A very special root veggie

How often do you walk by this little guy in the produce department and never even consider it? I cannot count the times I overlooked this root vegetable. I mean, what do you do with it? And doesn't it taste like licorice? I can't stand licorice!

My curiosity got the best of me when my recent Clean Eating magazine came to my door. They featured the lesser known edible and stated, "If you're still unsure about trying fennel because you're not a licorice lover, put your mind at ease..." OK. I was convinced. Because everything you read is truth, right? So, I bought a pair of fennel bulbs for the test.

Roasted Fennel with Parmesan
2 large fennel bulbs, sliced into 4-8 wedges
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 T. Olive Oil
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add fennel wedges and cook for 5 minutes. Drain well and let cool slightly. Place in a square pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then toss with oil.
Cook in oven for 30 minutes or until fennel pierces easily with a fork. Sprinkle with Parmesan and roast for another 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

The smell alone is rather intoxicating when slicing and that hint of anise at your first taste is amazing. I have ventured into the world of fennel and my life will never be the same.

Fennel, Happy Valentine's Day. I love you!

Reading Nook

If you knew me in college, then you can recall this chair. It began as my parent's living room chair but became mine when I moved in at 20th Street. I recovered it this crazy yellow fabric to match my crazy bright blue couch. My style then was whimsical and colorful. It was college and I wasn't ready for "adult decorating." I brought the chair with me to VAB but hid it in a spare room. I wanted to use it again but just not in this shape. Both my style and taste have changed since college, needless to say.

I officially divorced the chair and ottoman a few weeks ago. The chair now lives in my bedroom and the ottoman will live in my living room once a few changes are made. I'll update you on those updates, but first the chair.

For a while, I have envisioned a little reading nook in my bedroom using the yellow chair. I weighed my options of recovering it, either by myself or hiring it out, or using a slip cover. My financial situation said "Slip cover." I purchased a black slip cover right after Christmas as the first step towards my dream reading nook.

I wanted to use my new love for sewing to dress up this little corner. Since I love houndstooth, I decided to make a pillow to use with my new favorite fabric pattern. I had a small side table I decided to use but needed to add something to cover the top. Its original top didn't match at all. My mother suggested using the leftover houndstooth and a solid color to make a small runner. I made that this weekend with scraps I found around my sewing corner. A reading lamp was purchased on sale and Chip finally hung a picture tonight.

I'm pretty excited about this little corner of my room. Now, I wonder if the reading nook will inspire me to, well, read.

It's an addiction...

Bread. Since receiving the book, I have made 4 loaves.

First off, the book arrived on my doorstep a full day prior to the expected delivery day. That was pretty exciting! I opted to spend the evening reading up on the method, make the dough the next day, and bake my first loaf the following day. Well, I made the dough right after work and let it rise for the evening. Around 8:30pm, the curiosity overtook me. I had to make bread immediately! And I did. The aroma in my home was amazing and the excitement that I made bread was incredible. It could have been Christmas morning for a 6 year old to see my reaction to yummy artisan bread coming out of my oven. Albeit, I was alone so there are no witnesses.

The first loaf was pretty good but a bit denser than I would prefer. The book says your first loaf from a batch will not taste the same as the last loaf. Boy were they right! I made the other loaf a few days later and it was better than anything you would ever purchase at a store.

This new found interest is entirely too easy to execute and may be my downfall. But on the upside, it definitely fueled me for my latest long run without any complications. So, learning to make my own bread may be just what the doctor ordered for Marine Corps training. Of course, that won't start until July-ish but those details aren't really important...right?