Marzipan pears- step one!

I'm not dead yet, encased in some cocoon of powdered sugar and rosewater.

Close, though.

The "pears" (in quotes because there's nothing pear-like about them except their shape) are done, except for the second and final dusting of sugar. I've promised myself to only eat two per day, but I'm addicted to rosewater and it's huuurrrrrrdddd to pry myself away from the baking sheet in the kitchen where they lurk, yummy and oh so delicious.

I'm going to put the final touches on tomorrow and- gasp! Post a photo. I think. It depends on if my cat has knocked my camera off of the kitchen counter one too many times, or not. I'm hoping not. I can't afford a new one.

Drumroll, pweeze

I have tentatively decided to work my way through Vefa Alexiadou's monumental Vefa's Kitchen, the epic Greek cookbook recently published by Phaidon Press.

I recently acquired this and have already made a few of the recipes.

How many times can I use the word recently in one blog post? ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!

Now, a few caveats. Number one, I don't cook every day, so this isn't going to be some hardcore Julie/Julia thingy where I'm up to my elbows in duck fat every night. Number two, I won't be up to my elbows in duck fat EVER because I'm a vegetarian. For this reason, I can't make every recipe in this book. However, I'm going to do my best to make all of the vegetarian recipes, and perhaps to modify some of the omnivorous ones to suit my tastes.

I've picked this book for numerous reasons. Besides the fact that it's a beautifully-produced volume and the recipes I've already made have turned out well, the Mediterranean diet is well-known as one of the world's healthiest. As a person who's recently lost over 90 pounds, this is, of course, important.

So, onward and upward!

Tomorrow: Marzipan Pear Petit-fours.