Guess What We Have Been Up To

I'll give you a little hint - a visual hint at that . . .
I would not be surprised if you think that we have been conducting some fascinating science experiment. For those of you who know Glenn it would be a logical guess. I think he qualifies as an amateur scientist. His specialty? All things plants related, the more obscure and wacky, the better. Exhibit A: The hundreds of carnivorous plants he propagates and grows.

But I digress. Actually, I was giving you a little more time to figure out what we are doing with that apparatus straight out of Chemistry 101 pictured above!

Bonus points for those of you who recognized the piece in the photo as the bottom half of a syphon coffee maker (SCM). Yes, that is right, a coffee maker. It caught my eye while browsing a local antique mall, Carriage Town Antique Center. I thought it looked cool and Glenn loves making and drinking coffee - a perfect example of form meeting function. Adding to the allure of the item was the attached note reading that a veteran of Vietnam purchased this while serving in Japan. Being that the SCM was manufactured and purchased in Japan all the included instructions were in Japanese. After some research on line we were ready to give this baby a go.

The SCM kind of looks like an hour glass. Water is poured in the bottom chamber and after it is heated (in our case with an alcohol-fueled burner) to boiling it is sucked/syphoned to the upper chamber that contains the ground coffee. After a minute or so of active brewing in the upper chamber, the heat source is removed and all water, that is now brewed coffee, flows back to the lower chamber and is ready to be enjoyed. There is a scientific explanation for the phenomenon. Glenn told me it is Boyle's Law for all those who would like/need a more thorough explanation.

I am not a coffee drinker, but Glenn loves his "joe". He could not stop ranting and raving about how great the coffee made in the SCM tasted. "Clean" is how he described the coffee. I guess he means that it tasted strong without any of the oily after-taste!

While doing my research, I discovered that there is a whole sub-culture out there of devoted SCM fans. SCMs are still being manufactured. Some coffee houses use the SCMs as novel way of brewing coffee. There is even a place in San Fran that installed a whole bank of SCMs.

If you see one of these babies out there, purchase it - it is a lot of fun and apparently hip in certain circles!

Magazine Love

I got extremely excited reading the May issue of Bon Appetit magazine.

First of all, there was an article about the great alcohol being produced in Oregon. Included in that article was the very same elixir that Glenn brought me back from a recent business trip. Gin is my poison of choice, and Aviation gin may be thee choice of that choice! Even if you think that you do not like gin (you're out there, I know, I've heard your stories), if the opportunity presents itself, you MUST try this gin. It is so pure and clean. I know, I know those words are overused in food description, but they are so accurate in this case. I am smitten with the characteristic juniper berry and pine taste of gin. However, these flavors are precisely what others loathe about gin. What makes Aviation so good, and so worth trying, is that those flavors are there, but they are not cloying and do not linger. This gin gets to the point and then relaxes in a refreshing sort of a way.

The second article that got my juices flowing was The United Plates of America. It features a state by state (yes, all 50 of them) list of "what to buy, what to eat and what to drink" in each state. I loved seeing that Better Made Potato Chips made the cut. Ironically, just the day before, while scarfing down a bag of Barbecue flavored chips, I mentioned that I thought Better Made chips, are indeed better made, and a very fine chip! Glenn was equally pleased that Bell's beer was also mentioned (for the record he also agrees with Bon Appetit's assessment!).

It was kind of cool to recognize some of the items and places mentioned in the article. In my humble opinion, there were a couple of places that were overlooked. Glenn suggested that I make some sort of list/running column on my blog to share what we consider to be culinary gems. Glenn travels a bit for work, and when he goes by car, I frequently join him. Being that he spends the day working, I have some solo time on my hands, yeah, I know it's hard, but someone has to do it. A big chunk of my time is spent looking for scrumptious places to try what I call local flavor.

OK, so back to Bon Appetit, the third thing that I really liked was the article , Big on Pig. When I first saw the article I broke out into a huge smile and squealed (pun intended). You know how I feel about all things pork. All the recipes in the article are written by pork master extraordinare, Bruce Aidell. We frequently consult his book, Bruce Aidell's Complete Book of Pork, and know we have some new recipes to try - yum, yum, yum!

Well, I have really let this blog post get away from me. Inspired by Bon Appetit, I sat down ready to tell you about one of the best road trip food experiences. Instead I got semi-side tracked describing other foodie things, oh well, I save that tale for another day. But, I will give you a hint, think pork!

ERIN GO BRAGH

Have a safe and happy St. Patrick's Day!

You are the Sunshine in My Life

A fleeting thought


As I was walking back to the house from getting the mail I felt the sun. I mean I really really felt the sun - felt it like I have not felt it for months!

It was so nice to feel that warmth - a warmth like no other - no fire, no furnace, nothing feels as good and as life giving as the rays of the sun.

Apparently, I am not the only one who was enjoying the sun. Glenn announced that some bulbs are starting to poke up in the garden when he came home for lunch today. The earth must be feeling the magic of the sun as well.

I hope all of you are able to enjoy these subtle, but so important, rumblings of Spring.

We are now Cheeseheads

No, we did not move to Wisconsin. We have a plethora of fresh, homemade and highly perishable cheese.

Our truly homemade ricotta was used in blood orange/ricotta pancakes and calzones. Both creations were divine.

And we have mozzarella coming out of our ears. We both took the class so we have double the amount that was described as, "having enough to open a small pizzeria." So does that mean we can open a large pizzeria? Luckily it is all good. Unluckily, it is recommended that we eat it within three days. I never thought this possible, but I am a little sick of cheese. Anyone up for coming over for fondue tonight?!

Random Friday

I have some random thoughts.



I received an untraditional, but greatly appreciated Valentine's gift from Bob and Kelly. They run the CSA that we belonged to last summer. As well as providing us with awesome produce, they raise chickens, cows and pigs.


That brings me to my V-day gift. Bob had his pigs butchered and processed. Pork is my FAVORITE meat. I adore almost all parts of the pig. Bob gave me (and, I guess Glenn too, even though it was a little bit difficult to share) a slab of bacon. When I say slab, I mean slab - I was able to slice it into nice thick strips. Oh, I was in heaven sniffing all that smokey goodness on the way home from Kelly and Bob's.

I am closely rationing this delicacy. On Monday we made spaghetti carbonara - delish! And my plans for the remaining bacon bring me to my next random thought.

Those of you with delicate/sensitive palettes, please brace yourself, or skip this next part all together. And, those with an adventurous approach to food, please read on. I am toying with the idea of creating a chocolate bacon cake a la this candy bar. Chocolate is my lifelong #1 food, so I thought I would try to combine two of my food favorites. So, my question to you is, are any of you interested in a recipe for chocolate cake with chocolate bacon ganache? I am up for the challenge!

Last random thought, and it is in keeping with the food theme. Last night Glenn and I made ricotta cheese. It could have not been any easier. We are debating about how to use this special cheese this weekend. He is pulling for calzones stuffed with our delicate ricotta and fresh-from-the-garden tomato sauce (well, at this point, it has taken a detour into the frosty depths of the freezer). I am thinking of pairing the ricotta with some blood oranges. Last week we bought an entire case of blood oranges, about 80, for $10.00 and I am trying to get creative before they go bad. Related to all things cheese, we are taking a cheese making class at Zingerman's tomorrow.

Have a fun weekend!

It's Coming Up - The Best Chocolate Day of the Year!

Oh, I know what you are all thinking. No, no, I am not referring to the obvious day. The BEST day for chocolate procurement is February 15 (yes, the 15th, not the 14th).

Traditionally, the 15th is the day the stores roll out the Easter candy. One of my all time favorite* chocolates is Hershey's Eggs.

*I have a bit of a Jekyll/Hyde relationship with food. On one hand, I like and appreciate fine quality, hand crafted food. On the other hand, sometimes the siren song of the junky, questionable-quality food is just too strong and I cave - think Pillsbury crescent rolls, dollar store cheese puffs, etc

So, the Hershey's Eggs fall squarely into the junky category. However, a little bit of my shame was erased when a serious professional foodie, Sean, who works at Ann Arbor's foodie nirvana (also known as Morgan and York) guessed (and subsequently agreed) on ONE try what the all-time-best Easter candy is.

I know you are all dying to know what makes candy so special. First of all, it is only made at Easter (absence DOES make the heart grow fonder). Secondly, it is like the sophisticated more refined sibling of M & Ms. The candy coating is crunchier and the chocolate is creamier. It certainly does not hurt that the eggs are about double the size of a regular M & M.

Now, you all know what I am doing this Valentine's weekend, or at least the second half of the weekend; stalking the candy aisle at Target

post note - just before posting this entry, I did a little googling and found that I am not alone in my love for Hershey's Eggs. More alarmingly, when I went on the Hershey's Easter candy site, I did not spot my beloved eggs - have they, too, been discontinued(do not even get me started on the disappearance of some of my favorite things due to the economy)? More investigation is in order.