tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180601872024-03-07T02:42:19.310-05:00PoodlevaniaA Woman and her pack of small yappy foo-foo dogs! With babbling about a mid-life crisis adventure in which I got laid off, decided to go back to school to become a personal chef, maybe get good with knives, and learn how to bake. Hell to the EVOO!
And, then I discovered a real paycheck was a good thing, so I started just babbling about food, traveling, and poodles. Less stress that way...Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.comBlogger286125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-60289305314569472212019-08-23T17:43:00.000-04:002019-08-23T17:43:03.262-04:00Back in the Groove<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a while...a looooooong while. Excuses I could make include breaking an ankle, getting married, death in the family, work insanity...you know, everyone else's problems, too. I was telling my sister about this blog, because we were having a discussion about smoked paprika, and I realized that I miss writing it. And, that maybe I should stop reading the news, which is damned depressing, and do something that makes me feel better, which would be talking about food and poodles.<br />
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The Part Where We Catch Up: Since I last wrote, the Poodle tribe has changed a bit. The Goldfish and Hollywood have gone to the Rainbow Bridge. The New Hotness is still hanging in, although he's not quite so new any more...he moves a little slower, is a little (well, a lot) deaf, and sleeps about 18 hours a day.<br />
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And, then we have the Special Dark Demon, the newest addition to the family. Why I thought having a puppy was a grand idea when I'd never had an actual puppy before...she's 9 months old now and a righteous terror. She's definitely got personality in spades. But she's cute...so very cute, which keeps her alive most of the time.<br />
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I've been trying to branch out with the cookery into some "flexitarian," possibly "veganish" types of things. (We all know that bacon is the reason I could never be a total vegetarian, but slowing down on the consumption is probably better for me. How old did that make me feel to type that?!)<br />
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A friend's husband started a new diet in January that is plant-based, with no oil or sugar. It's extremely challenging to try and cook without oil of some form or fashion, but I like a challenge. They came for the 4th of July cookout, and I managed to make some sides that he could eat, namely spicy baked potato fries.<br />
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<b>Spicy Baked Fries</b><br />
makes 24-32 fries; ready in about an hour<br />
<br />
1 Tbs onion powder<br />
1.5 tsp garlic powder<br />
1.5 tsp smoked paprika (you can use sweet paprika, but where's the fun in that?)<br />
1 tsp ground tumeric<br />
1 tsp ground coriander<br />
.25 tsp cayenne pepper<br />
2 tsp salt<br />
1.5 lbs russet potatoes (3-4 med-small), scrubbed and cut in to 1-inch thick wedges<br />
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon) (optional)<br />
Ketchup and djion mustard for serving (optional)<br />
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<b>Directions</b><br />
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F; line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.<br />
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Place a steamer basket in a large pot and add about 2 inches of water. Place the potatoes on the steamer, cover and steam on high heat for about 5-7 minutes.<br />
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While the potatoes steam, combine the spices and the lemon juice in a large bowl. (I did not use the lemon juice because I forgot, and they were perfectly fine.)<br />
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Transfer the potatoes to the bowl with spices and toss gently to coat the potatoes evenly. Arrange potatoes on baking sheet, and bake for 20-25 minutes.<br />
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Serve hot with ketchup and mustard for dipping.<br />
(inspired by a recipe from Forks over Knives)<br />
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She also made some carrot "hotdogs," which were actually really good. Yes, we knew they weren't actually hotdogs, but were tasty in spite of that. I'm going to attempt to make some myself for Labor Day.<br />
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I've also experimented with that newish vegan darling, jackfruit. Barbecued jackfruit is pretty darn tasty, even though you know damn well that it is not meat. I'm trying to get in the mindset of enjoying something a little different and not trying to make it replace or compare it to another dish.<br />
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I mostly used this recipe from Love & Lemons, <a href="https://www.loveandlemons.com/bbq-jackfruit/">https://www.loveandlemons.com/bbq-jackfruit/</a>, for the barbecue sauce and technique. I made a simple slaw and used the King's Hawaiian slider buns (<a href="https://www.kingshawaiian.com/products/original-hawaiian-sweet-slider-buns">https://www.kingshawaiian.com/products/original-hawaiian-sweet-slider-buns</a>), which were perfect. Very tasty little treats they were. I found canned jackfruit in an Asian market, which also had fresh jackfruit, but that sucker was intimidating. Plus, I wasn't cooking jackfruit for an army. However, breaking down a whole one is on the list.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR66JL5p-m-BmvBafHX23uMYR_X1CmS4Ehh5VlgQ4XxlXJUVyRfY8Agih01m8t0Oc4ITBXwpPiMks7636nRMXUeq8KFs1DQaVCrafPMH8PYVMGgYZ1QzUvd_ngorcY4EZBFXxx/s1600/coco+9+months.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="778" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR66JL5p-m-BmvBafHX23uMYR_X1CmS4Ehh5VlgQ4XxlXJUVyRfY8Agih01m8t0Oc4ITBXwpPiMks7636nRMXUeq8KFs1DQaVCrafPMH8PYVMGgYZ1QzUvd_ngorcY4EZBFXxx/s320/coco+9+months.jpg" width="155" /></a>So, here we are...several years later. I'm still cooking and trying new things...I still have poodles, so some things do remain the same...probably my sporadic method of posting will also remain the same, because I have to go play with this cuteness right now:<br />
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Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-64124154233319978412015-09-22T18:37:00.000-04:002015-09-22T18:38:02.436-04:00Time for a Re-check<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been over 10 months since I got the No Bacon Death Sentence (tm), and today I went for the blood test that will tell me whether or not my alpha gal number has receded and possibly be at zero. I should know within the next week what the results are, and I've got my fingers crossed and a frying pan at the ready.<br />
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During my visit to the allergist yesterday, we discussed what re-testing actually means. She told me that quite honestly, she felt like she could never tell anyone that they were home free to go back to their carnivorous ways, because the medical community was still learning about the whackadooiness of this disease.<br />
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The biggest problem is that it doesn't have a readily repeatable reaction for everyone. For some people, they can eat bacon every day for weeks and have no reaction. Then, on Day X, they have a severe anaphylactic reaction that requires the Epipen or two, a trip to the emergency room, etc. There are folks who can't even smell meat cooking without having an issue.<br />
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I'm kind of on the fence about it, because part of me cannot wait to have steak...especially since I've been hanging out in the Great Midwest for quite a bit of this year, and it's hard to get away from beef and pork when you are there. On my last trip to South Dakota, I ate the Ruby Tuesdays salad bar twice because I couldn't find a local place that served anything exciting in the poultry range.<br />
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I would look at the menus online for the local joints, and they would have PAGES of steak and pork options, and then there were the 3 chicken items: 1) grilled chicken salad, 2) grilled chicken breast and some vegetable, and 3) some chicken pasta, usually alfredo and probably had bacon thrown in for good measure. Bah. <br />
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The other part of me is continually wondering if I really could eat meat again and be okay. Or, will I always have that worry in the back of my head that this might be the pork chop that sends me to the hospital?<br />
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Back to the allergist. So, if the test comes back with encouraging results, she said we could do a controlled ingestion test in the office and see what happens...that means I get to eat some meat and have them watch me to see if I go into anaphylaxis. I have already decided that if we get to that stage, I am NOT going to drag in some fast food monstrosity...if I am going down, I am going down with something AMAZINGLY tasty. It might be the very last time I get to eat it, and it better be worthy of living on in memory. I'm thinking something along the lines of those brontosaurus ribs that Fred Flintstone gets in the opening credits of The Flintstones. <br />
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Yabba. Dabba. Doo.<br />
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<br />Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-38898050086142656902015-02-05T16:53:00.001-05:002015-02-05T16:54:10.201-05:00Fifty Shades of Chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This poultry-only lifestyle is getting a bit old. I try to supplement with seafood when I can, but chicken is just the easier go-to option. I am throwing turkey in where I can, too, but still...<br />
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I almost mugged a guy in the Atlanta airport a few weeks ago for sitting down near me in the gate area and eating a Five Guys burger. That burger smelled like unicorn tears and angel feathers, and it was all I could do to not launch myself across the seats and snatch it from him like a rabid animal. I ended up moving to a completely different gate area across the hallway to get away from him. I was a bit afraid for his life and his burger.<br />
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So, whilst wandering around the house and dusting, I spied a cookbook that might help with elevating the humble chicken a bit. Not that I have been eating totally bland and boring meals, because Prince Charming has been pulling out the stops at dinner to spice things up as he works through a couple of Indian cookbooks, and I am extremely grateful for his generosity. But that means I've not been cooking much lately, and I feel the need to get back on that track.<br />
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Back to the dusting. I rediscovered a gift from a previous Christmas called <u>Fifty Shades of Chicken</u>. Yes, it is a parody of *that* book, and it is absolutely hysterical. There's a website, <a href="http://www.fiftyshadesofchicken.com/" target="_blank">http://www.fiftyshadesofchicken.com</a>, with a video that's a hoot, too. The recipes have names like "Mustard Spanked Chicken,""Extra Virgin Breast," and my favorite title, "Backdoor Beer Can Chicken"...you get the picture. I've made a couple of things out of the book, and they were good. The intro to the recipes is the best part. To be honest, I've not read any of the Fifty Shades books. I tried...I got to the 3rd or 4th chapter in the first one, and my brain just shut down from the bad writing and horrific lack of depth to the female character. Don't think I am above reading some racy stuff, because I like a good, well-written, semi-historically accurate bodice ripper or sexy supernatural romancey thing that doesn't devolve into insane menages with men who have hair down to their ankles. (Looking at you, Laurell Hamilton. You totally ruined the Anita Blake series with your inane attempts at soft porn...just ruined it. Besides, all that hair would totally get in the way.)<br />
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I also like that there are pictures of the techniques, as well as the finished recipes. Pictures like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2o1qPsuNXR-3m_vp6oayCwEYF3wNFN4IjHwm-uVUaauOGa1vF3ibNGv0GQ0NI5Bav261oSYCSvTrGiFnlOWutaX-4awgw56qNrObbXV_jaL8rlf3sqCwXDLWg6yp7ZKCvGCu/s1600/50+shades+chicken+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2o1qPsuNXR-3m_vp6oayCwEYF3wNFN4IjHwm-uVUaauOGa1vF3ibNGv0GQ0NI5Bav261oSYCSvTrGiFnlOWutaX-4awgw56qNrObbXV_jaL8rlf3sqCwXDLWg6yp7ZKCvGCu/s1600/50+shades+chicken+2.jpg" height="146" width="200" /></a></div>
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Need I say more?<br />
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Next time, adventures in turkey sausage! (hahahahahaha!)Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-75812727541867272652014-11-25T23:59:00.001-05:002014-11-25T23:59:48.125-05:00A Year Without Bacon...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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...or any other red meat.<br />
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No, this is not some newfangled fad diet that I am putting myself on in hopes of resurrecting my 18 year-old body. Far from it. Evidently, I have acquired an potentially life threatening allergy to meat...all because I got bit by a tick.<br />
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A tick.<br />
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(Cue the "ticked off" jokes now...like I've not been hearing them.)<br />
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Behold, the lowly Lone Star Tick. This little bugger is prevalent across the southeastern United States, and I'm betting you never really thought twice if you got bit by one, other than "eewww, tick!" Oh, sure, vague musings about Lyme disease may have flitted across your mind, but I'll bet you really thought that nothing was going to happen to you.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evil Incarnate</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Then, one day, you eat a ham sandwich for breakfast, and several hours later, while on the phone with a customer, your throat starts to feel tight, and you have a bit of trouble swallowing.<br />
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You wonder what the hell is happening and glug down some liquid Benadryl and start trying to determine if you need to go to the hospital or not, because you might be going into anaphylactic shock...and you have no idea why. <br />
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Things calm down after a bit, and you don't really think much more about it, but it does trigger you to make that yearly appointment with your allergist, which was due to happen in December anyway, so a little early is not a bad thing.<br />
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While at the allergist, you mention this weird pseudo-anaphylactic incident, that you ate a ham sandwich, and she immediately asks if you've been bit by a tick this summer. Of course you have. You live in the South, you have dogs, there are trees and shrubbery in your yard, and you go outside. Then, she says those 7 words that you aren't really sure you heard correctly at first: "you have an allergy to red meat."<br />
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You goggle at her like a prize-winning goldfish and squawk out "what?!" And, she repeats it, a little slower, You. Have. An. Allergy. To. Red Meat.<br />
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Here's the quick and dirty explanation according to<a href="https://allergytomeat.wordpress.com/frequently-asked-questions/" target="_blank"> researchers at the University of Virginia</a>:<br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><i>When certain people are bitten by ticks or chiggers, the bite appears to
set off a chain of reactions in the body. One of these reactions is
the production of an allergic class of antibody that binds to a
carbohydrate present on meat called galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, also
known as alpha-gal. When a person with the alpha-gal antibody eats
mammalian meat, the meat triggers the release of histamine. Histamine
is a compound found in the body that causes allergic symptoms like
hives, itching and, in the worst case, anaphylaxis (a reaction that
leads to sudden weakness, swelling of the throat, lips and tongue,
difficulty breathing and/or unconsciousness).</i></span><br />
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According to my allergist, the key weirdness factor in this is the delayed anaphylactic reaction of the alpha-gal. It can be hours after you ingest the meat...and evidently the onset of it can be delayed for months as well, which appears to have happened in my case. (This makes it different from most food allergies that cause a response pretty much on contact.) I grilled various meats all summer after being bit, and went to the beach for a week and ate nothing but bacon and eggs for breakfast every damn day without any issues whatsoever. And, then I have a ham sandwich.<br />
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There is a test to find out the level of alpha-gal and how you react to certain meats, and I popped positive on it. My number is fairly low, but the risk factor is there, and enough of a concern that I have an Epipen and instructions to not eat beef, pork, lamb, venison, bison, etc. Turkey, chicken, and seafood are fine...and no matter what the National Pork Council tells you, pork is definitely NOT the "other white meat." Also, most people are not affected by milk, cheese, and butter, so those are probably okay to consume.<br />
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The only known treatment for this condition is to avoid mammalian (red) meat altogether. The possible good news is that it might be recoverable from...I have to wait a year and be re-tested to see if I still have alpha-gal in my blood. And, also avoid being bit by a Lone Star tick. Being bitten again can bring the reaction back in a more severe form.<br />
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The allergist said there are about 35 patients in her practice that have alpha-gal, and they deal with it in various ways. Several of them were of the "oh hell no, I'm not going to stop eating meat" persuasion, until they had a reaction out of the blue and came crawling back to tell about it.<br />
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Honestly, I'm on the fence about it...I find it hard to believe that I'm at that much risk, because I've been carnivoring it up all summer with nary an issue. And, then, there's that damn ham sandwich and the blood test results. Part of me wants to throw caution to the wind and say to hell with it and bring on the bacon. The rule-following part says "you are crazy to even risk it. Shut up and eat the turkey bacon!" (Note: I have never ever ever said anything nice about turkey bacon, and I'm not going to start.)<br />
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So, I'm putting on my big girl panties and attempting to go without red meat for the year and hope that I can order up all the Omaha Steaks in the world come next November. This is going to be extremely tough, and I figured I should write about it so I can sort of keep my own sanity. (Plus, blog abandonment guilt was starting to get to me, even though I'm really doing it mostly for my own and Lin's amusement.)<br />
<br />
Bring on the chicken! Bring on the turkey! Hell, this might be the year that I actually try a TurDuckEn! (Yeah, but I'm not deboning all those birds myself; I'll get one already stuffed.)<br />
<br />
Cross your fingers and wish me luck that I make it through the year. I'm going to miss you, Bacon, so very very much.<br />
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Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-89372615269411287662013-10-04T22:30:00.000-04:002013-10-04T22:31:11.651-04:00Foodaholic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi, my name is Poodlebugz, and I'm a foodaholic. Try as I might, I can't resist the siren song of tasty tidbits, nummy nibbles, and delicious delicacies. And, I also seem to suck at keeping up the blog.<br />
<br />
I was looking back at the blog, realizing that it has been over 6 months since I had last updated, and a year since I wrote regularly. I could give you some excuses...emotional turmoil, heavy workload, laziness, etc., but I'm not sure it really matters, because who reads this any more, besides me? And, I'm basically looking up old recipes that I can't seem to find in my own files.<br />
<br />
Anyway, while looking up the recipe for <a href="http://poodlevania.blogspot.com/2006/07/banana-bo-bana-bonana-fanna-foor.html" target="_blank">Creamy Banana Pudding</a> once again, because I can NEVER remember the water measurement correctly (1 1/2 cups!), I came to the conclusion that I really did miss nattering on about food and travel and poodles. (Why I cannot remember the stupid water measurement, I have no idea. It's not like I haven't made this recipe before...I figured out that I have been making this exact same dish for the last 13 or so years, so you would think I could do it in my sleep, blindfolded, backwards in high heels, etc. I can remember the most arcane of bubblegum pop song lyrics--"Heartbeat, It's a Love Beat," anyone?--but not that it takes 1.5 cups of H<span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span>0 to make this dish. And, this is one dish that I never mess with...I never change ingredients around, I never try to make it lower fat, lesser calorie, etc. It's the one "why mess with perfection" thing in my repertoire that I know without a dark shadow of doubt will turn out every single time.) (Okay, I lied...the one variation that I will do is to change up the size of the Nilla Wafers...if I can't find the mini ones, I will go back to using the traditional size ones. But, that is the ONLY compromise that I shall make.) (Well, okay, I did make it with bananas AND strawberries a couple of times, and it was pretty good...you need really good and ripe strawberries for it to work. Seriously, though, I really do make it by the book 98% of the time.)<br />
<br />
So, here's something you can play with: "Pink Velvet Salad." I got this recipe in trade for the banana pudding recipe from one of my Northern co-workers, who I think is actually originally from North Carolina, because this recipe is pretty much as Southern as it gets...you know how we like to use the term "salad" for many dishes that have no relationship all with lettuce or any other plant life.<br />
<br />
(Remember the <a href="http://poodlevania.blogspot.com/2006/07/grease-is-wordnot-dessert.html" target="_blank">Strawberry Pretzel Dessert</a>? It's often called Strawberry Pretzel Salad, which confuses the heck out of non-Southerners. One of our trainers was training in Tennessee, and they had a potluck lunch during her time there. She called me that evening and asked a lot of questions about what was the deal with the strawberry pretzel "salad" thing? She thought it was more of a dessert...to which my stock reply is, if we call it a "salad," then we get to eat something else for dessert. Makes total sense to me.)<br />
<br />
Anyway, I digress and back to the Pink Velvet Salad (which is not a salad...or at least not "what most people think is a salad" salad). It's just one of those potluck sort of dishes that you look at and try to figure out if it's going to taste like Bubbly Yum (because it's really, really pink). Plus, with a name like "Pink Velvet," you wonder if it's on the buffet or the pole at a strip club...<br />
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<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #e06666;"><b>Pink Velvet Salad</b></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #e06666;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFZqGLEcTzxEsWFtvIEYx2hcIfGAtq9VR-KrOhYlMm8xwsYvFkYFUa3BMVWGVGFaZDRnzRQne0njE5ZnMD7UVij9-qS-qULx2yFujrnyRBqqkRUinxhvuY7nxx307IyBvNvR8/s1600/pink+salad+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFZqGLEcTzxEsWFtvIEYx2hcIfGAtq9VR-KrOhYlMm8xwsYvFkYFUa3BMVWGVGFaZDRnzRQne0njE5ZnMD7UVij9-qS-qULx2yFujrnyRBqqkRUinxhvuY7nxx307IyBvNvR8/s200/pink+salad+pic.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #e06666;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 large container of Cool Whip, thawed</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 can Cherry Pie filling</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained thoroughly </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #e06666;"><b>Procedure:</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Combine all ingredients and chill overnight. I usually whip the Eagle Brand and the Cool Whip together first, then fold in the pie filling and pineapple. It will firm up overnight and have a fluffy consistency. (Notice that I have "can" as my measurement...this is how it was given to me, and you too can spend quality time in the grocery store obsessing over and trying to figure out how large is "large" when it comes to the "1 large can crushed pineapple." I used the one that was closest in size to the can of pie filling and called it done.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yep, it's pretty much a whole lot of sugar with some fruit, and maybe nuts. I'm normally not a big fan of Cool Whip, and I keep meaning to try making it with real whipped cream, but then I think ( "I'm making a dessert with a can of pie filling, so really, Cool Whip is very appropo," and I go on with my bad self. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I've since seen recipes that incorporate miniature marshmallows, which will never ever ever happen in my Pink Velvet Salad. Decaying slimy marshmallows are an abomination, which is why I detest Ambrosia Salad. (Yes, another salad that is not a salad thing, but mostly fruit, so it could technically be a "fruit salad.") You could also throw coconut in it, but I wouldn't...sometimes simpler is betterer, if you know what I mean.</div>
<br />
<br />
Now, what elevated this dessert with me was freezing it. You could line some muffin tins with cupcake liners, spoon it in, and freeze it if you want to get fancy. Or, you could spoon the leftovers back into the empty Cool Whip tub and freeze it that way. Freezing it in the muffin tin is a little more elegant (ha! the idea that Cool Whip could be elegant!) and reminded me of some sort of 50s throwback dessert. It's pretty tasty when it's frozen, too.<br />
<br />
That's all I've got today, and I'm making no promises about tomorrow, next week, or next month.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-43442664374849581792013-04-16T19:10:00.003-04:002013-04-17T22:24:38.171-04:00From the Heartland...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIUhlNVgaUj7jA9eM50R3hyphenhyphenru9GUwxQoWFR_9iErmMfax-lHrOQaMygLFCW8QGDOCFxbCAD0ftLslbMj04JkmuEUktET3Mb3SUo6SZWDb4G7nYLpe6v0zZrA_iCp20PNTvubQ/s1600/balloons(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIUhlNVgaUj7jA9eM50R3hyphenhyphenru9GUwxQoWFR_9iErmMfax-lHrOQaMygLFCW8QGDOCFxbCAD0ftLslbMj04JkmuEUktET3Mb3SUo6SZWDb4G7nYLpe6v0zZrA_iCp20PNTvubQ/s200/balloons(1).jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
I swear, all my good intentions about keeping this blog up fell to the
wayside for the last couple of months...in case you hadn't noticed.<br />
<br />
Work devoured me, and I was busy having nightmares about Hell's Library (you've just not lived until Gordon Ramsay screams at you for not processing holds fast enough and that book carts are backing up), and worrying about the success of my newest project. I know I don't usually talk about work on this blog, but this customer has consumed most of my waking and sleeping hours for the last year, with it coming hard and heavy for the last month in preparation for go live.<br />
<br />
It's not every day that your company brings the largest library consortium in the country online with 426+ libraries coming together from 4 different systems...and it worked out pretty well, if I do say so myself. There's the inevitable data cleanup and system tweaking that happens with any migration, which will be ongoing for a few weeks, but everything worked and worked at the appointed go live hour! It was a great load off my pea brain, and maybe, just maybe I can get back to blogging and sleeping without Gordon Ramsay.<br />
<br />
I spent the entire week in southern Illinois for this go live, and had a few culinary adventures. I took my co-worker who was on site with me over to the Paducah, KY area, specifically Grand Rivers, to eat at <a href="http://www.pattis-settlement.com/" target="_blank">Patti's 1880s Settlement</a>. Yes, after flying into STL and driving for 2.5 hours, I then suggested we go to dinner that was another hour away. I am the best like that.<br />
<br />
I was introduced to Patti's about 15 years ago, when some quilter friends convinced me to come with them to Paducah for the <a href="http://aqsshows.com/AQSPaducah/" target="_blank">American Quilters Society's National Quilt Show</a>. (I know, I know...I have a hard time picturing me at a quilt show, too. I'm so not handy with a needle and thread...although I know how to sew on a mean button.)<br />
<br />
What enticed me to spend the weekend with them was one of them saying we were going to eat at a place where "they ask you if you want a 1-inch or 2-inch when you order a pork chop." Sold!<br />
<br />
Patti's is a weird little place. The decor is a whackadoo mix of grandma's parlor, grandpa's front porch, quilts, and other assorted oddities. All of the female servers wear granny dresses, and the tea served in Mason jars. Oh, and did I mention the bread comes in a flower pot? With strawberry butter.<br />
<br />
I personally think the 2-inch pork chop is a little too much; it's more like a personal pork roast, and you really want to try and save room for at least 1 bite of dessert. You may remember this post from a few Thanksgivings ago, when I shared the recipe for the<a href="http://poodlevania.blogspot.com/2008/12/boat-sinker.html" target="_blank"> Boat Sinker Pie</a>? You know, the one with 5 sticks of butter? This is the home of that pie. And, they serve it with ice cream!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXD3T2iO6cWNzYvdHdHWn05Sd1tx5nME4_WFkpk2aCyqJZjjD_4fC8LnAokOyo1K_Kj0-aDkJPejhkxWeKl0Q1Ytr8v2mfWLoR0fwZp3K_TMTP0EEOQfqV0N1SMxxiKUyJkl0/s1600/2013-04-07+18.18.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXD3T2iO6cWNzYvdHdHWn05Sd1tx5nME4_WFkpk2aCyqJZjjD_4fC8LnAokOyo1K_Kj0-aDkJPejhkxWeKl0Q1Ytr8v2mfWLoR0fwZp3K_TMTP0EEOQfqV0N1SMxxiKUyJkl0/s200/2013-04-07+18.18.46.jpg" width="200" /></a>UPDATED: LinC reminded me that I had forgotten to post a picture of said pork chop...the pork chop that was practically the size of the plate upon which it was served! Unfortunately, we had already devoured the flowerpot bread. And, I may as well confess that I gnawed on the bone...but like a dainty wild animal with no growling and furtive looks.<br />
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At the end of our long week, we were heading back to St. Louis to spend the night before flying home on Saturday. One of the folks at the customer's site mentioned a German restaurant in a little town on our route back. Off the beaten path, in Mascoutah (say that fast 3 times!), we came upon the <a href="http://www.roemertopfllc.com/index_ns.html" target="_blank">Roemer Tof Restaurant</a>.<br />
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It was the trip for restaurants with weird decor. There were these giant Christmas wreaths hanging down from the ceiling, like chandeliers, with fancy decorated cookies hanging from them. I have no idea what they were for, and I didn't care after I got my Holzfäller (Lumberjack) Steak, which was a pork steak topped with roasted onions and bacon...that "pork on pork" action gets me every time.<br />
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I opted to sub out my skillet potatoes side dish for some Kässpätzle. Y'all know my love of noodle things and that I've never really met a noodle that I didn't like, and this was no exception. It was basically spatzle with Swiss cheese...sort of a Bavarian mac and cheese, if you will. (And, I must confess that I have owned a spaztle maker for years, and I've never actually made spatzle. I used it to rice potatoes before I got a potato ricer. Somewhere, Alton Brown is howling in pain from all the unitaskers that I have.)<br />
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After all this excitement, I'm home for awhile, so I should probably do a little cookery. Or, at the very least, a little grilling...I need to burn the pollen off my grill for sure.<br />
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<br />Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-21467862569232970042013-02-17T23:49:00.000-05:002013-02-17T23:50:05.882-05:00Lasagne Per Due<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My local newspaper has gone to journalistic hell in a hand basket, and not a pretty hand basket at that. It only prints actual issues on Wednesday, Fridays, and Sundays, and the content is pretty close to worthless. The newspaper Powers That Be who decided to go with a mostly online statewide format, written by people who aren't even local to the area, and who can't use freaking spell check, and who can only regurgitate content from other news services should be stripped naked and locked in a room full of cobras...really pissed off cobras.<br />
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I used to get up and grab the paper early on Sunday mornings and read it during my morning coffee and E! television fix (Fashion Police and The Soup, anyone?). Now, it's lucky if I even bring it in before dark. It's really sad and a former shell of itself. And, the thing that has people most up in arms is the obituaries.<br />
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Many books, some funny, some serious, have been written about Southerners and their funeral rites. From the visitation, the funeral itself, the procession to the graveyard (which gets harder and harder to spot with more and more cars having daytime running lights), and the graveside service--each of these has its own rituals, most of which involve food.<br />
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With the newspaper only printing 3 days a week, it's become increasingly difficult to keep up with who has left this mortal coil and know when to drop off the casserole, cake, or pie. The new regime in charge of the paper insists that people can get this information online or can call into a recording of the day's obituaries. All the little old ladies that I know sniff at the very idea of this and lament that this is just another sign of the apocalypse...zombie or non-zombie.<br />
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All of this was sort of a convoluted way of saying that I've actually been reading the Wednesday edition, or at least part of it...the part that deals with food. It usually features a post from <a href="http://www.plainchicken.com/" target="_blank">Plain Chicken's</a> blog, which is a veritable encyclopedia of tailgating food, casseroles, and other comfort foods. I love this blog, have made several things from it, and her food photography is amazing. There are things that you would only find in the South, like Cheez-Its Chicken Fingers, but nobody eats that every day...and not that there is a damn thing wrong with Cheez-Its...one of nature's most addictive snack foods.<br />
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Anyway, I saw a recipe in one of the Wednesday papers for Lasagne for Two, from Cook's Country magazine. (To me, <a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/" target="_blank">Cook's Country</a> is <a href="http://www.cooksillustrated.com/" target="_blank">Cook's Illustrated</a>'s younger, more approachable cousin.)<br />
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Lasagne is a great dish to take to said funeral events, but it's a hard dish to make for one or two, without having leftovers running out of your ears...unless you make it in a LOAF PAN!<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">Lasagne Per Due (for two)</span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>(adapted from the Cook's Country recipe)</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;">For the Sauce</span> <br />
1 Tbs olive oil<br />
1 small onion, minced<br />
2 garlic cloves, minced<br />
8 ounces mild Italian sausage, removed from casings (I adore Publix brand, but use your favorite)<br />
1 14.5-oz can of Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained, reserve 1/4 cup of juice<br />
1 8-oz can tomato sauce<br />
Salt & Pepper<br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;">Filling, Noodles & Cheese</span><br />
4 oz. ricotta (whole milk or part-skim)<br />
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs grated Parmesan, divided<br />
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil<br />
1 large egg, lightly beaten<br />
4 no-boil lasagne noodles<br />
1 cup (4 oz) shredded whole-milk mozzarella<br />
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Cooking Spray, aluminum foil<br />
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the sausage and cook breaking up the meat into smaller bits until no longer pink, about 6-8 minutes.<br />
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Stir in the tomatoes, reserved juice, and tomato sauces and cook until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste; you should have about 3 cups of sauce.<br />
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In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, 1/2 cup of Parmesan, basil, egg, about 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp of pepper. Spray the bottom and sides of 8 1/2-inch loaf pan with a little cooking spray (like Pam). Cover the bottom of the pan with about 1/2 cup of sauce. Top the sauce with 1 noodle and spread evenly with about 1/3 cup of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of mozzarella and cover with 1/2 more of sauce.<br />
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Repeat twice, beginning with noodle and ending with sauce. Top with remaining noodles, remaining 1 cup of sauce, remaining mozzarella, and the remaining 2 Tbs Parmesan.<br />
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Spray a sheet of aluminum foil and cover pan tightly. Bake until bubbling around the edges, about 25-30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or so, until browned on top. Let the lasagne rest for 5-10 minutes, then cut and serve. Yields 2 large servings, or 3 single person servings. :-)<br />
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The original recipe called for a mix of lean ground beef and ground pork, but I decided that I wanted to use the Italian sausage. Also, there was no fresh basil at my supermarket, so I used frozen. I know, that sounded kind of weird, but I found these wonderful little trays of <a href="http://www.dorot.co.il/" target="_blank">Dorot </a>frozen basil, garlic, and cilantro at Trader Joe's, and they are the best things, especially in winter when I have no fresh basil growing.<br />
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I also reserved all of the juice from the tomatoes, and I think you could throw it all in if you reduce the sauce just a tad. The no-boil noodles tend to absorb more liquid, which is why you use the foil for most of the cooking to keep in the moisture, so I don't think it would hurt to have a little more liquid.<br />
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This was the first time that I had used the no-boil noodles, and I used Barilla (my go-to brand of pasta). They were a little softer than a regular noodle, with not as much "bite." I like a chewier lasagne noodle, actually a more firm, less saucy lasagne is also more to my liking. I hate it when you order lasagne in a restaurant and they drown it in marinara sauce.<br />
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This lasagne held up well for the next couple of days for lunch and dinner leftovers. It really did make a generous amount, even though it was in a loaf pan. I've made lasagne rolls before, which take less time than an actual lasagne, but still more work, because you have to cook and cool the noodles. This loaf pan version was quick and easy, and I will definitely make it again.<br />
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And is it "lasagna or lasagne"? I've always spelled it with an "e," which is evidently not the normal North American version, where it is more commonly spelled with an "a." Technically, lasagna is the singular in Italian, with lasagne being the plural. However, that doesn't seem to matter to English-speakers, according to <a href="http://grammarist.com/spelling/lasagna-lasagne/" target="_blank">Grammarist</a>, where we treat it as a mass noun. (Look, English lessons AND recipes...what more could you want from a blog?)<br />
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<br />Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-50295937202456310452013-01-29T23:20:00.003-05:002022-10-10T15:27:44.576-04:00Beef "Tangenie"Yeah, yeah, am trying to be cute and clever.<br />
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According to Wikipedia, a tagine is an historically Berber<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajine#cite_note-2"></a></sup> dish from North Africa that is named after the special earthenware pot in which it is cooked. The pot is usually 2 pieces; a flat bottom piece and a cone-shaped top that sits on top as the meal cooks. In the interest of full disclosure, I must tell you that I do not actually own a tagine...but it is not for the lack of lusting after one...especially a Le Creuset one.<br />
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Isn't it pretty? Isn't it lovely? Isn't it extremely expensive and seriously, do you really need this pot when you have a whole bunch of other really expensive pots? The answer to the last question is yes, of course, but I still want one, dammit.<br />
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But, I've been trying to live the Alton way and steer clearer of "uni tasker"kitchen ware and utensils. (And who are we kidding--the price is just kind of prohibitive, too. Although, I do haunt the local TJ Maxx-type stores in hopes that one day, like shining star, one will appear and be in my price range, i.e. cheap!)<br />
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And, since a tagine is essentially a slow-cooked stew, braising meat and vegetables at a low temperature for a long period, I can certainly pull this off with one of the Dutch ovens that I already own...colorful as they are, just not as exotic as an actual tagine.<br />
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I found a recipe on <a href="http://cookinglight.com/">CookingLight.com</a> for a <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/beef-tagine-with-squash-50400000109584/" target="_blank">beef tagine</a> that sounded pretty good, but wasn't exactly what the definition of tagine leads you to believe...it was going to be tagine in 30 minutes or so, a la Rachael Ray.<br />
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Remember the part above...the part about a tagine being a "slow-cooked stew, braising meat and vegetables at a low temperature for a long period"? Yeah, this didn't seem to really be the case, and I was kind of curious about what the reviewers of this recipe thought.<br />
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(As a side note, do you not positively hate people who review recipes on websites and totally change all the ingredients around, along with cooking method or time, and then say it was bad? Really? What recipe did you really make? Annoys the crap out of me...along with the whiny reviewers who decide that it sounds "icky" and want to rate it poorly without actually trying to make the dish.)<br />
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Many of the Cooking Light reviewers recommended dumping the original stove top methodology and going for an actual braise in a 325-degree oven for 90 minutes or so. So, I thought, what the heck, I can tinker with this, too. So, I upped the temperature a little bit and cut down on the time...and again, in the interest of full disclosure, it was because I was hungry and wanted it done faster.<br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130;">Beef Tagine with Butternut Squash</span><br />
(Adapted from Cooking Light, December 2010)<br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130;">Ingredients </span>(and there are a few!)<br />
<ul class="textItems">
<li>2 teaspoons smoked paprika (regular paprika is in the original recipe, but smoked is much more fun!)</li>
<li>1 teaspoon ground cinnamon </li>
<li>3/4 teaspoon salt </li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon ground ginger </li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper </li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper </li>
<li>1 pound beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes </li>
</ul>
<ul class="textItems">
<li>1 tablespoon olive oil </li>
<li>4 shallots, quartered(I also tried this with sliced onion, too)</li>
<li>4 garlic cloves, chopped </li>
<li>1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth </li>
<li>1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained (preferably no-salt-added)</li>
<li>3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 pound) </li>
<li>1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro </li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">Preparation</span>:</span></div>
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<div class="inner">
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.</div>
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<div class="textItems">
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1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add beef; toss well to coat.<br />
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2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef and
shallots; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally.<br />
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3. Add
garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in broth and tomatoes;
bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes.<br />
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4. Add squash; cover and place in oven for 1 hour.<br />
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I set the timer for 45 minutes, so I would have time to whip up some couscous to serve with it. You could use regular couscous, Israeli or pearl couscous, or my all-time favorite, Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend. If I'm ever in a situation where a last meal is required, I may want this as my final side item. It's got the pearl couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans, and quinoa (I know! Bird seed that is actually tasty!!) <br />
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Throw a spoonful of couscous in a bowl, ladle some of this amazing stew over it, and sprinkle with some fresh cilantro...heaven in a bowl! Makes 4 1.5-cup servings.<br />
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I really don't think it would have been as good if made as the original 30-minute version. With the amount of spices used, and the spices themselves, those are some bold flavors that need time to develop, and 30 minutes is just not going to get it. <br />
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And, while I am sure it would have been fabulous and amazing in a real tagine, it was pretty fabulous and amazing in my little red Dutch oven. Amazon does have some pretty and functional tagines at a fraction of the Le Creuset cost, so maybe I can spring for one as a little giftie to myself.<br />
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(Of course, now that I have time to cook some comfy stewy things, it was about 70 degrees F here today, with possible tornadic activity later this evening. I love the South!)<br />
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Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-84299451368183727842013-01-14T10:38:00.002-05:002013-01-14T10:39:08.478-05:00Comfort Food Supreme<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It's trying to be January here in the South and not succeeding very well. Saturday, it was 71 freaking degrees, and has been raining on and off for days, and is going to continue to rain and rain and rain for the next week. Animals are starting to line up in pairs...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(Although, I did throw out some grass seed this morning to try and cover up a bare spot that seems to be a poodle mud magnet, so I'm pretty sure the rain will immediately cease and desist. That's what happened every single time last spring when I attempted to cover the bald spots in my yard.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> During that ill-fated culinary school adventure, I started reading a lot of food blogs, blogs by other crazed culinary students, and food writing in general. One of the blogs that I stumbled across was <a href="http://www.prouditaliancook.com/" target="_blank">Proud Italian Cook</a>. The blogger lives near Chicago and cooks mainly, you guessed it, Italian.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Her food photography, as well as her recipes, are magazine worthy, and I wish I could wrangle a dinner invite in real life, instead of just through the internet.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Last year, she posted a recipe for <a href="http://www.prouditaliancook.com/2011/01/comfort-food.html" target="_blank">Chicken with Fennel and Olives</a> that has been my go-to comfort food for the last year. Initially, I was a little wary about the fennel, because fennel = licorice/anise flavor = hatred. But, the picture looked so amazing, I decided to brave the fennel. Plus, I figured if I didn't like it, I could leave it out if I wanted to make the dish again. And, there were olives, which could make up for a lot of not liking fennel if necessary.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This dish was amazing. She suggested serving it with a creamy, cheesy polenta, and I think the first time that I made it, I may have licked all the pans. The fennel actually has a very delicate flavor and was not overwhelming licorice like. I used chicken breasts the first time, and if I do it again, I'll whack them in half, crosswise. They were just too big, and I overcooked them a little bit.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The next couple of times I made it, I used bone-in, skin-on thighs, and that elevated it to an even higher level. I've always sort of skirted around eating thighs and legs, because I've not been that big of a fan of dark meat. It tastes kind of strong and gamey to me...unless it's in this dish. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I've tweaked the recipe a little bit, and I've fed this to several different folks, and it's gotten rave reviews every time. Here's the
recipe, and my edits in are <span style="color: #0070c0;">blue</span><span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>Chicken
with Fennel and Olives</b></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>adapted from Proud Italian Cook (prouditaliancook.com)</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">6
chicken thighs, bone in, skin on <span style="color: #0070c0;">(If using breasts, you might want to whack them in half for more even cooking)</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">1
fennel bulb, sliced</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">1
onion, sliced</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">8
cloves of chopped garlic</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">1
14-oz can of cherry tomatoes (or diced) <span style="color: #0070c0;">(I used
Publix brand fancy sliced stewed tomatoes, because I couldn't find canned cherry tomatoes in my area<span style="font-size: small;">, and I used 2 cans.)</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Jumbo
green pitted olives <span style="color: #0070c0;">(I’ve also used a mix of fancy olives
from an olive b<span style="font-size: small;">ar.</span>)</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Parsley,
thyme, oregano and basil <span style="color: #0070c0;">(use fresh; a few sprigs
of each)</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">White
wine</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Olive
oil</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Salt
& pepper<br />
<br />
</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Preheat
oven to 375F. Season chicken pieces with salt
and pepper. In a large oven-proof
skillet, heat a small amount of olive oil over medium heat. Brown chicken until it has a nice deep golden
color. Remove and drain the fat from the pan. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Drizzle
in more olive oil, and sauté the onion<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>and fennel. Then, deglaze with a
generous slug of white wine and throw in the garlic, stirring it around for a minute or so. (You can put the garlic in with the onions and fennel, but I am always afraid that I will burn it.) Add in<span style="font-size: small;"> the</span> tomatoes, herb sprigs, and salt and pepper to taste,
then place the chicken back in the pan, skin side up. Spread your olives all around and put the pan
in the oven for around 45 minutes, uncovered.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">About 10 minutes before the chicken
is done, start the polenta. <span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Creamy Polenta </b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">1 1/2 cups of half & half, cream, or milk <span style="color: #0070c0;">(I usually use half & half.),</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">1 1/2 cups of chicken broth</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">3/4 cup of instant polenta</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">1 Tablespoon butter</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Grated <span style="font-size: small;">P</span>armesan (about half a cup, give or take) <span style="color: #0070c0;">(I use shredded, because it’s what I normally have)</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Chopped fresh basil</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In a deep sauce pan, heat your milk
and broth until boiling. Whisk in the
polenta until it starts to bubble<span style="font-size: small;">; it will splatter a little bit, so be careful.</span> Remove the pot from the heat
and add in butter, cheese, snipped basil, salt and pepper to taste. if it thickens up, just add more liquid (stock or
cream) to loosen it up. I like mine a little stiffer, more like mashed potatoes, but it's a personal preference.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To serve this dish, I put a generous spoonful of the polenta on a plate, and then put a piece of chicken and the sauce on top of the polenta. I try not to cover the <span style="font-size: small;">crispy ch<span style="font-size: small;">icken skin completely.</span></span> Steamed broccoli with a little lemon and salt and pepper is a good accompaniment. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">
<span style="color: black;">Just a si<span style="font-size: small;">de note about the tomato<span style="font-size: small;">es: </span></span>I used 2 14-oz cans of the stewed tomatoes instead of 1<span style="font-size: small;">. For some reason, I</span>
didn’t think diced work as well, because they seemed to lose flavor and
texture. Weird, I know. Also, using 2 cans gives a little more sauce,which is not a bad thing at all in this recipe.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You cannot help but feel warm and content after consuming <span style="font-size: small;">this dish</span>, ready to hunker down in your Slanket or Snuggy or Pajama Jeans and hibernate for awhile.</span>..or at least until time for dessert.</span>Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-85804127168263199982013-01-02T23:48:00.000-05:002013-01-02T23:48:04.003-05:00From Outer Space, Outer Mongolia...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIowEvHKIj3m5kMgaHNIhtRwKiVQyvbqsv-Z1cuKpkr6Uq9Rv28oiDa52By8v3cTH3w99ASLfZPyxz31JQfxsos1A-C199myJK20_EW2mAUEv0jqaoB_vjRn1QG9Guq_y_G_4/s1600/mayan+oreo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIowEvHKIj3m5kMgaHNIhtRwKiVQyvbqsv-Z1cuKpkr6Uq9Rv28oiDa52By8v3cTH3w99ASLfZPyxz31JQfxsos1A-C199myJK20_EW2mAUEv0jqaoB_vjRn1QG9Guq_y_G_4/s200/mayan+oreo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Or wherever the hell I've been keeping myself,. I know, it's been awhile, and this little blog seems to be dusty and abandoned. I've got a dozen half-started posts that I could never bring myself to finish, so I'm chunking them all and starting fresh for the new year. Especially since it's after December 21, and we're all still here. Take that, Mayan calendar and all those crazy doomsday preppers!<br />
<br />
I'm going to be optimistic and hope that 2013 is a better year than the last 18 months or so...yeah, that's more than a year, but remember I've always been bad at math. Natural disasters happened, hearts were broken and re-broken, too much time was spent in New Jersey, knee surgery happened, and people died...not exactly a rollicking fun time.<br />
<br />
Hope does spring eternal, you can't always get what you want (sometimes you are waaaay better off without it), and nothing beats lovin' like something from the oven, especially if it's corn pudding stuff.<br />
<br />
New Year's Day lunch seems to be my holiday, and I'm good with that, although I tend to eat too much ham for far too long afterwards. This year, I got all experimental and went with Martha Stewart's Marmalade Glazed Ham, Duchesse Potatoes, Corn Pudding, and I baked a cake. (Never fear, I had the backup fixings for a Banana Pudding in case the cake went south.)<br />
<br />
This is kind of a potluck meal, which has evolved into "things that people must bring in order for it to be a proper New Year's Day lunch," i.e. our personal traditional foods. T brings this amazing Hoppin' John dish with fresh black-eyed peas and sausage (the best part is that there is more sausage than peas, but it still fits the requirement to have black-eyed peas on New Year's Day.) L brings a creation that she has dubbed "California Pea Salad," which is a lot like a 3-bean salad, but about a thousand times better. I hate 3-bean salad, but I cannot get enough of this pea salad. It's crunchy, sweet and tangy, and a good palate cleanser. I also cannot make this pea salad as well as she does, even when I follow the directions to a T, or should that be "to an L"?, and that just makes me crazy, so I beg her to bring it to everything whenever I can get away with it.<br />
<br />
I never really know what to do with the glaze packet that comes with the ham. It never seems to turn out quite right for me, so I was poking around on line to get some ideas when I stumbled on the <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/318008/marmalade-glazed-ham" target="_blank">Martha Stewart Marmalade-Glazed Ham</a> recipe. The recipe called for Madeira or sherry, which I was sure that I had, but of course, I did not. So, I substituted a little Marsala, which is Spanish sherry, and I think it was pretty tasty. Since I had spiral sliced ham, I didn't follow all the scoring directions, but I did lift up the slices and paint the glaze between them.<br />
<br />
For some insane reason, I decided that I needed to stretch myself a little and make Duchesse potatoes. When I did the <a href="http://poodlevania.blogspot.com/2006/05/potato-po-tat-to-its-all-tater-salad.html" target="_blank">Duchesse </a>in the culinary basics class, they were the source of much angst and agony and re-piping. It's amazing what a glass (or two of wine) will do for your creative morale when you pipe mashed potatoes into mounds. Yeah, I had to re-pipe a few of them, but all in all, they were fine. I used a recipe that I found on <a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/Duchess-Potatoes-Recipe-Cook-s-Country/21090/" target="_blank">Cook's Country</a> (it might make you register to see it), which is an offshoot of America's Test Kitchen...you know, the folks who will cook a 100 pork chops to perfect the technique.<br />
<br />
Of course, the idea of peeling 3 pounds of potatoes at 10 pm the night before was not sounding like a fun way to spend New Year's Eve, but the CC recipe was a little different. They microwaved the potatoes rather than boiled them...which might be the way I make mashed potatoes for the rest of my life. I actually used the ricer, and I think they came out pretty darn fine. I mixed them up and piped them out, covered them loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerated them overnight. The next day when I browned them, I was extremely pleased with how they turned out. They weren't perfectly uniform, but they were uniformly tasty.<br />
<br />
And, before I forget...for the greens part of the meal, I did Sauteed Kale with garlic and a metric ton of bacon. I'm just not good at the whole collard greens thing. I think it's because I don't have enough patience or time management skills to remember that I have to cook them longer than I anticipated, much less make sure they are in the pot on time. <br />
<br />
I also made a double batch of what I think is a top 10, if not top 3, comfort food...the Jiffy Corn Pudding! This thing is a staple in any church or civic organization cookbook, and M brought it over for our Labor Day cookout, and I tried to carry this dish off into the corner and growl at anyone who came near it.<br />
<br />
It's so bad for you, yet so warm, tasty, and comforting. I made a double batch of it, because I wanted to make sure there were leftovers, which I had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner today...along with the ham.<br />
<br />
There are variations of this that include cheese, green chilies, jalapenos, etc. Someday, I may work my way around to trying those options, but for now, the original is the best.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;">Jiffy Corn Pudding (my people call it Spoon Bread)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv8TbWg6gbunjyYTXdLPthWKETPnpWfe35jYQOBQkvu79n2c-frzBOBitkQk_CJTLhdDFMlWQKVTeG6kczTYJkxt91Z91MqTyrJm6eOfMz4UsX70z85KT4rglLbEsYE2d3Hk6A/s1600/corn+pudding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv8TbWg6gbunjyYTXdLPthWKETPnpWfe35jYQOBQkvu79n2c-frzBOBitkQk_CJTLhdDFMlWQKVTeG6kczTYJkxt91Z91MqTyrJm6eOfMz4UsX70z85KT4rglLbEsYE2d3Hk6A/s1600/corn+pudding.jpg" /></a></div>
(serves4-6 as a side, as long as one of you is not a greedy snarling goose)<br />
<br />
<div style="color: black; padding-left: 20px;">
<span class="ingredient">1 can whole kernel corn, drained</span><br />
<span class="ingredient">1 can cream corn</span><br />
<span class="ingredient">1 stick butter</span><br />
<span class="ingredient">1 (8 oz.) pkg. sour cream</span></div>
<div style="color: black; padding-left: 20px;">
2 eggs, lightly beaten<br />
<span class="ingredient">1 box Jiffy corn bread mix</span></div>
<div style="color: black; padding-left: 20px;">
</div>
<div class="instructions">
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter (or spray with cooking spray) a 1.5 quart glass baking dish. Melt the stick of butter in microwave. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the corn, butter, and sour cream and mix well. Add the beaten eggs and mix, then add the corn bread mix and combine well.</div>
<div class="instructions">
<br /></div>
<div class="instructions">
Pour batter into prepared baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes until done. The edges will probably get browner than the middle. Serve with butter (see--what is not to love about this!).</div>
<div class="instructions">
<br /></div>
<div class="instructions">
This recipe also double very well, and you can use a 3-quart (lasagne-size) glass baking dish.</div>
<div class="instructions">
<br /></div>
<div class="instructions">
The<a href="http://www.jiffymix.com/" target="_blank"> Jiffy Mix</a> is a product of Chelsea Milling Company in Chelsea...wait for it...Michigan! I find that hilarious and mildly troubling, because dish and the little mixes seem so distinctly Southern to me. Do not ask me why I think that...probably because of the butter factor. </div>
<div class="instructions">
<br /></div>
<div class="instructions">
Anyway, Jiffy Mixes were introduced in the 1930s and are one of the first homemaker convenience foods. I've got some mixed feelings about convenience foods and the decline of modern civilization , which surfaced more after I read <a href="http://kathleenflinn.com/books/kc/" target="_blank">The Kitchen Counter Cooking School</a> while I was at the beach this fall.</div>
<div class="instructions">
<br /></div>
<div class="instructions">
That book deserves a post of its own, which I shall work on, but it really got me to thinking about why I started the blog, and the things I learned from the Fine Technical College culinary program and while I was working at Super Suppers. It also reminded me of how much I liked to babble about food stuff and how important this blog has been to me at different times over the last 6+ years. I realize that I didn't want to abandon it, but it took me a little while...okay, another 3 months or so to actually put fingers to keyboard...to actually make myself do it.</div>
<div class="instructions">
<br /></div>
<div class="instructions">
Here's to a more tolerable, less eventful new year!</div>
Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-43932489326648002342011-03-17T23:44:00.000-04:002011-03-17T23:44:54.793-04:00Saw (Part of) the USA on the A1A<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMmPlc2Ag6u625dDrMgEvJFbFzK-CmxO4S_O3V0ZvuKTBWJhmZLCf1jDsVldSdhnwGF2kYSCdgThbr4OQPgoVgevtUuOQVISS20TgKJ88zTIw4oA7NYqcWfCwsUBHlDiEbgGp/s1600/A1A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMmPlc2Ag6u625dDrMgEvJFbFzK-CmxO4S_O3V0ZvuKTBWJhmZLCf1jDsVldSdhnwGF2kYSCdgThbr4OQPgoVgevtUuOQVISS20TgKJ88zTIw4oA7NYqcWfCwsUBHlDiEbgGp/s200/A1A.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>However, I was in a Dodge, not a Chevy.<br />
<br />
I freely admit that most of what I know about the eastern coast of Florida comes strictly from reading a whole lotta John D. McDonald novels--the Travis McGee series and others--along with a healthy dose of Carl Hiaasen, so, I totally expect it to be chock full of confidence men, hard-looking dames, scary one-eyed hermits, and other miscreants, with a healthy scattering of kitschy alligator wrestling establishments and water-skiing nymphos of both sexes. <br />
<br />
I flew into Jacksonville with the grand idea of driving down to Flagler Beach (my final destination) via the A1A, but there was a pesky wildfire that seemed to be making travel hard. So, on my way back to Jacksonville for the return trip, I planned to stop in St. Augustine for a quick tour and get there via A1A. Alas, I was sidetracked by a wonderful New York-style deli, so I had to drive interstate to St. Augustine to make my meet-up with a co-worker. However, I'm getting ahead of myself, so we'll slow down, put on the cruise control, and start with the beginning of the week.<br />
<br />
My final destination out of JAX was Palm Coast, Florida, a planned community. Palm Coast is in Flagler County, named after Henry Flagler, who was responsible for bringing development to the east coast of Florida. He built a railroad to shuttle his rich friends down to the warmer climes from the frozen North. Wikipedia calls him the "father of Miami," because before he built a railroad down to Miami, it was pretty much nothing. But enough with the history...let's talk about food!<br />
<br />
One of the best meals I had was at the<a href="http://www.flaglerfishcompany.com/"> Flagler Fish Company</a>. This place looks a lot like one of those little hole-in-the wall meccas that you read about on <a href="http://roadfood.com/">Roadfood.com</a>...and amazingly enough, is not on their list of places in the Flagler Beach area. <br />
<br />
Flager Fish Co. is a converted dive shop run by folks who ran away from the crazy city life rat race...they might actually be some of the lucky ones who actually make it, if the quality of the dinner I had is any indication. Everybody has a great idea for a "little ol' beach shack" restaurant, and there seem to be way more bad ideas than good.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIda1L9tW7ouLK-ZLzMapJh85zpeHtqbDpwgHXfF2pk18-XJlDzY2OdtiK8kpVdrvLUoHj2IBHAqKq0DGPcBBl1wURrXoF84fHCXIQdgAwGJ_5ibvBX61NOufBmXiVnNbCeLv/s1600/Flagler+Fish+Case.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIda1L9tW7ouLK-ZLzMapJh85zpeHtqbDpwgHXfF2pk18-XJlDzY2OdtiK8kpVdrvLUoHj2IBHAqKq0DGPcBBl1wURrXoF84fHCXIQdgAwGJ_5ibvBX61NOufBmXiVnNbCeLv/s200/Flagler+Fish+Case.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>When you walk in the door, you are greeted by a giant display case of fresh fish...this would be the fish and shellfish that they are serving today. (Note that large fish with the yellow spots lying across the back of the case...it figures prominently in the next couple of paragraphs...as dinner!!)<br />
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As you sit down, a friendly wait person takes your drink order and brings you a generous basket of homemade potato chips and a little cup of homemade clam dip. <br />
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Aaaah, clam dip--how I love you so. And, it seems like a 100 years since I've had clam dip. When I was a small child, back in the dark ages known as "the 70s," I always thought clam dip was such an "elegant" treat--way more sophisticated that the French onion dip, even with French in the name. Kraft Clam Dip and Ruffles ('cause they have ridges, and ridges = fancy!) was the very height of sophistication in my little pea brain. I know, I've come a loooooooong way, baby...at least I hope so.<br />
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I still have a special place in my heart for clam dip, and a special place in my stomach as well. I would have cheerfully made a meal off of the chips and dip and not even ordered more food. In fact, when my friendly waitperson asked if I wanted more clam dip, the hopeful look on my face made her laugh. It's the little thing, people, the little things.<br />
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For dinner, I opted for one of the fresh catches of the day, the golden tile fish. Having actually paid attention during my wanderings at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in December, I knew that it was on the list of sustainable fish, and the Flagler Fish Company seems to adhere to the sustainability rules.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch/species/golden_tilefish.htm">Golden tile fish</a> is a firm white fish that the wait person described as being "between grouper and snapper." Sounds good to me! I had it seared on the flattop grill, with a couple of dipping sauces--a Thai coconut and a brown butter lemon caper. I know, the flavors are pretty disparate, but I couldn't decide if I was in a sweet or buttery mood. Buttery won out over all, but both sauces were tasty.<br />
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The side options were pretty amazing, too. A cold Portabella, Tomato, Asparagus Salad in balsamic vinaigrette was my healthy, virtuous choice. The Asiago Potatoes were the blissful indulgence, ranking right up there with the clam dip! You can actually get the <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Asiago-Potatoes-242346"><span style="color: blue;">recipe</span> </a>from Epicurious, and I'm trying to figure out if I want to make them for people, or eat them all myself.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnoz_LlOwiej_T0Jmos4WU6xjEql70VhupC_KFG9dnJpBOu9FO7hXYuXLLn9-3QtULEonPIhUbvypu36juVwBzCLi8cybV0IRWfNlBLQ6e39V2YL9gegW_jxvIlvg9Z2E5ZqS/s1600/Flagler+Fish+Co+dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnoz_LlOwiej_T0Jmos4WU6xjEql70VhupC_KFG9dnJpBOu9FO7hXYuXLLn9-3QtULEonPIhUbvypu36juVwBzCLi8cybV0IRWfNlBLQ6e39V2YL9gegW_jxvIlvg9Z2E5ZqS/s320/Flagler+Fish+Co+dinner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>When my plate arrived, I was slightly disappointed that there were only 2 potatoes, since the menu and the waitperson had really talked about how wonderful they were...and then, I ate a bite. Two is plenty...trust me. These are the richest tasting potatoes, which is something that I don't usually shy away from. Folks say, "ooh, that's too rich for me," and I have no idea what they mean. Too rich? That's kind of like saying "that's too cheesy." When someone says it's too cheesy, it sounds like the parents on Peanuts, "whaaaa waaa whaa waah."<br />
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So, two was plenty and rounded out the meal nicely. The fish was perfectly cooked--not dry, moist, and a little flaky. I was extremely pleased with my dining experience.<br />
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On my last day in Florida, I drove back through St. Augustine and met up with a co-worker who lives in the area. We decided to take the trolley tour of Old St. Augustine and have lunch in the area. Our first trolley driver was absolutely hilarious--the amount of syllables he could string along when saying '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ponce_de_Le%C3%B3n">Juan Ponce de Leon</a>," was amazing. (My Southern drawl is pretty directly related to the amount of liquor I have consumed--the more I have, the more syllables you get. Tequila can give you bonus syllables if you listen closely.)<br />
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We took the recommendation of our trolley ticket sales person and had lunch at the St. Augustine outpost of the Columbia restaurant. The <a href="http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/">Columbia </a>bills itself as the "oldest Spanish restaurant" in Florida, and it was damned good. I opted for the <b>El Combo de Cuba</b> , which is described as "A Cuban feast of Roast Pork, Boliche, platanos, Empanada de Picadillo, black beans and yellow rice." They had me at "feast."<br />
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I do have a great fondness for combo plates...it's especially helpful when eating food from cultures not your own. Although, I always am on the horns of a dilemma at new barbecue places, because I always want to try the pork and either the beef or chicken or some other tasty smoked goodness. I think it's because this is usually my one and only shot at the place, and it's quite likely that I'll never pass that way again.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsb03pWfj179tWU0fOeA8YWUIjqmWKsnP-euxKgxe42giwuoD8T4Fd98k_O6Q-8h5cnNsWAwVsgu3RqFAAUTw1Fyu85fSNnbc0MYiZXYb5BxK7of4FhbBc06U7QGu4VnPx5ay_/s1600/Cubana+plate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsb03pWfj179tWU0fOeA8YWUIjqmWKsnP-euxKgxe42giwuoD8T4Fd98k_O6Q-8h5cnNsWAwVsgu3RqFAAUTw1Fyu85fSNnbc0MYiZXYb5BxK7of4FhbBc06U7QGu4VnPx5ay_/s320/Cubana+plate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Isn't it beee-yoo-ti-ful? Clockwise, from the top: the empanada, pork roast with gravy, maduros (sweet plaintains) on yellow rice and black beans, and the boliche. Note that red circle in the boliche, the one that makes it look like Jupiter? That, my chickens, is chorizo. You make a tunnel in the beef and shove a stick of chorizo in, then roast it in the oven. Who doesn't like meat in meat? (You could wrap the whole thing in bacon just to kick it up a notch.)<br />
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It was almost more excitement than the taste buds could stand. <br />
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So, that's what I've been up to lately. And, since the long nuclear winter seems to be over here in the South, it's time to rip the cover off the grill and see what yummy stuff can be conjured up there...before everything acquires that fine yellow pollen coating, and you are afraid to go outside and stand still for very long, because you too could acquire a fine yellow pollen glaze. But, hey--no lake effect snow!Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-50762765444571327202010-12-30T11:39:00.001-05:002011-01-03T19:24:17.840-05:00The Good, the Bad, and the pretty damn Yummy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv70dxYR78q7OWfXlIprPH4Kb5NKltBFVx3AgkHa-Q01QIfsdPROM9MPDDwYMqqJ9_wHB9gGk-YkOqVvt4qa8i3SQXDF4kGqpV36pBjSN5DVbstTriHBOFCqMpvCAopxjmXjZZ/s1600/goodbadugly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv70dxYR78q7OWfXlIprPH4Kb5NKltBFVx3AgkHa-Q01QIfsdPROM9MPDDwYMqqJ9_wHB9gGk-YkOqVvt4qa8i3SQXDF4kGqpV36pBjSN5DVbstTriHBOFCqMpvCAopxjmXjZZ/s200/goodbadugly.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>About 3 weeks ago, I watched <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060196/">The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly</a> ...yeah, I'd seen it before, but this time, I feel like I really watched it for the first time. It was the first time I paid attention to how the movie was put together--that iconic theme song and the amazing score are just as much stars of the movie as the actual actors. There's not a lot of dialogue either, which made me remember that I had forgotten that ol' Clint was a damn fine specimen in his day.<br />
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Seeing this movie was sort of a preparation to my latest customer visit, which was to Marina, CA...right outside of Monterey and Carmel, where Clint was mayor and still lives in the area. Yeah, I know he's old and craggy, but for sheer star power, could you really beat Clint? Not that I expect to actually see him walking down the streets of Carmel by the Sea, but a girl can always hope, can't she?<br />
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This trip should officially be dubbed "A Fistful of Short Ribs," because that was essentially what I ate for 3 days.<br />
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I flew into San Francisco on Saturday afternoon and then drove to Marina, which is about 2 hours away. I was hoping that it would still be daylight when I flew in, so I could at least enjoy the surroundings as I drove down, but it was dark. I had opted to go a day early, so I could spend Sunday wandering around Monterey, see Cannery Row and the Aquarium, and <strike>stalk </strike>sight see in Carmel.<br />
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I arrived in Marina at about 7:30 pm, which meant it was 9:30 my real time, and I was tired and hungry...and a little cranky that I wasn't racking up any Hampton Inn points this trip, because there wasn't a Hampton Inn as one of my lodging choices. (Although, if you are ever in the Marina/Monterey area, you could do worse to stay at the Marina Holiday Inn Express--the shower pressure is freaking amazing. It's the little things...)<br />
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After asking at the desk for dining options, the desk clerk sent me off with a coupon to the <a href="http://www.kula-ranch.com/">Kula Ranch Island Steakhouse</a>. Since I've been homesick for Hawaii since I visited last year, this sounded sort of promising. Plus, the coupon options included "buy one, get one Mai Tais," so how bad could it really be?<br />
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(What? You don't think it's possible to fall instantly in love with a place and consider it home? Hmmph...am just one winning lottery ticket away of reuniting myself and my island homeland. In the meantime, I make do with the new Hawaii Five-0 eye candy.)<br />
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Kula Ranch seems to be a local joint, even though it feels like a franchise...am betting that franchising is in the works somewhere, and specializes in Polynesian-style food. It's kitschy, and I start to get a bad feeling about this, especially when some fresh-faced young man, looking like he walked off the set of Beach Blanket Bingo, walked up to my table with his ukelele and asked if I had any requests. I sort of fixed him with my best gimlet eye and asked for "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," and he got style points for starting to pluck it out. He's probably dealt with lots of old farts like me before. Anyway, I was just afraid that everything would just have a grilled pineapple ring and a couple of maraschino cherries to make it "Island style." Especially, when one of the coupon offerings is also "Hawaiian Nachos." I'm not exactly sure what the hell says "nacho" about Hawaii, or if there is even a word in Hawaiian for nacho, so I wisely opt for the 2-for-1 Mai Tais.<br />
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I've about decided to go with the Mauka Skirt Steak, which is marinated in soy and citrus, when I spot the "Pork, Chicken, and other Specialties" side o' the menu. There is Kalua Pork, but there's also St. Louis-style ribs and some Cajun-spiced, which is disturbing to me for the above grilled pineapple and maraschino cherry reasons, and a beef short ribs dish. Y'all know the love that I have for the short rib, and I hope that these short ribs are like the kalbi-style ones that I had at <a href="http://poodlevania.blogspot.com/2009/12/aloha-and-mahalo-for-all-mochi.html">L&L Hawaiian Barbecue</a> last year.<br />
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Alas, they are not. They are not bad, but they are not fabulous...I should have gone with the skirt steak...I didn't have any preconceived notions about it, like I had for the ribs. I think the big problem I had with the dish was the presentation. There was a mount of rice in the middle of the plate, with a scoop of macaroni salad on top of the rice, with the ribs arranged around the plate like spokes--that wasn't the part I found problematic; it was the dumping of the macaroni salad on the rice. It did not work for me, because it made my rice all mayonnaisey. I'm not usually freaked out about my food touching or mixing on the plate, but this did not work for me in the slightest. The Mai Tais were strong and fruity though, and it was a good thing that I was only a half a mile away from the hotel.<br />
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I headed back to the hotel and tried to get some sleep. Predictably, I wake up at about 3:30 a.m. and wonder why it's still dark. Ha...I hate changing time zones. I finally give up and get up at about 7:30 to take a shower and start my day. I figure I'll head to Monterey, do the Aquarium, and wander about Cannery Row. As I peer out the window of my room, which overlooks a little marshy area with water birds and walking paths, I notice people walking along the paths. These folks are bundled up like it's nuclear winter out there, and that makes me a little worried, because all I brought was a windbreaker and a light dressy jacket for the office. I turn on the news, and it's 53 degrees F outside...seriously? The walkers had on puffy jackets, ski caps, gloves, and scarves...like it was 53 degrees below zero!<br />
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There's nothing so fun as a power outage in a hotel when you are in the shower. I immediately wonder if there's been an earthquake, and this is the time that California breaks off into the sea...blame it on a late-night showing on 2012 on Starz. That has got to be the worst CGI-ed disaster movie of all time. I didn't even make all the way through the movie, because it was so bad.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsKvWM0yEFtRzVTTzUWyH7xa7d4SVIh8DOyhVsx9Am8G6qzw380H25jmXbg7bhxayjOqAyxoodCohnLL_yAXWI0CbH_VIvWRjiJRCF0An5uarF0xQlulVc3qHwnt9W9oM48se/s1600/DSCN1031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsKvWM0yEFtRzVTTzUWyH7xa7d4SVIh8DOyhVsx9Am8G6qzw380H25jmXbg7bhxayjOqAyxoodCohnLL_yAXWI0CbH_VIvWRjiJRCF0An5uarF0xQlulVc3qHwnt9W9oM48se/s200/DSCN1031.JPG" width="200" /></a> The power finally returns, and I head out to Monterey to start my day. The aquarium is cool, and I think that the up close and personal viewing of the otters is worth the price of admission. The penguins were pretty cool, too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJiFUxybpIG_O4NG_b3MXKVD0bYZshWgRIJKS7Bg2s00sGUgOzR3yEORVl_4GzM3M_k83zNek7V8PYuWHNgGYOgjkbRPcP0wgn3_iTBcyvgxZp2Tew4oY_pch1nlPFQD9ZDvqj/s1600/DSCN1158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJiFUxybpIG_O4NG_b3MXKVD0bYZshWgRIJKS7Bg2s00sGUgOzR3yEORVl_4GzM3M_k83zNek7V8PYuWHNgGYOgjkbRPcP0wgn3_iTBcyvgxZp2Tew4oY_pch1nlPFQD9ZDvqj/s200/DSCN1158.JPG" width="200" /></a>I wander through the shops of Cannery Row, and then head over to Carmel-by-the Sea to check out the area and stalk Clint. I had read an interview with him that took place in the dining room of a restaurant/inn that he owns, called the <a href="http://www.missionranchcarmel.com/">Mission Ranch Hotel and Restaurant</a>. I gathered from the interview that he might actually hang out there on occasion, so I resolve to have dinner there on Monday night.<br />
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I headed back to Marina and realize that I am STARVING! I drive around a little bit and spy a Korean barbecue restaurant...kalbi ribs, here I come!!<br />
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Normally, I check with folks at the customer site to find out about the local places and get the skinny on what's good, but I decided to just wing it and strike out on my own at <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/277/1219399/restaurant/Salinas/Nak-Won-Korean-BBQ-House-Marina">Nak Won Korean BBQ</a>, and I am glad I did. I got a heaping portion of the short ribs, along with some Romaine lettuce leaves to wrap it in, and about a dozen small side dishes of kimchi and other delights. There were these awesome marinated large black beans that I could have eaten whole lot more of, along with a tasty potato salad, and some sweet-hot cucumbers and daikon radish slices. (Update: I finally got off my lazy bum and actually typed "Korean Barbecue side dishes black beans" into Google, and found this <a href="http://blog.mygourmetonline.com/korean-bbq-party/">site</a>, which gives a recipe for Kong Jang, along with other recipes and a sort of how-to for a Korean BBQ party. If I ever work up the nerve and the energy to do a Korean BBQ party, I will definitely make these beans!)<br />
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(We could also call this trip "For a Few Woks More," because I ate a lot of Asian food this week, too.) (Did you like that Clint-ism? I am on a roll...a California roll..bwhaaahaaa!)<br />
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The next day, I went to lunch with the client at a local Thai place, <a href="http://www.dannathaikitchen.com/">D'Anna Thai Kitchen</a>, and had the basic Thai Basil noodles with squid, which was very tasty. Across the street from D'Anna's is the U.S. headquarters of the <a href="http://www.gingerpeople.com/">Ginger People</a>. (Not, not a world headquarters for red heads, but the root!) For dinner, I went back to Carmel and had dinner at the Mission Ranch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZRr8Q9F1p6-18bigM_249NpQkk9PuMiNsT-xu_OJVqiMj1EH5j1eHrl-Eq6fQPNiXb8yWtIEZ4a_4O0vXaLSh9uXRuTUbB1v6Gd52xa1xQVgVaBJ2bskWfgvzrl6LfdndaEM/s1600/DSCN1170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZRr8Q9F1p6-18bigM_249NpQkk9PuMiNsT-xu_OJVqiMj1EH5j1eHrl-Eq6fQPNiXb8yWtIEZ4a_4O0vXaLSh9uXRuTUbB1v6Gd52xa1xQVgVaBJ2bskWfgvzrl6LfdndaEM/s200/DSCN1170.JPG" width="200" /></a>The restaurant is very cozy, and looks out over the fields where sheep graze and you can see the Pacific Ocean...if it's not dark by the time you get there. (Luckily, I had scoped this out the day before and saw the view and the sheep then). I had a wedge salad with bacon and blue cheese, along with the Short Rib (Osso bucco style), which was served with grilled asparagus and the most divine mashed potatoes. These potatoes weren't anything fancy--no smashing, no garlic, no cheese, just potatoes, cream, and butter. They were fluffy and light and just so potatoey good. Ossobuco is a braised dish, usually with a veal or pork shank...some slow-cooked goodness. The short rib was very tender and pretty much melted in my mouth like butter. I cleaned my plate and really struggled to keep from actually licking it. Yum! I decided to forgo dessert at the beginning of the meal in favor of a nice local California cabernet...after all, I am on a limited expense account.<br />
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Lunch on Tuesday was at a local Japanese place that had a very nice teriyaki chicken bento box...the name of the place escapes me now, but it was good...not truly memorable, but good. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgp5VciPzXYD5TTRpaYlPsrLma6yhRvbQH20ukOh_xq6NYbIBxLddMBwg1xXdJg3VSfjBud2k-zwhrsfjINFxg3ZvK48r4SzuNsKcSmbnxU-ZkbWoqBobMjvkzF1d1V7vrfKs/s1600/inandout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgp5VciPzXYD5TTRpaYlPsrLma6yhRvbQH20ukOh_xq6NYbIBxLddMBwg1xXdJg3VSfjBud2k-zwhrsfjINFxg3ZvK48r4SzuNsKcSmbnxU-ZkbWoqBobMjvkzF1d1V7vrfKs/s200/inandout.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Tuesday evening finds me driving back to San Francisco to spend the night and catch an early flight out. As I wind my way around the city to a Hampton Inn near the airport, I am trying to decide where/what to look for dinner. After getting lost twice...sometimes those overlapping overpasses are very confusing on the GPS!...I get on the right road, and lo, behold, as I pull into the hotel parking lot, about 2 blocks down from the hotel is (drum roll please) a glowing yellow arrow beacon marking the spot of an <a href="http://www.in-n-out.com/default.asp">In & Out Burger</a> .<br />
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No trip to California would be complete for me without a stop at In & Out, and I had despaired of finding one in the northern climes, since In & Out is more of a Southern California delicacy. One double-double animal style later, along with skinny fries and a chocolate shake, I fall into a food-induced coma until the alarm goes off at 4 am, and I begin the mad scramble for the airport and my flight home.Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-78149083885334823842010-11-28T11:11:00.000-05:002010-11-28T11:11:36.103-05:00Just Taste the Rainbow Already!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOYszIekI4a-K460p8c84qBY8gZKHEP9MJRrqIOk1vYPmYv9jbC7oJQJvOxN6RBLZG8C3plIwk3_VXYOZS5tsow3MV2pgeBbXVcIfRaIpyC2YpYPEEZ9Z6-zaSsEh2FsgjhTp/s1600/rainbow_parttern-2056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOYszIekI4a-K460p8c84qBY8gZKHEP9MJRrqIOk1vYPmYv9jbC7oJQJvOxN6RBLZG8C3plIwk3_VXYOZS5tsow3MV2pgeBbXVcIfRaIpyC2YpYPEEZ9Z6-zaSsEh2FsgjhTp/s200/rainbow_parttern-2056.jpg" width="200" /></a>(Okay, you so don't want to know all the images that Google gives you when you search on "taste the rainbow." Trust me on this one.)<br />
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If I were to take one of those inane Facebook quizzes about "what kind of bird are you?", I would probably score as a crow or a magpie, based on my love of shiny and colorful things. In this episode of "Baked: or Why Don't I Just Go Ahead and Put My Head in the Oven Already," I get distracted once again by something pretty on a baking blog of someone who has way more luck and experience than I do with getting something edible out of the oven.<br />
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I know I whine a lot about baking, but I really, really, really want to be able to do it. And I don't understand why I can't. I know practice makes perfect, but sometimes, you need more than practice. I think you need either magic, the appropriate gene structure, or possibly voodoo.<br />
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And, we can just blame it on Linna for sending me links to the The Food Librarian's celebration of Bundt cakes, appropriately named <a href="http://foodlibrarian.blogspot.com/2010/11/national-bundt-day-2010-round-up.html">"I Like Big Bundts."</a> (You have to love the Sir Mix-a-Lot reference...the man is nothing, if not honest.) Somehow, I got a link from there, at least I think it was from that site, to this one for the Kitchen Koala, who posted one of the coolest looking cakes that I have ever seen: <a href="http://www.kitchenkoala.net/2009/08/toto-ive-feeling-were-not-in-kansas-any.html">a Rainbow Cake</a>. <br />
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It's not just enough that all the layers are different colors; they are all different flavors, too. KK got her recipe from the <a href="http://www.cheekykitchen.com/2009/03/young-at-heart.html">Cheeky Kitchen</a>, which is where I got the actual recipe as well. I used some of the techniques described in the Koala post, like using thawed frozen fruit and pureeing the beejeezus out of it, and the Billowed White Chocolate frosting recipe that Cheeky Kitchen used. And, this is what I got:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAFdPuJSK6K2FonqKvP3rmCmMAhqTBMax8R0bhodUgNU6J-fAD_ZN459FiE6PbVYpg85Ove_huLicXR2XLo8JDfPVB8XHRr0zzbL9h3mf8tE1zNcTGHygSRyy2bqmJuKSY0Yj/s1600/rainbow+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAFdPuJSK6K2FonqKvP3rmCmMAhqTBMax8R0bhodUgNU6J-fAD_ZN459FiE6PbVYpg85Ove_huLicXR2XLo8JDfPVB8XHRr0zzbL9h3mf8tE1zNcTGHygSRyy2bqmJuKSY0Yj/s200/rainbow+cake.jpg" width="150" /></a></div> Pretty cool, huh? Each layer is obviously a different color, but they are also different flavors. The red one is raspberry with pureed raspberries; orange has orange zest and orange juice; lemon has lemon zest and juice, as does the lime, with lime zest and juice. I whirled up some blueberries for the blue layer, and blackberries for the violet layer. (Indigo was put in the corner and had to wait this one out. I suppose I could have gone right on out on the crazy tree limb and made a 7th layer for indigo, combining blueberry and blackberry, but I feel that 6 layers was quite enough, thank you. "ROYGBV" works just fine in my spectrum.)<br />
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While making this cake, I felt a kinship with Tim "The Toolman" Taylor--I got all the tools and a lot of enthusiasm, but I might be a little lacking in the innate talent department.<br />
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The slippery slide down the path of baking construction started out auspiciously, when I borrowed 3 8-inch cake pans from Linna to add to the 3 8-inch pans I already had and discovered that I have no idea how to measure. I have 9-inch cake pans, and as with most things, an inch makes a BIG difference. And, really cake pan manufacturers, is it so hard to put the size on the darn pans? Pyrex manages to do it...just sayin'.<br />
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You know that I have already mixed the cake batter up and divided it out and mixed the colors and flavors in by the time that I discovered the discrepancy. I call Linna in a panic, and she talks me off the ledge and assures me that I can just run a little cool water in the pans after I take the first 3 layers out to cool, and I should be fine to bake the next three layers.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIRlgwNbd1p28GgHqLwAmJ_SZQJBQkc74oy94TSCy7aW-Sm2awGLLuUwKuFUZ-BKusYTuCULNMQczRGTzOua2aADRmZCCwvNYlYRgxF8Y0-l549koNUs9pMm_WKWmXCQq1qFq/s1600/DSCN1002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVMqr99m-WNCYnBMy7xtE6D2NPFSTDrUxOWC8GRdfEBQOsfHp8j-4cjCg9zHqe2JrVDxZXrmzd3pHHj3o1LLGSGcfusWFGJMSGUOSVg0wNZbE8Yf1rBXfsodz9o6q80FyJ30d/s1600/DSCN1001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVMqr99m-WNCYnBMy7xtE6D2NPFSTDrUxOWC8GRdfEBQOsfHp8j-4cjCg9zHqe2JrVDxZXrmzd3pHHj3o1LLGSGcfusWFGJMSGUOSVg0wNZbE8Yf1rBXfsodz9o6q80FyJ30d/s200/DSCN1001.JPG" width="200" /></a>I am very concerned about making sure that my batter is divided evenly--the recipe says to scoop out 6 cups and divided them in to 6 different 1-cup containers. I double-checked that all the layers had the same amount of batter by weighing them to make sure they all weighed the same before adding the fruit and color. I was kinda proud of myself for thinking of that method, if I do say so myself. (Yes, if you look closely, that is a ladybug toaster on my counter, which was a wonderful Christmas present from Linna.)<br />
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When I added the fruit for the red, blue,and purple layers, I measured out 4 oz of each fruit before pureeing it and adding it to the batter.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YzCVdqnHyRjLXDuVGnGNRlo2ajmSWNAq0MJHypBKopm95ZRMs0uByAUDlmShHGPZaKse5bILUoYkczpcfAgZj8GdZOMNWmTRzKE8jayQhj0rFlbcBYO2y_OJ-OaSqbJ_YAQk/s1600/DSCN1004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YzCVdqnHyRjLXDuVGnGNRlo2ajmSWNAq0MJHypBKopm95ZRMs0uByAUDlmShHGPZaKse5bILUoYkczpcfAgZj8GdZOMNWmTRzKE8jayQhj0rFlbcBYO2y_OJ-OaSqbJ_YAQk/s200/DSCN1004.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, that is ladybug tea kettle...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Before I put the pans in the oven, I spun them around and tried to make sure that I had distributed the batter evenly in each pan. I have no idea what happened in the split second that it took me to stop the spinning the pans and toss them in the oven, but they came out in all different depths. I was rather surprised when the green layer came out, and it was significantly flatter than the other 5 layers. I had expected that the red, blue, and purple layers might have been a bit thicker, because they had more ingredients with addition of the pureed fruit. I assume there must have been some sort of extra reaction to the acidity in the lime juice which caused it not to rise more. (If I'm wrong, don't tell me...just let me add it to the mythos and madness of what I think baking should be...it will keep me happy and stop me from over analyzing my fool ass off.) I was afraid to try and level them, especially that ol' green layer...Hulk say leveling bad. Besides, I figure I can fill in the gaps with icing. (Hah! I can hear you all laughing about this now.)<br />
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I watched them very carefully, since my oven tends to run a little hot, and did my best not to overcook them, and started preparing the icing. I used the Billowed White Chocolate recipe from Cheeky Kitchen's original post, which involves 2 sticks of butter, a bag of white chocolate chips, milk, and 3 pounds of powdered sugar. Yeah, that was 3 pounds and not a typo. I am fascinated with how you can take an enormous amount of powered sugar and have it absorbed by a small amount of liquid and become frosting. When I turned to the Internet to find out why, I got distracted by this post of <a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/IngredientSubstitution.html">baking substitutions</a> on Joy of Baking and remembered that I really needed to finish this post...<br />
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The icing just about did my little hand mixer in...at this point in the evening, I did not have the strength nor the mental acuity to wrestle with the stand mixer. Besides, I think my stand mixer hates me, because it knows I don't have any baking genetics. The frosting came together well; it was just hard going at times when adding in a fresh dump of powdered sugar..."dump" might not be the best word to use here, but I'm going with it anyway.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIy85yoRqeHnkVrXnjFbrfoE32ZKTMQ6IAZrPWUI5J1_Mm_FgKhDpuH0jZ_fW7P_hditJ0n-Zy4SZPGVyzDo8lFtcSeXCtL_ucRAL2KFGmeP7bhaAekBH7qukmp4lPt_-y7C7/s1600/DSCN1009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIy85yoRqeHnkVrXnjFbrfoE32ZKTMQ6IAZrPWUI5J1_Mm_FgKhDpuH0jZ_fW7P_hditJ0n-Zy4SZPGVyzDo8lFtcSeXCtL_ucRAL2KFGmeP7bhaAekBH7qukmp4lPt_-y7C7/s200/DSCN1009.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>I start stacking and frosting and stacking and frosting, until I end up with something that looks like the Leaning Tower of Cake-a. I put about 5-6 long wooden barbecue skewers in to try and hold the cake together while I finished frosting it, so the whole thing wouldn't slide off into the floor, possibly crushing the Goldfish and have the other two devil poodles in cake and frosting sugar coma heaven.<br />
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Frosting this cake is tiring and a real arm workout. After I get frosting all over the cake and me, I decide that I am throwing it into the fridge overnight and dealing with it tomorrow. Hopefully, it will magically straighten up and be perfect when I pull it out. Because, you know I wasn't just making this completely for my own amusement...I was going to inflict it on people who were Coming Over.<br />
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A couple of hours before the <strike>victims </strike>guests were to arrive, I pulled it and the rest of the frosting out of the fridge to soften and come to room temp before trying to finish it off. Kimma showed up early, and I immediately threw myself at her mercy, handed her an offset spatula, and begged her to "fix it." She smoothed out the icing, filled in the gaps, and then we sprinkled multicolored sugar on it to liven up the stark white frosting. It was pretty darn impressive looking, all tall and white, and not quite so leaning, if I do say so myself.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-bNfwOaiBmeP165V8ACYqFP6VqYd9ySj0Oc0bGJLCgkjtYxgrEFQCxZo5sd5NnPhOf6y7M5N-q9kHq-OZSopQs0ZEKCUI8jT4fdhnJ7fdwsIp9Ax0tiyqoAQXHXZwKfduuoS/s1600/slice+of+rainbow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-bNfwOaiBmeP165V8ACYqFP6VqYd9ySj0Oc0bGJLCgkjtYxgrEFQCxZo5sd5NnPhOf6y7M5N-q9kHq-OZSopQs0ZEKCUI8jT4fdhnJ7fdwsIp9Ax0tiyqoAQXHXZwKfduuoS/s200/slice+of+rainbow.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
At this point, I have ingested so much cake batter and frosting in the process, trying to determine how the finished product will taste, that I am so over and done with this cake that I can barely stand to look at it. My guests are brave and try it, proclaiming it to be delicious, and that all the fruity layers seem to work together...which is good, because I had visions of it tasting like a bad bowl of Froot Loops. Everyone seems to have a favorite layer, and not necessarily the same flavor. I was sort of worried about all the flavors, because in tasting the batter before baking, the purple/blackberry layer was the only one that seemed remotely edible. Amazing what a little heat and a tone of frosting can do, isn't it?<br />
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I foist off as much as I could on folks and wrapped up a couple of slices to throw in the freezer, waiting until I could work up my nerve and appetite to try it. The Poodle Sitter came over the night before Thanksgiving, and she was pretty excited about the rainbow cake, so we pulled some out of the freezer to try. And, you know what? It was pretty tasty. It was moist and tender, even after being in the freezer, and the fruit flavors really did taste fruity and light and did not clash with each other. I think my favorite layer was the purple one (blackberry), followed in a close second by red (raspberry).<br />
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<div style="color: purple;"><b><span style="color: red;">L</span></b><b><span style="color: orange;">e</span><span style="color: yellow;">s</span><span style="color: lime;">s</span><span style="color: blue;">o</span><span style="color: #351c75;">n</span>s <span style="color: red;">L</span><span style="color: orange;">e</span><span style="color: yellow;">a</span><span style="color: lime;">r</span><span style="color: blue;">n</span><span style="color: #351c75;">e</span>d </b></div><br />
First and foremost, I would not attempt this cake again in a single session...especially not on a work night. It's a 2-day project at the very least. If I ever get crazy enough to do this again, I will definitely make the layers in advance and refrigerate or freeze them.<br />
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I would also like a better frosting recipe...as much as I hate to say it, the old standby cream cheese frosting might have worked better for this cake. The white chocolate one that I used was just too sweet and didn't really have any flavor but sweet, if that makes any sense. I am right fond of marshmallow icings, and I realize they might be an acquired taste, but I think that would have went well, as would a basic butter cream or 7-minute.<br />
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And, I will start leveling my cakes better...even if the green layer becomes nothing more that a sliver between the yellow and blue. <br />
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Also, since this started life as a box mix and all the fruity flavors seemed to turn out well, I'm thinking that might be a tasty way to quickly jazz up the cake and have something a little bit out of the ordinary when you need a cake in a pinch.<br />
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Part of me (probably the logical rational part that I keep buried in a box) says give up and leave well enough alone and stick to the Bundt cake, because it is hard to screw one of those up. Bundts always looks nice and neat, with those handy lines for portion control. The Crow side, the wild and crazy part that is sucked in by bright colors and shiny things, is wondering if we can conceivably turn this rainbow cake thing into a Bundt and then cover it with those little silver dragees. Luckily, Crow is in her cage and distracted from picking the lock because I threw in one of those Fushigi balls to keep her occupied. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesGxWnQBnZ5jUW9L83qtX2ppnub_koejXEjaBLKIHsirxGgDWb1yN2lXZN-cRroB73YvhICcp5m9G8XIcPQGZjJjmPqKyweHAalXLwP9aOE3Dyi6BlxwudbAv_-T2bUmsoBlu/s1600/fushigi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesGxWnQBnZ5jUW9L83qtX2ppnub_koejXEjaBLKIHsirxGgDWb1yN2lXZN-cRroB73YvhICcp5m9G8XIcPQGZjJjmPqKyweHAalXLwP9aOE3Dyi6BlxwudbAv_-T2bUmsoBlu/s200/fushigi.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Am not completely sure why it's art and why "everyone loves" it, but it keeps her out of baking trouble...Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-28903227269113759452010-10-10T21:48:00.000-04:002010-10-10T21:48:22.622-04:00Chicken & Champagne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJusMIuWECJaAYUcPGqSOjgReMC40iAXrpU-2xnCC9gcwNg457feVG6W-wiEz4rMr3y5x_OuVNwuWxzjVqeATtK1QuC8QFkQFNdrjtMzG20Tf016ZRB3F5AhMp8iSlSOxJSkoU/s1600/sake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJusMIuWECJaAYUcPGqSOjgReMC40iAXrpU-2xnCC9gcwNg457feVG6W-wiEz4rMr3y5x_OuVNwuWxzjVqeATtK1QuC8QFkQFNdrjtMzG20Tf016ZRB3F5AhMp8iSlSOxJSkoU/s200/sake.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>It was a damned hot summer here, and I grilled out like nobody's business. I even ran out of propane, and a tank usually lasts me a year. (Not going to debate the charcoal versus gas thing...yes, I prefer charcoal, but I also like to grill on the spur of the moment, which is hard to do if you are waiting for coals.) I even grilled so much that I ended up getting a new grill, because the grates on the old one were wearing through.<br />
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R., a friend and former co-worker who now lives in Food Central of the Pacific Northwest (and we are jealous!), sent me a marinade recipe for chicken that he had at a cookout. He said it was so good that his son forsook pork chops in favor of this chicken, which really piqued my interest--pork over chicken? The heresy!! He didn't provide a name for it, but I have dubbed it <b>Sake Chicken</b>, because it has sake in it...brilliant, am I not?<br />
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Most of us know sake as the drink they serve in sushi bars and, to my palate, may as well be called Asian moonshine...it always tastes very harsh to me. It come hot, in cute little bottles with cute little cups, or cold in cedar boxes with salt on the rim. And that's about the extent of the average person's knowledge of sake...and mine too, up until this post.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEGLsKCL5STAqVrYmUlwNJtFLQSPnB40gilTji6XPBHF5cjZP3lW7S_zQg87eBQyI_YaXaLOKbbNTUzkLan6kC9fXPpWVArOY5pS6lAicuC4gYRCq-FyuRbvH9CFI2wMtgEmkY/s1600/Tozai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEGLsKCL5STAqVrYmUlwNJtFLQSPnB40gilTji6XPBHF5cjZP3lW7S_zQg87eBQyI_YaXaLOKbbNTUzkLan6kC9fXPpWVArOY5pS6lAicuC4gYRCq-FyuRbvH9CFI2wMtgEmkY/s200/Tozai.jpg" width="99" /></a></div>As it happens, the day I was out looking for ingredients to this marinade, I went to <a href="http://www.earthfare.com/">Earth Fare</a>, our newest food market and total bane of my bank account. While wandering through the amazingly well-stocked cheese and wine section, just past the olive bar of no return, there is a vendor offering sake tastings. I am intrigued, of course, because who turns down a free drink? I look at offerings, and the one that really sticks out is a bottle with a pale milky pinkish liquid...is that sake or just the bottle? No matter, it's pretty, so it must be good! <br />
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This sake is Snow Maiden sake, and it gets its name from a breed of koi, which are ornamental carp. It is a <i>nigorizake</i>, or "cloudy" sake, which is why it appears milky in my little plastic cup.<br />
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The vendor starts babbling about how the garden variety sake you get in sushi bars is essentially crap...sounds like she thinks it's one step above paint thinner. She starts waxing and waning about how to tell "good" sake, that you need to be able to tell the prefecture that it came from, the type of rice it was made from, heck, possibly the color of the master brewer's underwear. I sort of tune her out, because I'm just here for the free drink, and I think that sake is sake, and it can't be all that different from the sushi bar house sake. Yeah, you knew I was wrong about that, didn't you? I was totally surprised by the Snow Maiden. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnAOZ3PYYngOOlQtzJE5j39iXyOJVwt0aGGUp5Nm8rnzwHgzOOr-aMBST7NlfCAOmhnLPHUNuCc7f4KDEFrBph35Ay_Z14_Cc3SBHI2m2T5TAsNJO55wk-ZF39sE3bH4ID6oQ/s1600/tradsake.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnAOZ3PYYngOOlQtzJE5j39iXyOJVwt0aGGUp5Nm8rnzwHgzOOr-aMBST7NlfCAOmhnLPHUNuCc7f4KDEFrBph35Ay_Z14_Cc3SBHI2m2T5TAsNJO55wk-ZF39sE3bH4ID6oQ/s200/tradsake.gif" width="126" /></a></div>It was smooth and creamy, a bit nutty, and not anything at all like the harsher sake that I've had in the past. I'm acquiring a whole new respect for this stuff, and I might go so far as to actually order it at dinner or buy it for home consumption. However, I am not using it as a marinade ingredient. While the Snow Maiden is not horrifically expensive, I think the garden variety Gekkeikan will be just fine...and it might be quite possible to leave it out altogether, but you would need to add something for acidity, I think...maybe a flavored vinegar. Or, I can lend you a cup, because you know I'm not drinking this stuff.<br />
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<div style="color: purple;">Sake Chicken</div><br />
4 lbs of chicken (breasts, thighs, tenderloins--your preference; I used boneless skinless breasts, but I'm sure boneless or bone-in parts are fine)<br />
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1/2 cup soy sauce<br />
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3/4 cup sugar<br />
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1/4 cup ketchup (I am a firm believer in <a href="http://www.heinzketchup.com/">Heinz </a>and only Heinz for my ketchup needs)<br />
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1/4 cup sake<br />
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1 Tbsp. sesame oil<br />
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1 inch or so ginger root (peeled and grated)<br />
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1-2 cloves garlic (grated)<br />
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1/2 bunch of green onions, chopped<br />
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<b>Method</b><br />
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(NOTE: I made the recipe using the full amount of marinade and only 2 pounds of chicken. I would suggest doubling the marinade if you use the full amount of chicken...it makes a wonderful dipping sauce.)<br />
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In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients, including the sugar. Use a Microplane grater to grate the peeled ginger into the marinade, and then use a garlic press to smash up the garlic and add it, or grate with the Microplane. Thinly slice the green onions and add to the marinade.<br />
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Place the chicken parts in a zippered freezer bag and add the marinade. Seal and marinate at least 2 hours, up to overnight. Remove from the marinade, reserving the liquid, and grill until done. Place the reserved marinade in a small sauce pan and heat until boiling. Boil for at least 5 minutes to reduce and also make the marinade safe to use as a dipping sauce. Serve sauce along side the chicken or pour over.<br />
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This is some mighty fine, lip-smacking chicken. I made some rice and steamed a little broccoli to go with it, and it was a fabulous feast. <br />
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I know I'm a little lax in my posting these days (yes, okay, VERY lax!), but honestly, I have not cooked ir eaten anything highly exciting lately...well, wait...there was the Great Pink Champagne Cake experiment.<br />
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I was scheduled to have lunch with a group of ladies that I used to work with, and one of them was just coming off of chemo (for the evil breast cancer), and it was also her birthday, so we decided to surprise her with a cake and cards. So, I volunteered for dessert, because my friends are very good at encouraging me in my efforts (and probably because I can always bring a killer banana pudding if all else fails). Since it was her birthday and the whole Save the Ta-tas theme of pink, I thought I would like to do a Pink Champagne Cake. Remember the <a href="http://poodlevania.blogspot.com/2009/03/strawberry-gal.html">rose-shaped Bundt pan</a>? From the time I opened that as a gift, I have wanted to do a Pink Champagne Cake. I've read about them, and they just sound yummy.<br />
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So, off to the Internets I go to search out a recipe and maybe some tips and hints. I found a recipe at <a href="http://goodthingscatered.blogspot.com/2010/02/pink-champagne-cake.html">GoodThings Catered blog</a>, and it sounded good, and all the commenters were pretty rah-rah about it. The only thing that is odd is the inclusion of powdered milk. I hate reconstituted powder milk with a white-hot passion...we used to have it occasionally for lunch at my kindergarten, and I refused to drink it then, and I ain't agonna drink now. So, any recipes to pass along to use the remainder of the box of powdered milk would be greatly appreciated. (Yeah, I guess I could have used regular milk, but I wasn't quite sure why it called for powdered milk, and I am such a baking 'fraidy cat that I always make it by the book when making a cake for the first time.) I make the cake in the Rose pan...after spraying it within an inch of its little Bundt life with some Baker's Joy. No stickage!! Whoo hoo!<br />
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While the cake cools, I find a recipe for a Champagne Glaze--it's hard to frost a Bundt, much less a rose-shaped Bundt, so I thought a glaze would be good. It essentially was a simply syrup with champagne and butter. How bad could that be? Yeah, pretty bad. It was like syrupy butter...the smell of the champagne was good, but the taste was almost non-existent. I added more champagne, but it was just too buttery tasting. I know, buttery is not usually bad, but in this case it was, because there was no balance. The butter flavor overwhelmed the glaze.<br />
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I'm trying to figure out what to do with the cake, because it's just not what I had in mind when I started this project, and I decide to make another cake, but this time as a regular 2-layer cake. I know I'm not the world's best baker, and I kind of suck at icing and decorating, but what did I have to lose? If you slather enough buttercream icing on a cake, people will eat it it, no matter how lumpy it is.<br />
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While the second cake cooked, I surfed the web and checked Facebooks to see what my peeps were up to...probably not at home wrecking their kitchens on a Friday night, that's for sure. I spy a link in someone's status to this <a href="http://inchmark.squarespace.com/inchmark/2009/1/28/making-a-dot-cake.html">post </a>at <a href="http://inchmark.squarespace.com/">inchmark.squarespace.com</a>. This is a pretty cute cake, and it seems like it should be pretty easy to do...then, I read the blog author used to be senior art director at Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Kids. Crap. Oh, well, in for a penny, in for a pound at this point. It's midnight, and I gotta figure out something for that cake.<br />
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And, really, how hard can it be? It's royal icing piped on wax paper and left to harden overnight. Famous last words. Royal icing is a bitch to work with, because that stuff will harden like cement in a matter of minutes. So, I had to keep it covered while coloring it and piping it. And, you know, anytime you use food coloring, especially late at night in semi-panic mode, things are going to get wild. Hollywood, who has a very bad habit of sitting practically on my feet while I am in the kitchen, ended up with a bright pink top knot after I dripped icing on him when I tripped over him...the oven door was similarly coated in the same incident.<br />
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And, of course, it took me to the last set of dots to actually get the hang of it and feel good about my dot making. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxua9lF_LtzTfJ6M6xLlQsd-z6ujLqKiFyM6aQc2havJXyhbIS05s17coNBo7jyuRznS8rtONfMPe2jeDZp0b-rPUY_wDX9kI4WAFpq644Ht8hY5Vjo13-FcBwLHTsK1Uw2w9T/s1600/polkadot+cake+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxua9lF_LtzTfJ6M6xLlQsd-z6ujLqKiFyM6aQc2havJXyhbIS05s17coNBo7jyuRznS8rtONfMPe2jeDZp0b-rPUY_wDX9kI4WAFpq644Ht8hY5Vjo13-FcBwLHTsK1Uw2w9T/s200/polkadot+cake+2.jpg" width="200" /></a>The next morning, I get up and stumble into the kitchen, which looked like Barbie exploded in it, not to mention that one of the poodles was still pink. All in all, we were looking at a qualified success here...snort. The dots looked pretty good; they held their shape and seemed to have dried okay. I start peeling them up and poking them onto the cake, and it's working like a charm. Those Martha Stewart folks really know their stuff. A couple of the larger dots were a little too flexible and could have used a little more drying time...they cracked just a little, but this was actually turning into a bonafide success story. Check it out; it looks pretty good for rank ol' amateur me. <br />
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I went ahead and took the rose-shaped cake, too, and dusted it with a little powdered sugar. I figure it you don't like icing, then you had an option. I was bit underwhelmed by the actual eating of the cake...maybe I was just pink champagned-caked out, but it was not all that and a bag of fondant. It tasted okay, but it wasn't fabyooolous by any means. And, I don't know if it was me or the recipe...I'm willing to go with a little of both, just to save some face here, plus the dots <u>are </u>darned cute.<br />
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I will totally try the dot thing again, and I liked Inchmark's suggestion of how to successfully pipe letters for decorating as well. I think shall work on mastering dots first, then maybe some punctuation, before I try an actual letter. And, next time, I will give the dots more time to dry. The leftover dots that dried for about 15 hours were perfect--easy to pick up, no cracking.<br />
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Oh, and the poodle is no longer pink.Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-47563373941892433262010-08-02T22:47:00.000-04:002010-08-02T22:47:05.686-04:00Mile-High Club<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnrhV91YJ5jF-hnlKl_L7ljpUroFT59IyXko5wLvG7f3Z_aKWX1hOC2MxS7rB5Ig_7iWX_jRKhQx9Qm2Kozqhj1ylfuY78Fx88F7DHex1p_68N-dk3daPowyPLJPnzjTRzg0F/s1600/denver-airport-address.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnrhV91YJ5jF-hnlKl_L7ljpUroFT59IyXko5wLvG7f3Z_aKWX1hOC2MxS7rB5Ig_7iWX_jRKhQx9Qm2Kozqhj1ylfuY78Fx88F7DHex1p_68N-dk3daPowyPLJPnzjTRzg0F/s200/denver-airport-address.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>No, not *that* Mile-High Club...what kind of blog do you think this is? I just meant that I had finally visited Denver.<br />
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I've been to the lovely state of Colorado before, but never to Denver, and I would love to go back soonest. I could seriously picture me and the poodles living in Denver. Especially with the heatwave that we've been experiencing lately. On my way back from Denver, there was a layover in Memphis, and I, along with my fellow passengers, made audible noises about the force of the heat and humidity as we stepped out of the plane and into the jetway. It was like a physical slap in the face with a hot, wet towel. Ugh to the nth degree.<br />
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The cool thing about this trip was having friends in the area to meet up with and share some fun and cool dining experiences. I met up with a former co-worker, LD, when I got off the plane, and we went to a lovely little French place in downtown Denver (LoDo area) and had a fantastic meal. There was a little "incident" that made the dining experience a little less than optimal, but the food was fab;. We went to <a href="http://bistrovendome.com/">Bistro Vendome</a>, and ate "bad things," which means things that tasted extremely good but were not on my 400-calorie per meal allowance...more on that later.<br />
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We started with mussels in garlic/wine/butter and Rillette de Canard with a rhubarb-black currant marmalade. How can you go wrong with mussels in a wine and butter broth? You can't, unless you ask for a second loaf of bread to try and soak up all that garlicky goodness, which might negatively impact how much of your entree you can eat, and you might as well forget about dessert.<br />
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The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rillettes">rillette </a>is a sort of a rough, rustic paté...without the liver. Meat (could be duck, could be pork, etc.) is cooked in fat until very tender, then shredded and mixed with seasonings and packed down into jars or ramekins and sealed with a little layer of the fat. The rillette came in a little glass jar with the requisite layer of creamy white duck fat on top. You mix in the fat (I know!! How decadent is that?! Mixing actual fat into your food ON PURPOSE!) with the meat, and then spread it on toast. And, no I totally forgot to take a picture, dammit! You can go <a href="http://ouichefcook.com/?p=4290">here</a>, which I found by Googling "rillette" and check out the picture for an idea of how it looked, and the blog, which I plan to go back to and read more of, because it's very interesting.<br />
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I'm back...got sidetracked by her post on Porchetta...almost shorted out the laptop by drooling.<br />
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On to the rest of the French meal...we both got Steak Frites, and I opted for the classic Béarnaise (hello, steak and butter!), and LD went for the Roquefort in a port reduction option. I had some of her Roquefort, and I think we both found it a bit pungent. Don't get me wrong, because I love all the bleu cheeses, but I think I would have rather had that particular one with some apple slices, bread, and a big glass of wine.<br />
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Steak Frites (steak with fries) is more of a Belgian dish, but who cares what the actual entymology of the dish is...it's steak and potatoes, which we Americans seem to claim as one of our national signature meals, too. The steak was perfectly medium-rare, the fries were skinny, crispy, and coated in a sweetish glaze...it's hard to describe...maybe it was a sherry vinegar? The thing with the frites is that they should be fried twice to get crispy. Fries are one of those sides that I can take or leave for the most part, but I think I ate every single one of these.<br />
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Unfortunately, that extra loaf of bread that I mentioned earlier caught up with me, and I was unable to do more than glance at the dessert menu...hate that. Plus, the "incident" was a little off putting...at a table near us, a couple with a small toddler-age child was dining, and about halfway through our meal, the child tossed his cookies...not something you want to see or hear while having a great meal...or any meal, for that matter. It seemed to take forever for this to get cleared away, because the parents were in no hurry to leave, so the staff could hose down the area (we were sitting out on the patio). That was highly annoying...hello clueless people, your child just upchucked all over the place much to the chagrin of other diners and you are continuing to talk to each other and ineffectually dab at him with a napkin. What is wrong with you? Pick him up and hightail it out of there and leave a good tip for the folks who have to clean up after you. We just averted our eyes as best we could and plowed gamely on.<br />
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The next night, I was on my own and went with recommendation from one of the library staff for <a href="http://www.loladenver.com/">Lola</a>, which bills itself as "coastal Mexican," and "one of the top 5 places to drink tequila in America, according to <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/">Food & Wine Magazine</a>," and who am I to argue? Monday nights are all-night happy hour, with a special appetizer menu and reduced drink prices.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLN5xOooyLI0D7sXXHKtOLRsI-iVjGGdvYniAcrXn3JMr5EJhh8bYrOcat6u5xLBBiCfrzNjeSrXw5Ugc5OeHnft6rpqBG_6a3CdJnth8VkJ7QIcNKBca-BGFiVyE5-FlYEE2/s1600/0719001814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLN5xOooyLI0D7sXXHKtOLRsI-iVjGGdvYniAcrXn3JMr5EJhh8bYrOcat6u5xLBBiCfrzNjeSrXw5Ugc5OeHnft6rpqBG_6a3CdJnth8VkJ7QIcNKBca-BGFiVyE5-FlYEE2/s200/0719001814.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I decided to have a draft Dos Equis--I really wish it had been the Dos Equis Amber, which I consider to be *the* perfect food beer--and build myself a little tapas-style dinner from the happy hour apps. I had a little fried fish taco that had a nice crunch (soggy is bad!), along with homemade pork rinds, and pork gorditas. The homemade pork rinds were sprinkled with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotija_cheese">cojita </a>cheese and lime zest and served with Lola's signature sauce Muñoz, which has chile de arbol, tomatoes, and onions, and packs a nice little kick. That sauce can be downright addictive.<br />
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The star of my little platter was without a doubt the pork gorditas--little open-faced pork tacos with fried onions, habanero, tomato, and cojita cheese. The cojita used in these dishes is the creamy version, and it was a lot like a chevre with its tangy flavor. Those 3 little bites of pork heaven were a-to the-mazing. I seriously thought about ordering a dozen to go and taking them back to ye olde Hampton Inn and eat myself into a little foodie coma. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7s516gIubglspIjynF59mCW6y-TyHc44NmjQagRwtXj91d3FYuW4bS4K1BWYIAWAaSEq11dGDvVIP3ysrIE6iKrZUI4Hi10OEKBpk9MAjy1uOIvPQBBctqTt9HyHyoNFO8a41/s1600/0719001846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7s516gIubglspIjynF59mCW6y-TyHc44NmjQagRwtXj91d3FYuW4bS4K1BWYIAWAaSEq11dGDvVIP3ysrIE6iKrZUI4Hi10OEKBpk9MAjy1uOIvPQBBctqTt9HyHyoNFO8a41/s200/0719001846.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>However, I resisted and opted to have a slice of Chocolate Chipolte Caramel Cake...a devil's food cake layered with dulce de leche and chocolate mousse, served with sea salt caramel ice cream and pepita (pumpkin seed) brittle. I wanted a little more of the chipolte heat in the cake--love the chocolate and the heat--but all was forgiven/put out of my mind by that salted caramel ice cream. It was the perfect combination of sweet, cold, and salty.<br />
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Tuesday night, I had plans with TC, who I had not seen in a bazillion years, and was looking forward to catching up in a big way. I talked up Lola from the night before, and he thought it sounded pretty good for dinner, so we went back. Tuesday night was a 4-course tasting menu with or without wine or tequila (we went with the wine).<br />
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First course was a little ahi tuna tartar in a gazpacho sauce, which was nice, but not anything to really write home or blog about. Then, the second course of habanero barbecue pork rib appeared, and it ranked right up there with the previous night's gorditas. I was very tempted to say "bring me the rest of the rack...matter of fact, bring me ALL the racks, bwhaaahaaahaa!" Succulent, tender, with just the right amount of heat...and I'm not normally a rib aficionado, but these were awesome.<br />
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For the third course, you had a choice between escolar, a firm white fish, carne asada, or steelhead trout. I chose the escolar, and T chose the carne asada. The blackened escolar was very tasty and served with a jalapeno coleslaw. Since I had never heard of this fish before, I Googled it, and this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escolar">article </a>on Wikipedia is most interesting...and slightly makes me not want to order it again, especially since the state of Hawaii is thinking about banning it. Although, it might be the perfect portion control diet food--you overindulge with this one and have food poisoning symptoms, you probably won't do it again! No worries with this meal, though.<br />
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We finished up the meal with a peach shaved ice topped with a mango-strawberry salsa, which was just light enough that we felt obligated to find another recommendation called the <a href="http://www.theredtrolley.com/">Red Trolley</a> and have some ice cream. A scoop of Dark Chocolate Covered Salted Caramel ice cream for me, and a bite of TC's Graham Cracker ice cream put paid to a wonderful evening.<br />
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I met back up with LD for my last night in Denver, and we dined at <a href="http://www.domorestaurant.com/">Domo</a>, a country Japanese restaurant. When the words "country Japanese" came out of LD's mouth, I got a mental image of octopus on cornbread, then started wondering if pinto beans go with sake, and had a hard time shaking all that from my brain. <br />
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Domo is an odd place...it's sort of on the edge of an industrialized area and boasts a museum and garden, along with a dojo. The "country" part comes into play with the side dishes they serve. We got 7 little dishes of things like a wonderful eggplant and tofu combination, a pork stew, and potato salad...a pretty darn good potato salad, which is not something that I normally associate with Japanese food. (I know, you think I've lost my mind because I used "wonderful" as an adjective for tofu, but it really was very tasty.)<br />
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Dining outside in July is amazing to me, considering at home, we are like little lizards running from one air conditioned building to the next and trying not to move any more than we have to or break out into any form of perspiration. This year, it's like we jumped directly from spring into the depths of August heat at the beginning of June.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZf7RGALQU5iY4hAQ64IWGd0Ynct7xcpLxjPBNUHww9i6Lh6xZI-ZQ9TwhmsKzny3SjiCl70kMss4usnbduR8ixXWPXbLhk3ZutrjaTja-WmRNElBOhP8P_3Kb7w9kw4yzFrx/s1600/DSCN0819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZf7RGALQU5iY4hAQ64IWGd0Ynct7xcpLxjPBNUHww9i6Lh6xZI-ZQ9TwhmsKzny3SjiCl70kMss4usnbduR8ixXWPXbLhk3ZutrjaTja-WmRNElBOhP8P_3Kb7w9kw4yzFrx/s200/DSCN0819.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Moo-ternal" love</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Denver is also chock-a-block full of public art installations. My customer liaison told me that companies are required to spend 1% of their new construction budget on public art, so there's lots o' interesting things to look at in the downtown area. Here are a few of my faves:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIBUS8didw4kKqR8HUFbh0NCVvRtF70D1-sraFjb9qNW0Wj8a_jCRXXjWmXH5G7LrTr0dJHxspeYLTvRKdyTkViGeJDUk5wdf3BkvaoBk-dWs2XDbmvtoinsC1q8N4NKB1jmY/s1600/DSCN0818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIBUS8didw4kKqR8HUFbh0NCVvRtF70D1-sraFjb9qNW0Wj8a_jCRXXjWmXH5G7LrTr0dJHxspeYLTvRKdyTkViGeJDUk5wdf3BkvaoBk-dWs2XDbmvtoinsC1q8N4NKB1jmY/s200/DSCN0818.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The broom and dustpan are outside of the newer part of the Denver Museum of Art</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiteDL9l1hdi3_CItei98aK920u7tltJPip27SOHHdNXlfje9fH7vFXBP7-01XCGMAnNvghivz75kjl2_del-PozzlhvxRMbQOrplSjq7nCtKD1t6THdeLZqSxkbd74TPnoARKg/s1600/DSCN0806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiteDL9l1hdi3_CItei98aK920u7tltJPip27SOHHdNXlfje9fH7vFXBP7-01XCGMAnNvghivz75kjl2_del-PozzlhvxRMbQOrplSjq7nCtKD1t6THdeLZqSxkbd74TPnoARKg/s200/DSCN0806.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have no idea what this red thing is, but it's pretty cool. <br />
It looks like it might transform into something else at a moment's notice</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll be back in Denver in February, when the customer goes live, and I'm thinking that Mother Nature will probably prepare a nice little welcome for me in the form of 10 feet of snow. Which, in this crazy 98-degree, heat index of 106, and my stupid AC decides to go out AGAIN--3rd time this summer!, is sounding pretty darn enticing. </div>Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-74330373667661848452010-06-15T00:29:00.000-04:002010-06-15T00:29:43.076-04:00Doin' Dallas (well mostly Fort Worth)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnKipXOsAAK9S23iKfLSG26Q4KcA6ub9JA5XZq6AhJz63V-G2bc2Z1_tS2W3o9AI1Air1xEhGmsqiXl-rzqaaeXiPaawI43cQnhX2m1UbZMO_vg_dvdDrKlC6zVo5RVGAosan/s1600/handmade-cowboy-boots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnKipXOsAAK9S23iKfLSG26Q4KcA6ub9JA5XZq6AhJz63V-G2bc2Z1_tS2W3o9AI1Air1xEhGmsqiXl-rzqaaeXiPaawI43cQnhX2m1UbZMO_vg_dvdDrKlC6zVo5RVGAosan/s200/handmade-cowboy-boots.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>It's 9:30 pm and I'm hurtling down the freeway from Fort Worth to Dallas with AC/DC on the radio...who doesn't like a little "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"? I love driving in Dallas, even in this crappy rental car--I can generally go as fast as I damn well please, because everybody else is doing the same thing...can't do that in Houston, because NO ONE IS MOVING on any of those freeways...which is why I always like going to Dallas over Houston any day.<br />
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I've just been to the Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards District, full as the proverbial tick, and feeling the need to buy boots again...<br />
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I get that feeling every time I come to Texas...the "must buy boots" feeling...I have 2 pairs plus a pair of ropers and I don't exactly rope cows for a living, so why this feeling comes over me, I have no idea. Blame it on the myth and mystery that is Texas. I always waffle back and forth about them whenever I'm packing the rolling saddlebag for a trip to the Lone Star State. Part of me says I need to bring them for protective coloration, and the practical side says "won't you be at your most attractive while hopping around Security trying to pull the damn things off in a timely manner?" That's the voice that usually decides the fate of the boot packing. Plus, it's not like I wear my boots on a regular basis anyway--guess I just sleep better knowing I have the right accessories for an impromptu rodeo or cattle drive. (And, you know there is a fringed shirt hanging out in the back of one of my closets somewhere...that happened as a result of a little trip to Amarillo and a clearance sale. And, you can go ahead and admit that you are secretly jealous that I own a garment with fringe...a garment that I can wear in public if I want...)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACQk6CSo86syz_88BnHfJlZ2K19pv10wRWQ9-CZpox9ftHJ2dUCvTKCLW-MMiW9ss4nnNj5310fnBfBFZKWaAzf82n8XTqc7DzRa_UZxDfoxBXktkqwbPI8v6dPiG_zhyjRRp/s1600/DSCN0797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACQk6CSo86syz_88BnHfJlZ2K19pv10wRWQ9-CZpox9ftHJ2dUCvTKCLW-MMiW9ss4nnNj5310fnBfBFZKWaAzf82n8XTqc7DzRa_UZxDfoxBXktkqwbPI8v6dPiG_zhyjRRp/s200/DSCN0797.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Anyway, let's round up the herd and get back to the point of this whole post in case you missed the part in the beginning where I said I went to the <a href="http://www.lonesomedovebistro.com/">Lonesome Dove Western Bistro</a>...that part...the tasty part. (Be warned that the link to the website has music--the controls are on the bottom, close to the right side.)<br />
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I first saw Chef Tim Love on last season's Top Chef Masters, and every single thing that he prepared made me say "I'd eat that," out loud as I was watching, even when he was making food in a dorm room. He's also competed on Iron Chef and spanked Morimoto--only the 7th person to do so, so take that Bobby Flay! (Although, the secret ingredient on that episode was chile peppers, so that may have given the Cowboy Chef a small leg up on the competition...still, take that, Bobby Flay!)<br />
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Since I was about 35 miles away from Fort Worth, I headed to the Stockyards as soon as I finished my work day. Once I arrived in the historic district and parked, I realized that slingbacks are not the optimal walking shoe for cobblestone streets. I ducked into the first souvenir shop I saw, and I am now the proud owner of some bright red, white, and blue Texas flip flops, which will look great on the 4th of July. I stomped around in my purty flipper flops for awhile, drooling over boots and wondering about the appeal of chairs made from horns...one of which looked like it was created for Satan's Jungle Room. (It was in an art gallery, and I could not take a picture, darn it.) It was similar to this <a href="http://rarevictorian.com/2008/02/innovative-horn-chairs-by-wenzel.html">one</a>, but more pointy...if that could be possible.<br />
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The food at the Lonesome Dove is seasonal, regional, and local...all with a definitive Western flair. He appeared on Iron Chef in a cowboy hat, and the appetizer chefs all wore them as well, in the restaurant. The main menu changes daily, and I just wish I had been able to try more of it while I was there. It's not an inexpensive restaurant...it's a per diem buster, but when you are in the vicinity, I think it well worth the dinero...although I haven't turned in my expense report yet!<br />
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The menu has 3 course--appetizer; soup/salad; entree--and I opted for 1 and 3, with the idea that I could slide dessert in if anything struck my fancy. I started with a St. Germain Screwdriver, with vodka, fresh orange juice, and a dash of <a href="http://www.stgermain.fr/">St. Germain</a> elderflower liqueur. It was the prettiest tasting screwdriver I've ever had, and I'm not talking about looks. It had a very delicate, summery quality about it, and I resolved to grab some St. G when I'm at a liquor store that sells it.<br />
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Enough blathering--on to the food! (You will be proud of me that I took pictures of my actual meal, until the battery died at the dessert course. And, I turned the flash off, so I wouldn't be so obvious, and the pics are not the best that I've ever taken.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMCD7yRkZ51NUHW_QErdVfPOIo4DQJEsZRylfe4zNudVU5QZUSGRW6RzmhrRa4CNA6XrY1wfuqn9he1cb43_jsnsjCRzc_OexVI_ZH9IL-EH1d72OYOZrhub6ev8eopmSmgPt/s1600/DSCN0799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMCD7yRkZ51NUHW_QErdVfPOIo4DQJEsZRylfe4zNudVU5QZUSGRW6RzmhrRa4CNA6XrY1wfuqn9he1cb43_jsnsjCRzc_OexVI_ZH9IL-EH1d72OYOZrhub6ev8eopmSmgPt/s200/DSCN0799.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><b><span style="color: black;"> First Course</span></b>: Elk Sausage sliders with seared foie gras and blueberry jam. These little burgers were amazing. So flavorful and juicy, with just a hint of sweetness from the jam and the Hawaiian-type sweet roll...they probably were King's Hawaiian's rolls, but they worked perfectly with this dish.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpsocLsNIVElLcEQF2y4G1leQ6rQnVR8vFR1Pedx16bApg5CFPIg9pCcMm-kxTY7xZreeLwiRF5Jg0mzoHXOqav6LRuijyxbchX9OsmEgJkfKcG0eXp4O7GMC_wM57bK5_9S1/s1600/DSCN0800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpsocLsNIVElLcEQF2y4G1leQ6rQnVR8vFR1Pedx16bApg5CFPIg9pCcMm-kxTY7xZreeLwiRF5Jg0mzoHXOqav6LRuijyxbchX9OsmEgJkfKcG0eXp4O7GMC_wM57bK5_9S1/s200/DSCN0800.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><b>Main Course</b>: Since I'm in Texas, I felt the need to have beef. There were several options for prime hand cut steaks, but I opted for the Prime Skirt Steak, Fried Salsify, and Citrus Broccolini. The skirt steak was cooked perfectly medium-rare, with just the right amount of crusty bits. Since times are few and far between that I get the opportunity to have a Prime piece of beef, I tend to forget just how damn good prime is, and how it can spoil you for other beef for awhile.<br />
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I apologize for the fuzziness of the picture; however, if you can see the cross bars of what appear to be French fries, that's the Fried Salsify.<br />
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For some reason, I thought salsify was a green leafy herby sort of thing, but it's really more like a parsnip. It's known as the "oyster plant," because its taste has been likened to that of an oyster. I'm not remembering a really pronounced "oystery" taste, but those were some darn good fries!<br />
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<b>Dessert</b>: There were 2 dessert offerings that caught my eye, and the Warm Ancho Chile Chocolate Cake with Salted Almond ice cream won the battle. I love, love, love me some spicy chocolateness, and while the cake had a really great deep dark chocolate flavor, it was not very spicy...not anything like the amazing spicy <a href="http://poodlevania.blogspot.com/2009/04/born-in-arizonaflipped-to-babylonia.html">Chocolate Mole milkshake</a> I had at Flip last year. (That would be "mole-lay" and not a milkshake made of garden-based rodents...can't figure out how to put in accent marks.) The Salted Almond Ice Cream really made this dish...it was the perfect blend of sweet, salt, cold, and nuttiness. <br />
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I was there with a co-worker, and she ordered the House Made Mexican Donuts (churros to you and me) with 3 dipping sauces. The presentation was very cool with this dessert--there was a little bucket with the churros and three little dipping sauce bowls. The sauces were chocolate, raspberry, and cajeta (caramel). I tried the caramel and raspberry, and let me go on the record right now and say that the caramel one was ranking right on up there in the "better than sex" category, vying for a place on the "better than sex with most people" podium in either the bronze or silver category. Conceivably, if I had a whole bucket of those churros and that caramel sauce for myownself, I would have cast my vote for gold. There's gold in them thar churros! (Wait...wrong state.)<br />
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And, now I'm going off to spread out my bedroll and contemplate the need for red cowboy (girl) boots...I think there's something sassy about red boots, and I'm feelin' sassy all of a sudden! (And, fringe! Lest we forget about the fringe! Would fringed boots be too much?)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUBlD-jsl6mpofcGkBS5bcFKrD-2swwbv3S-2KOH09vGEBvoc-IDuPLo5VuySSDZRe5d2rnA8KL6MkhyphenhyphenOy2wa-f4efxBtgVQhtnbf12S4GKSuOl7eQhxbrsQzChcjBmAg_UOT/s1600/red+boots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUBlD-jsl6mpofcGkBS5bcFKrD-2swwbv3S-2KOH09vGEBvoc-IDuPLo5VuySSDZRe5d2rnA8KL6MkhyphenhyphenOy2wa-f4efxBtgVQhtnbf12S4GKSuOl7eQhxbrsQzChcjBmAg_UOT/s200/red+boots.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-43470331374961733632010-05-17T23:38:00.002-04:002010-05-17T23:41:27.474-04:00Dusting Off<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDkEAQYWyNBLAoV4tqrd-GeAdu3H-IfbZdpa5jyjXeUiWlpHO9DPnxIKZVAxowfTwUL_ntdn8qeJFhdu5g5LHQC48PYsVcj63VXiwM9h_meASTK3E6cJAK8_FbVDXOKCviSq7/s1600/dusting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDkEAQYWyNBLAoV4tqrd-GeAdu3H-IfbZdpa5jyjXeUiWlpHO9DPnxIKZVAxowfTwUL_ntdn8qeJFhdu5g5LHQC48PYsVcj63VXiwM9h_meASTK3E6cJAK8_FbVDXOKCviSq7/s200/dusting.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>La di da di da...Oh! Hey there! I thought I'd dust off this old thing and take it back out for a spin...seeing as how I HATE it when people just stop blogging with no explanation.<br />
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It's been a crazy couple of months here at Poodlevania, and I've been having all sorts of guilt feelings about not posting, so I am making myself do it...not that I feel like posting is a burden, but you know how it is when you get out of loop of doing something on a regular basis, it can be hard to climb back on that horse. (Mixing the metaphors here!!)<br />
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Anyway, I have a small surprise for you...actually about 17 pounds of surprise...and the even bigger surprise is that it's not black. Let me introduce you to the newest member of our Poodlevania family: Hollywood (yes, the name has been changed to protect the innocent!)!<br />
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It's all The New Hotness' fault. He'd been moping around since the Rickety Fat Dog left us at the end of February, with nobody to play with. The Goldfish tries, but he's blind, and that makes it a little hard to see when someone is trying to play with you.<br />
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One Saturday afternoon, I took the plunge and went on petfinder.com, which is the most dangerous website on the planet...so dangerous that I won't even hot link it here. It's impossible to go on that site without wanting to take ALL of them home with you. I put in some search terms and up popped this little guy...who is not black, but was a miniature poodle, which I thought the New Hotness might enjoy having someone closer to his own size. <br />
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I wrote to the rescue organization and inquired about his availability, and he was being fostered in Memphis, which is about 4 hours from here. I provided references, which were checked, and the next thing I know, me and the Poodle Nanny (she who house sits while I travel) are off bright and early one fine Saturday morning in April to meet his foster mom and bring him home.<br />
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I took The New Hotness with us to make sure it wasn't a case of "hate at first sight," and it was a very uneventful trip over...no <a href="http://poodlevania.blogspot.com/2009/05/bbq-and-out.html">snapping turtles to save</a> or speeding tickets to acquire. I had seen his picture on the website, and he looked a bit scruffy, but usually they are groomed by the time a new person gets a foster dog. This is what hopped out of the car and into my car...um, not so poodle-like, is he? I was starting to wonder if he really was a poodle, when his foster mom started telling me how much he liked water--tried to eat it as it came out of the sprinkler and tried to climb into the shower with her...how very strange, because all the poodles I have owned, regardless of the fact that their original ancestors were bred to be freakin' water retrievers, have hated water. The Fat Dog would be beside himself whenever we opened the pool each summer, because he was convinced that we were voluntarily dunking ourselves in an acid bath.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ti7F3oa7GKNJSmjCQhU8KG8sxMnR8uQUevDvfR32nDVIS4Ex3AFrvg1Fpos9PSQdsJ1bTRERK9lJ3ffroMS46t9Tk4fjY2vDiS9Q8l3aCx_fVJwEilJAS-ir3iAdjvkoJgC9/s1600/Cameron+Before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ti7F3oa7GKNJSmjCQhU8KG8sxMnR8uQUevDvfR32nDVIS4Ex3AFrvg1Fpos9PSQdsJ1bTRERK9lJ3ffroMS46t9Tk4fjY2vDiS9Q8l3aCx_fVJwEilJAS-ir3iAdjvkoJgC9/s320/Cameron+Before.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The New Hotness seems to be overjoyed, because finally, there is someone newer on the totem pole than he, and he spent a lot of time trying to "dominate" (i.e., air hump) the new guy...who seemed to ignore it for the most part.<br />
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I waited a week for him to get used to his new digs and trying to get pictures of this dog, who is camera-shy to the nth degree...which is where I got the "Hollywood" moniker--he doesn't like the paparazzi. He tries to hide every time you take a picture of him. The one above was taken when he was cornered by the backdoor and had nowhere else to run. <br />
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At the end of the week, I explained to him that Poodlevania had certain standards to uphold--stop laughing, because I know there aren't many standards around here, but the ones we have are important!--and that he was going to have to look like a poodle. He just gave me the hairy eyeball and proceeded to roll over and present his belly to be scratched.<br />
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So, off he goes to the vet, which is where our groomer is. Every time I have been in there on a weekday morning, there is no one in the lobby...I seem to miss the drop off before work crowd. Except for the day that I take ol' H'wood in. There is a lobby full of people, and they are all giving me the stink eye for letting this poor animal's coat get in such a matted state. I felt compelled to announce to the room at large that I did not do this to him, that he came this way, and he was a rescue dog. Miss M., the groomer, came out and started looking him over, shaking her head. I allowed that I knew it was bad, and that she had carte blanche to do what was needed doing...it's hair, I said, it will grow back. She said she would do what she could and carted him off into the bowels of the office.<br />
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About 4 hours later, I head back to pick him up and meet with the vet to get her opinion of him. Miss M. brought him to me in one of the exam rooms, and y'all, I almost cried. She is an amazing and talented woman to have take the fuzzball on 4 legs and turn him into this poodley wonder! (The "ol' trap him by the door" trick was the best I could do on getting him to stand still and letting me catch him in his new-found glory.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99Hd8HLtFDI6jfAAX3PXKiITPoDYCK9V-O0vgs1FklUGOuNrr-LteP7NbtiwClt-lwR-Skjg90DBxQVWA1_S3WNdBBmM_WwDQLIFUvyC00qdXSGcLdSZES0ZR5MA0sNcKgoU4/s1600/Cameron+After.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99Hd8HLtFDI6jfAAX3PXKiITPoDYCK9V-O0vgs1FklUGOuNrr-LteP7NbtiwClt-lwR-Skjg90DBxQVWA1_S3WNdBBmM_WwDQLIFUvyC00qdXSGcLdSZES0ZR5MA0sNcKgoU4/s320/Cameron+After.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I had fully expected him to be completely shaved, and it was almost overwhelming to look at how pretty he was after Miss M finished with him. We were trying to decide exactly what color he is, and we finally settled on dark apricot, although in some spots, he borders on red. Kind of reminds me of the first boy I ever fell in love with--a red-head.<br />
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The vet checked him out, said he needed a little dental work--he had a funny little underbite and showed his bottom teeth all the time (that got taken care of about 2 weeks ago, when she pulled about 8 teeth that were problematic). We also wondered about the tattoo on the inside of his back right leg...it's a series of letters and numbers...and the rescue lady told me that she had tried to trace it, but had no luck. He also came microchipped, and they tried to find his owner through that method, but they hadn't registered his chip (which reminds me that I need to do that!). <br />
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Tattooing is not uncommon with dogs, with the tattoo being in the ears or on the inner leg. There's registries of hunting dog tattoos and breeder tattoos, and I tried finding his number as well. I did learn that it's probably better to tattoo on the leg, because when some dogs get stolen, their ears get cut off to remove the evidence of a tattoo. Personally, I think anyone who does that needs to have their own damn ears cut off, as well as some dangly bits of their anatomies.<br />
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(And, it's just my luck to get a dog with ink, and I've still not gotten the nerve up to get my own tattoo. (shakes head))<br />
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After the shearing, Hollywood has developed a whole new personality. He runs, he growls, he destroys toys, and he's just a little bit rougher than The New Hotness is accustomed to, which caused him to snap at Hollywood a few times. Now, we have settled into a period of studious ignoring, with the occasionally lapse into playing the Poodle 500 through the kitchen and great room. I'm really hoping they warm up to each other more, because I don't want The New Hotness to be any more freaked out than he was when the Fat Dog passed. The Goldfish turned 15 last week, and I know that every day, every week that I get with him is just bonus.<br />
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I'll be better about posting, and I've got a couple waiting in the wings that I've already got written in my head. I'll leave you with one last shot of Mr. Hollywood, who I managed to catch in delicate moment, not unlike a real member of the paparazzi!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JapXx1egGZUuVJVOmGXswRLO3BwHKDuiqcsW8QjxzbGKqlx9KVnG-rGzoUNOU4nENYp5zf80maXOKQmkeaT3foVHKN6PwK0HVkh2mwNEV1mQxy5_dDtR-oLmJMDcXUzVMEAA/s1600/Cameron+in+the+bushes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JapXx1egGZUuVJVOmGXswRLO3BwHKDuiqcsW8QjxzbGKqlx9KVnG-rGzoUNOU4nENYp5zf80maXOKQmkeaT3foVHKN6PwK0HVkh2mwNEV1mQxy5_dDtR-oLmJMDcXUzVMEAA/s320/Cameron+in+the+bushes.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-271104384924550922010-03-24T23:28:00.000-04:002010-03-24T23:28:24.706-04:00Kickstart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIr35CwUKyhUOUenCcwJOd4tbNmKmQa61RY_otT_0hizrwQb-mJgRp2p907v23YuysyoUyHr-B0wNd2pKSlDsyQ-t3SUCWIrZZ7P349PRKfRJ9iVgLCRjax_TdNvhh2dpHJ0N/s1600/kicker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIr35CwUKyhUOUenCcwJOd4tbNmKmQa61RY_otT_0hizrwQb-mJgRp2p907v23YuysyoUyHr-B0wNd2pKSlDsyQ-t3SUCWIrZZ7P349PRKfRJ9iVgLCRjax_TdNvhh2dpHJ0N/s200/kicker.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>A couple of weeks ago, I got to spend a lovely weekend in DC as an add-on to a business trip. I stayed with my friend C, who I've known since the 7th grade, and her family. Saturday morning, we send her son, A, off to attend a couple of birthday parties and realize we have about 5 hours to ourselves to play in the city.<br />
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Yeah, we could have done something cultural and expanded our minds but instead, we opted to boost the economy (shopping) and expand our bellies.<br />
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We had a lunch at <a href="http://www.2amyspizza.com/">2 Amys</a>, and quantities of cured Italian meats, cheeses, and beer. We also had these lovely deviled eggs, with a bright and fresh pesto sauce with anchovy...normally, I won't touch the furry fish with someone else's taste buds. I try them every so often to see if my taste buds have changed, and the verdict is always NO. I've come around on a few things--I'll eat Brussels sprouts (with bacon, of course), and I'm working on lamb. Still not feeling the love with canned tuna (like tuna raw and seared) or liver & onions, and probably won't ever...this actually might be a good diet plan, Nothing to eat but canned tuna and liver = not going to eat = starve to death or at least my goal weight.<br />
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Anyway, these eggs and the sauce were wonderful, and we scraped the plate to get all the sauce...which may play into a later story. We retrieved A at some point and met some friends of C's for dinner at <a href="http://www.palenarestaurant.com/">Palena</a>, and had the most wonderful hamburger I think I have ever put in my mouth. It was voted one of DC's top burgers and I can understand why. They grind their own meat and bake their own buns, and it was juicy and meaty and I wanted it to never end. I may never eat another fast food burger ever again--not that would a bad thing, according to Supersize Me. It was burger nirvana, and I miss it. I made C promise that we would go back there whenever I come to town again.<br />
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Palena also serves a fry plate with shoestring fries, onion rings, dauphine potatoes, and fried lemon slices<span style="font-family: Bookman Old Style; font-size: x-small;">.</span> The dauphine potatoes are these wonderful little potato puffs that melt in your mouth...and that fried lemon slice was a real eye-opener. It was lightly breaded and deep-fried, and it was crunchy, salty, tangy, and bitter all at the same time. It was sort of like a Southern palate cleanser...'cause you know how much we like to deep-fry things.<br />
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I flew home on Sunday, and had an impromptu Oscars party at the house about 2 hours after I landed. Usually, when we do this, we sort of potluck, but since I was just getting in, we opted to order Chinese take-out. In retrospect, this was a bad idea...especially after I work up at 5 am and embarked on a long day of spending "quality" time in my bathroom.<br />
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The thing about having food poisoning is that you start wishing for death immediately, because your body is busy trying to expel whatever is poisoning it in any manner that it can...often violently...very violently. About 2 hours into my ordeal, death could not have come soon enough, and I continued to feel that way for most of the day.<br />
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I won't bore you with all the details about the food poisoning, but the upside is that I lost 8 lbs. I realize it was a little dehydration thrown in there, but it was enough to make a little kickstart in my brain and make me think about getting back on the diet track.<br />
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Late night television is just bizarre sometimes...we've all seen the "krazee" commercials, infomercials, and the things said and done in the name of religion. However, it's sometimes good television, as in the case of the late re-run of Good Eats.<br />
<br />
Somehow, over the last year or so, Alton has lost about 50 lbs., and he's done a show called "Live and Let Diet," that entails some of his thinking and methodology. I finally started paying attention when he kept smacking these giant lard blocks, a'la Oprah and her red wagon of fat, and thought to myself that maybe AB might have something important to say, or at the very least, different about how he lost the weight. And, we all know he's scientific about it, too. So, I sat up and took notice.<br />
<br />
Essentially, he's got 4 lists--things he consumes every day, things he consumes at least 3 times a week, things he consumes only 1 time per week, and things that he NEVER consumes. You can find all the particulars all over the internet at this point, but if you get a chance to watch the show, you really should. He starts his day with a fruit smoothie with some purple fruit, which he tells you is chockfull of antioxidants and other important things, bananas, other fruits and a little soy milk.<br />
<br />
Other items on the everyday list include nuts and green tea, which wouldn't be too hard to eat/drink. Then, the 3 times a week list, well hell, let me just show you the lists and I won't have to type nearly as much...am lazy like that:<br />
<br />
<b>Include Daily</b><br />
- Fruits<br />
- Whole Grains<br />
- Leafy Greens<br />
- Nuts<br />
- Carrots<br />
- Green Tea<br />
<br />
<b>3 times a week</b><br />
- Oily Fish<br />
- Yogurt<br />
- Broccoli<br />
- Sweet Potato<br />
- Avocado<br />
<br />
<b>Once a week</b><br />
- Red meat<br />
- Pasta<br />
- Dessert<br />
- Alcohol<br />
<br />
<b>NEVER!</b><br />
- Fast Food<br />
- Soda<br />
- Processed meals/frozen dinners<br />
- Canned soup<br />
- "Diet" anything<br />
<br />
And the number one AB rule seems to be: Eat breakfast every day, no exceptions.<br />
<br />
He never really prescribes a diet plan, and is rather quick to say that he's not proposing the hot new diet trend, blah, blah blah, but I totally can see him becoming the next big thing in dieting...that cult of celebrity chef thing, you know.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I thought, what the heck? Why not try some of this out? Listening to the program and watching him talk about the science behind how he created the lists really started to make sense...no matter that it was 2 am and bloody EVERYTHING makes sense at 2 am. (How else do you think those geniuses at Taco Bell thought up "Fourth Meal?" You know it had to come out in some drunken 2 a.m. ramblings.) Plus, I wanted to buy a new blender. A red one.<br />
<br />
So, I trotted off to Target and got a new blender...I wisely opted not to spring for the $150 Waring bar blender even though I really, really, wanted one, just in case I decided after 3-4 days to chuck this whole morning smoothie idea and only really use it to make fruity drinks on occasion. (Besides, it wasn't red, and I can always upgrade later.) And, then stopped by Publix on the way home and got frozen fruit and some soy milk. I am so not sure about this soy milk business. I tasted it once, and it was just blecch. I am committed now, with a new blender and a bunch of frozen fruit, so we'll see how it goes.<br />
<br />
Day 1 - made smoothie...blender did not vortex as well as AB's, but it did seem to crush up the frozen fruit with no issues. The smoothie is a huge amount, and someone out there in the Internetland said they figured it to be about 340 calories and practically fat-free, depending on how much soy milk you used. I also ate a salad for lunch, and made <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pineapple-Glazed-Chicken-with-Jalapeno-Salsa-357391">Pineapple-Glazed Chicken</a> with <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lime-Cilantro-Sweet-Potatoes-109459?recipename=Lime%20Cilantro%20Sweet%20Potatoes&saved_to_box=y">Cilantro-Lime Sweet Potatoes</a>, plus a little steamed broccoli, for dinner. No butter on the broccoli...am amazed at self. I did not manage to get in any whole grains, nuts, carrots, or green tea, but I figure this is going to be a "work up to" project. <br />
<br />
Day 2 - began again with the smoothie and coffee...am not giving up coffee, which is not listed on any of AB's lists, thank the gods. For lunch, I tried the <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/sherried-sardine-toast-recipe/index.html">Sherried Sardine Toast</a> recipe.<br />
<br />
Yes, I actually ate sardines voluntarily...which is something I thought I would never do, after my <a href="http://poodlevania.blogspot.com/2008/05/sardines-i.html">adventure with the fresh ones</a>. And while the fresh ones didn't work out, the thought of actually consuming ones in a can was nowhere in any of my brain cells. I remember my dad eating them with crackers and thinking that "man, you got me to eat a raw oyster and like it, but that is the absolute extent of gross things that I will eat for you, period." And, my dad could create and put away some really icky things. I remember coming home from college once to do laundry, and opening a cabinet in the kitchen to find a snack...and the man had begun pickling his own eggs...looked like some sort of alien larvae floating around in a large jar. Scared me witless.<br />
<br />
AB's recipe was actually not bad, but I thought it was a lot of work to make, nothwithstanding how much I like avocados, and I think I might be able to actually eat them straight from the can. Weird, I know. I did try one from the can, and it wasn't nearly as fishy as I remembered it being. I think the key is to get the brislings in the 2 layer pack with olive oil.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I'm not doing everything that AB is doing--baby steps, people, baby steps--but I have been making the smoothie every day, and I've managed to keep 10 lbs off, so we'll see.Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-84329042329213112012010-03-09T20:56:00.000-05:002010-03-09T20:56:54.845-05:00One less...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSsroW5bkWwzpf6OPOoh4X1qtaHy5UxwU0VU5y_7qAZv8H482MWdjuBWZ8LtcAa3ZXnbCD1oPBJBJSURBRsOFUtXgbi6gQA89ULaNTM-JnYQ87xZomQS3s9o7WuOASvkhg_id/s1600-h/rainbow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSsroW5bkWwzpf6OPOoh4X1qtaHy5UxwU0VU5y_7qAZv8H482MWdjuBWZ8LtcAa3ZXnbCD1oPBJBJSURBRsOFUtXgbi6gQA89ULaNTM-JnYQ87xZomQS3s9o7WuOASvkhg_id/s200/rainbow.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>November 3, 2001...it was an overcast Sunday, almost 2 months after the horrible events of 9/11, when we were still trying to come to grips with shattered pieces of our collective psyches...The Man and I set out for Columbia, South Carolina, to pick up the newest addition to our family. He would be coming to us through the hands of the Central Carolina Poodle Rescue, and we were to meet him and pick him up at a member's home where he was being fostered.<br />
<br />
They told us that he came from Knoxville, TN, where he was one of 3 poodles among about 45 other dogs who had been removed from the home of a "collector." The collector in this case was a little old lady who kept taking strays in until neither she nor the animals could care for themselves. Rescue was called in, and the poodles made their way to CCPR.<br />
<br />
I saw him and his comrades on <a href="http://www.petfinder.com/index.html">Pet Finder</a>, which is the most dangerous website on the planet...it's so hard to even think about the sheer number of animals who need homes..and I'll just leave it at that. After sending several pictures from the website to the Man and wearing down his resistance...which really wasn't that hard...we passed a home visit from some poodle rescuers in the area and were approved to adopt the little black one.<br />
<br />
When we arrived at the foster mom's home, we were presented with a skinny blackish boy, who wasn't sure he wanted to have anything to do with us. He sat in The Man's lap for awhile, quivering a little, until he got used to him, and then we saw his tail. Most poodles have docked tails, and when left natural, they can be a variety of shapes and lengths. He kept his curled up very high and tight, and at first glance, you really couldn't tell his tail wasn't docked.<br />
<br />
After about an hour of hanging out, we bundled him up to take him home. The foster mom was insistent that we put him in a crate in the back of the vehicle and carry him home that way. That lasted until we got out of her sight. I immediately pulled over and we "rescued" him again from the confines of the crate and let him sit in The Man's lap for the ride home. (Yes, under normal circumstance, I have the poodles seatbelted in the back seat for safety, but seriously--could you have ridden the 4+ hours back to Georgia with a new dog in a crate in the back of the car? Thought not.)<br />
<br />
He sat in The Man's lap for the entire ride home, and we knew something was going to be different about him from the beginning. We stopped at a Burger King and grabbed a burger and got him one as well...he refused to eat it, which just floored us, because we'd never met one yet that wouldn't try and kill you for a burger (talking to you ,Goldfish, talking to you...). <br />
<br />
He was skinny--weighed about 7 pounds--and had breath that would knock you down at 20 paces. We wanted to fatten him up a little bit before we got the teeth fixed, and it didn't take long. All my poodles have been snackers, and I would just fill up the bowls and let them eat at will. It's easy to do when you are home most of the day and can let them in and out on a regular basis. It didn't take long for me to notice that the Fat Dog was becoming, well...fat. He would sit down at one of the bowls and vacuum it up, then move to the next bowl and vacuum it up as well. Pretty soon, his poodle suit was a tight fit.<br />
<br />
Not knowing where your next meal is coming from probably does odd things to your psyche, and the Fat Dog was no exception. He really wanted you to fill all 3 bowls with food before he would eat--sort of an insurance plan, I guess--even after he figured out that he didn't have to eat all 3 bowls.<br />
<br />
I also remember asking his foster mom if he was an alpha poodle, because we already had an alpha at home (Sam, who went to the Rainbow Bridge in 2005), and the Goldfish. She assured us that he would fit right in our pack and not have any issues submitting. Ha. Famous last words.<br />
<br />
The Fat Dog came in and pretty much took over from the start, especially after he gained a few pounds and could start slinging his weight around. He ruled with an iron paw, and we were all just cogs in his little machine. He would sit up on his back legs and wave his paws in the air, looking cute and melt-your-heart, and then lunge at the Goldfish to keep him in line. I'm guessing that the Goldfish won't miss him nearly as much as the rest of us.<br />
<br />
He had the strangest fascination with the actor James Woods--whenever he appeared on the television, the Fat Dog would howl at the top of his lungs. It was the weirdest thing ever...when the show "Shark" came on after "Lost," was the first time it happened. It took us a little while to put it together that it was actually James Woods, and the weirdest thing was when his name flashed on the screen in the open credits for some movie, the Fat Dog howled again. I always thought he understood way more English than we realized, and it wouldn't have surprised me a bit if he could read.<br />
<br />
On Saturday morning, February 27, 2010, the Fat Dog went over the Rainbow Bridge, and a big piece of my heart went with him. I hope it never rains there, because he really hated to go out in the rain, and I hope all the bowls are full all the time.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukwhRBC9cSBD2J3MknEpRv3uZaujY4i2Uy5T6mbuZbOaH_Dx4mLItOWW3YV-DszW868qd2GdfFXKhDp-1yVLSJG3_vJiKvr7lE-h6uBArlImtkAz66liJddTtwcO8ShNOPKlP/s1600-h/cropped+J-man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukwhRBC9cSBD2J3MknEpRv3uZaujY4i2Uy5T6mbuZbOaH_Dx4mLItOWW3YV-DszW868qd2GdfFXKhDp-1yVLSJG3_vJiKvr7lE-h6uBArlImtkAz66liJddTtwcO8ShNOPKlP/s320/cropped+J-man.jpg" /></a></div>Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-72685814512390591132010-02-18T23:13:00.003-05:002010-02-19T00:25:05.624-05:00Souper Girl<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAji94L1VYdIQe6BFiMA2oeh88k0N_iuu6l2FcnWXLO6joUsZ8YDL2x0FAw9qjSUCGhdhJRbezc7nMzKNUKsF4kvzSRQGknG_0OjiU8Gvje7h2zfY89dCmo2bGqt0RLMYp1Afd/s1600-h/supergirl.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAji94L1VYdIQe6BFiMA2oeh88k0N_iuu6l2FcnWXLO6joUsZ8YDL2x0FAw9qjSUCGhdhJRbezc7nMzKNUKsF4kvzSRQGknG_0OjiU8Gvje7h2zfY89dCmo2bGqt0RLMYp1Afd/s200/supergirl.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439797678415929298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >It's cold here in the Southland...too damn cold...where the hell is global warming when you need it, I ask?<br /><br />As with most folks, when it gets cold, me and the poodles want to hunker down and stay warm. All balled up in our slanket (we have a knock-off Snuggie, so I call it a "slanket," i.e., a blanket with sleeves) and trying to keep our collective teeth from chattering.<br /><br />Soup seems to be the ticket for keeping warm, too, and I've been doing a helluva lot of soup making for the last couple of weeks. And it all started with a big ol' bag of kale, some lentils, and some Italian sausage.<br /><br />A few months ago, I made a wonderful sausage and lentil stew in the slow cooker. Try as I might, I cannot find the recipe that I used. I know that I got it on line somewhere, and I must have worked directly from the screen and didn't save it or print it out. Annoys me to no end when I do stupid stuff like that.<br /><br />Anyway, I went searching around the Internets to find something similar and managed to kluge together this concoction for your dining pleasure:<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 0);">Lentils with Italian Sausage and Kale</span><br />(serves 4)<br /><br />1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil<br /><br />1 pound bulk hot Italian sausage<br /><br />1 cup lentils<br /><br />1 medium onion, chopped<br /><br />3 to 4 cloves of garlic, minced<br /><br />Italian seasonings (I used the Italian <a href="http://poodlevania.blogspot.com/2008/12/spice-grinder-of-doom_24.html">Spice Grinder of Doom</a>)<br /><br />Salt and ground black pepper<br /><br />1/4 cup tomato paste<br /><br />1 quart chicken stock<br /><br />2 cups water<br /><br />2-3 cups chopped kale (I eyeballed this by grabbing 3 good-size handfuls out of the bag)<br /><br />Place a large soup pot over medium-high heat and add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once the pan and oil are hot, add the sausage and sauté for 3-4 minutes, breaking it up into small pieces--you can use a fork or even a whisk to break it up.<br /><br />To the browning sausage, add the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, the Italian seasonings (about 3-4 good cranks if you are using the grinder), and the tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes, coating the sausage with the tomato paste.<br /><br />Add a little of the stock to deglaze the pan, then add the rest of the stock and 2 cups of water. Turn the heat up to high and bring up to a bubble. Add the lentils and the kale, stir until the kale wilts in then turn the heat down to medium and simmer 30-40 minutes, until the lentils are tender.<br /><br />Server with the obligatory crusty bread, and I threw some shredded Parmesan on top of my bowl...you know how I feel about cheese, so this should not be a surprise to anyone.<br /><br />I froze some of this soup for another day and to feed the poodle sitter when she comes. I had plenty of leftover kale and some leftover Italian sausage, so the next evening, I sauteed the sausage with some mushrooms and onions and garlic, threw in some kale and added it to a pot of Israeli couscous. This little number was part of the "you need to use the stuff that lives in your pantry sometime this millennium...and OMG, why do I have 6 boxes of Israeli couscous, 3 bags of arborio rice, and a bajillion other bags/boxes of pasta/grain-type things?" I thought I should get on the stick and use some of this stuff.<br /><br />Along the lines of the pantry raiding, I've discovered that you can pretty much make a meal with a package of refrigerated cheese ravioletti or tortellini, a quart of chicken stock, a can of diced Italian tomatoes, and a can of beans...cannellini, kidney, even fava beans. Then, all you need is a nice Chianti. Ha. Heat the chicken stock, throw in the tomatoes, add the pasta, and the beans, a little salt and pepper, and in 20 minutes or, viola! It's soup!<br /><br />Then, I found a recipe for Italian Wedding Soup that was sort of lighter and possibly healthier for you. I got interrupted in mid-copy from wherever I found it, and I didn't get the original source...was possibly on SlashFood. Anyway, I tweaked it too, and here it is in all it's glory:<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);">Italian Wedding Soup alla the Lighter Side</span><br />serves 8<br /><br />2 large chicken breast, on the bone<br />1 teaspoon salt<br />1 teaspoon olive oil<br />4 small carrots, peeled and diced<br />4 ribs celery, diced<br />1 large onion, diced<br />1/2 lb Turkey Italian Sausage (this is the lighter part!)<br />1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese<br />1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs<br />1-2 garlic cloves, minced<br />Freshly ground black pepper--2-3 grinds<br />1 egg<br />2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves (or you could use kale!)<br />1 cup of cooked acini di pepe (mini star-shaped pasta), or 1 cup orzo, or whatever little tiny pasta shape you happen to have on hand--I used some wee tiny shells.<br /><br />2 quarts chicken stock<br />2 cups water<br /><br />Sprinkle the chicken with half the salt. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat and add the chicken, skin side down, half the carrots, celery and onion. Cook 4-6 minutes until the chicken skin begins to brown along with the vegetables. Remove the chicken skin and discard it. This is going to be easier said than done if you try to do it in the pot. Trust me on this. I used tongs and a fork to get the skin off, and I couldn't get it all. My pot was probably not so "light" after all. (You could probably do it with the skin removed, too...make sure it doesn't burn.)<br /><br />Cover chicken with the chicken stock and water. Bring to a slow boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer. Add the remaining carrot, celery and onion. (I also threw in a few grinds of the Spice Grinder of Doom here.)<br /><br />Cook 15 to 20 minutes, skimming any foam from the top once or twice. Cover and turn off the heat. Rest 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink at the bone. (Watch your pot, and don't let it boil too vigorously...my chicken was a little overdone.)<br /><br />While the chicken is cooking, prepare the meatballs. Combine the turkey Italian sausage, the grated Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic, pepper, and egg in a large bowl. Mix well and form into small meatballs about the size of a grape.<br /><br />Remove chicken from broth and set aside to cool. Bring the broth back to a simmer and drop in the meatballs. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until the meatballs are no longer pink inside. Add the spinach.<br /><br />When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from skin and bones, and cut into small chunks. Return the meat to t he soup along with the meatballs and stir in the pasta remaining salt. Serve immediately...I sprinkled a little shredded Parm on top again.<br /><br />This makes a lot of soup, and it was a little more time consuming than I first thought--mainly because I kept remaking the meatballs to get them just a little bit smaller. Which is probably why I overcooked the chicken.<br /><br />Speaking of chicken, the Fat Dog is on a boiled chicken diet as of last week. He stopped eating kibble, and that really scared me. You know--when they stop eating and drinking, it's "time." However, I was eating some leftover rotisserie chicken for lunch and he seemed interested. I gave him a bite, and he ate it and got closer and looked more interested. Gave him the rest and promptly went and bought chicken parts for his dinner.<br /><br />I tried adding some rice, and he would have none of that. Refused to even look at the chicken while it had rice anywhere near it. The New Hotness and the Goldfish are in high dudgeon, because they aren't getting chicken. I explained that when *they* had a terminal disease, *they* could have whatever they wanted...they still aren't happy with me. The New Hotness knows something is up...he curls up by the Fat Dog during the day and looks at me like I should be doing something, anything to help, because he knows the Fat Dog feels bad. I tell him, honey, I wish I could, I wish that more than anything on the planet.<br /><br />He has good days and not-so good days, and I figure as long as he's eating his chicken, he's still willing to stick around. And, I'm glad for that, as long as it lasts.<br /></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /> </span></span></p>Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-76020106529737682752010-01-23T12:58:00.001-05:002010-01-23T14:00:52.069-05:00Rollin' Along...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4M2kBrHe6Tk58zE6-mSxSnfWkhBawI5eyLYTZwfh7tPICIyu5q6BcjtZLbozXpquhlryON0VaC64mdT3kYT8PvT_ZToJyCN9T3VlPHJQWSZPlwIZ4Zsro7boAdDchwQfVVx8/s1600-h/1968_Corvette_Stingray_L-89_2-Top_Roadster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4M2kBrHe6Tk58zE6-mSxSnfWkhBawI5eyLYTZwfh7tPICIyu5q6BcjtZLbozXpquhlryON0VaC64mdT3kYT8PvT_ZToJyCN9T3VlPHJQWSZPlwIZ4Zsro7boAdDchwQfVVx8/s200/1968_Corvette_Stingray_L-89_2-Top_Roadster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428206593809832114" border="0" /></a>in Bowling Green, Kentucky, home of the Corvette--America's Dream Car. Seriously, even if you aren't a "car person," would you not like to drive one just once? I went to the 'Vette museum on a previous trip to KY, so I am acquainted with the wonder and splendor that is the Corvette. Most of the cars, probably 90% or so, that live in the museum are on loan from private owners...which is amazing to me, because that says they must have enough Corvettes to not miss one.<br /><br />Personally, if I had a classic...say a beautiful 1968 Stingray...I would put one of those giant turntables in my front yard and allow my neighbors to bask in the glory and revel in the envy of me and my 'Vette. (You're worried about property values since I moved in, aren't you?)<br />If you have time and are in the area, the <a href="http://www.corvettemuseum.com/">National Corvette Museum</a> is interesting...and most importantly, air-conditioned, if you are there in the summer. The evolution of the icon is lovingly detailed, and there are a few interesting factoids to be found that might interested people who don't love automotive machinery. I found a lovely metallic olive green number that would beright at home on my front yard turntable--the design was heavily influenced by women who worked with the Corvette designers and engineers and featured some feminine touches...like handbag storage and vanity mirrors. Very pretty...<br /><br />One of the coolest thing about the Corvette Museum is the least flashy thing--the library. The library houses information and specifications for practically every Corvette every manufactured. If you found some rusted out heap in Ol' MacDonald's barn and needed help restoring it to it's original condition, these ladies have just what you need. If you have a VIN or some sort of serial number, they can tell the original engine size, if it even is the original engine, the interior and exterior colors, upholstery options, etc. Pretty darn cool.<br /><br />As far as dining options in Bowling Green, there's a lot of chains. I had some high hopes when I found out that a lot of Bosnians had settled there as refugees from Serbian-Croat conflicts. and I immediately asked about the possibility of Bosnia food. I was directed to a restaurant called "You and Me." And I immediately Googled "Bosnia food" and got this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosnian_cuisine">list</a>, which sounded pretty darn promising.<br /><br />You and Me is in a converted old house, with beautiful hardwood floors. I was a bit disconcerted when I walked in at 7:30ish p.m. on a Wednesday night and there was no one there. Literally, there were no customers in the dining room, and not a host-type person to be seen. After standing there for a minute or two, I could hear voices from the kitchen, so I yelled "hello" and scared the hostess. Always a good start to the dining experience.<br /><br />The menu was sort of all over the place--Italian, Greek, and some German-sounding dishes...nothing that I would have thought to be distinctly different or "Bosnia-sounding" like the list in the Wiki. I asked my waitress what she would recommend, and she said that the Wienerwald Chicken was her fave. It was grilled chicken breasts smothered in a light cream sauce with tomatoes and topped with mozzarella...how bad could that be? It didn't strike me as being of any particular ethnicity, but it did seem to be a safe bet. It was served with a side item, and the waitress recommended the sliced baked potatoes, which came in a creamy, buttery sauce. So much for my resolution for making better choices when it came to eating out.<br /><br />The chicken was cooked well, seasoned well, and tasted good, but was just not something to jump up and down about. The potatoes, on the other hand, were pretty fantabulous. They were tender, creamy, and a little caramelized on top. Perfect comfort food for a winter's eve. And, let me not forget the bread...because I ate 1 and a half loaves of it. Damn you, bread, just damn you. Carbs are definitely my downfall, and I <span style="font-style: italic;">downfell </span>with abandon with this bread...w<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPus0ccGYH3Bwcli9st0C65t-hEEICHaxVpmRjCtWy7OZfxRV86_B71TplRJq7zXzrvCdTehjt6NnOQEMvE5EYnfqZOqhFGOt3IHGy2c7_46JR22kE_GizXH6H54_w9sgUU7T/s1600-h/lepinja.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPus0ccGYH3Bwcli9st0C65t-hEEICHaxVpmRjCtWy7OZfxRV86_B71TplRJq7zXzrvCdTehjt6NnOQEMvE5EYnfqZOqhFGOt3IHGy2c7_46JR22kE_GizXH6H54_w9sgUU7T/s200/lepinja.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428288454263930242" border="0" /></a>hich looks a lot like this bread.<br /><br />I think it's called lepina or lepinja, and it had a nice chewy crust with an interior that was not too dense...not quite sure of the baking terminology to describe it. It was really nice, and I could have made a meal of just it and some butter.<br /><br />On the way up, I stopped just before Franklin, TN to check out a place that came highly recommended from <a href="http://roadfood.com/">RoadFood.com</a>, called Henpeck Market.<br /><br />The Henpeck Market is as described on RoadFood--a quasi-gas station/mini-market/grill/gift shop--and the picture of the grilled pimento cheese with tomatoes and bacon sold me on stopping. (It was on the way up and I did need to eat lunch, didn't I? Ah, Yoda, the justification runs strong within this one...)<br /><br />I had the grilled pimento cheese, and it was most tasty. I love, love, love pimento cheese, and it must be a savory pimento cheese. That stuff you see in the lunch meat section of the grocery store usually tastes sweet, and that is bad eats.<br /><br />Pimento cheese seems to be a uniquely Southern delicacy, and it is a delicacy--the staple of many bridal teas and baby showers--made into little finger sandwiches of white bread with the crusts cut off. It's simple to make, and can be dressed up or dressed down. I just eat it with crackers if I make it...and I don't make it often, because I will eat it...all of it. I shall share my top secret recipe with you if you beg...well, okay, I won't make you beg.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Pimento Cheese</span><br /><br />1 8-oz bag of finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese<br /><br />1 8-oz bag of finely shredded mild Cheddar cheese<br /><br />1 4-oz or larger jar of diced pimentos (depends on how pimento-ey you like your cheese)<br /><br />1/2 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted and cooled (This would be the key and secret ingredient)<br /><br />Garlic salt to taste<br /><br />Black pepper to taste<br /><br />Mayonnaise to taste<br /><br />(On the mayonnaise front--I use Hellman's, and Hellman's Light can be used; Duke's is allowed, too. Do not ever mentioned the words "Miracle Whip" and pimento cheese in the same breath to me. That will make you dead to me in a heart beat. Seriously. I am not kidding.)<br /><br />1. Combine the cheeses, the garlic salt, and pepper in a large bowl. There's no real measurements for the spices; I just shake some in and then adjust later.<br /><br />2. Add the pecans and then the pimentos. Start adding the mayo in about a teaspoon full at a time. Start with 1-2 and combine until the mixture holds together. Be careful, because the mayo can get away from you, and you find yourself rooting around in the fridge for any extra cheese that you might have available to dry it out.<br /><br />3. Cover and chill for about 20-30 minutes before serving. I usually mound it up in a bowl, kind of like a cheese ball, and scatter crackers around it. If you are making sandwiches, you may need to add a little more mayo to make it spreadable, but this pimento cheese is meant for a hardy bread, where you can just sort of mash it onto the bread and it doesn't have to look pretty.<br /><br />I liked the version of Pimento Cheese that I had at Hal and Mal's with the jalapenos, which would be a nice addition...make sure you drain them well if using pickled. (And, remember, no Miracle Whip. Ever. Will send a crackerjack squad of little ol' blue hair assassins after you.)<br /><br />The real gem of this trip was on the way home. I got stuck in Nashville traffic, which was every bit as horrendous as the traffic I used to see in the ATL. There was an accident, which was causing delays that resulted in taking 45 minutes to go a quarter mile. So, I hit the GPS and asked it to find me food, and it popped up with the Back to Cuba Cafe. Cuban food?! In Nashville?! At the exit I was creeping towards?! Oh, yeah!<div><br /></div><div><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxZu0qJ2RjcVKkcCN0LiD4S1cXlQ2ydLW5B5JVwPXyeTlrgnjrwGPGleNJsyZCTgJ_NNHTbcHqGDGSzzVvpOSBxBNayWxU26AICaXkhM5VvlwSEwaies3GcJU0tkZGDzIAfIa/s200/back2cubalechonasado.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428459132761327394" border="0" /><br />This is the Lechon Asado Plate, which is roasted pork with grilled onion, some yucca with grilled onions and a mojo sauce, black beans, and rice. The taste buds were doing a happy dance from the first bite until the last bit was scraped off the plate. I had a shot of Cuban coffee to top it off, which kept me away for the rest of the trip home. I am busily plotting a revisit to this little gem.<br /><br />(Oh, and be amazed at the picture--I took it with the cell phone and managed to get it off the cell phone and onto my blog without the use of a memory card. Take that, modern technology!)<br /><br />This post has gone on way too long and taken way too long to write, but I must give an update on the Fat Dog. His tumor came back, and our vet referred us to the Small Animal Clinic at Auburn University for further examination and diagnosing. The news is not good. This time, the cancer has spread to the lungs and lymph nodes, and we're at Stage 4. They offered some options for chemotherapy and possibly the vaccine, but it would only prolong his life for a short amount of time, and he might not respond to treatment at all...so, he would feel bad for nothing.<br /><br />I decided to bring him home and make him comfortable. He doesn't seem to be in any pain, but I have meds for that if he starts to hurt. Last night, he was like the old Fat Dog we all know and love...with the exception of The Goldfish of course. He chased The New Hotness around the living room and "dominated" him for awhile, and he's still eating and drinking, so it's not quite the end yet. But, I know it's coming...and I have no idea how to prepare for it. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-45336934022041401852010-01-11T21:26:00.008-05:002010-01-11T22:46:41.042-05:00Le Petite Coq au Vin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Mjd6b-K40a6P38g4KT77o7thIfby1evDiACywFdmGENiGppSyBgyra_albqzKsi8WdRMRTX9QEfnAWngQGaQGUzuNTo_nghk3_aHYjIhgVTG9di9RBqebpt9v-T6O7KYVLRx/s1600-h/french+chicken.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Mjd6b-K40a6P38g4KT77o7thIfby1evDiACywFdmGENiGppSyBgyra_albqzKsi8WdRMRTX9QEfnAWngQGaQGUzuNTo_nghk3_aHYjIhgVTG9di9RBqebpt9v-T6O7KYVLRx/s200/french+chicken.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425574258695327058" border="0" /></a>Write this down: Anything remotely resembling French cookery will involve a) tons of butter (yay!) and b) every pot and pan in the house (not so yay)...and sometimes bacon (yay again!).<br /><br />I was catching up on my own blog reading, and whilst reading <a href="http://www.amateurgourmet.com/">The Amateur Gourmet</a>, I saw his post about his Top 10 Dishes of 2009. The dishes all looked pretty awesome, and like him, I am a sucker for something braised...especially if I get to use my Le Creuset pots. Which, I am sad to say, are rather underused in my kitchen. When you're cooking for one, it's usually a quick saute here and there. I have been trying to use them more and more, because why else do I have them? But I'm still a little afraid of them. Totally irrational, I know, because they are cast iron, and it would take a whole house nuclear disaster to hurt them...seriously, this is where those indestructible cockroaches will be living after the apocalypse--in cast-iron Le Creuset pot condos. And yet, some people are afraid of spiders, too. (I know, arachnophobia is real...I was just trying to be funny, because I'm not afraid of spiders, but I seem to be afraid of seemingly indestructible cookware. Maybe I should say something along the lines of "...and some people are afraid of dust bunnies." Is that better?)<br /><br />And that brings us back to the coq au vin. I decided to try Adam's technique and the recipe that he used and see if I could make a smaller version for myself...after eating practically an entire ham left over from New Year's Day luncheon, I am a bit weary of too many leftovers...and ham, dammit. I really like ham, but I am a bit overdosed.<br /><br />I also am not a big fan of the darker parts of the chicken...yes, Virginia, I know that's where the most flavor is, but I'm just not as thrilled about the taste of those pieces. Although, after braising them in a lot of wine, all the parts will probably taste the same anyway.<br /><br />So, I set out to make a 2-piece coq au vin, using the bone-in breasts that I had originally bought with a quick chicken soup in mind. (And, to be perfectly honest...the real reason I wanted to make coq au vin was so I could make something with pearl onions. I love those little buggers when you put them in a stew or braised dish--they are like little flavor sponges, soaking up all manner of goodness.)<br /><br />Also put it out of your head that this is going to be a 30-minute meal. Is braising, people...br-aaaa-zing. Braising is long, slow cooking in a flavorful liquid...operative word being long.<br /><br />The definition of "coq au vin" is basically "rooster in wine," and supposedly was a way to use an older, tougher bird, but most recipes I've ever seen call for chicken/hen. I found this definition on Wikipedia and thought it amusing:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coq au vin </span><span style="font-style: italic;">is a French braise of chicken cooked with wine, lardons (</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">BACON</span><span style="font-style: italic;">!), mushrooms, and optionally garlic. While the wine is typically Burgundy wine, many regions of France have variants of </span>coq au vin <span style="font-style: italic;">using the local wine, such a coq au vin jaune (Jura), coq au Riesling (Alsace), coc au Champagne, and so on</span>.<br /><br />Well, at first glance, it's not *that* amusing, but when I tell you the part about my coq au vin should be called "coq au whatever bottle I found in the bottom of the china cabinet and then the stupid cork broke off in it and I had to push it all the way through, AND strain the stupid pieces of cork out," then, it gets amusing.<br /><br />And, there's the quest to find frozen pearl onions, which seemed to have disappeared from every store but Kroger, which had 4 bags for $5, so I bought 4 to have for future use. (And, Kroger was the 3rd store I went to...at that point, I was ready to even prep fresh ones if I could have found them...did I mention that I decided to do this dish during the Great Southern Blizzard of January 2010? The one where my area closed schools for 2 days on the day before we had even received any snow? The one where there were rabid hordes at the grocery getting bread and milk as if was 2012 and the Mayan calendar had just fallen off the pyramid?)<br /><br />So, go look at the AG's post--he remembers to post pictures during the important parts--and look at the stages of his coq au vin. Pretty much, mine looked exactly like his, with the exception of cutting the ingredients mostly in half...I made all the onions and mushroom parts! I almost overcooked the breasts, because I should have lowered the temperature of my oven when I flipped them. I cut the cooking time to about 35 minutes, and when I pulled that glorious pot of goodness out, it was boiling merrily away...not simmering, but boiling. Ack!<br /><br />I also liked the idea that he served his leftovers with buttered egg noodles, so I decided to go straight to that step for the actual first service. The leftovers were still very awesome 3 days later...the chicken was a little overdone after being zapped, but that's usually the case.<br /><br />This would also be a good casual company dish with mashed potatoes and some sort of green veg--maybe steamed green beans. Next time, though I think I'll use a better bottle of vin and hopefully avoid that whole picking of cork out of my teeth. Hadn't had to do that since college...when one of my neighbors down the hall, who was way more sophisticated than me, smuggled in bottles of <a href="http://www.bluenunwines.com/">Blue Nun</a>, and invariably no one had a corkscrew. We were pretty adept at poking the cork through with a steak knife and drinking around the bits.<br /><br />Not that I've looked for Blue Nun in about 20 years or so, but she's still around...and has gone high tech with the website and other offerings. Now, I'm going to have to seek out the ol' gal and see how she's changed with the times. I'll report back for the good of the Republic and let you all know. After all, if she was good enough for <a href="http://www.elvisowned.com/new_page_one.htm">Elvis</a>... Cheers!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEwMF6mnpfbjuWQrMwAZkw_X22Eq9WaLCyJ55YRFvs2qZLPMEFg-y7swJT1OvtG_0WeX6iOBBhKod2eLatxc98jUjA68EzpeZL6kDt8hHfpEPkNysrtHERiBIUYgIR04jc087/s1600-h/Elvis_wine_bottle_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEwMF6mnpfbjuWQrMwAZkw_X22Eq9WaLCyJ55YRFvs2qZLPMEFg-y7swJT1OvtG_0WeX6iOBBhKod2eLatxc98jUjA68EzpeZL6kDt8hHfpEPkNysrtHERiBIUYgIR04jc087/s200/Elvis_wine_bottle_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425688883073108018" border="0" /></a><br />Besides, I'm going to need something to do with myself as we begin the Rickety Fat Dog Tumor Watch 2010. Yep, it looks like the mass in his mouth is making a resurgence, and we are going to have to be aggressive, be! be! aggressive! with it. Which means a trip to a veter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQQZJtARyzcdeTyqubFhmIRi27eBwGVofp8LQh8S-6szNCX_RfmnriSBKmDMOqIgZWQ-a-hfFh2Ep_lZNDMdnenYtDtfhvt4-r5H3vs3mRLxf8d1ay1yqatlUur-e5p7_Bg_D/s1600-h/julius+cute+face.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 97px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQQZJtARyzcdeTyqubFhmIRi27eBwGVofp8LQh8S-6szNCX_RfmnriSBKmDMOqIgZWQ-a-hfFh2Ep_lZNDMdnenYtDtfhvt4-r5H3vs3mRLxf8d1ay1yqatlUur-e5p7_Bg_D/s200/julius+cute+face.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425691832180221730" border="0" /></a>inary dentist/oral surgeon who has experience with this sort of stuff...and then, there's still no guarantee. The last few years have really sucked, and for once, it would be nice if Fate would deal me, if not a winning hand, a hand that allows me to stay in the game. Hand me that corkscrew...I need a medicinal dose.<br /><br />I mean, how can you not want to throw your all your worldly possession into saving this little face?Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-8053225220400700102010-01-07T15:15:00.002-05:002010-01-07T16:50:27.462-05:00That Travelin' Life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQVyAdobfg35w3l4TeDg2DlnIySV4Pw9NTXnR-9vQFSTgeBnKeDDkTwfYOrsi3wVHyuSY5_N3g3i-qE6gvXGmLawfezaZTqRdjYZXlUrteJgBljPtlvyq3NjtgnJeX_cM7ZUx/s1600-h/Delta-Plane-300x240.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQVyAdobfg35w3l4TeDg2DlnIySV4Pw9NTXnR-9vQFSTgeBnKeDDkTwfYOrsi3wVHyuSY5_N3g3i-qE6gvXGmLawfezaZTqRdjYZXlUrteJgBljPtlvyq3NjtgnJeX_cM7ZUx/s200/Delta-Plane-300x240.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424104130554857970" border="0" /></a><br />SinceI was home for awhile, I thought I would be able to actually cook and blog and dust. And, I thought I would write about traveling. (I think this is my lame attempt at irony.) As you can see, I might have dusted...possibly...maybe.<br /><br />So, anyway, I thought I might throw my .02 worth out there about my travel experiences. Luckily, I seem to have fairly good flying experiences, and interactions with airline employees. I think the key is following that old "Golden Rule" about treating other people as you want to be treated. I have watched many a gate agent be screamed at by people who should know better, because contrary to popular belief, gate agents DO NOT control the weather...<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNj1XTnXc_M"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Pudge </span></a>does. I think it might be rather entertaining to watch a gate agent scream back. Probably lose their job, but I bet it would feel good for the moment.<br /><br />I spend a lot of time in airports...lots and lots...and while people generally bitch about hanging out in airports, I really don't mind it. It's the one place where I actually don't have to be doing anything other than waiting for a plane. (Yes, if I had an aircard, I could work, but no one has given me one of those yet, even though I asked, so I'm just going to think of the time I spend in airports as extended coffee breaks! Although, it is interesting that the smaller airports have free wi-fi...and if I can find free wi-fi, I will check email and do work stuff. I are a good employee that way.)<br /><br />Since I spend a lot of time in airports, I'm always up for finding things to amuse me or good to eat during layovers. Yes, I could read, which I often do, but because I'm a bit of a speed reader, heaven forbid that I run out of reading material in flight, and I can only carry so many books with me at a time. The people watching in airports is usually pretty choice, but after you've seen one whacked out outfit too many, you just have to walk around and take a break.<br /><br />And while all the inflight magazines wax poetic about lots cool things to do that are "just a cab ride away," seriously--who really wants to or has time to lug all their crap out to the front, possibly be delayed getting back, and then go back through security. I can imagine doing this if I had a layover of 4 or more hours, but not for anything less. Knock on Formica that I haven't had a loooong layover in quite some time...but it is a new year after all.<br /><br />So, I look for things to do...sometimes, I get lucky and the airport itself provides something, whether it be an art exhibit or unusual shopping/dining. Mostly, I'm flying domestic, with quick turnarounds, because I'm not going to the most glamorous of places. Here's a few highlights from my trips:<br /><br />In the <a style="" href="http://www.jmaa.com/">Jackson-Evers Airport</a>, Jackson, MS, there is a fish tank in the East<br />Concourse (I think) gift shop that houses some young channel catfish, a product for which Mississippi is famous. The restaurant just down from the gift shop serves a mean bacon and egg breakfast quesadilla. How often do you see fish in an airport that isn't in a bun?<br /><br />More and more airports have art installations--the <a href="http://www.atlanta-airport.com/">Atlanta-Hartsfield-Jackson Airport</a> has a great permanent exhibit of African stone carvers in the walkway from Concourse T (Terminal) to Concourse A. If I fly out of ATL from Concourse A, I always walk from T to A. Sometimes, I ride the moving sidewalk (staying to the right, of course) and pretend I'm in an episode of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jetsons">The Jetsons</a>, and I'm in a museum with George and the rest of the Jetson family. (When you travel as much as I do, sometimes you get a little jet fuel fume crazy!) There's music along with photographs that describe the stone carvers work and show scenes of African wildlife.<br /><br />Provided I'm not running to make a connection, I also like to ride the moving sidewalk in <a href="http://www.metroairport.com/">Detroit Metro</a> through the Northwest World Gateway tunnel between the terminals. The walls have a neat light show in time with music, and it feels rather futuristic...and Jetson-like.<br /><br />Detroit also has a Mediterranean place near Gate A-54...it's actually called "Mediterranean Grill," and you can get falafel, hummus, and kebobs in a sit-down place.<br /><br />If I'm stuck in the ATL during breakfast, I use that as an excuse to eat <a href="http://www.popeyes.com/">Popeye's</a>. It's soooo bad for you, but sooooo good. The 3-piece chicken tenders, spicy of course, and a small red beans-n-rice IS the Breakfast of Champions. Although, I have sworn that I will lay off that little treat and try to eat better in the airport. There's a new sushi bar in Concourse E that I need to check out.<br /><br />(It is rather interesting to see what chain places that don't normally serve breakfast come up with for the airport concession. The ATL Popeye's is slinging grits, gravy, and biscuits, as well as most of the regular menu. The Asian places sometimes have bacon and eggs, but usually they are whipping out General Tso's chicken and lo mein...and yeah, I've had airport lo mein for breakfast before...I've never been locked into having "breakfast food" for breakfast.)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mscaa.com/">Memphis </a>has Lenny's Subshop in Terminal B, which has a lovely Italian cold cuts sandwich and makes a mean Philly cheesesteak...ask for some of the hot pepper relish. (You might possibly have a Lenny's near you...about 4 months or so ago, I finally paid attention to all the little shops in the Staples shopping center, where I go to make copies of my expense report receipts, and found one there...a closer source of the hot pepper goodness is a good thing!) And, you must not forget the Elvis memorabilia either...lots and lots of Elvis stuff to be had. There's a nice Asian and Judaic art exhibit near the Delta Crown Club Room, as well as various other exhibits of local artists throughout the concourse.<br /><br />At the <a href="http://dfwairport.com/">Dallas-Ft. Worth airport</a>, you can get some mighty good brisket at Cousin's, and also in <a href="http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/austinairport/">Austin </a>at Salt Lick.<br /><br />I still haven't found anything decent to eat in Chicago's <a href="http://www.chicago-ord.com/">O'Hare</a>...I had a rough case of food poisoning from an O'Hare chain sports bar hamburger several years ago (yes, Fox Sports Bar, I am talking to you), and I'm still wary of eating there. Am open to suggestions if anyone has any.<br /><br />In Midway (O'Hare's quieter, neater, shinier little sister), you can grab a sandwich at a Harry Caray's outpost. It's basic pub food, but not too bad. I had a fun meal there when the hostess offered to seat me and 2 other "singles" together...it was either that or wait for another 40 minutes...that was a no brainer. The guy with the biggest expense account bought a round of drinks, and we were instant friends. There's also a quickie Tex-Mex grill in the Midway Boulevard food court that is pretty good, too.<br /><br />The Wasatch Brew Pub in the Salt Lake City airport was a most welcome surprise...bar food, and most importantly, beer on tap! in a place where I didn't expect to find beer, because, well, you know.<br /><br />Portland International has a small <a href="http://www.powells.com/">Powell's Books</a>, which is nice...I can always kill time in a bookstore. And, I got a hotdog for breakfast at Good Dog/Bad Dog.<br /><br />Ontario, California is a nice option instead of flying into LAX, and they have a terminal and a Boeing 747 cockpit mockup where production companies can film scenes for movies. John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, is also a good option to alleviate the craziness that can be LAX...plus it is closer to Disney Land...and has a huge bronze statue of the Duke. LAX does have an In and Out burger close by, which you can take a parking shuttle to and walk across a parking lot to get some of that yummy goodness. (I have not actually tried this; I overheard some guys telling other guys in the waiting area where they got their In and Out cups. Why there's not one in LAX proper, I have no idea. Seems like it would be license to print money.)<br /><br />The thing I really hate about Toronto is the lack of a Tim Horton's after you go through Customs.<br />There's no less than 5 Tim Horton's at Pearson, but as of October 2008, there wasn't one past Customs...or at least not where I was herded. (If anyone knows where one is hiding, let me know!) <br /><br />There's a place called "Toast," which is Tim's aunt's younger sister's cousin thrice removed or something like that...it's really just a Starbuck's clone. Ottawa, on the other hand, has a Tim's right in the Transborder Hold Room, i.e. international departure waiting area, where you can grab a big ol' coffee, a donut, and stock up on bagged coffee. Thank you, Ottawa!<br /><br />You can eat crabcakes at <a href="http://www.phillipsseafood.com/">Phillips </a>in Charlotte, which were good...a bit overpriced, but that's the airport for you. Airports are a lot like movie theaters in that you pretty much have to buy the food in them, because you really don't have any other options. Charlotte also has art installations throughout the airport, and shopping.<br /><br />Reagan International in DC now has a <a href="http://www.fiveguys.com/index.aspx">5 Guys Burgers and Fries</a>! Do not be tempted to get the large fries, unless there are at least 4 people in your party...4 tater-lovin' individuals--because the fries are a generous portion.<br /><br />In Syracuse-Hancock International, there is a play area that is a mock-up of the airport. You can sit inside a fake cockpit, see how baggage is handled, etc. It's pretty cool and seems to always be in use.<br /><br />And, the airport that I used to hate the most, Cincinnati, has now become one of my more favored ones...the reason I used to hate it was that the Delta terminal seemed to be the red-headed stepchild terminal...sort of like an afterthought, a place that no one really wanted to think about. There were virtually no amenities after you rode the bus across the runways...which is always a bit scary...except for vending machines, and the chairs just sucked. Now, that terminal has restaurants, shopping, and is much nicer to wait out the layover in. The main Cincy terminal has a ton of shopping and all sorts of food options--chili, of course, and a Wolfgang Puck Express...the pizzas are very nice.<br /><br />The airport that I do hate the most is George Bush Intercontinental in Houston. It takes for bloomin' ever to get to the terminal once you touch down...you feel like you could have driven to Texas in the amount of time it takes you to get there. And the traffic trying to get in and out of Bush is horrendous. Given my druthers, I fly in and out of Hobby, where I can hit a Pappadeaux or Pappasito's Cantina. Chain, yes...but Houston-based chain, so the food is generally better. I will say that the one shining light at George Bush was the Shipley's Donuts...the cinnamon sugar ones are pretty good...although you can be bit sticky for the flight home.<br /><br />Another tip for Bush is that if you are meeting a co-worker, check your voicemail BEFORE you leave the terminal and pass the point of no return with security. If you find out that he is going to get in 3 hours later than originally planned, there is NOTHING to do or really to eat outside the concourse area. Trust me on this one. The only interesting thing to do is take the shuttle to International Arrivals terminal and see people greet their loved ones...the signs they wave around are entertaining. You can see some lovely places to eat on the other side of security, but they are verboten to you, who has already flown.<br /><br />I won't even talk about Newark or JFK, and I've been to dozens of other airports that I can't really remember anything about at the moment, so I'll just call it a post now and be done with it.<br /><br />As the year progress and I travel more, I'll keep you updated on any new finds of the aeronautical flavor. Ironically, my first trip this decade ( I know--where the hell did all of 2009 go?) is a driving one, though. Back to the wilds of Kentucky...more barbecue! How could that be a bad thing?Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-11113071134578117152009-12-15T21:13:00.003-05:002009-12-15T22:22:20.850-05:00Rollin' Out the Red...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtexaC8cW0NgqOQX4sxeY4kbeMap8XKk-rjCcCoFF6B36rl3-vCg3tyWsSIwzRbQPLb8Cknkq7KjsKokH9iOCKFQisbkTlEHE8BJ9Wn6kx1W24nurG2X95NwwBKT5OD9DqbwXa/s1600-h/Red+Carpet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtexaC8cW0NgqOQX4sxeY4kbeMap8XKk-rjCcCoFF6B36rl3-vCg3tyWsSIwzRbQPLb8Cknkq7KjsKokH9iOCKFQisbkTlEHE8BJ9Wn6kx1W24nurG2X95NwwBKT5OD9DqbwXa/s200/Red+Carpet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415667797712318194" border="0" /></a><br />...Velvet that is. Yep, you know it's holiday time at Poodlevania when the kitchen looks like a set for Saw XXIV or whatever number that unholy franchise is up to now.<br /><br />Seriously, I feel that it is my duty to seek out and consume as much red velvety goodness as I possibly can during the month of December...for some reason, it doesn't taste the same during any other time of the year. Probably goes back to my grandmother only making it during the holidays, so it really was a special treat.<br /><br />(Do not get me wrong--you put a slab of Red Velvet cake in front of me in the middle of July, I'm eating it...don't even try to stop me. "Seasonal" only goes so far...)<br /><br />So, I'm in the process of making my first one this year, and I have decided to try something new. I know, I know, it sound sacrilegious, but sometimes, you just have to think outside the cake pan.<br /><br />I was going through the recipe folder in my inbox and found one for a Red Velvet Roll cake. Never having made a roll cake before, I thought why the hell not? Plus, I'm supposed to bring something to a party tonight, so why not experiment! These are probably famous last words...<br /><br />Here's the recipe, and I'm not really sure where the heck I got it. I apologize profusely for not giving credit. However, I think I got it from the <a href="http://bakingbites.com/2007/04/red-velvet-roll-cake/">Baking Bites</a> blog, because it seems to be the exact same recipe, but I am not 100% sure. I could have gotten it from somewhere else on the vast Internets, and that person swiped it from Baking Bites.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Red Velvet Roll Cake</span><br /><br />3/4 cup sifted cake flour<br />1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />1 tsp baking soda<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />4 large eggs, room temperature<br />3/4 cup sugar<br />1 tbsp vegetable oil<br />2 tbsp buttermilk<br />1 tsp apple cider vinegar<br />1 tsp vanilla extract<br />1 tsp red food coloring<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350F. Line a jelly roll pan (approximately 17"x12"x1") with aluminum foil and grease it well with some vegetable oil or cooking spray.<br /><br />Sift together sifted cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into asmall bowl. Set aside.<br /><br />In a large bowl, beat the eggs together with an electric mixer on high speed. Once they are frothy, slowly add in the sugar. Beat until light, approximately 5 minutes. Beat in the vegetable oil, buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and red food coloring. Working steadily, but gradually, mix in the cocoa mixture with the electric mixer at a low speed.<br /><br />Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 12-15 minutes, until cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center.<br /><br />While cake is baking, sift some confectioners' sugar onto a large, clean dish towel. When you remove the cake from the oven, carefully flip it over onto the dish towel. Peel off the foil (it should come off easily because it was greased) and roll the cake up in the dish towel, beginning with a short end.<br /><br />Place cake, hot but wrapped in the towel, seam-side down on a wire rack to cool completely (at least 1 hour). Prepare filling (below) while it cools.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Cream Cheese Filling</span><br /><br />8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature<br />1/4 cup butter, room temperature<br />3 cups confectioners' sugar<br />1 tsp vanilla extract<br /><br />Beat all ingredients together until light and spreadable. When cake is cool, gently unwrap it and spread the inside with the filling. Re-roll and place on a serving platter. Dust with more confectioners' sugar before serving. Serves 8-10<br /><br />The batter for this cake was extremely thin and seemed a bit more cocoa-ey than a regular Red Velvet. I jacked up the food coloring a bit, because I like my Red Velvet to be r-e-d. Otherwise, it's just a dirty brown chocolate cake. And, I was kind of worried about what it would look like, based on the sheer amount of cocoa...this was really leaning into the "dirty brown" category.<br /><br />I used parchment paper as well, instead of foil, because I could and I had more parchment than foil in the cabinet. I don't know if that change contributed to the outcome or not...'cause you know there was an "outcome.'<br /><br />The hardest part at first was trying to get the batter evenly spread over over the parchment lined pan. Of course, one side has to be thinner than the other, always. I envy people who can get their batters even for cakes...envy them.<br /><br />So, I cook the cake for about 12 minutes, popped it out onto the dish towel and removed the parchment. I rolled it up in the towel, knocking over the box of vanilla extract on the counter. Hmm...it was a new bottle of vanilla, still in the box, which meant I forgot to put it in the cake. Yeah. Well, hell, with all that cocoa powder, who is going to notice if there's a wispy little note of vanilla or not.<br /><br />I pulled the cake out and rolled it in the dish towel...so far, so good, but it really is more brown than red. I cooled it for the requisite hour, unrolled it, and spread the filling inside. During the unrolling process, part of the cake stuck to the towel...sort of like the "skin" of the cake. The resultant "log" looked like it had the mange or some other affliction.<br /><br />I dutifully cut the ends off to tidy it up and ate them and was extremely disappointed. It was dry and too chocolatey...not red velvety enough.<br /><br />The ends/edges were drier because the batter didn't spread evenly, but there really was way too much cocoa powder involved in this train wreck of a cake. I think if I were to make it again, I would definitely reduce the amount of cocoa...and feel free to chime in with suggestions of your own. Also, more red food coloring. Don't care that it might make me crazy or cause tumors, I want me some R-E-D velvet cake. Besides, I think I already are crazy.<br /><br />I had some serious misgivings about the amount of cocoa in the recipe, because this is not really a chocolate cake...I've read articles and other blogs' posts about it being just a "chocolate cake colored red," but it's not. Most of the recipes call for 2 tablespoons at the most, which is half the cocoa in this recipe. IMSBO (that would be "in my seriously biased opinion," the cocoa's purpose is to give more complexity and depth to the cake's flavor and not be overwhelming...sort of like all those fancy wine descriptions that involve "hints of oak and notes of kumquat." (When kumquat start writing you notes, then you know you've had too much wine...I'm just sayin'.)<br /><br />However, the one good thing to come out of this is that the parchment paper was a great success in keeping the cake from sticking. I like that part.<br /><br />And, all was not totally lost for the day, because I made a smacking good dip, which was the main thing I was taking to the party anyway, and I'll post that recipe in my next entry, 'cause I'm tired and I have to get some sleep and put on my game face for the customer tomorrow...kind of like the Fat Dog.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWOE-guqoTN37C1f1MLQHHPIMEden8AOew0qFxuBOfjYjPgIWtmER-4Hq6SUbV591gvnW5rpD550EK8-jsPCLj2Ip84BR-RLKY93I2ATBYnA4UXic-Q1v7hC2ZidX_QKWMBt8/s1600-h/sleepy+julius.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWOE-guqoTN37C1f1MLQHHPIMEden8AOew0qFxuBOfjYjPgIWtmER-4Hq6SUbV591gvnW5rpD550EK8-jsPCLj2Ip84BR-RLKY93I2ATBYnA4UXic-Q1v7hC2ZidX_QKWMBt8/s200/sleepy+julius.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415666896464241570" border="0" /></a>Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060187.post-48829114283905711372009-12-06T22:36:00.000-05:002009-12-06T23:36:35.611-05:00Aloha and mahalo for all the mochi!<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGM01UK0E8mmrmbSpfP70lWPT_W7PZWi2kK82T-pUYxk4nfQCPL9zC7Yctue8q44l_i4uf5NXR5lnnBImtv8wbRfZMzIcMsge6krulySg1borUXypK78uHZCIheMQEDZnKIjIj/s1600-h/DSCN0868.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGM01UK0E8mmrmbSpfP70lWPT_W7PZWi2kK82T-pUYxk4nfQCPL9zC7Yctue8q44l_i4uf5NXR5lnnBImtv8wbRfZMzIcMsge6krulySg1borUXypK78uHZCIheMQEDZnKIjIj/s200/DSCN0868.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412344036403670386" /></a>Yikes!!! I realized when I looked at the last post that it had been waaaay over a month since I last posted. Sort of hard to have a blog if you don't post, isn't it?<br /><br />Stuff happens, as we all know, so I hope you forgive me when I tell you all about the much needed vacation that I took over Thanksgiving. As you may have figured out from the title and the photo accompanying this post, I had an exotic tropical vacation in Hawai'i...Honolulu to be specific. ( I just love saying "Honolulu"... it's such a fun word!)<br /><br />During the summer, a friend invited me to spend the holiday with her and her extended family, who live on Oahu, and after emptying my frequent flier mile account, I was on my way to paradise.<div><br />I had a direct flight from Atlanta to Honolulu, and let me tell you, 9+ hours is too freaking long to spend on a plane and not be in first class...why, oh, why Delta, do you not let people who redeem their frequent flyer miles have a shot at the upgrade lottery? (That's all the whining I'll do, because it was so worth the ride!)<br /><br />Hawai'i has always been a source of fascination for me...and not just for the whole Magnum, PI thing, either. It's always seemed so exotic and unattainable, and the closer it got to checkin time, the more I was bouncing off the walls in anticipation.<br /><br />This trip was not the usual tourist trip--I saw and did some touristy things, but this was more of a "hang out with the locals" kind of trip...sort of doing a Bourdain and heading off the beaten (and expensive!) paths. For Hawai'i is nothing if not expensive...except for food. I found the food to be very reasonably priced, especially since we ate at a lot of local Honolulu spots.<br /><br />I didn't do a luau--gotta save something for the next trip--but I did have a great Thanksgiving dinner with a decided Asian twist. And, since this blog is about food and the cooking and eating of it, let's get to it!<br /><br />Day 1 in Paradise included a sojourn into Chinatown and a tour of the downtown area--gotta have your picture made with King Kamehameha, you know. Honolulu Chinatown is a wild market place, full of amazing little markets, exotic produce, and street food. My friend's dad, henceforth known as "Granpa," took us on a winding little tour through a market and down several streets. He would pop into a shop and come out with some little delicacy for us to sample. We had a giant rice noodle tube stuffed with pork and onions, drizzled with shoyu (soy sauce), and cut up into pieces that we ate with our hands. He passed around a bag of "dragon eyes," which turned out to be a fruit, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longan">longan </a>to be exact When you took the outer shell off, it looks like the inside of a grape and has about the same texture. It was sort of sweet and tangy.<br /><br />We traveled to the downtown area and saw the state capitol, which tells the story of Hawai'i by it's very structure. The building has a little reflecting pool around it, which represents the water surrounding the islands. There are two pillars visible underneath each side, which represent volcanoes and support each side of the legislature. Each of the legislative chambers is decorated in colors that reflect the island--one side is reds and oranges (sun and lava) and the other is greens and blues (for the sky and rainforests). Grammy walked us around the area and told us many interesting things about the downtown buildings, and having a local tour guide really made the day even more special.<br /><br />We finished up with lunch in the food court of the <a href="http://www.alamoanacenter.com/">Ala Moana Center</a>, a very large, high-end shopping center/mall. Yeah, yeah, food court is not exactly what one has in mind when visiting a tropical paradise, but there was a lot of local places in the food court that were just screaming to be tried. Al Moana Poi Bowl was the place of choice for lunch, and I got the Local Boy special plate lunch, which was pretty much a tour of local Hawai'ian food--kalua pig, lau lau, lomi salmon, and poi.<br /><br />Ah, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poi_%28food%29">poi</a>...that's some mystical stuff...mystical icky stuff. Light purplish-gray, with a thick, pasty consistency, and it's got a wang to it. Evidently, it works better if you dip some food into it, sort of using it as rice. Let just say that I probably wouldn't order it again. I like taro for the most part--taro fries, taro chips are good, but poi is has no "joi" for me.<div><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lau_lau">Laulau</a> is interesting...the one I had was roast pork and a piece of butter fish wrapped in taro leaves and steamed. The taro leaves were like a bitter spinach, which I dunked in the poi to see if that made the poi edible (sort of). The pork was tender, and the fish was a little surprise, because I wasn't expecting it. The kaula pork was like salty barbecue--lightly smoked and very tender; I ate every scrap of that, of course.<br /><br />There was also lomi-lomi salmon, diced salted raw salmon mixed with tomatoes and onions, along with rice and macaroni salad. It was finished off with <b>haupia</b> (a coconut pudding-style dessert), which was wonderful. This lunch was a version of the Hawaiian culinary staple, the plate lunch. Plate lunch, Hawaiian style, is usually 2 scoops of rice, a scoop of macaroni salad, and then a protein/entree; I subbed the poi for the rice, because I had to try it. Plate Lunch is a lot like the Southern "meat and 3" plate lunch.</div><div><br />I'm a big fan of plate lunches...a big fan, and we had another one at <a href="http://www.hawaiianbarbecue.com/">L&L Barbecue</a>, a local chain that is slowly franchising on the Mainland. I can only hope that it comes this way soon. Plate lunch at L&L consisted of rice, mac salad, and some yummy Korean-style barbecue ribs. Forget the haute cuisine--I can eat Asian street food at every meal.<br /><br />We went to L&L after a day of flying kites and hanging out at the beach, and then we followed up the meal with fresh hot malasadas from <a href="http://www.leonardshawaii.com/index.htm">Leonard's</a> next door. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malasada">Malasadas </a>are the Portuguese version of beignets, but better, because they're covered in regular granulated sugar rather than powdered sugar.<br /><br />And, I did have a fine dining experience of sorts...we went back to the Ala Moana Center for shopping on Saturday after Thanksgiving, and we ate lunch at Alan Wong's <a href="http://www.alanwongs.com/pineroom/pine_room.html">Pineapple Room</a> located on the top floor of Macy's.<br />Remember this <a href="http://poodlevania.blogspot.com/2006/08/theres-no-place-id-rather-be.html">post </a>about the disasterous project in Regional Cooking? The Chiclet and I had Pacific Rim cookery, and I pulled together a great PowerPoint that included the 3 big names in Hawaiian cuisine--Roy Yamaguchi, Alan Wong, and Sam Choy. So when D's sister suggested this Alan Wong outpost for lunch, I was all over that!<br /><br />Chef Wong is into local and sustainable products and features them on his menus. I had the Pineapple Room Burger, because I was just craving a burger for some reason, and I truly think it was one of the best burgers I have ever eaten. From the menu description: Kiawe-Grilled Kuahiwi Ranch Natural Beef Burger, Onion Rings, Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, and Avocado Salsa. There were two onion rings on the burger, one of which I had to remove to even pick the thing up. Those onion rings were made from Maui onions, and I have never had a more tasty onion ring than those. Those onion rings were just works of taste art.</div><div><br />The burger was served with Wasabi Potato Salad, which was good, but not bowl you over good. The wasabi imparted a nice little bite and cleared the ol' sinuses for a moment. D had the “Mac Garlic” Chicken Sandwich, which was chunks of a garlicky teriyaki type of chicken and topped with Furikake Macaroni Salad. Furikake is a salty Japanese condiment with seaweed, sesame seeds, and fish flakes, plus some other seasonings. If I ever made it back to the Pineapple Room, I'd have that next!<br /><br />Hawaiians are big on snack food, and the one thing that I discovered that I really like is mochi. Japanese in origin, mochi is made from pounded steamed glutinous rice. It becomes a dough-like substance that is usually wrapped around a variety of fillings--peanut butter mochi was a particular favorite of mine. We also had mochi ice cream, which consists of balls of ice cream encased in the mochi--most tasty. Of course, I want more and am trying to figure out how to get it here. I may need to pay a visit to the Asian markets here in town and see if I can find some, or better yet, the <a href="http://www.aofwc.com/index.aspx">Buford Highway Farmer's Market</a> in Atlanta.<br /><br />Monday after Thanksgiving was our military history day and my last day in paradise. We got up really early and went to get tickets for the <a href="http://www.arizonamemorial.org/locations/arizona-memorial-location.html">USS Arizona Memorial</a> tour. There's a lot of construction happening at the site, progress on a new visitor's center, and unfortunately, the Missouri was in drydock, so we didn't get to tour it.</div><div><br />When you go into the visitor's center, you file into a little theater to watch a film about the attack on Pearl Harbor. The park rangers are very clear that this is NOT a tourist attraction, that it is a grave site, and respect is the order of the day. After the film, a very solemn crowd filed out and onto an open-sided boat for the 20-minute ride out to the sunken ship. On our boat, we had a veteran...he wasn't a Pearl Harbor survivor, rather someone who w</div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRrjFkTHJve6AucQxGpMj2yG0lpDKixWGVgil7f1TT2zS8tFAqWAPEb8SuZUotUUo1wAvJjIgeLIcO0D5JQuUX65LR-Fmj_R8MCdjIjAHsCTbP-3dRCpTw6_BOoOUbEKFsCb_S/s200/DSCN0801.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412345672817465058" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /><div>as stationed there right after the attack. It was his first time back to Pearl Harbor since that time, and the staff gave him a special pin and allowed him to get off the boat first when we arrived at the memorial.</div><div><br />When you first see the marble wall at the opposite end of the memorial, listing the names of everyone who perished in the attack, it clutches at your heart to see how many are chiseled into the wall. War sucks, no matter what side you are on.</div><div><br />After the visit to the memorial, we had breakfast at McDonald's. And, yes, I really wanted to go to McDonald's, because I hadn't had that one staple of Hawaiian cuisine...drum roll, please!...SPAM!<br /><br />At Hawaiian McDonald's, you have some choices that aren't available stateside. There's taro pies, haupia pies, both of which were not available, McTeri burgers with teriyaki sauce, and McSaimen, a noodle dis<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pBm4pXfQIPrS7Zs-P_HG9d1OIx1XHYD8EC1YYSmk6j2zK6jzq2gEFwta7peBVh1v-p2Jg01bh3e84_VKOK8790GtySrPvGvRYoFf5kQ06fOrAegLr_Pb9uH0CPMXwlleEUaU/s200/DSCN0832.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412344555977540402" />h. And, for breakfast, there's the Local Deluxe Breakfast platter. The Local Deluxe consists of 2 scoops of rice, omelet-style scrambled eggs, 2 slices of grilled Spam, and 3 slices of Portuguese sausage. Best fast food breakfast ever, hands down.<br /><br />(And, the coolest thing was that the trash cans said "mahalo," which is Hawaiian for "thank you")<br /><br />After breakfast, we hiked around Punchbowl, the <a href="http://www.hawaiiweb.com/html/national_memorial_cemetery_of_the_pacific.html">National Cemetery of the Pacific</a>, where some of the Pearl Harbor casualties are buried. The view from the top of Punchbowl crater encompasses a large part of the Honolulu shoreline and is amazing. The 30-foot tall statue of Lady Columbia looking out over the grave sites is awe-inspiring as well. If you are of a certain age or watched Nick at Night, you may remember her from the opening credits of Hawaii 5-0.<br /><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFRUZRbbl_XA_TTw-Kd5jf1S-32U1yiapJH81VT3fa8KNJd6f2XJoJZGvUtwpivPUCIM19O35oU17_z0ih5iNLUxFWWkfRUVV5UlssWuk3r2JGpcxzGWY59UrdDZE3cMAf8YeB/s200/DSCN0851.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412346625875513986" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px; " /></span>For my last meal in Hawaii...and yes, I think all I did was eat and gawk at how amazing it is there...we went to <a href="http://www.nicospier38.com/">Nico's at Pier 38 </a>at the Honolulu Harbor, near where the daily fish auction happens. I had the Furikake Pan Seared Ahi w/ Ginger Garlic Cilantro Sauce and rice, and it was so very very good. I'm usually not a big tuna fan--hate the canned stuff with passion--but like it as sushi or sashimi. We had ahi <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poke_%28Hawaii%29">poke </a>one night at a family dinner, and I fell in love with it, so I ordered my Ahi rare to try and replicate that experience. It was a great meal to end my stay, and I really wanted it to never end. I'm going back one day, and hopefully sooner rather than later...heck, I'm just a winning lottery ticket away from retiring there, as one of my Facebook friends commented.<br /><br />I mean, how can you not love a place where you see rainbows every single day?<br /><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Tw4znjvpH9G6CQA_PmatXNb4XeYpQDfL2OCZf09vd0d6DjXSWVR90Z7g-AHaRMf5Y8Z_FZU1vVW679NQyytEAnJefiW_iXrE4a8Ytgw16Tlk_i5eKs-HC2jxpMV0Rribbp53/s200/DSCN0822.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412347074709632706" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGM01UK0E8mmrmbSpfP70lWPT_W7PZWi2kK82T-pUYxk4nfQCPL9zC7Yctue8q44l_i4uf5NXR5lnnBImtv8wbRfZMzIcMsge6krulySg1borUXypK78uHZCIheMQEDZnKIjIj/s1600-h/DSCN0868.JPG"></a>(If you look closely, you'll see it's actually a double rainbow.)<br /><br /><br /></div></div>Poodlebugzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081585495748471838noreply@blogger.com1