Swoon

I know, I know. It's been far too long since I've blogged, but I'm back. I've been trying to eat healthy and haven't been cooking much while I got into the swing of things. I'm getting better at making rich, flavorful foods that don't pack on the pounds and will be sharing some of those things with you. I also got a new kitchen item I'd like to share.

Dear Le Creuset French Oven, I've waited so long for you. You're just as gorgeous as I'd imagined. I hope we never part. Love, LuLu

I've honestly been dying for one of these for a good five years but couldn't bring myself to spend the money. Then I visited a Le Creuset outlet in Michigan which had all french ovens 40% off the outlet price. At first I only saw yellow, cream, black and kiwi. I hemmed and hawed and decided that I couldn't spend the money on a color I didn't want and was ready to leave the store empty handed. But when I turned to leave I saw a stack of teal ones tucked away on a shelf and wanted to start screaming. Exactly what I wanted for 60% off!! I roasted a chicken in it last night and it's amazing. You'll get to see it later. I'm going to roast stuff all winter long.

I also got a new cookbook that I'll be trying recipes from. "Tender: a cook and his vegetable patch" by Nigel Slater. I hadn't heard of him, but my darling sister in law had. Apparently he's big news in the UK. The book is thick like a dictionary and is laid out in alphabetical order by vegetable. There are absolutely stunning pictures of his garden, ingredients and dishes. There is also excellent information on growing said vegetables, but I won't be going that far. I'm looking forward to sharing recipes like "an extremely moist chocolate-beet cake with creme fraiche and poppy seeds," "carrot and cilantro fritters," and "a rich dish of sprouts and cheese for a very cold night."