All You Can Eat = All You Can Enjoy

There are few things in life that are very physically enjoyable. Scratch that- in the time it took that thought to go from my head to my fingers, I thought of about six different physically enjoyable things, and six is more than a few. That's what you get for brainstorming new blog posts... But, having said that, let me iterate what I meant to write, in a watered down fashion: I love to eat, and especially when it is all-you-can-eat, and even more especially when I don't pay for it, but can still look at myself in the mirror because I did so honestly. This week I had some truly excellent meals that were noteworthy in my book. As an epicure with palatable taste, it doesn't take much to make Mister D.W.Belly happy. On Tuesday I was invited to a good friend's house for a fresh salmon dinner. "Fresh salmon? in Utah?" you inquire acquisitively. (But then you are distracted and mysteriously impressed at my usage of two words with 'q,' in succession, and the original thought of salmon has vanished like an open box of truffles.) My friend and his wife vacationed in Alaska this summer and caught kilograms of fish, which they immediatley froze and shipped to landlocked Utah. So we had a pleasurable salmon meal with great company and a nice sauce (on the salmon, not the company). Wednesday night I attended a chocolate party and was partial to the bananas dipped in chocolate, although the marshmallows were tasty too. Thursday night I went to a housewarming party with chicken curry, watermelon, red velvet cupcakes and homemade ice cream. Homemade ice cream is irreplacable, like Beyonce. On Thursday I dined with my brother at the Campus Commons (commonly called Cannon Center), containing confections, crepes- cream cheese. I had four entrees becuse I have little will power when it comes to food, and it was all just so good! Yummm. I was such a happy student. I barely even needed lunch because I was so satisfied. I ate some other meals inbetween those ones, but those were the highlights. Holla to Thomas for taking me out to the Campus Commons!

Pfannkuchen!

There really isn't a word in English that directly translates from the German word pfannkuchen. Pancakes, that would be my best attempt. That is what pfannkuchen means in English, but the Germans say it with so much elegance that I found it only appropriate to give them a Holla. When I was contemplating my week in Hawai'i, and what to write about, pfannkuchen came to my mind. It's a shame because there were many exciting things that went down this week, but you will have to wait for a report on them later. I had pancakes three times this week (?) and they were all delicious. I had a hotcake at a local diner in Honolulu on Wednesday night, with homechurned butter as smooth as a satin nightgown (it was late and I was thinking of bed). One hotcake filled an entire plate. On Saturday my travels took me down the street to the Hukilau Cafe, which inspired the cafe in 50 First Dates, among other things. Mac nut pancakes (macadamia nut) satiated my palate at the Hukilau. Yum. I also had a bite of my brother's banana pancakes. It made me feel like Jack Johnson. And then, finally, I had a truly homemade pancake. It was only more homemade than the others in the sense that I didn't pay for it. This was a masterpiece. I made a coconut pfannkuchen with cocount milk, shredded coconut in the batter, and coconut syrup on top. You might say it was a pancake, or you might say it was a "symbiotic relationship between all aspects of the cocos nucifera." That would be different if you said the latter, but I still wouldn't hate on you. If you love pfannkucken, or latin genus names, give my a Holla. Until then, check back for a more exciting post next time.

Tried, Fried and Denied: One Hit Wonders and Blunders in the Kitchen

This year one of my resolutions was to cook more and it's time for a reporting. I got a chinese cookbook while home for Christmas break and that pretty much occupied all of my culinary experiements for the first quarter of the year. But then I made some adjustments and branched out more. The following are some meals I made, the story behind them, and a rating on the finished product:
1.) Ketchup on Salad. Most people can observe basic catastrophes by introspection, but it takes a good, solid experiement for me to learn them. David's Thoughts: "Hmmm. I have a salad but no dressing. My salad doesn't have any tomatoes in it, and I sure do like tomatoes in my salad. Wait a minute! Ketchup has a tomato base doesn't it? Ketchup comes in a bottle like salad dressing, and it does kind of taste like tomatoes. It will be a fine substitute!" FALSE! Rating: F
2.) Honey. It goes great on everything. Probably even salads. Rating: A+
3.) Salmon Burgers. I heard that fish is really good for you, and I found a receipe for salmon burgers using canned salmon in "A Man, A Can, and A Plan." It sounded Can-tastic so I bought all the ingredients and proceeded to cook. It was made of salmon, eggs, saltines and a few other ingredients I choose to forget. I didn't realize it made enough for at least four burgers. After eating one, there was still a lot of "batter" left. For some strange reason, no one wanted to try it out. Long story short, I couldn't bare to see all my hard work go to waste so I choked down two more salmon burgers over the next twenty four hours before giving up and tossing what was left. Good thought, bad execution. Rating: C-
4.) Rice Cake Pizza. I was actually prompted to make this from a suggestion on the back of the rice cake bag, one of the most dependable place to find a receipe. For a crust there was a "light butter" rice cake; the sauce a chunky, tomato, pasta sauce. Then I sprinkled some parmesan cheese on top (it doesn't spread easily on tomato sauce, watch that!) and then topped it off with some imitation bacon bits. This pizza had unpredictable sapidity. A great snack for all the moms out there just trying to feed their kids some healthy after-school food! Rating: B+
I have had many other great memories in the kitchen and out, but I'm afraid that's all I got for now. Carpe diem and Have a fantastic day!