searching for her own identity through American consumerism more than in her Vietnamese heritage or the simple serenity of her grandma's Buddhism. It was an excellent memoir and a revealing glimpse to me of what it must feel like to be so thoroughly "other" in a culture that was embracing the extremes of both diversity and homogeneity at the same time.

Mmmmmm.... frosting....

So this is my first post and tentative toe in the water in the great ocean of blogging. Or something like that. I just finished part of a very delicious carrot cake cupcake from the Alliance Bakery on Division Street. They have excellent cupcakes and also very tasty ham and cheddar croissants. But I digress. My point is that the fact that I just ate a cupcake is a perfect beginning to my first post.

I'm actually not so much of a baker, although I have been known to make the occasional cupcake or cookie. But I do appreciate a good cupcake. Mainly I used that particular food item in the title of my blog because, let's face it, the word "cupcake" is a fun, accessible word. Definitely better than "leek" or "flank steak". People see the word, "cupcake" and they think, "yeah, I can handle that!" It's small, it's sweet, it has frosting. What more could you want?

So, this being my first post and all, I thought I should make it clear what this blog is going to be all about. And the cupcake says it all. Sweet little bites (or would that be bytes) from my life, on what I'm cooking, what I'm reading. And slathered on top of it all, the randomness of my 30-something, urban-life-loving, overworked, tired, and ever-so-slightly insane thoughts.

So welcome to my blog! I hope it proves to be a sweet break for you as well as for me.