I am feeling random again tonight...

Perusing the King Arthur Flour catalog or Levenger catalog late at night is as dangerous as browsing ebay in the wee hours. When sleepy, I can almost convince myself that yes, I do need both a nutmeg mill and cinnamon grinder as well as a yogurt maker, professional kitchen scale, and brotforms from King Arthur. The Levenger 3x5 system (with both the leather folio and desk holder) makes so much sense to my sleepy mind, and wouldn't the wood and leather Cubi Collectionbe exactly what I need to sort out the desk in the kitchen?

Is it weird that I browse baking and organization catalogs like a kid looking through the JC Penney toy catalog? I even circle things that I will likely never purchase, even if I had a gift certificate, but that I would probably love if they were to magically appear on my doorstep one day.

What did appear on my doorstep today was a new set of Calphalon pans. I had bought a set of Simply Calphalon three years ago. When I bought it, I knew that it would not perform as well as the Calphalon Commercial that I had, but I was expecting better than what I got from it. That set left me feeling ripped off like no other purchase I have made in recent years. After calling to complain about two years ago and getting my concerns pooh-poohed, I had resigned myself to simply simmering about my pans while my lasagna sauce simmered. Recently, I noticed the emergence of a new layer of color in the interior of a few of the pans, and it was the straw that broke this camel's back. I called again to complain and this time was taken seriously. I sent the entire set back for warranty replacement, and this afternoon a new set of pans appeared: 8, 10 and 12 inch frying pans; a 3 quart skillet; 1, 2 and 4 quart sauce pans; and a 6 quart stock pot. I had sent back an 8 quart stock pot, so I called to question the smaller size. I was told to keep the 6 quart one and they would send out an 8 quart as well. Hopefully this set performs more like Calphalon should, even if it is the cheaper cousin of my beloved Calphalon Commercial and Calphalon One Hard Anodized.

Given redundancies in my pot and pan inventory now that I had received the replacement sets, I am thinking of selling a few of the new ones on ebay. Would that be bad? The three quart skillet and 12" frying pan are both nice, but I like my Commercial 12" Everyday pan better. I like my little 9" Calphalon One skillet so much that I question whether I really need an 8" frying pan too. I do think I'll keep redundant 2 quart sauce pans because that is such a handy size, and the multiple stock pots are good for soup nights.

We do need to hold another soup night soon, maybe next weekend. I do enjoy the companionship of these evenings in, even when it is just us and another set of good friends. I do not think I have any untried soups in my recipe box anymore though. Maybe it is time to browse through Epicurious and my cookbooks some more. Ooo, and what bread to make? Honey oatmeal of course, because I love that and rarely make it (too many calories and too yummy to be left alone with me). Pumpernickel? Sourdough? Grandma's? French? Italian? Polish Rye? Yes, I do think we need a soup night next weekend.

I have come the the realization recently that cooking, specifically baking, is a passion of mine. I love doing it. Love measuring out the ingredients, wiping my hands on the aprons, mixing the doughs, forming the cookies, watching the air pockets form in bread doughs, shaping the croissants, tweaking recipes out to my moods and tastes, experimenting (the recent strawberry cream cheese sourdough croissants were a Very Good Thing *swoon*). I love sharing the products of my efforts with others. It is a personal expression from deep within me.