Simple

As you have probably gathered from what I've written thus far, I'm pretty simple. It takes very little to make me happy.

Case in point: I drove to Wegmans, that queen of all supermarkets, today to pick up some sweeties for Independence Day. As I was in the baking aisle, I saw, to my eternal delight, a small box of superfine sugar!!! I took a deep breath, grabbed it, and resisted the urge to bounce around like a 'roo and do a victory dance. (Not that kangaroos do victory dances...you know what I mean.)

Why was I so happy about superfine sugar, you ask? Well. You know, of course, that I have been reading the Aubrey/Maturin saga, yes? (What's that you say? I mention these books every blog? Nah, can't be. *goes and checks* *comes back blushing* Er, yeah, I guess I do, don't I?) Anyway, one thing that even the most casual reader of O'Brian's novels will realise is that a lot of the books revolve around food. (Jack loves food, especially all kinds of suet puddings and delicacies like soused hog's face.)

There has been a cookbook written by two lovely ladies named Anne Chotzinoff Grossman and Lisa Grossman Thomas, a mother-daughter team. They are fans of the A/M saga and have researched almost every single food item written about in the books. I recently borrowed the cookbook from the library (that's just until I can buy one of my own) and am quite determined to try some of the receipts mentioned therein.

My friend Jess and I have agreed that we shall endeavour to try them together, and will thus be poisoned and die together...and if we are not poisoned, we will die from eating too much suet pudding. But at least we will find out how to make the kind of food that Jack loves.

Superfine sugar is featured in quite a few of the receipts, though I can't for the life of me figure out how they would have gotten superfine sugar. I thought that at this point in history they were still using sugar nippers to cut off what they needed from sugar cones wrapped in indigo paper. (Of course, they would use the sugar nippers AFTER they unwrapped the sugar cone from its indigo paper. One does not eat indigo paper, no matter how strong one's constitution.) Ah well, I'm not about to argue with the ladies who have written the cookbook.

Still and all, it makes you wonder, n'est ce pas? Why am I so easily pleased and entertained?