The Recovery Process

It has been 6 weeks since David's operation.  Throughout this time, David has kept off his feet as advised, minimizing extraneous activities and focusing on his rehabilitative process.  We go to the physio once a week and the doctor every 2 weeks -- although each venture out of the apartment still feels like a big production, we've now mastered the art of carefully getting David into the taxi, arranging his leg over my knee so it's stabilized, both buckling in, and then getting out of the taxi.  Yesterday, the doctor gave David the OK to put his right foot down, little by little, to begin re-strengthening it into walking shape -- after 6 weeks of non-use, it's very weak.  He still has to use the brace and crutches, and it's still a gentle process (no bending, no incline, just some weight, a little bit at a time), but he's on a steady track and, as the doctor keeps reminding us, patience is required.


There have been a few upsides to being at home all time time.  The upside: David is improving his Japanese language skills.  Having time on his hands, he studies some Japanese every day, and also has taken to watching some Japanese cartoons in Japanese, with English subtitles.  He has suddenly expanded his vocabulary and will launch into a word or phrase in everyday context, at once surprising and humoring me.  I think he's a natural -- excellent pronunciation, and an instinctive grasp of the language.  He also uses it in his own way, so his Japanese has a very distinct and charming personality.  It's nice to be able to communicate, if only bit by bit, in another language.

Another plus is that I have learned to do the laundry.  I know this seems like a stupid achievement -- but since meeting David, I have not done the laundry, as he is very particular about how clothes are laundered.  I had, in fact, never even seen the laundry room in our building until David's surgery required that I take up the household chore.  Although David had to write down the instructions for me initially, I am now an expert launderer (or so I feel), and am quite proud and liberated by my laundering evolution.

And an upside that also could also be a downside is that I cook everyday.  Since going out isn't an option and delivery meals never seem the healthiest option, I have cooked dinner every single day for the last 6 weeks, with an exception of a work dinner I had to attend (sans David).  Although we had a lunch of delivery pizza twice, otherwise we've existed on home-cooked meals only.  This is my personal cooking-streak record.  To keep this streak going and interesting, I've depended heavily on my cookbook collection (a chance to try out recipes I'd always wanted to try) as well as food blogs.  I think I have expanded my repertoire quite a bit.  The downside to my home-cooking expansion is that I have taken up making some comfort foods that I wouldn't normally eat, unless on an indulgent occasion at a restaurant -- cakes, other types of dessert, pasta, even fried rice.  Although these food items seem innocent enough, we're not used to eating too much of them frequently, so I need to make sure I don't get too carried away cranking out dishes just because we crave them and can't eat out.  (It'd be a shame to come out of this home-bound period chubbier.)

And so it goes.  6 weeks done, more to come, but we're getting through it with our wits and waist-lines still in tact, at least so far!

Invisalign Tray #9

Today I put in my Invisalign Tray #9.  I do feel the difference now -- my bite has changed a lot, since the upper tooth has moved.  Of course, I can't wait to be further along in the process so that the recessed tooth is hardly recessed any longer... ho hum, patience.

Stupid Delcious Chocolate Chocolate Chip Marble Cake

Today I baked a chocolate-chocolate chip marble cake -- I found a great baking blog called "Piece of Cake," and the recipe titled "Stupid Delicious Cake" intrigued me.  I don't have a bundt cake pan, so I baked it in a regular spring-form cake pan -- the result is... stupid delicious!  Super moist, super delicious.  David feels it needs an icing, and I agree... and perhaps some almond extract would give the cake a more exciting kick.  We're taking notes while we enjoy a new addition to our at-home cakes.

The recipe is HERE.

Invisalign Tray #8

Tonight I begin my Tray #8.  This tray will mark my half-way point for my upper sets of trays (8 down, 8 to go).  I've read various Invisalign-users' blogs and know that additional adjuster trays are not unusual AFTER one finishes the originally designated sets of trays... but this is progress for now!  I still can't see a drastic difference, really, although I suppose my recessed tooth is now more visible.  I am also using special mouth-rinse to keep my teeth and gum in tip-top-shape -- which is great but slightly discolors my teeth.  My dentist tells me I will need to get my teeth whitened after this 1 year+ experience.  Having committed to this process, I can't wait for my teeth to look incredibly and visibly different.

David says that when I first had my stuck baby tooth pulled out, the gap was very visible (although charming, of course).  Now, he says the gap is really not noticeable.

Here's a comparison from Tray #1... where my recessed tooth is INvisible...

...to Tray #8, where you begin to see that sneaky tooth....

Rhubarb Discovery

After what seemed like a long, exhausting week, I spent the Friday early evening making Rhubarb with Earl Grey tea, cardamom, and orange zest.  Rhubarb is in season right now -- it's also a produce that has appealed to me forever, but with which I have never experimented... or even attempted to cook.  While we were in London, our favorite haunt, Great Queen Street, had as its seasonal drink a rhubarb prosecco -- a wonderful aperitif.  I have wanted to take on rhubarb for a while, and recently decided that, this rhubarb season, when I find myself cooking at home every night, would be the occasion.

This is a recipe I found on Food52.  The original recipe calls for apples alongside rhubarb -- I used an interesting South American pear I found at Whole Foods instead, which worked very well.  I also didn't have Meyer lemon, so instead, I used the juice of half an orange and the juice of half a lemon (almost-kind-of-sort-of-ish Meyer lemon-like).  All in all, this recipe is super super easy.  The key is to find excellent vanilla ice cream to pair it with, and don't forget the orange zest -- it does make a world of difference!


RECIPE: Rhubarb with Earl Grey Tea, Cardamom, and Orange Zest

Time for Healing

One of our recent life-events about which I've yet to blog is David's knee surgery.

Almost 3 weeks ago, David underwent an arthroscope.  Last January, David twinged his knee while dusting.  Yes, dusting -- not dancing or mountain biking on a wild terrain -- dusting.  David is a committed and vigorous duster, an expert.  We'd had a particularly intensive workout at the gym that Saturday morning, and, as is our weekend domestic habit, we set out to tidy up the apartment afterward.  But this time, he bent his knee in an awkward way and felt a pop.  We now think that because his knee was exhausted from the workout and so weaker than normal, it couldn't sustain the movement.  Since then, his right knee hasn't felt right.  After a series of physiotherapy sessions, x-ray, frustrating dealings with his insurance and an MRI, we searched for an orthopedic surgeon who is sympathetic to dancers.  Fortunately, we found Dr. Bauman, who is the orthopedic surgeon for the New York City Ballet.

The surgery went smoothly.  Dr. Bauman discovered that a piece of cartilage the size of a dime had broken off under the knee.  There was also a slight tear in the lateral meniscus, which he corrected.  He performed chondroplasty (a process in which the damaged surface is burred away in the hope that the healthy joint surface will heal over the defect).  It was good for David to have undergone the surgery, and in good hands.  Unfortunately, the recovery period is longer than we expected -- David will be in a brace and on crutches for 6-8 weeks, and it will take several months more before he's back to dancing form.  While he's on crutches, it is crucial that he not put any weight on his right knee and let it heal completely.

And so for the last couple of weeks, we have been home-bound, and I have worked from home so that I could look after David.  It's amazing what one takes for granted.  Being on crutches, it's difficult to get anything without a helping hand.  Sure, you can crutch over to the kitchen and go to the fridge for food... but then how will you bring it back safely to the couch, where you can put your bad foot up and eat something?  Everything is a hassle.  It's much easier when you have a partner who could help you.  Good thing David and I are pretty experienced at doing everything together and being attached at the hip, practically.  We're getting through, and staying positive, even though seemingly simple tasks become bigger events.  Also, having lost my expert duster and house-helper, I realize just how much David does around the house when he's not on crutches.  The process has made me appreciate the share of housework David readily does.

Not being able to leave home, aside from doctor's visits and physio sessions, cooking at home has become very much a daily occasion.  (Take-outs aren't desirable options, since they're bound to be less healthy/tasty than what might be made at home -- and because David is not moving around and exercising, it's important that he eat well so he won't get chubby.)  It's a big shift in New York, to commit to cooking all meals at home.  I need to be smarter about grocery shopping, for instance, since I can only carry home so much on my own.  Thank goodness for Fresh Direct delivery service!  And the frequent cooking definitely demands that I expand my repertoire, if only for my own sake, since I don't want to keep eating the same dishes I'm comfortable making. 

(Our fridge at one point last week.  Clearly, we need a bigger fridge.  And a better organization inside the fridge.  But I am proud to say that I haven't let anything go bad yet!  I'd like to think this is what happens to a NYC fridge when you know you will cook everyday, all week, and there is some serious planning about what to eat, even if the fridge itself looks like a mess.)

To be honest, it took a little getting used to, energy-wise, for me.   House-work takes much longer when it's just you to do it; and when you're in the house all the time there always seems to be something to clean or make.  But I think I'm getting the hang of it, finding a good balance.  Last week I wrapped up the casting for London (hooray!), which will take the pressure off from me waking up early to liaise with people in London during their working hours.  I've kept up the gym routine on my own, with David instructing me what I should do for each session -- I write down the daily program on a post-it note and bring it with me.  Since we have a gym in our building now, I can go downstairs for an hour, have my mobile with me and be reachable.  Although I worried that my gym-going will wane without David to motivate and take me, I've managed to get myself there on my own, about which I am very proud.  The days somehow seem to speed by faster than I've known them, in our current state of me being the only fully mobile one in the couple.  While I felt exhausted by the end of the day for the first couple of weeks, I'm starting to feel good and confident about getting everything done.

And, most importantly, it feels great to be able to help the person you love, to be useful.  When David tells me about his last post-surgery experience -- he lived alone and didn't have a girlfriend, so he had a cooler with ice and hummus and protein bars set up for himself, and wheeled around his apartment on a desk chair -- I wish I could cook him something, back then.  It's not easy being on crutches, having to stay put for 8 weeks.  It's frustrating, boring, and dulling to the body -- especially for someone like David, who is so active.  But at least we can do this together, and, luckily, I'm not casting any shows for a while and so I don't have to go away. 

Since I will be cooking all the time, I hope that this period will inspire me to greatly expand my culinary parameter. 

And in this spirit, here are a few recipes and dishes I've tried recently, which are easy and delicious:

ZUCCHINI PANCAKES
These were amazing, and so easy.  The recipe calls for potatos -- I didn't have any, and used butternut squash instead, which worked wonderfully (and looks great).  I didn't have parsley either, and used mint -- also a great substitute.  This recipe has many possible alteration and adjustments.  So easy, so delicious, and a great way to eat vegetables!


BOURBON CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING
Great for dessert or as a brunch item.  David loves it with some maple syrup.  I used rum instead of bourbon, and grated some orange zest for aroma.  Easy, tasty, and decadent.

BOILED ARTICHOKES (no website)
Artichokes are in season, and boiling them is an easy and tasty way to eat them.  Fill a pot with water, add whole pepper corns, a lemon (cut in half), and a drizzle of olive oil (about a table spoon); bring the water to a boil.  Artichokes should be cleaned as follows: cut the excess stem off; take kitchen shears and clip off the top parts of each leaf; cut about 1.5 - 2 inches off the top of the artichokes.  When the water comes to a boil, submerge the artichokes in the pot.  A good way to do this and make sure the whole artichoke remains under water is to put plate(s) on top of them.  At a medium-high heat, boil for about 30 minutes, or until a fork goes easy through.  We dip the leaves in a garlic aioli (mayo, minced garlic, mustard, lemon juice, salt, to taste).

Invisalign Tray #6

On Tuesday, I began my Invisalign Tray #6.  I had to keep the last 2 trays for 3 weeks each, instead of the usual 2 -- after already having had to go back to Tray #2, because my dentist wasn't happy about how my teeth had moved... which meant quite a set back in my moving-through-the-trays process.  But I seem to be back on track, and my dentist was happy to note that my problem tooth on the top -- the one recessed -- has moved significantly.  It's hard to tell for me... but looking at the previous photos, I suppose now the recessed tooth is more visible.  (NOTE: If you click on the "Invisalign" tag at the bottom of this entry, you can view ONLY my Invisalign blog entries... and so can compare photo progression.)  I can't wait for it to be more prominently visible, and thereby, entirely different from my previous teeth alignment.

All in all, I have gotten used to wearing Invisalign.  The hardest part is when I am cooking -- it's annoying to have to take them out when I need to taste how the seasoning is, how it's all cooking, etc.  It's a delicate balance, because I don't want to keep the Invisalign out for too long, but it's very difficult to cook without tasting as I go.

Anyway, I don't have to see the dentist for another 6 weeks... in the mean time I have in my possession Tray #7 and Tray #8 to put in myself!  Hoping it all goes smoothly...

Snapshots from London 2010

 Fish and Chips at the North Sea Fish Restaurant... top-rated for the classic dish in London.   It was enormous!!!  And sinfully delicious

David and I returned from London Monday late afternoon.  Our office had made a mistake on our reservation, which meant we had an extra day in London -- which was in fact fine by us, since we could spend a leisurely day packing and hanging out.

Casting went well -- crossing fingers now as all the offers have gone out and it's all about getting the contracts signed.  Our last couple of weeks in London seemed to fly by... although plenty of good eating and fun was had in between the busy busy casting days.  One of our activity highlights was going clay-pigeon shooting.  Our friend John is an avid clay-pigeon shooter, and had invited us to go along with him one weekend when we are in London.  On this trip, he and his wife Laurie kindly organized for us to go clay-pigeon shooting the Saturday after auditions were over.  What a treat for finishing the casting process!!!  We had such a great time.

LEFT: Super excited to learn to shoot.  RIGHT: Our guide teaches us how to use a shotgun.

Kitted out with shotguns, ready to shoot!

The guide said that he liked my "style."  I think he was impressed with my fearless firing skills, even if I missed a lot.

David is a much calmer shooter.  He looked very handsome shooting those clays.

Perhaps it was the surprisingly cold weather in May, but we ate a lot of British comfort food done right -- gastro-pubs were preferred, and so we found our way to our favorite, Great Queen Street, numerous times.  We even indulged in fish and chips twice, which is not a norm for us.  On our last trip to Great Queen Street before we left, we share the most enormous chicken pot pie we've ever seen.

It's safe to say that, while we were good about going to the gym in London, we have returned to New York a little chubbier and must now stay off British cuisine.

Because of the ash clouds, our flight home was delayed quite a bit and, when it finally took off, rerouted over Greenland.  We saw the most spectacular sight of Greenland, which felt incredibly close.

Stunning.  Although the flight was much longer than usual, it felt worth it to be able to see Greenland from the sky.

Now we're happily back home, settling back into the New York swing of things.  David came home to his US Citizenship test yesterday, which went well, we think.  He answered all his questions correctly! We await to hear further about the process.  It will be wonderful when all the immigration process is complete.

Next up... getting organized at home!

Setting-up home, London-2010-style

David and I kicked off our "making home" in London 2010 with a big grocery shop, which included this very lush basil plant.  There's something about having a real live plant (as opposed to fake ones), especially a plant like basil, which we might EAT, use for our cooking, that makes us feel more at home.  Although, strangely enough, we haven't had a basil plant in our NY apartment before -- we have, however, consistently bought a basil plant in our temporary, foreign "homes," such as when we've been in London or Berlin for an extended period.

Last night I roasted a chicken, sauteed mushrooms with scallions and and made a wonderful chickpea/leek antipasti from the new Mario Batali cookbook.  While I made way too much, it was very easy and delicious.  His new cookbook is WONDERFUL, I highly recommend it.

David being fed very well by his hard-working, casting supervising wife (he's hard working, too, of course!)... roast chicken, chickpea/leek antipasti, grilled mushroom with scallions, and, obviously, some quality organic cider so beautifully available here in London.

Back in London - together this time

David and I had a pleasant flight from Newark to London.  Everything went smoothly until customs at Heathrow, which we truly believe is the WORST customs anywhere in the world.  Long, dreadful waits, terrible, miserable people asking you questions in the most condescending way.   Ugh.  David fantasized about saying to the customs official, "Look, mate, don't worry, we really don't want to live your fucking country.  We're here because we have to be here, we're not staying, we're not taking any work away from your people (because they fucking can't DANCE!).  We live in New York, why would we want to live here?!"  I think this feeling is not helped by having been detained at Heathrow once (due to incomplete paperwork with the inept office at the time), but fortunately we avoided this uncomfortable - yet understandable - confrontation.

We got through fine past the dreadful customs official, and we're back in Bloomsbury where we will stay in a two-bedroom flat.  We have gone to Waitrose to do our basic grocery shop (i.e. organic cider and bottles of wine, oh, and fruit and veg of course); next up we hope to join a local gym for the 4 weeks we are here.  Getting back into the groove of things.

It's nice to be back in London TOGETHER this time.  And not in a hotel.  It's chilly here, though, much cooler than New York, but I suppose we've come to expect this from London.

Big day tomorrow to kick-off the 4-week casting marathon!

HOME!

Arrived home to New York this afternoon.  SO GOOD to be home.  And the weather is amazing here -- full sunshine spring mode!

The trip was very productive and I got to spend time with my London girl friends, which was wonderful and a great respite from the packed days.  But I am so glad to be back in New York, in our apartment, with my gorgeous husband.  Once home, I stuffed myself with Two Boots pizza and promptly took a nap.  The best sleep I have had in a week, feels like.

Back to London in 10 days... but next time we'll be traveling together.

Take-Away Dinner Disaster

Eating properly in London has been difficult -- audition days are packed, and it has very much been a "go-go-go" situation.  On top of packed days, my Invisalign prevents me from casual snacking.  In fact, I really can't afford to eat without getting food nastily stuck in my teeth, unless I have enough post-meal time for brushing and flossing my teeth... which, on days with very short lunch breaks, is not afforded.  This means I have not been good about eating substantial meals, and my jet-lag has been really bad this time around.  All in all, it's been super long and intense focus-required days, spotty meals, and not enough sleep.  Tonight, I decided I will stay in, get loads of take away food and just PIG OUT.  I went to one of our reliable Thai chains, Busaba Eathai, and got two people worth of food.  Sadly, the chicken curry container opened in transit and spilled all over the environmentally-friendly paper containers and bag.  Thank goodness for the USA Today newspaper I had lying around, so I can lay out my curry soaked dinner.

Not a pretty sight, or easy to eat, but it was good to eat my fill (I didn't eat everything, but a lot!) for a change.

Audition days have been very packed indeed.  I've done this all before, but I'm surprise just how tasking it is this time -- I suppose it's because this year, it's really just me and the casting director.  The resident director is not part of the process, as she is leaving at the end of contract.  This time around in London, it really is between me and the actor auditioning.  No buffers.  This process takes a lot out of me -- on one hand, I have met some incredible, super-duper experienced actors who have worked with directors I'd consider The Greats.  It's an honor to read them for parts and direct them, give adjustments in my own way.  But on the other hand, this great honor is a great stress -- I feel too young and inexperienced to be noting these incredible actors who have worked with directors and on shows I have studied about on paper.

I did make it to the gym once, so I'm not doing too shabby on the fitness front and not just drinking rose wine.  Although the wine does help me "ease" into sleep a bit better.

2 more days of auditions for this round!

Back in London - and back to a life in a hotel for the week

I arrived into London tonight -- fairly smooth trip.  Now back in the familiar Radisson Bloomsbury for the week.  I'm not happy with the room I'm in, but there's nothing the hotel can do for tonight (my having checked-in at 10:30pm or so).  Hopefully I will move rooms tomorrow.  The room I have looks onto the courtyard of an awful-looking apartment building deeply reminiscent of a prison.  I can't keep my blinds open because it's so ugly and confining.  Okay for a night, not good for a week's stay.

Anyway, it's too late to get any food, really, so I've gotten myself some take-away wine from the bar downstairs.  It's a Californian Syrah rose I've come to drink whenever I am staying at the Radisson Bloomsbury -- I find I drink more rose than white in London -- which I hope will help me get over the jetlag and go to sleep, ready for a big big day tomorrow, working with actors on my own.

London-bound

I leave for London early Thursday, will be there for a week.  Still no better at packing... And the dreaded question is, How do I pack for a week of London rain?

Back to the... Tray 2

I am going to London next week, so I went to the dentist today as part of my prep for being away from NYC.  I'd expected the visit to be a short and concise one, in which I pick up Tray 4 and 5 and be on my way.  This was not to be.  It proved to be time that I got attachments for the top (uncomfortable process, but necessary), and my dentist has instructed me to go back to Tray 2 for 2 weeks -- she is not happy with the way my teeth have moved.  BOO.  That's losing 3 weeks, since I'm already halfway through Tray 3.

*sigh*

Good thing I kept Tray 2.

TRAY 3

In an on-line discussion forum about Invisalign, a few people mentioned that it is good to put in the new trays of Invisalign the night before one's start date, as over night the teeth will adjust to the new trays.  I followed this suggestion when beginning Tray 2, and so I repeat this process tonight.  As before, it hurts a lot as I put in the brand new trays.  Although one can't tell much difference between Tray 2 and Tray 3 simply by looking at them, my teeth definitely feel the slight adjustment.  But I'm excited to start the brand new trays.

I'm keeping all the old trays so that I could line them up and see the difference in the end.  Plus, I spent a fortune on them, it feels weird to just dispose of them so readily.

Rum Pear/Hazelnut Cake

Having never been much of a baker or a dessert person, I didn't have a spring-form cake pan... just this larger pan, so I have been making the cake at 1.5 times bigger.  I now own a spring-form pan, inspired by this cake and wanting to explore others, but David requested that I continue to make this bigger, rectangular version, because there is more in the end.

P.S. I just gave up on trying to create any design on the surface because the cake just seems to rise over it anyway.

David and I have a new snacking addiction... I mean, snack sensation we like to have available to us in the fridge.  It's Rum Pear Cake, which is the altered version of the Rum Apple Cake I made a couple of weeks ago.  After several passes at making the cake, we have hit the ideal combination.  It's truly delicious, gluten-free, wheat-free and totally satisfying.

I follow the recipe as was posted HERE, but make the following substitutions:

- Hazelnuts instead of almonds
- Anjou pears instead of apples
- I double the amount of rum (we use Mount Gay Rum - Eclipse, which is a darker rum)
- I use muscavado sugar, which is listed in the recipe as an option.  I don't use the full amount, just a little bit less, because we prefer it less sweet

I found that our superpower blender does an excellent job grinding the hazelnuts.  I put the blender on "Snow" setting, works like a charm.  No need to get a spice/coffee grinder.

David LOVES this cake (I do, too), and it is quickly beginning to beat out the chocolate flour-less cake as the home-made dessert choice.  It's easy, lovely, and has gorgeous, almost pudding-like texture because of the rum.  We highly recommend this recipe.

Tray 2 - finding spaces

I know this is a weird and perhaps unattractive photo to post... but as I go through the Invisalign process, I thought it's good to record this experience alongside everything else, to see the changes.

It's hard to see in the photo, but I noticed today that I suddenly have more space between my teeth on the bottom.  I attribute this slight alteration to the Invisalign.  I really feel there is a change -- floss goes through easy and with room to spare, I can see a definitive space between each tooth.  During the Invisalign process, one usually gets one's teeth "shaved."  This shaving process is necessary to make room for the teeth to move.  Basically, the dentist/orthodontist takes a tool and "shaves"a bit more space between teeth.  While I've had my teeth spacings shaved on the top, not on the bottom.  And yet suddenly all this space!  Remarkable.

Tray 3 next week.  I've gotten used to wearing Invisalign.  It's still a hassle that I have to take the trays out each time I want to taste something or drink anything with color, but it's not too bad.  Having Invisalign certainly prompts you to ask yourself, "How much do I really want to eat/drink this?"

The most difficult times for me with Invisalign is when I am cooking, when I want to taste the seasonings.

It's that time of the year...

... when we start talking about the London re-cast and we start planning to live in London for about a month.

It always gets busy all of a sudden when this re-cast season comes upon us.  Suddenly I'm incredibly aware of London time -- the work days are necessarily earlier, mornings are packed with phone calls and emails, which peter out in the NY afternoon once London has closed for the day.  As always, I don't think this re-cast will be easy.  And with the show going into its 5th year and the budget seeking to be smaller, there will be a lot to do in the 4 weeks David and I currently plan to stay in London.

Because of the demands and specific difficulty of this re-cast, I requested to have a week on my own in London to do further preparation work before the 4 week re-cast period that was originally allotted.  This request was approved this morning, which means I head out to London for a week around March 25.  While I feel fantastic and relieved about having my request approved (the letter to the producers took painfully long to compose), I feel sad about having to leave David and NYC for a week.  I know it's only a week; and I've done casting sessions on my own in London and elsewhere before, on some occasions for 2 weeks instead of 1.  But we'd fallen into such a great groove of healthy eating and living at home, I'm loathe to leave it all of a sudden.  I have great aspirations to continue the gym sessions while I am holed up in a hotel in London, however... crossing fingers!

So as of now, I go to London for a week the end of March, come back to NYC; then David and I go to London around April 11 for 4 weeks.

In other news, I've had some stomach issues this week, which explains why my cooking blog entries had stalled.  I've had recurring stomach virus issues this year, and it's been a painful and nauseous few days.  Hopefully I am on the mend, finally, and will be able to enjoy the weekend -- NYC is supposed to see some hints of spring this weekend, so we are looking forward to it!

Cauliflower Shepard's Pie (sans potatoes)

Last night I made my Cauliflower Shepard's Pie, which proved very successful.  In the end, I ended up only using cauliflower puree for the crust, no potatoes.  For the meat filling I sauteed ground veal, leeks, shiitake mushroom and baby portabella mushrooms.  Like the Michael Chiarello recipe I mentioned before, I added chopped thyme, parsley, flour (tablespoon), tomato paste (tablespoon) and cinnamon (only a teaspoon and a half).  As the filling cooked, I added a cup of white wine and about a cup and a half of chicken stock (unlike the red wine and beef stock Michael Chiarello calls for -- I thought the white wine/chicken stock combination would be lighter and more suited to veal).  I simmered it all down for about a half hour.  After all done, I lined the bottom of a pan with the filling, then layered the cauliflower puree on the top as the "crust."  I used two heads of cauliflower -- steamed the florets until very very tender, then pureed it in the blender with a dash of olive oil.  I sprinkled a thin layer of parmesan cheese on the top, then baked it until golden.

We had some leftovers for lunch today and I must say, it's even better the next day.  The shape comes together more as it's had time to settle.  Substituting cauliflower for potatoes worked wonderfully -- very flavorful, creamy in texture, but not stodgy.

Top view

Side view