Diana Childs

What a lovely evening. I love summer* . I took Dogger for a walk then came back to the house and watered everything while Dogger tried on the tree for  a chew toy, unsuccessfully. Then I read a magazine and waved at neighbors. When I left the house in the morning to go to work I had said to myself that I should mow the yard when I get home. I decided not to as I was really happy with all this enjoyment business and I didn't want to ruin it with work and sweat and not loving summer. All and all a very nice evening.

Then I came back inside  and went to battle with this machine. Not at all nice, the rotten son-of-a-bitch. Anyway.

Before all that I made a fab dinner that provided me with fab leftover and tomorrow night I can be happy about my dinner and feel like a good cook again. I got experimental this time and tried to use beef bullion infused water as a deglazer. My beef bouillon was cheap and old and it was not the most successful ideglazing agent ever - I would have preferred chicken bouillon, but either I don't have any or I have lost it or used it all in dog cookies but in any case, it was a good try and it was at least better than plain water. Next time I'll plan ahead, perhaps buy some wine or go to a real grocery store and actually look for packaged deglazer - I just finished reading Kitchen Confidential and Bourdain would not approve. To hell with Anthony Bourdain, he has minions to slave over chicken bones and fish and veal stock, the rest of us lack the staff for such pursuits. Bring on the pre-packaged deglazers!

My cook books and Mr. Boudain urge me to make my beef/chicken/fish broth the hard way and I am not a "hard way" person. I am barely a  soft way person and to be honest, I actually prefer my food to just appear in front of me on a tray - sadly, this is not a possibility, okay, the possibility exists but  its an expensive possibility and not one I chose to pursue. Every night.  If whatever it is I'm making requires more than two pots and more than ten minutes standing in front of the stove I expect 1)applause and  2) chicken breasts that end up tasting like steak and thus far the neither animals have not mastered the needed skill sets to make those things possible.

Why is it the better your dinner tastes the worse your kitchen smells a few hours later? I really like a bit of cummin here and there and I love garlic  butthey both make the kitchen smell deadly afterwards - and why didn't anyone tell me about cooking with parlsey? Its good! I had no idea, I thought it was just for garnish until I saw a bottle of it dried at Poverty Barn and decided to get it on a lark. I bought it for its aplication as a dog cookie additive because chopping fresh paersley is time consuming and messy and fido could care less about the providence of his breath freshener - But imagine my shock when it was good in people food as well! Who knew?