The Hunger Struck - Confessions of a Food Fanatic.

I was rushing home after work yesterday, late as usual and was thinking to myself that there is no way I was going to get the dinner I had planned on the table before midnight. You see, sometimes in my over zealous weekend meal planning mentality I think that I’m capable of doing more than I actually have the energy to do during the week. I make an effort to meal plan on the weekend because otherwise I end up at the grocery store every evening, hungry and without a plan which always results in too much money spent and too little time to actually prepare dinner.

Yesterday evening was progressing in this way but when I finally started to make dinner which was chili and jalapeno corn bread muffins, I realized my tendency to overreact was again getting the better of me. This was seriously going to be a breeze, because corn bread is not that fussy and chili… i mean come on! Easy, right?

I have recently found myself craving chocolate more intensely than ever before. Whether it be choosing a dessert after dinner at a restaurant or a sweet treat to accompany a small cup of coffee to get me through the 3pm work day lull- chocolate is what has been tempting me recently.

When I still lived in San Francisco, there was one place where I would always lose my self control: the Tartine bakery. There’s nothing better than than grabbing a few of their amazing cookies and spending the afternoon laying around Dolores park. When I found myself back in the bay area last week for the Blog Her Food conference, I was extremely disappointed that I was unable to make it to Tartine. I felt that it was the one things I let slip by and shouldn’t have. Ahhh regret. Of course it is always impossible to get to all the the places I adore in the course of one already over packed weekend, but I found myself regretting this one the most.

I’ve heard the rumors, they’ve been floating around for a while and I have to say have really been hoping that they weren’t true. But alas this mornings NY Times has confirmed that after 59 years Gourmet magazine will be stopping its monthly publications after their November issue. Why Conde Nast? Why? AND why Gourmet?

There was just something about the visual appeal of Gourmets glossy food photography that was something I looked forward to receiving each and every issue for. I will miss you Gourmet!

I’m sure everyone has a vegetable that for one reason or another they grew up fearing or at the bare minimum regarded with a certain amount of hesitation. For me fear is definitely an accurate description of my feelings towards fennel growing up. Until maybe six years ago I had never to my knowledge actually even tasted it, as I was raised to believe that nothing good could come of it.

I’m not sure what fennel did to my mother but the reaction she gives when you mention a recipe that features it leads me to speculate that it was definitely traumatic. Funny thing is that on the many occaisins that I have spent in the small town in southern Germany where she grew up, I don’t think I have ever had anything made with it. I’m guessing that’s probably a good thing.