wicked, bad, evil, naughty blogger!

A few years ago, I helped a friend prepare for a dinner party at her house. Her son's bassett hound stood up on its hind legs and licked the potatoes that were on the counter. She exclaimed, "wicked, bad, evil, naughty dog!" at the poor pooch. I was in the dining room and didn't see what Winnie the hound had done but rather I just heard a rather proper, almost British exclamation of "wicked, bad, evil, naughty dog!" I laughed myself silly. She also once called Winnie a miserable cur. I think there is something to be said for creative insults to animals who misbehave. I always borrow from the book Rebbecca and call my beagles "filthy beggars". Not the most original but really, they are filthy beggars.

Ok, so I have been a very wicked, bad, evil, naughty blogger lately. I have been cooking and I have been eating... I just have not been blogging about it at all. I guess I am streaky (you know, I get on a good steak and then fizzle out) when it comes to blogging. I fear I am streaky when it comes to everything in life. Sigh.

I made chicken bouillabaisse recently. Here it is -




Very delicious and a lot of fun to make. Some foods are just more fun to cook than others and I would say this one is way up there. I used Jacques Pepin's recipe from Food and Wine and it can be found here. I did not use the Pernod or the tarragon at the end since I liked the more subtle anise flavor from the fennel seed. I also took my chicken off the bone when it came time to serve since I couldn't see fighting with the bone at the dining room table. If you make this, be sure to make the rouille which is a homemade garlic mayonnaise. It is excellent and is guaranteed to give you garlic breath for a week!