I like to cook, even though I'm only really successful about 1/2 of the time. I suppose I cook mostly because I like to eat, but I also like making other people happy, and it seems that most others like to eat, too.
Anyway, I tried to make a pork roast with potatoes and carrots like my mom used to do. It was for a Roosevelt House lunch on Sunday. I think I didn't give it enough time to cook. And something was wrong with the flavoring. I was sorely disappointed. The girls were gracious, though.
The whirligig cookies I made for dessert helped to make up for the sad meal. If you've never had whirligig cookies, yours is a sadly lacking life. These are without a doubt the best cookies in the world. Yes, the world. I challenge you to find, on any continent, a better cookie. It's peanut better cookie dough swirled together with chocolate. Oh, yum.
Anyway again, that's still not the point. (sheesh!) I had leftover pork from the dinner, so I decided to cook it along with the bones in my crock pot and make soup. I like homemade soup and it's getting a little cooler, so soup is perfect.
Yesterday we cleaned out the basement at the Roosevelt House (stick with me, here; these stories are actually related) and in addition to the satisfaction of a nice neat and orderly basement, I scored a bag of pearled barley from Sarah. Her mom regularly sends her cooking stuff, but I ended up with the barley. I don't actually know the difference between 'pearled' and 'not pearled' barley. I had never cooked with, or even eaten barley, as far as I remember. Unless someone fed me barley overseas. Sometimes I ate things I couldn't identify, but those things were rarely grains. Mostly they were from animals. Once I thought I was eating rice noodles (which I like) and it turned out I was eating jellyfish tentacles (which, it turned out, I do not like so much; very chewy) Yuck.
So I decided to make pork and barley soup, even though I'd never heard of such a thing before. It seemed reasonable. I cooked the meat overnight and then washed and poured in the barley before I left for work this morning.
Barley expands. When I got home it was almost to the top of the big crock pot, and it had become about the consistency of oatmeal. Hmm. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting. But I watered it down a bit, added some carrots and spices, and am now munching happily away on my hearty soup. It's, um, somewhat reselmblant of elmer's glue, and only tasty if you're really hungry.
If anyone's hungry, I'll save some for you. I have a lot.
Unrelated story: last night I watched the movie The Holiday with some friends. This was my third viewing of said movie, and I would just like to say that I would marry the Miles character in a heartbeat. I keep asking people which of the two main male characters they would be interested in, and no one seems to agree with me, but I just don't understand that!
I will admit that the other guy (played by Jude Law) is hotter, but he's not as quality of a guy! Miles (played by Jack Black) is funny, sincere, super-musical, and just plain old nice. What's not to love!?! Too bad he's a fictitious character. :)
7 comments:
So, now you have to give us your cookie recipe...I've got to try them! :)
How could you dangle cookie stories in front of us, and not give us the recipe? That's just...cruel!
But yes, I'd marry Miles, too. He's sweet. ;)
~M
Leslie my dear, Miles is a favorite in Montana. =)
leslie, the barley story is hilarious! it would've been even more hilarious if the crockpot would've erupted, but maybe next time. as a budding cook, i'm glad to have the forewarning where barley is concerned. just when i think i'm getting to be a hotshot in the kitchen, there are nights like last night when both part one and part two of my dinner nearly made me gag. sometimes the garbage disposal saves me from myself. that and frozen bagels--dear einsteins, you are indeed my brothers.
love to you!
I've learned that fastest way to learn how to do something is to do it wrong the first time. Those are also some of the most lasting ones. Props for trying, but I will have to pass on the "only tasty if you're really hungry" soup:)
sista,
we ate muito barley in russia. it was that gross swollen grainy stuff they served with every slab of meat.
i second, or third, the request for the cookie recipe.
Liesl! Stop writing about food - I read this last night and actually dreamt of your Alfredo. And bizarrely enough when I was straightening my hair this morning it smelt like barley....
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