We got some serious haul, so I’ve been giddy to start playing in the kitchen. Unfortunately weddings are expensive, so I’m too broke to buy any fun ingredients yet. This is torture. A quick run-down of some of the more exciting booty: a fondue pot (what? Is this 1977? Will there be a hot tub, swinging key party in my future? Um, YES. Yes it is, and I’m SO excited for cheese fondue and steak), many excellent Calphalon non-stick pans, a Zojirushi rice cooker (so I can finally make rice without destroying my pots and ending up with mush . . . then giving up and using minute rice), a mandolin, and an iron enameled dutch oven, among other things. So far all I’ve managed is some BBQ shredded pork in the dutch oven. Delicious, but not photogenic.
Our honeymoon was a bit unconventional. No trip to Hawaii or Cabo San Lucas. A friend gave us tickets to the opera as a wedding gift. Never having been to the opera before, we assumed a “sure, why not” attitude and accepted gratefully (thank you Sean!). But of course this was the marathon of all operas. The Ring cycle. Wagner. Epic. German. 17 hours of fat ladies singing, spanned over the course of 4 evenings. Four opera date nights, four OPERA DRESSES.
That was my honeymoon.
It was definitely good. I think I got enough opera experience to last me a lifetime, for a person who doesn’t even like musicals. They sing EVERYTHING. I got used to that after the first night and started enjoying the story, but man was it weird. The people-watching during intermission was almost as good as the opera’s creepy twin-on-twin baby-makin' and sexual advances toward fish. I think the audience was completely made up of everyone’s odd-ball, high school music teacher. Lots of bow-ties and henna tattoos.
I thought the Walkuries were super badass bitches, but they should totally make an English-speaking high budget movie (no singing) with expensive special effects. CG the dragon, make Siegfried a little less of a pansy, and we’ve got a hit on our hands.
I love the red dress, you slinky little harlot, you! I don't know if I could take that much opera, though. Even if I could wear fancy dresses. And I am 100% certain that Chris wouldn't stand for it, unless he could bring a Nintendo DS or something.
ReplyDeleteFondue is hella-fun. Did you get the electric Cuisinart one? That's the one I have, and it rocks. The oldy-timey ones are fun, too, with a little more fanfare. And Zojirushi rice cooker is a FABULOUS invention. We got ours for Christmas two years ago, and use it all the fucking time. Just beware--brown rice takes a long-ass time to cook. And the machine is gorgeous. We bought the Zojirushi breadmaker a few months ago, just because we were so impressed with the rice cooker.
Know this, though: the fuzzy logic rice cooker can think for itself, so be nice to it or it will be the first kitchen appliance to turn on you when the robot takeover occurs.
Almost forgot--in the Zo, rice turns out best if you wash the ever-loving snot out of it before hand. Til the water runs clear. It makes a huge difference in the outcome of the rice.
ReplyDeleteKristie - it's the electric kind, but I don't remember the brand. It's fancy.
ReplyDeleteGettin' all hussied up for the opera was kinda fun, but also kinda the total opposite of what I wanted to do, after the wedding dress. I wanted my jeans.
How's the breadmaker? I'm tempted by those things but I haven't been able to bring myself to use one. It feels like cheating.
Breadmaker is spectacular. I don't use it to bake the bread, just to knead it and give it a slightly warmer/moister proofing environment, I still shape, bench proof, and bake it the old-school way. It does a much better kneading job than my Kitchenaid or, heaven forfend, myself. Plus, Chris can use it to bake bread "all by himself" which makes him proud,
ReplyDeleteWait. Jeans are pants, aren't they?
ReplyDeleteIt's hilarious that you went to all 4 of the ring operas for your honeymoon. "They sing EVERYTHING" has got to be the best reaction ever. Did you at least drop acid?
see? i read this second. i knew the fondu pot was a wedding gift.
ReplyDeletei'm a genius like that.