Yup, that’s what we have become out here at the lake; “A House of Carbs!” Worse yet, I must confess I like croutons on my salad, the crust on pizza and my burger in a bun. I know, I know, we are all eating too many carbs, both good and bad ones, but I love them. Even though I am plagued by insulin resistance and take metformin every night to head off diabetes, it appears there will be no keto diet for me! Paul says carbs are the staff of life and he is the primary cook in our house so what’s a girl to do if she can’t say no?
I think I mentioned Paul dusted off and transported his bread machine to the lake so is back in the bread making business this summer. So far, we have enjoyed whole wheat, rye, mustard rye, Russian rye, cornmeal and Italian herb bread. I have put in a request for an ancient grain loaf which will include some combination of farro, spelt, kamut, quinoa, amaranth, chia, sorghum, freekeh, teff and millet; all of which are supposed to be healthier than today’s processed grains. I have no idea what most of these grains are much less where we can purchase them so stay tuned for how this turns out!
Paul participated in a cooking school in Italy two years ago and came back armed with new pasta making acumen requiring all manner of new equipment and tools which he quickly put to use feeding friends and family. That summer the kitchen counter and island were often covered with racks of fresh pasta and multiple pots of homemade sauces were bubbling on the stove. Life was good!
Did you know….there are 13 kinds of rice and we have 7 of them in our pantry including: white, brown, wild, jasmine, arborio, basmati and valencia. According to Paul we need them all for the many cuisines we are cooking this summer. We have yet to try black, rosematta and red cargo rice and, who knew, both sticky rice and sushi rice are separate varieties. Of course, we have a rice cooker and a special paddle for properly cooking all these varieties so appear to be well on our way to also becoming “The House of Rice.” Did I mention the lovely basmati rice pilaf with asparagus that Paul served along with Chicken Marsala this week? Both recipes came from Cook’s Illustrated where they had been perfected in their test kitchen. He also made Turkish Braised Pork Chops with Spiced Pears this week.
How much worse can it get on the carb front? Oh plenty, after all we are in the Midwest! Case in point, we attended our neighbor’s birthday party this weekend where I had BBQ brisket, on a bun of course, pork and beans, cheesy potatoes and cornbread casserole along with a little creamy coleslaw and butter lettuce salad. Several hours later, I topped it off with cheesecake along with a few bites of a chocolate heath bar cake and a cream puff dessert. All quite yummy and I am in a pleasant carb coma as I write this article. I should just take a nap but happy hour next door starts in a few hours where some tasty carb laden alcoholic beverages and snacks await. I wonder where the restraint of my youth went…on a number of fronts? I guess I will just have to accept being pleasantly plump as I saunter toward an early grave with my wine glass in hand. I will close on a more positive note; my garden beds are chock full of beautiful delicious greens including lettuce, spinach, kale and arugula which we are eating every day. I wonder if we eat them every day for a second week if it will cancel out any of the aforementioned damage done this month. It’s all just too much but life is sure good out here at the lake! 2019