a new start

memorial day was a new start for me.

so many holidays have happened

since i moved away six years ago.

they all resembled each other.

i, on the brink of frantic, would

cook as much as i possibly could in my

kitchen, before arriving at my mom's,

an hour away

with a couple of half-prepared dishes,

various cooking utensils,

baking vessels and

plastic baggies filled with mise en place:

toasted nuts,

measured baking soda or cinnamon,

chopped onions

and bottles of things.

while my family sat and socialized,

my mom and i would cook.

and i, who usually cooked a lot

before i came, would be tired.

mom, too, i'm sure.

but, this year.

this year, for memorial day,

i found myself in our new house,

just 10 minutes from my mother's.

by myself. larry had left

for a bachelor party two days before.

i had this brand new space to myself

and i did not have to dream up ridiculous

plans to get the food from

point a

to

point b.

i was going to get to know the kitchen.

sure, i had cooked a couple times earlier

that week - reaching into the drawer with

foil when i needed flatware, opening up

the cabinet for olive oil and finding mixing bowls

and trying to figure out how much money we're

willing to set aside for an electrician to install

new lights in our crazy dark kitchen.

but, this time was different.

i was on my own timetable

(not trying to rush to finish before

the sun went down and the room was

rendered too dark) and i had the day to

not be spastic.

and i used it.

i woke up in the morning with

all ingredients for the hamburger buns

and potato salad already in the house -

for me, this is the real secret to organized

success. the second i have to leave, go to the

grocery store, come back and get started

is the second my day somehow always goes

awry. i went downstairs and i cooked.

it went well.

extremely well.

i learned where everything was

and i discovered that the counter to

the right and left of the sink are

pretty good for prep work. i realized

that it is nice to have a modern oven,

with buttons instead of dials,

and that i can appreciate the ugly

ceiling fan that the former owners installed.

but, i didn't, i realized too, late,

take pictures with the intention of blogging.

the dough for the buns had already risen

before i remembered to grab my camera

and even though i started early with potatoes,

i still missed some crucial shots, like um,

maybe a pretty one.

still, i got some good ones to commemorate

my first holiday in my new home, near

my family.

as as i read the recipe for hamburger buns last year in the new york times, i wanted to make them immediately. then, they started showing up in blogs and i just kept waiting for my chance. this memorial day, it happened. my mom made feta and spinach turkey burgers, erin squeezed shredded cucumbers for tzatziki and i finally made some buns - successfully on the first try. i can't believe that three years ago, i was so afraid of yeast that i ignored any recipe that called for a packet.

i made potatoes gribiche a couple months ago after staring at potatoes on my counter for way too long and remembering that that's exactly how luisa, from the wednesday chef, originally came across the recipe - guiltily ignoring potatoes nearing their expiration date in her kitchen. the first time, i made them, adding a bit more mustard and vinegar, and served them soon after, warm, as intended. it was the perfect dish for me, tangy, salty, crunchy and all surrounding crisply roasted potatoes. the next day, even though it was cautioned otherwise, i had the leftovers and didn't mind them one bit. that's why last week, i took a chance and made a double batch of them for the barbecue, not at all worried about the fact that they wouldn't be served for hours. my family loved them and reinforced that this is a great alternative to well, any side dish you might otherwise make.

next up - a real blog post with a real honest to goodness recipe.