So you say chocolate is your favorite?

Are you sure? Super sure? 100% on that?

A couple of days ago was my cuz's birthday, and while she's a devout fan of all things choco (and waaay across the country for me, which proved disastrous for my intestines, wait for it) I decided to make her a cake.

You know how I'm obsessed with taking foods that are normally presented in a portable manner and cakifying them. Well maybe not quite obsessed yet but I'm getting close. This one was killer - iced with hot sauce and hummus, delicious and messy.

And since I'm ALL ABOUT a day old, been in the fridge for a bit falafel, all squishy, mushy, flavors blended, you know this thang was right up my alley.

Ok so maybe it's not for everyone - as Erk reminded me. Meaning, I had enough falafel cake for a party of 10 to get through all by myself.

I ate falafel for 2 out of three meals daily for 3 days. It was not a wise choice. My belly's still a little pissed. Was it the copious amounts of salt? Legume overload? Just...density fail? Who knows, dear readers - but I advise against creating this monster unless you have brave pals around to help you consume it.

Those hot pink bits? Pickled turnips. Get yee some from yee local middle-eastern grocer - they're amazing.

Cookbook Porn

Someone gave me something really rad last weekend.

A first edition of the Fireside Cookbook, by the illustrious James Beard. You can get reprints that are probably less yellow than the copy I have, but let me show you why you should grab the original:

HOW has someone on Etsy not ripped this off and printed it poster-sized yet? Or this:

Feathers tomorrow. Yeesh. Another:

I love how a coddled egg is a little baby egg with wispy hairs. So awesome.

The entire book is filled with tattoo/frame worthy pre-atomic art - no page goes unembellished. The recipes, while pretty odd, are interesting, in that "OMG people ate like that?!" way. Some, like the Cheese Croquettes recipe, or the Rarebit, or the several potato salad recipes (I II and III) are pretty unchanged, as are the homemade Mayo instructions (with variations - green, red, russian, tartar). But there are Molded Salad recipes. Multiple Pheasant recipes. And this little half-page:

People used to do such odd/awesome things to cukes. Since putting them on a pizza last summer, I've seen the warm cucumber light - try them sauteed, or in a calzone - I swear, it's awesome.

But yeah, me, some tomatoes, this bag of agar agar I bought last week, and a funky-as-hell thrifted Jell-O mold have an appointment, and soon. Stay tuned.