Just Another Cottage in Blogville

Cooking up a Storm

Without a doubt, my favorite cookbook is "Eating Royally" by Darren McGrady, the personal chef of the late Princess of Wales. I picked it up in Naples, Florida at an exhibit featuring Princess Diana's gowns. All of the gowns were auctioned in New York for charity after the Princess's divorce, and these privately owned gowns were donated for the exhibit "Princess Diana: Dresses of Inspiration" at the von Liebig Art Center. After a tour through -- twice -- I stopped at the gift shop where I spotted the book. Along with recipes, it's full of history, stories about the royal family, and hand-written notes.

The recipe I chose to try today was Iced Coffee, a simple recipe that sounded delicious. Other than a physical therapy appointment this morning I was free and decided to cash my paycheck and spent part of it on the freshly ground coffee and cup of heavy cream for the recipe. I brewed espresso and stuck it in the freezer to chill while I tidied my room, then returned to make the sugar syrup -- two cups of water and a cup of sugar boiled on high -- and combine it with the chilled espresso. At the moment I haven't tried it over ice, but I did get a taste of it slightly warm before I put it away to chill completely. It was very similar to a Starbucks Frappuccino, only a bit sweeter and more homemade tasting. I don't know how the homemade taste can be described, but it seems to appear in almost any food compared to a restaurant.

The physical therapy appointment went well. My PT even moved my next appointment from Thursday to a date next week. She wanted one more week with me to finish the professional work, then I could stretch more on my own. Thankfully I am allowed to run again in July, which I can't wait for, and will be doing lots of stretches.

I did have a little freak-out today at the gas station. I usually go to the one on the outside of town where the price is lower than the one a mile away; it has to compete with the "price war" with all of the other nearby highway stations. I handed the cashier $20 and told him I would be back in for the change. The tank was half-full, so I knew I would have a few dollars change. For whatever reason, I hit the Super 92 button and unwittingly filled my tank with gasoline that is significantly more expensive, and was startled by the numbers. After over a year of driving I'm used to the gas prices skyrocketing and dropping, but I couldn't believe the highway stop price, and didn't dare to wonder how much the gas was in town. As I drove away with no change, I double-checked the price and realized my mistake.

Heart thudding, wondering if my car would stall on the highway, I pulled to the side of the parking lot and phoned my dad. He said my car would work "fine" and the only difference was I might get better mileage that I wouldn't really notice, and it was like buying $50 champagne versus $5 champagne. Both are drinkable, but the $50 champagne is of higher quality. Note to self: pay more attention to the label on the nozzle.

Off to see if my iced coffee is ready for cold serving.

UPDATE: The coffee was amazing. If you like iced coffee of any kind -- especially a Starbucks Frappuccino -- I can give you the recipe!