Sweet & Savory

Happy Holidays

A and I will be taking off to Canada tomorrow. We want to take this time to wish everyone a happy and safe holidays. As 2006 winds down to a close, we reflect back on the personal, political, international, and sometimes scandalous events of 2006 and remember that though we can not change the events of the past, we can effect the events of the future. 2007 will be a new start, open to all sorts of opportunities and possibilities. May you achieve your dreams and aspirations in the upcoming new year.

Happy Holidays. See you in 2007!

Happy 1st Birthday!!

Today is January 1st, the first day of this new year as well as the first birthday of Sweet & Savory. We wanted to throw a tiny celebration for our tiny corner of the blog world. Unfortunately, we ran into a little problem with the cake. Our favorite patisserie, Fleur de Cocoa was CLOSED! A little quick thinking and a trip to our local grocery store produced this improvised birthday cake. It may not be the prettiest cake, but with the Scharrfenberger Brut sparkling wine, it fit our needs just fine. So Happy Birthday Sweet & Savory!

Joyous Season

A and I went off to Tahoe for some relaxation and snowboarding during this holiday season so not much post about food I'm afraid. But we wanted to take this time to reflect on what an eventful year 2005 has been to the terrible tsunami in south east asia, to discovering saint benoit yogurt and going to French Laundry, to participitaing in Is-My-Blog-Burning, to learning how to compromise, and to starting rock-climbing. This year had its share of ups and downs but it's slowly winding down to a close. The new year will be a brand new start with promises of new flavors, new discoveries, and new places to see. So to everyone, we want to wish you a safe, healthy, and happy 2006. :)

Cure for the Insanity

What I used to help finish preparing for Thanksgiving dinner! I needed TWO of these things.

Mojito for One

• 12 fresh mint leaves
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 oz. Bacardi Limon rum
• 1 oz. fresh lime juice
• club soda
• crushed ice

Place the mint leaves in a tall glass and crush the leaves with the sugar to release their oil. Add the Bacardi Limon and lime juice and mix. Top off with club soda and ice. Smile and savor. :)

New Beginnings

New Year's Eve has never been a night of tradition in my household. Until this year. This year is a year of many firsts. Not only is this the year that I married my soulmate, but this is also the first year that I got to decorate my own Christmas tree and the first year that I celebrated the coming of the new year. A and I are starting our own traditions this year ... in place of watching the ball drop over Times Square, we stared at a simmering hodge-podge of veggies and meats all thrown into the hotpot. The medley of colors and the blending of aromas satisfied the senses (and plus we are still trying to decide between cable vs. the dish, and unfortunately have no reception of any kind in the meantime).

In the hotpot for tonight's meal was napa cabbage alongside lightly-bitter mustard greens. We had an assortment of mushrooms as well - enoki, shiitake, button, and oyster. The other goodies were composed of: yasai tempura - a fish cake filled with green onions and various legumes; cuttlefish balls - a springy ball composed of julienned and minced cuttlefish, whose texture reminds me of rubber, not in its toughness, but in its elasticity; codfish balls - minced cod rolled into small meatball shapes; cuttlefish rolls - minced cuttlefish rolled into finger-length logs, then wrapped with a thin cuttlefish sheet; fish dumplings - much like the cuttlefish rolls but filled with minced pollack instead of cuttlefish, these rolls were then twisted to resemble the circular shape of tortellini; and yamasa kushi - lightly fried fish cake balls. To round out the meal, we also had thin slices of pork sukiyaki.