Quaintrelle Weekender
The Scholastic Volume
I am currently teaching myself how to bake sourdough bread.
I had a little time on my hands these past few weeks and happened upon a sourdough starter recipe from ATK (more on that below). It coincided with my purchase of a wildly disappointing $5 French baguette, and regular purchase of my favourite sourdough boule, which is exceptional, but at $8 a pop gets a little long in the tooth after a while.
My sister is a tremendous baker ( seriously, her husband bought her a Hobart for Christmas a few years ago) and always gives a slow shake of the head when I mention these prices to her.
“Bread is so cheap!” she always exclaims back.
Well, I’m a cook, not a baker. I find the rigidity of baking a bit anxiety inducing. But, I find spending $8 on a loaf of bread debt-inducing. Plus I’m entering my DIY homesteading era. I think there is something indisputably cool about being able to forge for yourself. Like a Trad Wife… if I was a wife.
So I suppose, as a new school year dawns, the timing was right to start homeschooling myself on human’s most basic foods. While I’m fanatically checking the height of my just-fed starter every 10 minutes, friends of mine are anxiously teaching their university-bound offspring how to feed themselves in such a way they won’t end up with scurvy by Thanksgiving.
We shall not discuss the tedious subject as to whether summer is dwindling or still in full swing, but the fact remains the same: this week, a number of people I know are nursing broken hearts, glass of wine in one hand and baby albums in the other, as they – ready or not! – brace themselves to launch their hatchlings from the nest.
I’ve always been an empty nester (can you be an empty nester if the nest was never full?) but as many young people’s lovingly devoted Aunty Mame, I care enough to hope these youngsters will be decently prepared for the world. I seen these kids in action so have my doubts, but usually with these rites of passage, what the hell! is often the best attitude.
And with that, dear Quaintrellians, I bring you the collegiate edition of the Weekender.
Welcome to Quaintrelle Weekender, my weekly post that is a little of this and a little of that. A meandering conversation of things that catch my eye.
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Fast Food
I don’t want to subscribe to the cliché of university students subsisting on rice (and ramen), but… there’s a reason clichés exist.
I was dubious about Delia’s method for cooking rice (I’ve taken Indian, Thai, and Mexican cooking courses, and, trust me, I’ve been taught many methods on the “right” way to cook rice.)
It turns the craziest way to cook rice is also the simplest.
Required Reading
America’s Test Kitchen 100 Techniques
When I moved out of my parents’ house to go to university, my best friend’s mother gave me The Woman’s Day Cookbook – the one you might remember that had the red and white checkered cover. It was a little bit posh, offering up recipes like the very sophisticated Tuscan Chicken and White Beans that was – unbelievably – low fat, one pot, and ready in under an hour. The Hungarian Chicken Paprika (which is also low fat BTW), I noted in the margin with a check mark and the description, “ very good, super fast, very easy + clean.” I’m no longer sure what I meant by “clean” but perhaps it was in reference to the low fat? Maybe because it was one pot? Anyway, I still have the 700+ page tome, and while I no longer cook from it (at least, consciously) I will never part with this integral start to my cooking “career.”
You might want to offer the same to a fledgling cook who you know. And may I recommend ATK’s 100 Techniques? I’ve had this book renewed from my library all summer as it’s not that easy to find in print (which I understand makes this an annoying recommendation.) You can find it online, and it looks like in Canada only used versions are available, so that’s the route I will likely take.
But, should giving a second hand book or scouring the internet not be of interest, give ATK’s The New Cooking School Cookbook: Fundamentals a shot. It’s similar to Techniques, and offers loads of teaching wisdom for chicken stocks, baking bread, foolproof vinaigrette, and cooking fish on the grill, along with about 200 other must-know recipes.
Just Sleep on It
Ok, I had never heard of this sheet set that has almost 400-thousand 4.5 star reviews, but my sister did and she promptly told me about it after buying a set for herself. Friends … these sheets are as low as $30. Prices vary depending on size and colour, but from what I can tell none are over $50. I got the “wheat” Queen set for $40. Reviewers praise the quality describing the linens as, “light,” “breathable,” “soft,” etc. etc.
Nerd Alert
Sharpie Retractable Highlighters
I’m not sure if the young’uns still use paper and pens, but if there’s a chance you know someone who does, these highlighters are clutch.
I use mine daily, as I’m an obsessive psychopath who creates daily colour-coded to-do lists in my spiral bound notebooks. I would simply be lost without them.
Turkish Bath
Demmex Turkish Hand and Bath Towels
I love Turkish towels. Soft, chic, absorbent … I can’t ever see myself going back to terry cloth. If you have someone who is living in a dorm situation, they will love these light-weight, fast drying towels. And if you know someone who is living in a regular home, they will also love them.
Speaking of School and Being Prepared …
Friends, if you’re in or near Toronto on September 10, you really don’t want to miss this event.
We have Rob Carrick, the just-retired personal wealth columnist for the Globe & Mail kicking the evening off with an encouraging talk on how to get financially secure in very uncertain times. Corinne Marks, a leading Toronto Realtor will go through the pros and cons of both buying and renting property; and the evening closes with Aseel El-Baba, a financial planner turned financial therapist, who will help us understand (and potentially fix!) our beliefs around money.
And of course, there will be plenty of breaks to enjoy premium wine and delicious food.
While this event does support women, anyone seeking financial clarity is welcome.
Early bird tickets are selling now, but not for long. Get yours before the price goes up.
Next Week…
With the panic of back-to-school in the air, I’ll be sharing a few of my favourite recipes for getting a stylish dinner on the table in 30 minutes. I return to these again and again and they never fail.
And on Wednesday, I will be sharing a premium post for kitchen projects that turn into dinner saves any night of the week.
Until then –
xo-Erin
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Delia always knows best.
Wait! The Delia’s rice link took me to an Amazon.ca sheet set! Help Erin help!