It's Valentine's Day!
Or was, really. I'm writing this from home on Valentine's Day Night and feelin FINE! This time last year, my ex boyfriend and I were on "a break" and so I was mopey and sad-ish. This year, there is so much on the horizon to be happy about! Work and social things and my trip to Austin and feeling more at home in my body and also seeing the differences that eating this vegan diet for two weeks (!) has made on my body. And my spirit! For real.
Today at work, I went nuts with the culinary demos. I made seared scallops (or at least some of them seared--damn it when they're frozen, too watery they don't brown up and caramelize like they should) with a blood orange and smoked paprika sauce. I tasted the smoked paprika and man, what a flavor! Such a far cry from regular paprika. This smelled and tasted like BACON! (Or was reminiscent of, really). Then I made a veal picatta from scratch right on the floor, searing the veal, making the pan gravy. It smelled amazing and looked delicious and customers were going nuts for both dishes. Both were on the expensive side, but it was Valentine's Day after all, and upscale demos were totally appropriate. These were foods I'm not eating, and don't plan on eating for a while. But it was still fun to make and smell and go through the process of cooking animal products. It kind of hits a sensual spot of cooking, working such fatty and luxurious foods. (Did I mention that the blood orange sauce had two sticks of butter in it? Ha! I guess that's sort of irresponsible, but the sauce was MEANT to be crazy!) Anyway, I still loving cooking everything--maybe at some point the idea of cooking beef or chicken or even fish will gross me out--intellectually and personally and creatively--but I hope not. I want to be as much of a well-rounded cook as I can be. I think it's my responsibility as a foodie and an educator (I am an educator, I consider myself one as a demo specialist) and so I'm far off from refusing to cook these kinds of dishes. I also have an obligation to promote all departments as a demo specialist, to endorse their products, whether or not I choose to eat them. I think it's important for me to stay well rounded in my cooking style, career-wise and personally. It just makes me feel more capable.
Though I know at the end of the day--there are more vegetables, fruits and grains than there are any other foods. The varieties of plant based foods out there is amazing, and the palate for creation just from them is huge. And so I also look forward to getting even more creative with the food I've personally been eating. For instance, I know I'm not thinking of all the ways I can use eggplant right now. Ha. Though tonight, I sauteed eggplant and pureed it with spices and onions and garlic to attempt a "cream sauce." Over whole wheat pasta. Great, in theory. In reality--it was gross. Ha. Totally gross. Muddled and looked ugly and tasted grainy and gross. I almost took a picture. Such a failure. Not the most delicious VDay dinner in the world. To say the least.
Hey, it happens.
Least I can cook a hell of a veal picatta though. Indeed.
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