As I say hello, I should tell you that I am eating a Cortland (if you aren't familiar with this type of apple, do yourself a huge favor and go find one to eat), alongside some Cabot Cheddar. Omigod. I have recently been able to obtain Vermont's delicious Cabot cheese here in the mighty midwest, and their funny ad campaign here is something along the lines of "lucky New Englanders have been eating this cheese for years and years - here's some for you to enjoy!" and I must say that they have a point. It's $9.99/lb at my chain grocery store and a bit cheaper than that at the one Trader Joe's that had it, last I checked. It makes midwestern cheddar look so silly. Like thickened milk. That someone dyed orange. If you can access Cabot Cheddar, I highly recommend that you do so. As soon as possible.
PS If you are a lucky New Englander, you know that Cabot cheese is simply the non-generic cheese option at the grocery store. And that it is significantly less than $9.99/lb.
Once I've spent my $5 I like to grab a few bunches of vegetables that are only $2 or $3 each, as most of the flower stands also sell a few vegetables. This week I was about to get beets (a favorite of mine) and to their immediate left I noticed the pile of leeks. I looked down at my feet that were happily inside socks and shoes. I looked down at my chest where my scarf hung. I thought. Hmmm. I think this cool weather merits some soup! So I grabbed up the leeks with images of potato leek soup in my mind and waited for the right day. Today was a cool fall day, so I grabbed a russet potato on the way home and voila, I had my ingredients! To add a little fancy to the meal, I got a loaf of french bread too, so I could make some crispy garlicky toast slices, I want to call it bruschetta, but I didn't put anything besides garlic and butter on the bread, so I'm going to stick with 'crispy garlicky toast slices'. I used Mastering the Art of French Cooking as a guide, but I'm putting my version below.
