You know it’s getting cold when I start fantasizing about food. I become a glutton of comfort, googling recipes for soups and chili and (as I said in my last post) lasagna. And this year, my new thing: brunch. Since I work nights and weekends, seemingly interminably, it occurred to me that brunch might be the better way to host and exorcise my cooking demons. Bonus: you’re practically required to drink before 5pm when you have brunch.
“Brunch has been a Thing for ten years,” Joey told me from Brooklyn when I declared my 2013: Year of the Brunch intentions via Facebook message to the Ohio 5. I could almost hear his boredom. I could almost hear his eyes rolling. Joey is one of those people who is always snapping pictures of his food and posting them on social media. Which I only do very occasionally.
“I know it’s been ah Thing,” I told him. “But this year it’s my Thing. And don’t start telling me how passe’ I am, or it’s no brunch for you!”
I am collecting recipes from all over the place… instructions for strata (the plural of which, I’ve decided, should be “strata” – if it isn’t already), frittata (which is just fun to say), quiche, and my sub-obsession: savory cheesecake. I had a slice of one on the Disney cruise a year and a half ago, and zowee, was it unexpectedly delicious. Rock shrimp and caramelized onion.
Also? There is virtually no difference between strata, frittata and quiche. Mostly the divisions come in crust vs. no crust and method of prep (frittata is commonly cooked on the stovetop before being transferred to the oven).
Saturday I’m having my brother-in-law’s cousin and her boyfriend for my first brunch. I think I’ve settled on a veggie & sausage frittata; clementine, fennel & arugula salad; and pecan shortbread bars for that. Plus the obligatory mimosas and Bloody Marys.
Today I shall go to my Happy Place grocery store, which is 30 minutes from the house, and I shall stock up on a bunch of stuff I need/want in order to cook as I wish. It’s been a little while since I did this, indulged in a full day’s cooking (not baking). The plan for today is French onion soup, which takes four hours, and maybe one of the lasagna recipes. In between, I’ll be cleaning like crazy, because it’s been a while since I did that, too. And I just might have some classical music playing throughout.
You may think I’m a sucker for indulging my senses. You’d probably be right. But if they weren’t meant to be satisfied, we wouldn’t have them. The poor cavemen didn’t know what they were missing. Fortunately, we have evolved.
Question: do I have to get out of my warm, cozy lounging-around clothes to go to the store?
thesinglecell 
The answer to your last question depends on the store. If it’s one of those giant, cultural Harris Teeters, then black-tie attire is appropriate. If it’s Walmart, then lounging-around clothes are probably overdressing.
Also, I want to be one of your Facebook friends! You could call me the North Carolina One.
You ARE one of my Facebook friends! Just the anonymous me page instead of the Everybody Here Knows Me page. 😉
The store was not Harris Teeter-level, but I don’t do Wal-Mart, as I don’t own any clothing describing my ass as “juicy” or otherwise showing off things best not shown off. I love the store because it has everything a cook and baker could possibly want or need. Fennel? There’s no way in Hades I’d get fresh fennel in the stores near me in the urban jungle. I believe in supporting local businesses, but sometimes ya gotta hit the suburbs to find what you need.
Questions like this prompt the answer: It is clearly time to buy denim pajamas. And don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.
Oh, I do, because this is the THIRD time you have mentioned them to me on my blog comments. Upshot: I feel bad for Alan. 🙂
Let’s just agree: Alan was probably happier before he had Lasik.
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