Cooking Class - Lessons 1 and 2

Recently, I have had the desire to become a better cook. I have always loved to bake, but cooking has really been a completely other realm. Luckily, my husband, Nate is an excellent cook - he went to CCA in San Francisco and has since transitioned to a farmer; he always is thinking about food in one way or the other. So we have decided that Nate is going to teach me lessons, which I am very excited about. I figured out that each lesson, especially in the beginning should be learning a practical part followed be a dish using those techniques.


Our first lesson on Saturday went very well. The technique was different knife skills, which I found very daunting. Nate taught me julienne and baton cuts and how to properly cut an onion. I just could not keep my knife parallel on the onion! The dish we made was pasta with homemade sauce using tomatoes, onions and garlic that he had grown, which was really neat.



Our second lesson, which took place on Sunday was all about one of our favorite dishes to eat: Beet, Kale and Goat Cheese Pizza. This is a glorious concoction that Nate brought together last year, and I figured it was about time for me to learn how to make it. I adore beets, which were easy to cut, and I enjoyed cooking the greens, watching them transform was interesting. My only regret - not making two pizzas!

A Lovely Day of Knitting

Today I spent quite a bit of time finishing up some knitting projects I had sitting around. I was also able to post some long-awaited pictures to my Ravelry account (you can find me at Kimeknits) which I've been wanting to do. I finished these little booties for a future baby - not mine, I consider it bad luck to make anything for future children. These are just to have on hand for the next baby shower.


I also spent some time outdoors today, beginning with a run along the Fox River. I definitely want to take advantage of this day, with the weather being so unseasonably cool this summer in Chicago. Today I tended to our flowers and herbs outside (even though my husband is a farmer, I like to keep our most-used herbs close at hand - basil, thyme, rosemary and mint). I am in love with these snapdragons.

A Return to the Blog

Hey everyone, I'm trying to get back into the habit of blogging. It feels only right to give a sequel of my last post, many years ago. So once again, here is a list of AFI Films.

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE(1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)

Sadly, three years later, I have still only seen 56 of these films. I am going to make a more solid effort to work my way through this list.