It's Julia Week!

Julie & Julia, the new movie starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child, opens today and yes, I cannot wait to see it.

In honor of this event, I'm going to focus a bit on Julia this week. And joyfully so.

Briefly, some facts and some reasons why I love Julia:

Did you know that she didn't start cooking until she was 37 years old?

I started culinary school at age 36.

She didn't get married until she was 34.

I didn't get married until I was 35.

Julia's love of food and cooking blossomed in France.

My love of food and cooking took me to France.

Julia worked for the OSS and recently was outed as a spy during that era.

I...well, I've watched a lot of spy movies and I've always wanted to be one.

Me + Mom + Wednesday = Foodie Feasts!

Today I'm headed to Mom's for our weekly foodie experiment. This summer we've been meeting up each Wednesday and playing in the kitchen.

Depending on what mood we're in, we make simple salads or complicated French-y dishes. If we're in Ann Arbor, we make a trip to the farmers' market for some ingredients.

We've made panini sandwiches with turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado (courtesy of my new favorite kitchen toy, the Griddler---thanks, Mom!) When we felt super fancy, we made fried artichokes with garlic aioli. Neither my stepdad nor my husband like artichokes so we enjoyed those all by ourselves. A transcendent moment.

Up next is a southern dinner: pulled pork, braised collard greens, cole slaw, hush puppies, and peach cobbler.

mmm...toast

I was about to run to Caribou for Monday Mac time when G said, "Hey, you want some toast?"

I usually hurry to the coffee shop on Mondays to clear my head and get ready for the week's tasks. Plus, Caribou has helped me out this summer with $1 coffee on Mondays. But when G offered toast, I remembered that we had a loaf of homemade sourdough bread and that stopped me in tracks.

We usually have whole wheat or whole grain bread in the house, but this week's special at the market was sourdough, so I couldn't resist. I've bought bread in plastic bags for years...who hasn't? But I don't really enjoy it. It definitely doesn't add anything to my meal experience. In fact, when we have toast from bagged bread, I leave the crusts on my plate and give them to G. Only recently have I realized that when I eat fresh, homemade bread, I eat every morsel of it and even look forward to the crust.

Why? Because fresh bread is a delicacy. The use of "real" bread makes a statement. Real bread takes a sandwich to the next level, makes French toast even better, and in the case of my toast this morning, makes me sit up and pay attention.

We have great local bakeries here in Ann Arbor so I can depend on them most of the time for fresh bread. In the winter and fall, I try to make my own. I highly recommend it; it's really not that difficult and the feeling of accomplishment is worth it (not to mention the aromas that will waft through your house). It's a good project for a Sunday. Just pick up a packet of yeast on the baking aisle at the grocery store and you're ready. All of the other ingredients are probably in your pantry already, for beginner bread baking.

But back to my toast. A thick slice of sourdough, lightly toasted, buttered, with a delectably crunchy crust. Toast with character. Toast the way it was meant to be.