Mostly I just want to show off these pictures. All this foodie-blog reading is making me more adventurous in the kitchen, and it seems that I’m buying an excess of food just so that I can ruin some of it and still have something to eat.

Here, my main thrill was in playing with chocolate, and trying to make something that would look shmancy. I wanted really offbeat, organic shapes, and I wanted an extra-dark chocolate so that it would be hard and hold up just fine. First, I covered my counters in wax paper. Then, I melted some extra dark (70% cacao) bittersweet chocolate with some mint oil over a double boiler. Once it was thoroughly melted and mixed, I took a fork and just started dripping and swirling the chocolate onto the wax paper. I slipped the sheets of wax paper in the freezer for about 10 minutes, and that was all it took to thoroughly harden (and chill!) the chocolate. To get the chocolate off the paper, I stationed a large bowl atop a chair, and put it next to my counter. I ran the wax paper along the edge of the counter, and the chocolate fell off it in both large and small bits into the bowl. Then I just popped that bowl into the freezer until serving time!

The base of the dessert is store-bought angel food cake, and some great strawberries which I let stew in a little apple cider and some powdered sugar. But mostly it’s all about playing with chocolate. And the mint with the strawberries was perfect. I also like that this is a dessert for which you can make all the components the day before, and then it’s just a matter of five minutes to assemble them on the plate when you’re ready to serve. Great for hosting after you’ve only just gotten off work!

It’s like we’re done with the whole living-above-ground thing, and we’ve decided we’d rather be under the dirt than over it. That said, these green roofs rock.

Dear Violet,

It’s good to see you finally delivering on some of your promises — like the promise to utilize the Nabaztag’s built-in RFID reader as advertised. It’s only been like three years since you announced that feature, anyway.

And it’s good that you’ve finally, finally updated the website. It reassures me that you haven’t all fallen into a deep black pit, and I like that you are explicitly trying to support user apps now. Also, I know there are some already out there, but you guys should probably release your own Nabaztag iPhone app.

If you think I’m going to spend money on Mir:ror, though, you’ve got another think coming. Until you can prove that you can reliably support the products you’ve already released, I’m not giving you another dime. I’d like a non-buggy website, non-crashing servers, services that work reliably as advertised… you get the picture. Just do what you said you would, already, okay? You’ve got a great, fun product, and as soon as I get internet re-installed, I’ll be back on the bandwagon. I just want to see you do well.

Thanks,

yr customer

PS. “The Internet of Things starts here” is a dumb tagline. I mean seriously.

All this anti-homeschooling rot is depressing me. And it’s not just about the dissolution of educational freedoms, it’s also an example of religious oppression. “All sides agree the children have thrived with home school,” but “[the mother's] lessons also have a religious slant, which the judge said was the root of the problem.” Mainstream science has an atheistic slant (although it is entirely unnecessary). How is it the right of the courts, or the government, to dictate a child’s education?

Before you start blaming our new president for this trend on the basis of supposed socialist tendencies, consider that Obama has remained relatively silent on the issue of homeschooling, except in his book, “The Audacity of Hope,” where he acknowledges that the decision to homeschool should be left up to families, and should be honored.

Of course, this situation is more complicated than just The Courts vs. The Family: it is the father, during divorce proceedings, who is objecting to the children’s homeschooling. And I’m not saying that he should not have a say in his children’s education — but the judge should rule on the basis of what is best for the children, not on the basis of perceived religious slant. If the father wants them to be taught something else, he should homeschool the kids himself when he has them (if he has joint custody), or hire a tutor if he can’t do it. If the kids are really testing “two years above their grade levels,” then it seems clear that that is a system which is working better than the public schools would.

To those, in positions of authority, who are remaking educational policies in this country: flight from religious persecution is how this country got started in the first place. Now, with a failing economy, an overseas war, and a low-level civil war raging over the issue of abortion, we have enough challenges here already. We don’t need a Handicapper General.

I feel like I owe Bea at La Tartine Gourmande a link, because I have started stealing, and thoroughly enjoying, recipes that she’s posted. I’ve been on a Foodie Blog kick lately, and hers is my favorite. Her recipes range from fairly easy to oh-so-very fancy, and the photography is delightfully tasty.

Last night I made the Bohemienne, which is quite a bit like Ratatouille, but simpler, and lighter. And, my goodness, it was tasty! I didn’t have rustic bread, but I did have a failed French bread experiment (it tasted fine, it just wasn’t quite so light and airy as French bread ought to be). So I diced and turned that into garlic croutons, and put them atop the Bohemienne. It was a very hearty thing to have on a cold snowy night, and I’m sure I’ll be enjoying the leftovers all week.

A little over a week ago, I made a dinner of her Fennel Salad (though I left out the beets, and used blueberries, which are in season, rather than cherries) and Sole Roulades, both of which were terrific. Next time, though, I’ll slice the fennel a bit thinner… and also check the fish with a thermometer instead of just assuming the inside was done just because the outside was.

Next on my to-cook list from Bea are the Potato Nests with Avocado and Smoked Salmon. And I can’t wait to see her cookbook.

With all these foodie blogs a-stewin’ in my brain, it’s fairly inevitable that I would start spewing out some recipes myself. Here’s one I tried out a few days ago:

Risotto with Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese
(Serves 4)

1 cup Arborio rice
2 cups vegetable broth
1 yellow onion, diced
1 cup sliced roasted red bell pepper (I used the kind that comes in a jar and can be found next to the pepperoncini at the market, but you could roast them yourself)
6 oz goat cheese, broken into chunks the size of cherries.
2 Tbs butter
3 Tbs raw pine nuts
3 Tbs olive oil

1. Start by combining the butter, rice, and onions in a large saucepan on high heat. Stir until the onions are cooked (but not browning) and the rice is looking a nice golden color.
2. Slowly add the broth, stirring as you go. Allow the rice to cook for about 20-25 minutes, but keep stirring so that it doesn’t stick. Once the rice is cooked, turn the heat to low.
3. Add the bell pepper, and stir so that it is warmed.
4. Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan on high heat. Roast the pine nuts, making sure to keep them moving. This happens faster than you might think. As soon as they are looking a roasted-brown color, add them to the risotto.
5. Take the risotto off the heat, and add the goat cheese. Stir as little as possible. Enjoy!

I’m contemplating adding a bit of lemon juice, and perhaps some tarragon to this mix. We ate it alongside salmon with a mesquite rub and a great Pinot Noir, which went quite well with the pine nuts in the risotto.

I’m also mulling over some sort of pasta concoction involving Drunken Goat cheese and almond slivers. I’ll let you know how it goes.