07.18.03 - 12:10 p.m.

So I've started on a new blog, even though I still haven't read FadeIn's back catalog yet. This one is from a gal in NY who has decided (bravely and foolishly) to cook all the recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year. Go, insane foodie girl! I'd love to do something similar, only not with so much bone marrow and half-cooked eggs and MUSHROOMS. Auughhh.

Reading about Potage Parmentier reminded me that we have a Ziploc container full of Carol's Potato and Leek Glob (er, Soup) in the freezer from Christmas. I don't think I'd be sacrificing too much if I threw the entire thing away.

This weekend is All-American-Style cooking: hamburgers and chicken from the delightful Rumson Market, grilled corn, homemade shoestring fries, and the piece de resistance, Ice Cream Sandwich Cake. How does one make such a delicacy, you ask? Why, with simple ingredients you can find at your local Pathmark. Or Foodland Fresh, as the case may be in western PA.

Buy a big honking cheap rectangular aluminum roaster pan. Line the bottom with ice cream sandwiches (please peel the paper off them first). Spread a healthy layer of Cool Whip over the sandwiches. Drizzle fudge sauce and caramel over the Cool Whip. Don't be stingy! Repeat with another layer of everything. Cover with aluminum foil and stick in the freezer for a few hours. So American you can taste the chemicals.

Oh, and there will be some kind of salad involving cucumbers. I have one and a half English cucumbers sitting in my vegetable bin and I'll be damned if I let them go to waste. (Unlike aforementioned Potato and Leek Glob.) Not everyone is as anti-cuke as Dan, right?

I have not yet decided if I'll be marinating the chicken in my new favorite concoction that created such succulent, juicy breasts (dirty!) last week, or if I'll be trying out a tequila-lime marinade I found in Food and Wine. Torn between not messing with a good thing and wanting to get into the summer fiesta spirit.

My marinade, if you care, is quite simple but flavorful and stands up to the searing heat of the Foreman. For two chicky breasts, I chopped up half a red onion and smashed a large garlic clove, and threw them in a bag with about a teaspoon of black pepper, a few fingerfuls of sea salt, about two shakes of dried parsley, and some olive oil and lemon juice. Healthy swig of lemon juice, lots of olive oil. I punctured the chicks with a fork a few times and let 'em bathe for about an hour before Foreman-ing. Not very precise with the amounts, but it worked great.

Too much food talk. Must post so I can get back to my ever-fucking-exciting job.