It's Back

The weather has returned to what is passing for winter this year. Gray, dreary 50s. Reminds me of my three long winters in Germany. The 73 degree day we had on Saturday was terrific. But like many people it makes me wonder. The record temperature for January here in the DC area was 79 and it was set in the 1970s. So I won't panic yet that the whole region is going under water due to melting ice caps from global warming.
But days like this sap all initiative from me and make me want to curl up with a good book.

Which brings me to what I am currently reading - Julie Powell's book "Julie and Julia."
I am thinking that it's slightly strange that just as this woman was discovering blogging and deciding to write about cooking her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I was also beginning my blog. And discovering a renewed appreciation for Julia Child.

I bought a used copy of Mastering the Art a few years ago in an antique shop. Fascinating reading. Many recipes that I'd never touch - not a big fan of kidneys, liver, heart, tongue, brains, etc. But reading about someone else cooking these recipes has me considering that maybe I should branch out. I've also found a used copy the French Chef cookbook, which brings back many memories from my youth of watching Julia on WGBH out of Boston. I think the show where she deboned an entire turkey and then tied it back up to look like a turkey totally intimidated me. That's when I decided that though I was gaining competence as a cook, I could never begin to approach cooking like Julia.

Then a few years back, I discovered Julia's Rein de Saba cake (Queen of Sheba) and had a minor epiphany. I had the ability to follow her recipes and that there was gold in them ther' books.

This past fall I read Julia's autobiography, My Life in France. Jealous. What I was was jealous. I wanted to be her. I wanted to be there in Paris and Marseilles and all those wonderful places. To smell that food and drink that wine.

But as I can not, I will settle for occasionally cooking a Julia recipe. Maybe not the brains, but I suppose I could try calves liver once.