The joy of solitude, especially when served with a scoop of creme fraiche ice cream

Some of the best meals of my life I've enjoyed sitting across the table from my family or dearest friends. From a homemade pizza or Emeril's banana cream pie to fondue or tapas, I'm a firm believer in the magical power food has to bring people together in one shared experience, made all the memorable by a generous helping of whipped topping and washed down with a tasty vino.

But most days, I eat alone. And while that may seem lame, I confess I actually really enjoy it.

When sharing a meal with friends, it is the people who captivate your attention (or should). The flavors and sensations of every bite can be easily lost in the distraction of a good dining companion and excited conversation.

So many nights I actually relish in the art of eating alone, when I can become fully present with my food, contemplating and savoring every bite in some sort of deep meditation.

Most evenings I perform this ritual in the privacy of my own home, dressed down in my comphies away from the judging stares of people who might wonder how a young woman ends up all by herself in a restaurant.

But tonight I dined alone in public.

I'm not sure exactly what prompted me do to this, except I guess it seemed like a good way to end an exhausting, frantic and all around crappy workweek. No need to go into the details, but we'll just say I got stuck late at the office three nights in a row, each night forfeiting better plans to pray at the altar of my editors.

I was all set to go to happy hour around 6 p.m., feeling cute in my hot pink shirt, skirt and heels and looking forward to a nice endcap to the workweek. But I never made it.

By the time I walked out of the building at 8 p.m., the happy hour specials had long run out and most of my friends were booked or retired for the evening.

I didn't feel like going home just yet, but didn't know what to do with myself. There was one thing I did have a handle on at this point: I was really hungry.

As I made my near weekly wine run at Whole Foods this crazy idea popped into my head: Why not go to Derek's?

For the uninitiated, Derek's is this cozy little gourmet restaurant in the Rosemary Court district of Sarasota. It's the kind of place where chicly painted canvases hang on the wall above wooden furniture covered in the most classic touch of restaurant style, white table clothes. The bottoms of the tables are even covered in soft, squishy foam so when one with particularly long legs goes to cross them during her meal she does not bruise them ...

But I digress.

It's the kind of place where the chef walks around the restaurant smiling at all his patrons and watching while his artwork dissolves in their mouths, covering their palates with his sensuous tango of flavors. Somewhere I read he trained with Emeril.

It's the kind of place I always want to go more often. But it's pricey - the entrees are all upward of $25 - and I usually can't get anyone to spring the cash to go with me.

I don't think the idea of going to Derek's by myself ever popped into my head, and if it did I probably brushed it aside right away to make room for something more practical. I always dreaded the thought of going to restaurants by myself to be pitied by all the happy families and bubbly couples. It always seemed better to save the money for a time I could go with friends and share the experience. And especially after a hard week at work, I'd always figure I was too tired to enjoy it.

But maybe I'm just getting old. Maybe more secure. Maybe I'm starting to realize that the days when I can go out and drop a decent wad of cash to treat myself - just me - to a phenomenal meal could be numbered. A friend of mine pointed out just a few weeks ago when we went out to eat "If we had kids think of how much this would cost us?"

How many people really have the luxury to go out and treat themselves to a three-course gourmet meal and be able to savor every morsel completely uninterrupted and free of the any guilt of not sharing it with spouse and/or children?

Perhaps this all dawned on me the last hour of my workweek, as I sat and pouted about missing happy hour and my co-worker fielded calls from his six-year-old daughter wondering when dad was coming home for dinner.

So when the idea to go to Derek's popped into my head, not only did I let it take hold I truly embraced it. (Besides, I was really good this week. I only went to Starbucks one morning and out for lunch twice.)

I went, I sat all by myself and I savored every morsel of food and every minute of the blissful solitude that came with it. And I laughed to myself - and somewhat pitied - the couple looking quite uncomfortable on some sort of awkward date, as well as the one taking pictures of each other across the table with their cel phones.

But none of that really matters. It was really about me and the food, all three courses.

I started with the soup of the day, a pureed celery root garnished with candied celery root and a blue crab salad. Chef Derek himself served it to me tableside, pouring the creamy broth over the elegant pile of crab meat. I immediately found comfort in the smooth, creamy broth, the savory flavor interrupted every so often by a sweet bite of candied celery or the tender blue crab. Every few bites I tasted something spicy, like dried chile.

I almost died when my main course of lamb shank dressed in cumin vinaigrette and some sort of date sauce arrived. The meat looked like it was just about ready to jump off the bone and into my side dishes of mashed chic peas and a cracked wheat salad. It met this fate as soon as my knife pierced the meat. I felt like I was eating the very best comfort meal anyone could ever find in the Mediterranean. At first my feelings were mixed about the cracked wheat. It had a very distinct texture like oatmeal and tasted, well, kind of wheaty. But as I worked through the rich meat and tangy chick peas I came to appreciate the contrast of the wheat salad, with bits of black olives, dates and onions in it.

By the time I shoved almost every bite on my plate into my mouth I was stuffed, but I had come way to far in this catharsis to leave it unfinished. The dessert menu arrived, and while I really craved the banana custard with ricotta doughnuts, something about the carrot cake called to me. Perhaps it was the idea of savoring one of my favorite childhood sweets, all gourmeted to the max and dolled up with creme fraiche ice cream that appealed to me.

I left the restaurant feeling full of good food and contentment.

Some people measure independence by one's ability to go through life not relying on other people for their own happiness. Maybe this was some weird step I needed to take, but never did in my years living by myself. To go out on my own and enjoy one of my favorite pleasures without having anyone to go with.

P.S. - This was actually the second time this week I ventured out to dine on my own, but my trip to Luna in Venice earlier this week didn't seem quite as ground-breaking. I just wanted lasagna. Maybe I'm on to something ...

Tupperware: Keeping food fresh and cubicles bonded

So one day this week my fairly new cubicle mate approached me with a curious question.

"Hey Tiff. Do you like split pea soup?"

"Um ... yeah... I guess," I stammered, caught slightly off guard by the inquiry. "I eat, well, pretty much anything."

I was still kind of processing the split pea soup question when this fellow foodie announced that he had made some and was going to bring it for me to try the next day. It seemed like the only appropriate thing to do in this situation was to offer some sort of foodstuff of my own as compensation.

"I have some lamb stew I just made and am trying to get rid of. I'll bring it in and we'll have some barter action tomorrow."

And so commenced what I expect to be an underground trading of Tupperware containers in our little cubicle row by the window in the H-T office.

Every year before the first day of school (and yes this still happens) my dad reads us this story "Grover Goes to School" in which Sesame Street's furry blue monster learns the ins and outs of the kindergarten social structure by sharing or bartering lunch items and school supplies with the other kids in the classroom. The story has all sorts of lessons about not giving away stuff you want just to make friends, but also conveys the satisfaction that comes with sharing something of your own and connecting with a classmate.

I guess there is some childlike satisfaction and camaraderie in sharing your things, especially with those people you spend so many of your waking hours stuck in a cubicle next to. This new found bartering of food is not so much about what's in the Tupperware, but about sharing some sort of common ground with your fellows in the trenches.

I've always been a big proponent of dining with the people you work with. It's been a running joke for years that when there is a meal to be expensed, I will find a seat at the table. And for years, my co-workers in another office and I used to enjoy covering the conference room table with newspapers and devouring spreads of boiled garlic shrimp or ribs prepared just for us by one of the editors.

What better way to relieve workplace tensions?

The split pea soup was awesome. It was creamy and thick with chunks of ham and a nice spicy flavor.

My desk mate was also a big fan of my lamb stew. And Lord knows I have plenty of food around my house these days. I don't mind sharing it : )

Share our strength

If you've been watching Food Network lately, you've probably seen the ads for the Great American Dine Out. Basically what this means is that if you can force yourself to go out for a night on the town and have dinner at one of the participating restaurants, they will make a donation to programs that strive to end childhood hunger. Read more about it and find a complete list of participating restaurants here.

Food Network's Aaron McCargo Jr. - winner of the 2008 Next Food Network Star - gave a touching pitch for the program on his show this weekend when he talked about how he used to go to neighborhood programs for free breakfast or free lunch when he was a child.

While I don't have that kind of personal experience, I see the impact hunger and poverty can have on children in my dayjob as a reporter. When children are hungry, it affects everything from their behavior to their learning. And the number of children in need is growing, fast, as the recession leaves many of their parents jobless. Here's a story I wrote last year on the issue.

Anyway, if you're dining out this week, consider dining at one of these restaurants. If you're not, don't despair. My sister pointed out that you'd probably make more of a difference if you just donated the money you would have spent on dinner (especially if you're choosing from sub-par restaurants). After all, the restaurants only donate a portion of your money.

Most schools or school districts have funds they use to help buy for things for students who are struggling to pay for basic necessities, including food. Most of the ones I deal with would gladly accept any amount of donation.

Cat's new kitchen

Orlando's celebrity chef scene just got a new addition last week with Cat Cora opening her new restaurant Kouzzina at Disney's Boardwalk. The restaurant is in the old Spoodles.

This is exciting on a number of levels: 1) Cat Cora is an Iron Chef 2) Cat Cora is the ONLY female Iron Chef EVER (in both American and Japanese history) 3) The restaurant is Greek, which I happen to love and 4) I end up in Orlando quite often.

Need I say more?

Anyway, a friend of mine went to the media event for the opening and blogged about it on her site themeparkmom.com.

If you're interested, you can check out the menus here.

Orlando already has haunts run by Emeril and Wolfgang Puck, and I absolutely can't wait to get over and try this one.

And yes, I did finally figure out how to post the hyperlinks instead of the actual web address. Thank you H-T blog training. And thank YOU for noticing!

Lambapalooza

So it's been brought to my attention that part of the solution to my lamb angst may have been in the check out aisle at Publix.

This month's Saveur had extensive coverage of cooking with Lamb, including recipes from all over the world and tips on how to de-bone it.

If you are interested, check out this super sweet hyperlink I just figured how to add to my blog.

And by the way, I'm on round two of the lamb stew. The re-up is always tastier than the first time around. And man this stew really has a kick to it. It didn't SEEM like that much cayenne pepper...

Basic brunch

At some point in my morning coffee ritual I started to think "You know this seems like a good day for brunch." But I'm not one to leave the house on weekend mornings until after I've had a sufficient fill of coffee and a good workout. Besides, isn't brunch just so much more delightful when consumed at home in your pajamas?

The solution for me is to get creative, evaluate what I have in the fridge and what I can whip into some sort of yummy, eggy concoction (having eggs on hand usually helps in this process). One time my spontaneous brunch involved scrambling some eggs with ricotta cheese and rosemary and then baking them with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top (I highly recommend it). I also find the brunching an effective way to get rid of stuff in the refrigerator.

Today, I had some of the leek and mushroom quiche I had left over from the party. I always like some sort of bread or starch with my eggs, and today I had a baguette that was a few days old I figured I could revive and make into a delicious accompaniment.

Somewhere along the line I picked up the trick that you can revitalize stale bread by sprinkling it with water and popping it in the oven. So that's what I did. Before cooking for just a few minutes at 350, I also sprinkled the tops with some salt, pepper, fresh rosemary and shredded Gruyere.

But the key to any successful brunch is, of course, the mimosa. I usually have a bottle of cava, the Spanish equivalent of champagne, on hand in the fridge. The beauty of cava is that it packs the same crisp, bubbly punch as champagne, but you can get a good bottle for about $10. I like a rose. I also often have the amazing mango smoothie that Botlthouse Farms makes on hand. Mixing the two together makes for an even more flavorful and impressive mimosa than your standard OJ. (Serve it at a brunch party, and all your friends will think you are awesome).

With that few minutes of cleaning out the fridge and creativity, brunch is on the table!

Brie-licious

So the dish that really stole the show at Cathy's party was a Brie en Croute her sister made. Her sister divulged that it was actually a Paula Deen recipe. I tracked it down on Food Network.

The appetizer basically involves topping a wheel of brie cheese with fruit preserves and walnuts, wrapping it in pastry puff and baking it so the cheesy gets all melty and delicious. I'm not kidding you. This is amazing.

See for yourself.

To serve it, you just put the whole loaf out and slice it like bread.