tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-560164266636041502012-01-23T04:18:06.648-08:00Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.comBlogger891100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-67406912764855619402011-05-30T14:49:00.000-07:002011-05-30T16:37:17.531-07:00

Gasp. Yes, the blog is still breathing. Barely. I’m sure you thought for the past year, it was coughing and wheezing to its slow death (at the rate I was posting…), but alas, I’ve decided to bring it back for another go round. Since my last post from almost exactly half a year ago, I’ve returned to Austin (again), but I promise I have no plans to wait another six months and move back to

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-84293470413377519682010-11-28T11:25:00.000-08:002010-11-28T15:33:17.042-08:00

In an effort to recreate San Sebastián while not physically there, I compiled in my head a list of some of the most traditional and some of my favorite pintxos that can be found there. I think it’s important to take advantage of living in Spain while I can; because I see ham legs, hoof and all, everyday when I leave the house, I become a bit jaded when it comes to jamón ibérico. It is highly

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-28186453066995149702010-11-11T03:31:00.000-08:002010-11-28T15:24:46.597-08:00

Good things. Simple as that.chocolate con churros in San Sebastianbuñuelos during Lent and homemade hot chocolate with a touch of Frangelicobirthday chocolates sent all the way from Austinbirthday deliciousness from Bubo in Barcelona...with a touch of Pedro Ximenez

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-42589314023380641612010-09-28T14:25:00.000-07:002010-09-28T14:51:00.357-07:00

This recipe is a piece of panna cotta. Super easy, very delicious, and leads to many serving possibilities. I’ve only shown the simplest photos, with a few blackberries thrown on top, but this humble lavender panna cotta was also turned into a multi-component dessert. This started off with a bottom layer of berries that the panna cotta was poured over, then topped with white peaches, white

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-50690297170520878442010-09-27T14:38:00.001-07:002010-10-27T10:36:23.621-07:00

Looking at this blog (and now restaurant) is what has whipped me back into posting. Whodda thunkit? Pictures of British cuisine inspiring me on the food front? But they are beautiful, mouth-watering photos. I am a bit surprised, because true or not, the English are not known for their brilliant, delectable food (case in point: jellied eels). Or at least they haven't been in the past. Although I

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-76495581791172587812010-06-14T07:50:00.000-07:002010-11-28T15:37:05.252-08:00

This is going to be more picture based and less wordy. But I went back to Sevilla in April and actually remembered to take pictures of the food. So here it is. And let me say, compared to Barcelona, it's like going from New York City prices to middle of Mexico prices. Amazing. Oh and my memory's a little fuzzy, as I didn't write down anything I had. So these are mostly educated guesses.And we're

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-25676317797654955092010-04-15T16:24:00.000-07:002010-04-15T18:26:52.816-07:00

I now remember why I took such a long, unintentional hiatus from blogposting. It's blogger. To put it lightly, I don't love it. After a few months away, I was motivated to post a delicious Thai dish just a couple days ago. As you can probably see if you scroll to the bottom of this post, I did (successfully?) post it. You might also notice that the font size is different than previous posts,

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-35580691225360579372010-04-13T18:21:00.000-07:002010-11-28T15:40:46.644-08:00

And I’m back. I never left, but got lazy, fashion week(s) happened, weather in Barcelona has been conducive to sitting around, and doing nothing, wanting to blame the government or something. I still need to write that letter, as today, mid-Spring, was in the 50s I think, but I didn’t want to depress myself by actually confirming it.It has left me a bit of time to cook though, and nice warm and

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-26510271030696509422009-12-30T16:09:00.000-08:002009-12-30T16:47:41.308-08:00

Oh the endless possibilities that cheesecake provides. Tiramisu cheesecake is just another example. And because it was an experiment and I decided to throw it together kind of last minute, my recipe is a little loose and you might need to change it for your own preferences. Before I made it, I looked at a lot of different recipes online and found many that used the lady fingers crushed up and

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-32559873237204134362009-10-22T08:19:00.000-07:002009-10-22T08:31:30.603-07:00

Few things are better in life than homemade Mexican food. My parents always tell me that was one of the beauties of living in El Paso back in the late 70s and early 80s, before the city it was across the border from became known as one of the most dangerous places in the world, and back when labour was cheap. People sometimes think Mexican is a bunch of grease and yellow cheese, and while Tex-Mex

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-21587444862196943812009-09-25T15:12:00.000-07:002009-09-26T17:54:44.557-07:00

I'm not one to toot my own horn, I mean I try to be modest: "Oh you think that chocolate hazelnut cheesecake really was good? Oh, thanks...well, it was sooo easy..." even if I know the dessert was a dance on the taste buds. But on this one I'm definitely tooting. Maybe because it's kind of a surprise, not in my usual play book. I'm gonna tell you right now, it's banana cake. Those words kind of

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-28209017414413428382009-09-05T11:31:00.000-07:002009-09-05T11:39:24.383-07:00

Thought I'd just give you a little something pretty to look at with the promise that more will come soon. This crostini, or good stuff on toast, was sort of thrown together at the last minute, but with some really great ingredients. I pulled whatever we had out of the fridge, and in this case it ended up being ricotta and pecorino romano (love its saltiness), then grilled some asparagus, and

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-62980414867131423072009-07-28T14:09:00.001-07:002009-07-28T15:17:11.905-07:00

Alright, it’s been long enough. I guess I owe you something now. Let’s start with part of the reason it’s taken me so long to get back to you. I went on a little trip to Europe (ok, 2 ½ weeks over the sea doesn’t explain months of no word, but it might help) and I went to London. London is a big city, and there’s lots to see and lots to eat, so I’m not sure how much I covered in three days, but

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-17521195656055571992009-04-16T14:36:00.000-07:002009-04-16T15:17:36.502-07:00

When I first came back to Austin, I took a trip down south to Thrift Town. You can probably guess by the name, but it's a second hand shop, not trendy like vintage, but old romance novel and overalls like goodwill. There’s a small book section, and surprisingly, within that, there's a cookbook section. There I discovered a few books that were very old and pretty used, about cooking in different

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-84989384076750252222009-02-12T18:17:00.000-08:002009-02-12T18:21:03.342-08:00

In Spain I would always use ingredients like lemons, rose water, coffee, chocolate, vanilla beans or other ‘natural’ ingredients like that. So it was kind of a relief and a celebration of all things American and processed to make a deliciously rich and unnatural (in a good way) cheesecake. I went straight to the candy aisle, because what isn’t made better with the addition of candy? I site

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-90354836951605998222009-01-20T21:34:00.000-08:002009-01-20T21:45:19.867-08:00

I’m getting very nostalgic and a bit sad too. I’m writing this from San Francisco (Yay! New city! New tastes and food to discover! New things to post about!) but I haven’t done that yet, as I’ve just recently arrived. What I have done is looked at In Praise of Sardine’s pictures of Barcelona and remembered all the food I left behind. Of course I miss my friends there, but the food. The food. So,

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-67429946922155338722009-01-08T10:12:00.000-08:002010-11-30T10:36:47.340-08:00

I have a little annual Christmas party I like to throw at my house, and I always try and come up with a theme. We’ve done the usual Tacky Sweater party, and then I tried a bitch’n’swap (google it if you’re unfamiliar). I’ve even considered having my friends come dressed as members from the first Christmas, you know, some Wise Women, and a donkey or two. That one has yet to happen. This year I

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-28816948760680848572008-12-22T14:49:00.000-08:002008-12-22T15:02:27.485-08:00

Every year for Christmas we get a box of toffee in the mail. It’s actually sent by someone, it doesn’t just randomly come, don’t worry. In spite of this annual happening, toffee has never meant Christmas for me. I’ve never been too crazy about it either. But let me let you in on a secret: it’s delicious. Really delicious. I mean the two main ingredients are butter and sugar, so although it’s

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-17091032778719042612008-12-07T14:34:00.000-08:002008-12-07T15:58:49.618-08:00

New York is an obvious and inevitable choice for anyone’s list of favorite cities to eat in. It should have been in mine before Rome or Sevilla or any of those, but proximity from Barcelona gave way to European cities. I’ve been to New York more times than I can count on two hands, probably because my sister lived there for the past five years. But on this most recent trip, I visited some pretty

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-57238051426063499192008-11-17T19:27:00.000-08:002008-11-17T19:32:04.853-08:00

This is one of the best savory tarts ever. It’s got goat cheese, mushrooms, leeks, and garlic, which are all ingredients for goodness. This is actually a combination of two tarts I found from epicurious.com because I couldn’t decide between the two and knew I wanted goat cheese and mushrooms. The leeks were actually an afterthought, and the one I have pictured here was made with green onions

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-60232006407834871472008-11-05T14:04:00.000-08:002008-11-05T14:25:49.250-08:00

Ok, it's about time for another recipe. Something happens when you don't have a job. You (or at least I) would think that you'd have a lot more time for other stuff, like posting on your foodblog, but I've found that along with the laziness that not working provides, there's also a loss of motivation. I keep waiting until I start working, figure things out, get back into a routine and start

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-56104575654772494462008-10-13T18:24:00.000-07:002008-10-13T18:42:23.789-07:00

They say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Not always true. I knew what I had when I had Terrabacus, and now it’s gone, and I’m even more sad. Technically, it’s not gone. I’m sure it’s still right there on Muntaner by Diagonal, but for me, far away in Austin, it’s gone. From the outside, I thought it was a wine store/wine bar. This is not completely untrue. It’s got smart, frosted

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-37337346548762337772008-09-20T13:47:00.000-07:002008-09-20T14:09:38.578-07:00

Ok, so now that I’m back in Austin, I figure I should write about an Austin restaurant. What better way to announce that I’m here? And this restaurant of all restaurants, this one that I’ve been wanting to go to for at least 4 years, this was somewhat my ‘homecoming’ meal. It’s not Mexican or barbeque (we do have a bit of other food down here), and it’s not casual. It’s also not so secret anymore

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-70951405262005246752008-09-11T14:39:00.000-07:002008-09-11T14:49:49.718-07:00

So I’m back in Austin now and I will blame the move and the readjustment for the long absence in writing. But now I’m back to it, and it does make me sad that I’ve had the same post at the top of my page for over a month. Part of the readjusting is finding a job, deciding what you’re going to do with yourself now, in a new city. Cooking would be an ideal way for me to go, but it’s not a career

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-33130557264003093932008-08-06T13:55:00.000-07:002008-08-06T14:08:49.917-07:00

Finally it’s summer in Barcelona. The weather threw us for a loop there for a while, raining and cold in mid-June. But now the heat has arrived and isn’t going anywhere. But I am. I’m leaving Barcelona to go back to Austin, which will be no relief from heat, and from what I hear and read, a bit hotter than here. But this post actually has nothing to do with that, it’s just about the inaugural

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-20168062832900416322008-07-21T13:49:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:07:46.923-08:00

I have this book, Le Champignon Sauvage. Actually it’s not my book, I’ve borrowed it for an extended period, and actually it’s called Essence, but that doesn’t matter. It’s recipes from David Everitt-Matthias. It’s fancy stuff, we’re talking multi-step recipes, for example: roast grey-legged partridge with chicory caramelized in maple syrup, and elderberry gastric, or brill fillet with salsify

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-58914102448172310882008-07-06T15:21:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:07:49.189-08:00

Cinc Sentits, one of my first restaurants in Barcelona. My first tasting menu here, that’s for sure. I revisited it for the second time about a month ago for someone’s surprise birthday dinner, and after that, D declared it the best yet. In Spain. And possibly one of the best in his life. Good choice me. So if you haven’t heard of Cinc Sentits, it’s a pretty nice restaurant, but I don’t think it’

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-554957874529110902008-07-03T04:49:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:07:50.116-08:00

I think I must like them so much because essentially they’re Chinese pasta. Little bits of ravioli with a Chinese flare. Alright, I know it’s not that simple, but I do love dumplings. They’ve always been in that sort of ‘only-when-I-go-out-to-eat’ category; this is where they’re different than pasta. I can’t just make them at home…or can I? You probably guessed that the answer is yes, I can. And

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-12252436516699730352008-06-27T11:25:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:07:50.626-08:00

As I sit here in Barcelona summer, trying not to stick to the leather chair, or my clothes, or myself, I think back on a day a few months ago where it was pleasantly sunny day, not too hot, not too cold, just Goldilocks. It wasn’t a normal spring here, there was actually no spring present. We went from a long, cold winter that ended with a couple months of rain, and finally came to a halt

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-85164359560745791392008-06-21T09:38:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:07:58.482-08:00

I guess I’ve waited a sufficient amount of time to talk about Mugaritz and Etxebarri. Not that I meant to, but things happen, people go to Italy, etc. So now that I’ve talked all about the pintxos that make up San Sebastián, let’s talk about restaurants and Michelin stars. My first trip to San Sebastián, after eating my first pintxo I had already decided that I didn’t want to waste any of my

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-39900945608301773152008-06-03T09:37:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:08:06.633-08:00

How to do San Sebastián justice with just pictures and words is the question of the day. To make sure I remember every detail of every place and convey it to you without repeating the words ‘delicious’, ‘wonderful’, and ‘amazing’ too many times is my challenge. But I will try, and if I fail, I leave you with the words: go there. Go eat, drink, and be merry in San Sebastián. You may remember a

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-19992941321298591692008-05-25T11:18:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:08:08.789-08:00

Funny thing that I haven’t entered a Sugar High Friday in months and the one that I choose to do, that I’m inspired by is themed citrus. Quick background information about me: I love chocolate, and rich, creamy, heavy things. Citruses don’t normally fall into that category. They’re more of the refreshing, light, tart types. I’ve never been tempted by key lime pie, for example. But the other day,

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-52063460596320917362008-05-22T00:21:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:08:09.697-08:00

And this was not just any birthday, but a lady’s birthday, so I wanted to find something fitting, and clean. I’ve been really into trying different flavor combinations and unordinary things, but nothing new was appealing to me. I needed something simple but sophisticated (if it’s possible for cheesecake to be sophisticated without sounding like an idiot). I could still have my hand at a new

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-67086387186169373552008-05-06T11:11:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:08:10.343-08:00

The Dough Ball is one today. And it happens to be my 56th post! Can you believe it? On the same day. Really a milestone we're talking here. Now if it’s my birthday, I’m going to want chocolate to be involved, but I thought for my blog’s birthday, I would get to be a little more creative and make something I don’t normally make. Honestly, I don’t normally crave it and I would never go out of my

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-17347480085277892372008-04-26T13:40:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:08:12.313-08:00

I’ve stepped into the wonderful world of baking. Breads, that is. I’m a baker of desserts at heart. This is one term that’s always been a bit ambiguous to me, because baker implies breads, but there’s also a baker of desserts. And I don’t think that’s always the same as pastry chef, which to me means fancy desserts, we’ll call them. Something that has multiple components, and all must be

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-90504648442768971712008-04-24T04:15:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:08:17.753-08:00

One of the first restaurants that I knew I had to eat in in Barcelona was Dolso. Sounds like dulce, right? Well, it is. It’s a dessert restaurant, specializing in little fluffy delights, but a bit on the swanky, trendy side. Case 1: in the window display it has test tubes of different colored liquids, I’m not really sure if they’re supposed to be syrups or just pretty. Case 2: they make their own

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-63116475453632488272008-04-18T12:06:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:08:18.418-08:00

Ok, my food might not look that yellow. It might look more creamy, or off-yellow, if you will. Or maybe brown. There’s that big hunk of brown on the top. But it is yellow, and was made with some yellow food (egg yolks). Explanation: a Taste of Yellow is to support LiveStrong Day, in honor of Lance Armstrong (yay Austin!) and other cancer victims. I think this is only the second year for the

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-81474682166262789292008-04-13T10:13:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:08:20.796-08:00

As I should be in Sicily right now, as I write this (my trip was very suddenly and unfortunately cancelled), I’m going to finally post about my trip to Rome. This will either be some kind of therapy and comfort me for not being able to eat cannoli right now, or it’ll be self-inflicted punishment, but either way, you get to see pictures of Italy (at least the food). Fair warning though, I think

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-47435900523146960542008-04-12T10:59:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:08:23.499-08:00

My life is incomplete without an ice cream maker. How am I ever to re-create Vestri without one? Until then, semifreddo will have to do, and it’s not a bad substitute. I made some the other day, and looking back, I don’t know if I’ve ever made it before that. Made plenty of cookies, hundreds, perhaps thousands of brownies, pies, etc, but never semifreddo. I found pictures on Milk and Cookies that

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-38050398721522280282008-04-06T09:53:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:08:25.956-08:00

This is a multi-part entry, and it all started with two separate ideas that become one collective dinner: chestnut mousse from Fanny at Foodbeam, and a pintxos dinner party. I’ve explained pintxos before which are little tapas on pieces of bread, but if you want to hear more about them, look here. So first off, the chestnut mousse. I don’t think it’s as normal to eat chestnuts in America as it is

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-87595711733581895632008-04-01T10:13:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:08:27.696-08:00

To add on to that list of things I miss from home, let’s say cinnamon rolls. Or maybe more accurately Cinnabons, although I cannot honestly remember the last time I had one, and I think it’s correct to say I’ve had less than 5 in my entire lifetime (which should probably be the limit for those fatty, calorie-packed swirls of goodness), but when I started thinking about them a couple months ago, I

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-19415359060901427402008-03-27T14:23:00.000-07:002010-10-17T08:45:22.387-07:00

You know if I post about something that’s not a dessert, I must really love it. The Dough Ball is mainly about sugar, but every now and then I can’t hold in one of my favorite savory dishes. Enter pad thai. I do love this dish, I don’t know when it first started, but I usually always went more for Mexican than Asian food growing up. I do come from Austin, so that might explain things (and no, I

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-50197484272384636762008-03-21T08:47:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:08:30.115-08:00

If there are two things that are mentioned and cooked more than anything in the foodblogging world, it would be 1) matcha (or green tea) and 2) Pierre Herme. (I think bacon used in desserts is quickly working its way up on this list, but that’s for the future to tell). I went through a phase where I wanted to make something with matcha, I’ve seen everything from opera cakes to gelato with green

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-71913847584385198752008-03-13T17:05:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:08:30.675-08:00

Oh cupcakes. To most they will be a reminder of childhood, in which case they either came homemade or grocery-store-bought, with neon pink, sugary icing and blue confetti. They’ve really made a comeback in the past few years, and are now starting to take on interesting flavors (why didn’t people ever think of it before?). Maybe there was no need to stray from the regular vanilla or chocolate

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-71420008147227974252008-03-11T09:56:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:08:31.159-08:00

Tea cakes mean something different anywhere you go, or depending on who you talk to, or where you go, even within the States. To me, there’s only one kind of tea cake and it’s all that matters, and it comes from a little place in Nashville, Tennessee called Ham’n’Goodys. The name alone says it all (the tea cakes can be classified in the latter part, or a ‘goody’). I used to live in Nashville and

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-89001136594034919812008-03-08T11:13:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:08:32.040-08:00

Remember that Tex-Mex night I had? Well, I need to have one again. I’m working on supplies, although today at the store I saw some cheddar (I know, it’s nothing compared to Velveeta, but it could be a good substitute). Anyways, I still haven’t posted about the dessert we had. There are a couple Mexican desserts that come into my mind, but once again, it’s hard to find the ingredients necessary,

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-81601288564615131922008-03-02T04:28:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:08:33.676-08:00

I did something very Catalan the other day. I ate calçots and romesco sauce. Unfortunately I can’t say I went to a calçotada, but I did make my own romesco, so that’s good. Now for an explanation: calçots are in the onion family. You could say they’re the Catalan cousin of leek and spring onion, but they don’t really like to leave Catalunya, they don’t even have a Spanish translation. Cousin

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-40028431988245693652008-02-27T10:02:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:08:34.304-08:00

There’s sometimes where you’re craving something sweet, and there’s sometimes (more often than not) when you’re craving something chocolate, and no other sweet or sugary thing will do. Well, here ya go. Bête Noire. This is pure chocolate, you can, and should, eat it straight up, it doesn’t need to be cut with anything like cream or sauces or fruit. It’s basically a flourless chocolate cake, but

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-79991560071126974292008-02-23T09:09:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:08:35.921-08:00

This post is mainly for those who are not Texans. Or at least not Americans, but I think the rest of the United States could learn a thing or two from Texans and how to do their food right. After going home for Christmas this year, I brought back some absolutely necessary ingredients that just aren’t available here: Velveeta and Rotel. These two are best friends and when they get together, they

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-16663747955531373552008-02-17T06:18:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:08:38.799-08:00

Too bad I didn’t have my camera last April when I went to San Sebastian, because those would have been some amazing pictures. It’s well-known among foodies (or siberitas, as they’re known here) that San Sebastian has some of the best food in the world, and more Michelin-starred restaurants per person than anywhere else. But even the regular restaurants and bars around town are of a different

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-91583901362904792892008-02-13T13:32:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:08:39.318-08:00

I guess you could call this part of my ‘soup series.’ Just look here, that might explain things. So, the second soup I’m posting is one that I’ve started making frequently, because it’s so easy, uses readily available ingredients (at least in Spain, but I’m sure you could find some substitute for jamón, even bacon would be good). And I love it because it’s creamy without using loads of cream or

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-14015327984049487622008-02-09T11:53:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:08:39.652-08:00

Pecan pie is a staple for Thanksgiving, and a lot of times Christmas, or just a necessity in the South. I know I had my whole Thanksgiving here in Spain, but corn syrup (main ingredient in pecan pie, besides the pecans, of course) is non-existent here. So I did my pumpkin cheesecake, which was not a bad choice either. This meant that I had to make a pecan pie when I went home for Christmas. I

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-6011353322456353962008-02-04T05:46:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:08:41.311-08:00

How it’s possible that I have a blog called the Dough Ball, with a picture of chocolate chip cookie dough as my backdrop and have not yet actually posted about chocolate chip cookies, I don’t know. So finally, here it is. There’s not really much more to say. Cookies were one of the first things I learned to make as a kid, and it has stuck with me. It’s the best quick sugar fix you can get, and

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-15533717716830108512008-01-29T15:54:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:08:52.279-08:00

I am on top of things. Or else I am wishing I was still in Florence and am finding the only way to cope is to write about it, reminiscing about all the food that I ate there. One word of warning before I get anybody’s (including mine) hopes up with loads of pictures of piles of pasta—my camera died after a day there and I forgot my converter. Sad face here. But I did get some of my food captured,

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-54831528946957239552008-01-20T11:20:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:08:52.826-08:00

I don’t know how it happened, but I’ve become addicted to soups. I used to look at them with contempt, thinking ‘I don’t want to drink my food, I want to eat it. Soup is of no use to me.’ Come to think of it, I think I started getting into soup when I stopped being at home and stopped having central heating. Thank God Barcelona winters are mild, but it’s still not the Caribbean or something here,

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-8959208866944085502008-01-17T10:09:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:08:58.598-08:00

Abac just got its second Michelin star. I’m not sure if this was before or after I ate there, it was only a couple months ago, October 27 to be exact. I think this was also my first Michelin-rated place to go to, although since I’ve gotten to Spain, I’ve been delving into the world of fine cuisine a whole lot more. Been researching the best restaurants and getting my hands on every tasting menu

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-71863667598869155852008-01-14T10:29:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:08:58.960-08:00

There’s this great restaurant in Austin called Magnolia Café, and one of its best qualities is that it’s 24 hours. Another great quality is the food: you can get breakfast anytime (which includes pancakes and migas), Tex-Mex (like enchiladas and queso famously known as ‘Mag Mud’) and also some good basic American stuff (a delicious veggie sandwich to name one). I used to hate breakfast growing up

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-89548359904483139362008-01-11T15:04:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:08:59.253-08:00

Well, I went home for a few weeks at Christmas and decided to occupy my time, I’d make cakes for people. So I had my mom put up some ads, and asked her to put pictures of cakes from Bon Appetit or something, just to grab attention. I was thinking little cutouts that would go around the text, but my mom really wanted to grab people’s attention. Before I even got home, I had an email requesting the

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-30578701777410336862008-01-10T10:49:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:09:00.028-08:00

I remember a few summers ago when I volunteered in a day care for kids whose parents were learning English (read: everyone was Mexican). There was one little boy who wore a shirt one day that said "La Michoacana" and I asked him what it was and he told me that his dad worked there. Follow the natives if you want to find the best food, so later on I looked up the restaurant and found that there

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-22494939064275037602007-12-15T09:49:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:09:00.999-08:00

Alright, alright, I guess I'll go ahead and skip over things that have been waiting longer and move pumpkin pie and Thanksgiving to the front of the line (just so I don't end up posting next Thanksgiving about what I did the previous year.) So I made a cheesecake. Shocker, I know. And it was a pumpkin cheesecake, another huge surprise at Thanksgiving, but what are you gonna do? I decided to

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-11604128558300600772007-12-13T15:52:00.000-08:002009-11-07T06:35:38.273-08:00

I give snaps to all the boxed brownie and cake mixes like Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, and Duncan Hines. They are delicious. There are some things I don’t want to buy pre-mixed in a box, but I’m all for brownie mixes. And they’ve gotten creative, with cheesecake brownies and turtle brownies, etc. I’m very happy to support them. Because of these miracle boxes, I very rarely had to make my own,

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-39609419823364230992007-12-08T05:28:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:09:01.763-08:00

How fitting: my Italian roommate’s favorite dessert if Tiramisu. I have to admit that I don’t love apple pie. I don’t even like it that much. So I’m not as ‘American as apple pie,’ I’d have to say. But my roommate, he’d be as ‘Italian as tiramisu’ if that were a saying. It was his birthday this month so naturally, I put myself to making some tiramisu.I’ve made it once before, but it was years ago

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-51946970541601274492007-12-01T07:09:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:09:02.078-08:00

I’m going home in three weeks and besides seeing my family and my friends, there’s someone else I’m really looking forward to seeing: queso. Oh, my dear friend, he’s stood by me for so long, whenever I wanted, he was there, tasty as ever and he got along great with both chips and tortillas. He was always there for me, that is, until I moved to Spain and he stayed in Texas. Queso doesn’t exist

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-77068060545044901542007-11-27T07:55:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:09:06.337-08:00

Shame on me. I've been very bad and neglectful of my restaurant reviews. I went to Sevilla and Málaga this summer. Yup, about a half a year ago, and took many pictures (of food, of course), and I went to Berlin in August and still haven't posted any of those, oh right, and there's some other city where I seem to eat a lot in...Barcelona. And of course there was Rome this month…So now, I'm going

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-9962159168674421752007-11-13T07:39:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:09:08.069-08:00

I realize, cheesecake is nothing new to me, and you've seen a few pictures of my variations, but I'm going to have to come out and say it, you're about to see a lot more with this one. It's just sooo good looking, I can't help it. I took pictures from every angle, in all lighting, just to figure out which would come out best, and honestly I love them all. I'm like a proud parent of my little 9

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-38845885692245327072007-11-09T10:05:00.000-08:002008-12-10T17:09:08.884-08:00

Grrr…technical difficulties. If it's not with blogger (which I've learned to let the little things go) then it's my whole computer. Actually my computer's running fine, but the cord is out of order temporarily, so it's taken longer than normal to get the use of a comptuer long enough for my next post. But here I am and I can tell you about enchildadas now. As much as I love Tex-Mex, I'm not the

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-14335759312172507072007-10-25T05:01:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:09.209-08:00

Woo hooo! There are actually people out there (other than those who are forced, such as my friends, their friends, my family, and their friends) who read the Dough Ball. Or at least one person. I recently discovered that my Pesto Truffles had been featured as part of another foodblogger’s cupcake recipe, which you can see here (you just have to scroll down a bit). She even says they were "perhaps

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-85643458590336682502007-10-20T08:41:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:09.614-08:00

Somebody asked me when the first time I had falafel was and I can’t remember. I’m surprised it’s not stuck in my mind because it seems like after taking that first bite it would be branded in my memory forever. Falafel is probably my favorite snack/late-night food. It’s not so common in the US to have loads of kebab places, especially in the touristy center of a city. But they’re definitely

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-15665944780547452082007-10-05T15:25:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:10.308-08:00

Another dinner party, another chance to make dessert, and what better dessert to test my little guinea pigs with than another cheesecake recipe. But these guinea pigs were very happy at the end of the meal, being injected with couscous, summer rolls, Catalan sausages, and of course Chocolate Coffee Cheesecake. I’d say these guinea pigs were more than happy, they would have been floating on Cloud

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-59872387146036664352007-09-24T09:13:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:10.954-08:00

If I could live off two foods in life, it would be chocolate (which might be evident already) and pasta. My tendency goes towards cooking desserts, but every now and then, my sweet tooth feels quenched and my carb tooth (if that exists) starts itching. This is when I turn towards pasta, which I could eat everyday and be happy. I might be fat, but I’d be happy. What I love about pasta is it’s so

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-43679351128532222862007-09-22T06:41:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:11.678-08:00

Alright, about a month after the fact, let’s see what I remember: I love hazelnuts. I love trying new desserts. I think that about sums it up. But really, I was looking in some Bon Appetit or Gourmet a couple months ago and found a cake called Gateau Breton, a regular, buttery, sugary cake with the added bonus. I like cake enough, but hazelnut cake caught my eye. That’s one thing that I will miss

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-20865285771499208312007-09-06T16:01:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:12.946-08:00

For my second dessert experience in the land of abnormally-numbered ovens, I went back to my ever evolving cheesecake recipe (as I sit here writing this I’m making cheesecake: Chocolate Coffee…I’ll tell you how it goes soon enough). After some mulling over and consulting my principal taste-tester, we came up with orange and goat cheese with a rosemary crust. Now rosemary is hard to come by in

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-30673192142018458852007-09-04T04:51:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:13.368-08:00

It’s been a while. I was on a short “hiatus” in Berlin, but only from writing, not from cooking. It was a bit harder than here in Spain, although I didn’t expect the oven knob to have a number system from 1 to 8, or no visible numbers at all. This didn’t get me down, only a little burned (or a lot burned) at one point. But my first attempt at baking with the specially-numbered German ovens turned

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-82851149660515316722007-08-06T10:07:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:15.514-08:00

I’m on a Tex-Mex kick. When you’re out of your home, your state, and you’re surrounded by people who think that queso is just Spanish for cheese, you want to educate. At least I do. And I want to show and teach them as much as I can about real Texas food. In my mind this includes three main food groups, with a few exceptions: 1. Mexican/Tex-Mex, 2. barbeque, 3. southern. It can vary depending who

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-52796095566453438762007-08-01T14:42:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:47.194-08:00

Something has changed inside me. I’ve undergone a transformation. Before: hated Spanish food. After: like, enjoy, sometimes even crave Spanish food. This of course goes with the assumption it’s good Spanish food, really good. Not from one of the billions of restaurant/bars that have those ice cream signs from one of the three or so main brands with all the pictures of the red foot-shaped

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-51604796019199758612007-07-29T15:21:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:47.499-08:00

So the week immediately after making my first cheesecake here, I was all excited (and so was Dan) and I was ready to make another. But I wanted to experiment with different flavors, and the next big one on my list was dulce de leche (I’m a huge sucker for the Cheesecake Factory’s dulce de leche cheesecake, I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing). So I looked at a few different recipes

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-27523729138804520392007-07-24T13:16:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:51.867-08:00

I don’t have enough good things to say about brisket. I love it, that’s all there is to it. Now I don’t know if there are any ways to improve brisket (although you’ve gotta have tender, juicy, sliced brisket, of course) but my favorite brisket accompaniment? Not barbeque sauce, or ribs, or sausage, no potato salad or cole slaw, not even more brisket. Instead I prefer mine with eggs, cheese,

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-33626794130651986682007-07-15T07:39:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:52.543-08:00

One day I was wanting to make some blondies, which I’ve eaten plenty of in my day, but have never made. I thought it’d be a nice variation from chocolate chip cookies or brownies, or more accurately, a nice marriage of the two. As is custom now, the first thing I turn to for recipes or inspiration are food blogs. I came across Smitten Kitchen’s blondies recipe and the simplicity and flexibility

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-14216170333852538272007-07-07T08:09:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:55.766-08:00

Sunday brunch. I have trouble most Sundays waking up and realizing I don’t get to eat a hearty brunch. It’s such a beautiful collocation, Sunday brunch, and such an important part of American life. I had a Sunday at home last month and I had to decide where to go for brunch. Although there are many that tempted me (Stubb’s was right up there), I couldn’t get Fonda San Miguel out of my head.

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-47287150954148887032007-06-30T06:31:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:56.272-08:00

Well I’m way behind. Apparently I’m a lot better at eating the food and making it than I am at writing about it. This means I have pictures and recipes just waiting for their chance, but I have to get around to posting them before I make another recipe. Two weeks ago I had one of my brilliant ideas: a wine and cheese party. I know, I know, it’s never been done before and I’m the first one to

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-3705834695827500392007-06-27T02:18:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:56.761-08:00

What do you crave? Easy. Chocolate. What one dessert do you crave, what do you dream about at night and drool over at restaurants? Not so easy. Of course some form or other of chocolate, but to narrow it down to just one dessert is like asking a mother to pick a child, if her children were made with sugar and came in endless textures and temperatures and flavor combinations. First the usual

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-90964204632919531572007-06-23T05:10:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:57.107-08:00

There’s something to be said for the Fredericksburg peaches that are sold in stands on the side of the highway. You don’t need to sort through for the ripe ones, making sure that they’ll turn out juicy, but rather find the ones that haven’t reached their prime yet and aren’t oozing too much peachy aroma. When I was in Austin in May and the beginning of June, I didn’t see any stands on 360 that I

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-81589895057046946512007-06-17T08:28:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:58.470-08:00

This is what my dad made the first night I was home:So you can understand my surprise when he asked me to make this:I’ve talked about my dad before, he’s more of a carnivore than a dessert eater. When he does want a dessert, it usually comes from a package, so whenever I’m home, I tell him I’ll make whatever he wants. Usually it’s something simple like chocolate chip cookies or brownies, but to

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-31098317459865827472007-06-11T04:50:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:59.072-08:00

Ok, I don’t think I need to go back over my decision making in picking Mexican Wedding Cookies to make for the rehearsal dinner for Brooke’s wedding. In case you missed it or you need a refresher, look at Chocolate Caramel Slices, County Line, and Everything Nice. So I’ll go ahead and get straight to the recipe for these wonderfully sweet and crunchy cookies. Before I start, I used the recipe

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-73086272665024077012007-06-06T14:40:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:09:59.966-08:00

Whirlwind trip in Austin which was filled with eating, seeing friends and family, drinking, tour-guiding, eating some more, drinking, and being part of a wedding. It went by so fast, and Barcelona’s good to return to, but it was hard to leave Austin. I made sure to take plenty of pictures (maybe half of them solely of food) to document it. Because Dan went with me (his first time to Texas ever,

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-78442172085500359742007-05-20T12:00:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:10:00.584-08:00

Before I start: I’m aware that my first few paragraphs are spaced differently than the rest of my post. To this I have to say: Blogger does not deserve any more of my time or frustration or anger or tears. And I wish there was an icon for pulling your hair out. Now, onto the food.My dad is a meat man. Not only is he a meat man, he’s a grill man. More than anything, he’s a steak man. He grills

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-29659423388008543752007-05-13T10:56:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:10:01.157-08:00

I’m of the opinion that making salad is not cooking. I don’t know if people oppose this view, or agree, but it has always bothered me a little to see recipes for salads. What do you need the recipe for? You just throw some lettuce in a bowl, mix in some variation of the typical combination of nuts, cheese, and fruit and you have yourself a salad. I even got annoyed at my wonderful Williams-Sonoma

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-19806652019508890062007-05-08T08:15:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:10:02.475-08:00

There is one restaurant in all of Barcelona that I can always count on. Not only count on for the food, but mainly for its dependability. When nothing else in the city is open (which usually includes the hours between 3ish and 6ish for lunch, or all day Sunday), El Tropezón is there for me. My most recent visit was on a Saturday afternoon around 5 pm, when most restaurants are closed, resting up

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56016426663604150.post-79642597876667159872007-05-06T07:53:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:10:02.698-08:00

I don't have a sweet tooth; I have sweet teeth. I don't know if other people are affected by this problem, but it weighs heavily on my life. I remember when I was a little girl on family vacations and my parents would let my sister and I order a dessert instead of dinner at nice restaurants. Since then, I can't seem to satisfy my need for sugar, but I am completely content in this. Sweet over

Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03705294125276529576noreply@blogger.com3