House Spouse

You may have noticed, that is if you don’t just read this blog in your feed reader, that the design has changed. That’s a temporary thing. See, there were some things lost when we installed a new version of WordPress and I simply don’t have the time to fix them.

There’s been a lot happening in the M-G household. Somethings wonderful, some not so. Our car is broken. Really really broken this time. So broken that we’ve all but decided to sell it this summer (fixed, of course), move to the neighborhood where my school is located and sign up for a shared car service. The worst thing about this is that we were so excited to be getting a very decent tax refund this year, but you can guess where the entire check is going.

Now that the bad news (and really, it’s more of inconvenience news) has been shared, here are the good things that have been happening.

What a mess of cilantro we have!

And little miss mint has decided to emerge, too!

Last weekend there was panzanella, made with the most delicious asparagus and carrot ribbons. Perhaps it was a pedestrian panzenella as I made it with commercial whole wheat sandwich bread, but I use what I have and there was no use in purchasing a $5 artisinal loaf when I already had a half a loaf of sliced bread begging to be used. I’ve also whipped up some carrot salads for lunch a few times and have been utterly convinced that in the case of these root vegetables, organic really is best.

I promise that these recipes will come soon, but for now there is bread pudding. Delicious, sinful, will-give-your-head-a-buzz bread pudding:

Despite my not being a dessert person, I want it all the time these days. (No, it’s not what you’re thinking. I’m quite sure of that.) And where do I turn when I need decadent and rich, but down home and simple recipes? The Pioneer Woman. Since she has the recipe on her blog, I’m taking the lazy route and telling you to just click here. Two things though: One, I could not (could not!) bring my self to use as much sugar as she called for in her pudding recipe. I halved it. It was still delicious. Two, I used half as much butter in the whiskey sauce, which made for a much stronger whiskey flavor. Again, still delicious. It’s your call. Here’s another view though, from above:

Note: Do not eat this for breakfast on a day that you will be running. That run will fail. Trust me.
Another note: You may be asking yourself, “Isn’t she on Weight Watchers?” To which I will respond, portion size. It’s all about portion size. (And having a salad for dinner on nights when a dessert is in order.)

When I was writing for Drive Thru, I made it abundantly clear that I’m not a pizza person, at least when it involves paying for it. I do make a homemade pizza at least on a monthly basis, and I really do enjoy both the making and the eating of it. It’s such a cheap crowd pleaser that can be put together even when the pantry is looking stark.

The only problem I tend to run in is with the crust. I prefer a whole wheat crust that’s thin and slightly crispy, but tender enough to easily slice into pieces. Until two weeks ago, every single recipe I’d tried came up short. I tried this recipe from Oprah.com, and lo-and behold, it provided me with everything I was looking for.

Does anyone else have a good crust recipe? Or their favorite way to make a pizza sauce? I’m always making things up on the fly, usually with a can of tomato paste and whatever else is around: garlic, onions, canned diced tomatoes. I have to confess that I love unabashedly sweet tomato sauce, so I can’t seem to resist adding a spoonful of sugar.

This one was made with crumbled chicken sausage and half of a red pepper on its way out.

I must tell you that I sat here for a moment contemplating the consequences of titling this post, “Brioche Boobs.” Keep reading and you’ll understand.

I was so intrigued by the photographs and recipe for “Sunny Saffron Brioche” on Design*Sponge a week or so ago that I knew I needed to use my first “free” afternoon (as in, reading and working at home) to take on this little project.

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