Monday, February 13, 2012

Party at the Drop of a Hat

NOT My Quiche

Uncle P's day job is at a very well-known NPO. We administer (among other things) a very well-known academic test for a very specific field of post-graduate study (that's just about all I can say without violating the non-disclosure agreement I signed when I accepted my position at said NPO and I will neither deny nor confirm any speculation in your comments - even though all my friends know what that NPO is).

My co-workers are a pretty amazing group of people, most of whom I love dearly. We all tend to be rather liberal in our politics and make no bones about it. We also love to eat and party and I have often said that we will throw a party if someone sneezes. This is especially true of the first floor, where I work. 

Tomorrow is our annual "Red Food Party" for Valentine's Day. Not everything served is red, though many try to bring only red dishes. In my department particularly, we try to be as creative as possible with the food we bring to these events. I know I have blogged about food and cooking here on Caliban's Revenge before. And while I am far from a gourmet chef, I do like to consider myself a rather good Home Cook who tries to be creative (I made an amazing, if I say so myself, Blood Orange glaze for chicken a few weeks ago) while using the skills passed on by my grandmother and mother, as well as tips and recipes I have found on various TV cooking shows.

That being said, I made my first ever quiche for tomorrow's caloric orgy. It was inspired by a Martha Stewart recipe and called for asparagus and leeks. My local  market was out of leeks yesterday, though the very helpful produce manager suggested using Salad Vidalias instead.The resulting quiche looks rather delicious (though I still have issues with making my pie crust look as good as the ones on TV) and I, for one, can't wait to taste it. 

While I'm not quite ready to test my culinary skills on "Chopped," I do take comfort in knowing that I am a much better cook than any contestant on Food Network's "Worst Cooks in America."


If, like most of the food I make for these parties, my quiche is devoured before noon I will make a triumphant announcement about my glowing success. However, if, like a few of the dishes I've attempted it remains uneaten at the end of the day, I will never speak of this again.

UPDATE: The quiche was gone in less than 45 minutes. I was lucky to get a sliver (which was delicious, if I say so myself).

Also - does anyone else hate Valentine's Day as much as I do?

More, anon.
Prospero

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