On the Surfas

Cold and flu season is in full swing, and one of the only upsides of being sick (apart from wearing your pajamas all day) is tucking into a delicious bowl of hot soup. Our whole family recently fell ill with a cold, but Baby Bee and I didn't suffer much. Hubby, on the other hand, was hit pretty hard. So, on the way back home after getting our flu shots, Bee and I stopped at Surfas to get lunch for her ailing father (and me). 

I'm a sucker for great packaging, and I just love their neat, simple, and fantastic presentation of a boxed lunch. Complete with a quote from the late Charlie Trotter on the inside of the box, I immediately felt like an insider in the gourmet world. The tomato and orzo soup was zesty, and the accompanying salad was almost too pretty to eat, with edible flowers sprinkled on it. We also picked up a crusty baguette, which Bee and I almost finished on the way home...

Surfas is a food-lover's paradise. You can go to the cafe for delicious food, and then into the store itself to pick up pretty much any cooking tool that comes to mind. The grocery section with imported pastas, cheeses, sugar, honey, chocolate, cured meats, dairy, etc. is divine.

What excuse can I conjure up so that I can go back? Do I really need one?

Cookware Conundrum

I'm undeniably drawn to and intimidated by cookware. I dream of effortlessly creating sumptuous meals with the skill of a truly gifted cook. There have been many successes in my kitchen, but also plenty of failures. 

In an effort to hone my skills, I recently purchased a new All-Clad skillet. Nonstick. It's GORGEOUS. But, it scares me. I'm nervous that I'm not good enough for it. My fears became reality last week when I tried to make pork cutlets. The breadcrumb coating on them got stuck to the bottom of the pan, and the beauty of the meal was ruined. The cutlets tasted fine, but presentation is everything! (Perhaps I should have followed the cooking guidelines in the pamphlet that came with the skillet...)

So, I need to get back into the kitchen and try again. Maybe not pork cutlets, but something else that will make me feel like I am the chef who long to be.

Any suggestions/tips? Do you also suffer from cookware intimidation?