Living dangerously...

The baby is sleeping soundly and I have a million things rattling around in my no longer coffee deprived brain (thanks again Robbie). I awoke at 6:30 am and promptly remembered I needed milk and my coffee just isn't right without milk. Fortunately, my husband took great pity upon me and my lack of sleep and milk and recognized the true importance of Catie's genuine need for milk...for her coffee. He left for work and I was prepared to either drink the coffee black or with the old milk sitting in the fridge (I know...but, in my defense it didn't smell that bad). A few minutes after Robbie left I heard him return - with milk in hand. What a wonderful, wonderful man.

I finished reading Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously last night and really enjoyed the general idea of adopting a difficult "project" to challenge and change your life. I am anxious to see what they do with the movie because I can't really imagine the movie and book being too terribly similar. I just don't think it would work. Basically the story in the book is about a getting-ready- to-turn 30, disgruntled government agency secretary who lives with her husband in New York City who cusses and drinks too much who finds her mom's Mastering the Art of French Cooking book by Julia Child and decides to cook every single recipe from the book in one year. She keeps a blog about the adventure and by the end truly masters the art of french cooking and winds up with a readership and a book deal. Hilarity ensues and man, the French eat some gross and crazy stuff.

Now I am obsessed with reading more about Julia Child and starting my own "project." My first thought was cooking a fabulous dessert recipe every couple of weeks. Then I thought about actually cooking the recipes in the Cooking Light magazines I hoard. I'm bouncing right back to the desserts, but also realize my idea here is lacking in creativity and probably not appropriately timed with the kid and new job and all. Either way, I've been inspired....to cook, somewhat dangerously, and I know a few people who wouldn't mind partaking in a sugary concoction every few weeks at my house. I've always enjoyed baking and the true challenge here would have to be to find a cookbook with remarkable desserts requiring a level of commitment. We are not talking banana pudding here. (mmmmm banana pudding) So, if you have a cookbook suggestion, send it my way. I suppose attempting the recipes in the Cooking Light magazines would be a healthy attempt, at the very least, and maybe there's a way to combine the buttery baking with responsible meals.

And with that I leave you with this...Julia's French Bread recipe which, in the book Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I, is reportedly 17 pages long.