sarea | Cilantro bah! The singing voice I wish I had. Plus a new dinner menu!

Whoever runs this site is my mortal enemy. Okay, I no longer despise cilantro with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns, to the point where I can't eat any food infected by its presence. Even I can admit that it adds a certain something -- to salsa, Indian food, bánh mì (Vietnamese sandwiches -- though I usually end up pulling them out), etc. If it must be in stuff, it's okay as long as it's chopped fine and there isn't a lot. But if I get a big mouthful of it (and to me, that's basically any full leaf or stem), it makes me gag. It tastes terrible. I don't know why I have such a reaction to cilantro, when I like or can tolerate basically any other food. But this herb just horrifies my taste buds. I wish it didn't; I know lots of people who like it (I really can't imagine such a thing -- this must be how Robbie feels about, oh, everything), and it's used in practically every cuisine (Italian and Japanese are the two popular cuisines that I don't see it use much in).

When God was handing out talents, I wish I'd stood in the singing line. More than any other talent, I wish I could sing. And while I'm wishing, if I could sing, I'd want a voice like Lea Salonga or Karen Carpenter. I just love their voices for some reason. Lea's is so sweet and pure, while Karen's has a soothing quality that has a way of being able to transport me elsewhere.

My cousin has asked if I can come over this weekend and cook for them. I've given her a menu of options, so we'll see what she says and I'll report back what I'll be making. :-) I'm not usually a fan of cheesecake (except for ones from the Cheesecake Factory, mostly because they barely taste like cheesecake at all), but I really want to try this one. The other option I've given them for dessert is for me to pick up their favorite chocolate cake at Bakery Nouveau. Since I'll be making dinner I don't think I'll have time to make a fancy dessert as well (the cheesecake is an exception because it can -- no, needs -- to be made ahead of time).

Some other recipes I'm interested in trying (easy way for me to keep track):

Sourdough Olive Bread
Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
Soba Noodles with Peanut-Citrus Sauce (I've eaten soba but never prepared it at home, anyone know of a good kind?)
Spinach and Green Garlic Soup
Rhubarb Gelatin
Julia Child's Croissants
This pizza