Week 1: Creamy Gazpacho

Source: Personal variation of America's Test Kitchen Speedy Gazpacho, from 30-Minute Suppers

I absolutely love vegetables in a completely unqualified and unconditional manner, and the fresher the better. Raw vegetables are especially dear to me (i.e., I love raw carrots. I will not touch the vile putrescence created by cooking them), which makes gazpacho an ideal dish for me. The first time I made this particular recipe, I found the gazpacho itself boring and unimpressive, which is definitely not normal for an America's Test Kitchen recipe. After making it, I felt like I had to defend gazpacho's honor or something. I decided to make it again with some modifications, and it definitely turned out more to my liking. I find that the tomato juice (even the low-sodium version) gives the soup enough saltiness, but you might want to add some salt and pepper to taste. Let me know what you think!

Note: Recipe is best if ingredients are well-chilled before chopping and blending. Do not refrigerate the tomatoes, as this will render them mealy and bland. Get the freshest, ripest tomatoes you can find. The gazpacho will only be as good as its base.

1 large cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and chopped into large pieces
2 small-to-medium red bell peppers, seeded and chopped into large pieces
2 very ripe beefsteak tomatoes, about 1 pound, cored and quartered
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
4 to 6 chopped green onions
4 cloves garlic, pressed
4 tb red wine vinegar (or to taste)
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped and divided
2 c low-sodium tomato juice, divided (reserve 1/2 c extra if necessary for batch blending)
1 c nonfat plain Greek yogurt
juice and zest of 1 lime
2 tb cumin

Pour 2 c tomato juice into blender and add cucumber, tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, green onions, garlic, vinegar, and half of the chopped cilantro. If necessary, blend in two batches using half of vegetables and half of juice, always pouring juice into blender first, next to blades. Puree and pour into large bowl. Blend half bunch cilantro, Greek yogurt, lime juice and zest, and cumin. Reserve some cream for garnish and stir the remainder into the tomato mixture until creamy.

Fantastic garnishes: additional cilantro-lime cream, lump crabmeat, diced avocado, roasted corn, drizzled extra-virgin olive oil

First Fare from the Fellowship Foodie

I'm 28 years old, 29 this February, and I've been in school since I was 5 years old. For those of you who're counting, that's 23 years of school. That means I've spent the past 10 years in higher education and the majority of my entire life in a classroom of some sort. Granted, some of those years involved Play-Doh, fingerpainting, and recess, but the point stands. I graduated with my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology this past June and started a two-year fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology two days ago. This basically means that my 23-year history of not having much of a life will continue for at least the next 24 months. During that time, I'll move on to taking the national licensing exam, move on to worrying about getting a permanent job, getting boarded in my specialty (involving another painful exam)...

It's become painfully clear to me that I need a hobby.

A former attorney named Barry Levenson had the same thought after the Boston Red Sox lost the 1986 World Series to the New York Mets. To work his way through the ensuing oppressive, black ennui, Levenson began collecting mustards of all shapes, sizes, and flavors. The home of Levenson's extensive collection transformed years later into the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin. Even though I have to respect the moxie it took to devote a museum to your own mustard collection, I don't want to end up spending my golden years in a shrine to a condiment (even if the tastings are free and the owner is the spitting image of Woody Allen)... but my options for relaxation are running thin. I mean, there's only so many times you can experience reruns of "The Office" as therapeutic. Going to the spa happens when someone takes pity on me and gives me a gift certificate. Reading has held little draw ever since books in graduate school sucked out bits of my soul page by page... but I still have to eat, right?

The plan is to test at least one recipe a week for the next two years- right through fellowship. At this point, my gentle gourmands, you may be thinking, "Haven't I seen this movie/read this book? Something about some Julie/Julia/woman who blogs about cooking while working through a mid-life crisis?" The answer: Yes. You have. I've been in school for 23 years, and none of those years involved a class on originality. Fortunately, there's no need to reinvent the wheel here. I like to cook, and a lot of you do, too. I'll post the recipe, my revisions to it, and a rating of some sort. Maybe you'll join in with me- send me a recipe to try. Try one with me. Post things that you think would be a good addition to this or that. I don't want to be a chef. I'm doing this because... well... it was there. It's no Mustard Museum, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Famous last words?
We'll see.

National Mustard Museum (Middleton, Wisconsin)