Something to ponder

During these dark days of winter, in this quiet time between Christmas and New Year's, it's nice to have a weighty philosophical question to consider.

If you had to choose, would you pick the slices of roast duck to eat right away, or a container full of rendered duck fat, for use in bringing glossy ducky dishes for months (OK, maybe weeks) to come?

Reading about food is like dancing about architecture

Sort of. Anyway.

Best. Edition. Ever. Of the New York Times Dining In/Dining Out section yesterday. In addition to a fairly customary (but good) piece on holiday cookies, there was a fantastic, tempting article on Caribbean black cake that calls for not just rum-soaked fruit (such as, say, Boozy Cherries) but more rum for soaking the cake and more rum in a glass on the side. Then there was a brilliant companion to Mark Bittman's list of summer dishes that take less than 10 minutes to make -- 101 appetizers, each at less than 20 minutes. There is a whole section on things wrapped in bacon. Swoon.

What I had for dinner

Just so you don't get the idea it's all homemade pesto and gourmet ice cream and grass-fed beef around here.

Dinner #1 (pre-Cirque de Soleil): pint of Bass

Dinner #2 (after show, back at home): 2 slices leftover pork roast, eaten with fingers; brownie

Eat this. Seriously.

Just run to the store right now and pick up some of this. I'm serious. Maybe a spoon, if you are feeling dainty.

I also note the presence of this. Haven't tried it yet, but if it evokes the Honey Vanilla of yore, I'm in.

Recent eats

Yeah, yeah, I know, I suck. It's been ages since my last post, and even longer since regular posting was going on. Honestly, I've just gotten really busy and tired and not that interested in eating anything that someone else didn't cook for me.

However, I have somehow managed to continue taking in sustenance, and, unsurprisingly, pork products have figured in heavily. For example, tonight I made one of my favorites, inspired by a Donna Hay dish from her excellent cookbook Off The Shelf. This is a pork roast which you simply slather with whole-grain mustard, drizzle with honey, and sprinkle with oregano. You can salt and pepper it, you can roast it on a bed of carrots and parsnips, or you can leave it alone, as I did. With that I made some roasted cauliflower with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and though everything was kind of beige, it was delicious. What I love about this dish is the only prep tool that gets dirty is a knife to spread the mustard. You don't even have to dirty a mixing bowl.

Some other good stuff I've eaten lately:

• at Mr. Gateau's office party -- buffalo "sliders" with smoked cheddar and bacon, on brioche buns
• breakfast of two microwaved eggs (I do these in little Pyrex dishes, 29 seconds each for a runny yolk) topped with Chilean hot sauce my friend Dave gave me and several strips of bacon on the side, plus tea
• breakfast of steel cut oatmeal with cinnamon, brown sugar, and a little vanilla sugar
• barbecue brisket and pulled pork, plus bacon-studded collards and baked beans at a new place that opened near my home, praise the lord
• buddha's delight (tofu skin stuffed with mixed vegetables and deep fried, with vinegar sauce) at the shockingly wonderful Chinese restaurant near my office, plus excellent steamed pork buns
• cranberry-fig-port-rosemary-balsamic vinegar sauce I made for Thanksgiving and could eat with a spoon
• brandy-marinated dried cherries (aka "Casey's Boozy Cherries") I made a while ago and just discovered in the pantry. If I keel over from botulism, you'll know why

Lazy But Hungry

Several friends have asked whether everything is OK, since they haven't seen a post here in a little while, and the depressing answer to that is that I've just been too lazy to eat much of interest, much less post about it. But I figured I'd take advantage of this lull to post some of my favorite Lazy But Hungry dishes (TM chow.ind). This is sort of an homage to Mark Bittman's awesome 101 Summer Dishes that Take 10 Minutes to Cook article but less, you know, classy.

• Spaghetti tossed with a little chili-infused olive oil and parmesan, with or without frozen peas thrown in during the last few minutes of cooking
• Pasta with pesto and parmesan
• Salad (from a bag) topped with crumbled blue cheese (from the supermarket) and bacon pieces (from a jar), with vinaigrette (from a bottle). I like the Brianna's brand with the artichoke on the label. If there is leftover roast beef or chicken, I can throw that in too
• Which brings me to steamed artichoke with Brianna's vinaigrette for dipping the leaves
• Slices of hot soppressatta, chunk of Stilton, Granny Smith apple cut in slices
• Sourdough or country bread, or split baguette, with a little dijon mustard and gruyere cheese on top melted under the broiler
• Pita chips and hummus, baba ganoush, tzatziki, taramasalata, etc.
• Tuna mixed with a little olive oil (if not packed in oil), balsamic vinegar, tarragon, and a little garlic powder, with either whole wheat bread or crackers
• Sardines packed in spicy oil with crackers
• Any of the above with steamed edamame tossed with smoked paprika salt (or plain salt)
• Order in

Granny knows best

You know why Yorkshire pudding always goes with Granny's roast and potato dinners? Because Yorkshire pudding is awesomely delicious and dead easy to make. I'd never made them before, as I was rather intimidated due to all the special popover tins you see in kitchenware places, and popover mix, and restaurants acting like it's a big giant deal when they bring them out.

Here is how you make them. Spoon a little of the drippings from the roasting pan into the cups of a muffin tin. Keep it hot in the oven. Make a batter out of a cup of flour with a little salt, into which you mix a cup of milk you've beaten with 2 eggs. Pour this about halfway up the muffin tins, and bake for 15 minutes. Done. Beef drippings in the making, and can be used to sop up whatever falls on the plate, my kind of breadstuff.