The Hungry Squid

Montreal in the fall is a lovely place to be. The weather is perfect - cool enough that the temperature is perfect for sleeping, but not cool enough for down comforters in the middle of September. The morning air is crisp and bracing without being chilly, and for a long time, the rain retains a hint of warmth, a wistful reminder of a fleeting but beautiful summer. This past weekend and week have been idyllic -  a light work load interspersed with conferences, and luxurious staycation have made it almost seem like an Indian summer. But Monday always comes, and this particular Monday was accompanied by a wicked sore throat, cough and general malaise. So, what's the remedy for tiredness, weekend withdrawal and grad school blues? Soup, of course! I have always put soup recipes on the back burner (pun intended). For me, they've been an accompaniment, and being a self-professed carb aficionado, I have to be in a particular mood to appreciate them. Of course, there are exceptions , b...

Hello, my name is Squid and I have the travelling bug. I caught it earlier this year, after I came back from the West Coast, a vacation that was, as all vacations, too short. It worsened steadily, with friends travelling to exotic places, and was particularly acute when I was preparing for my thesis advisory committee meeting. Now, in the swing of things post-meeting, my condition has improved but the symptoms nonetheless linger.  So what is the best way to beat the vacay blues? Distract yourself with cooking! Ever since resurrecting this half-dead monster of a blog, I have thrown myself into cooking again, with great satisfaction. I am, after all, a hungry squid. After a (very, very) late night on Friday and a Saturday that consisted of rushing around like a wild person during my new apartment redecoration quest , I came home with 2 hours to spare before a potluck dinner in honor of a departing lab member. I wanted to make something light for the dinner, something easy to eat but ...

And with that, summer is gone. I can't believe that it's been 3 months since my last post! Unacceptable - blogging CANNOT and will not fall at the wayside, and I will be held to that. But the last 3 months have been lovely....A summer of sunshine, weddings, old friends, new friends...and of course, delicious food. I spent an amazing week on the West Coast in August and there, had the most delicious, fresh, tender seafood and sushi, the like of which I have never experienced. My standards have been irrevocably raised. Sue me.  I have to admit, summer is not the best time to get down and dirty with your stove, so my adventurous culinary spirit was quelled in favour of huevos rancheros  and a stroll to a friend's place on a beautifully cool night. But now that school has started (though I guess it  never really ended ....?), evenings of cooking experiments are back on the table...pardon the pun. I've decided to start off the cooking year with a simple recipe, for a dish t...