Lucky’s Grill

Eleven things you didn't know about coffee for 2011!

2010-12-31T10:44:00.000-08:00

The darker the roast the more dehydrating it can be, also the less caffeine it has. This is mostly because roasting coffee beans causes them to increase in volume, but decrease in mass. Most of us use a volume measure to gauge our coffee (Tablespoon for example). If we were to use a scale to weigh the coffee, dark roast would actually result in a higher concentration of caffeine.
It seems like a lot, but coffee should be brewed with a ratio of 2 Tablespoons of ground coffee used for every 6 oz of water.
Coffee is best brewed in 4 ½ - 5 minutes, using water that is between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit.
Coffee is the second most used product in the world, following only oil.
A mixture of coffee and sugar water will revive yellowing house plants during the winter months.
Both Lloyd's of London and the New York Stock Exchange started their lives as coffee houses.
In Ireland, coffee has it’s own celebration day on September 19th.
The term “cup of joe” came from WWII when American soldiers were issued Maxwell Instant Coffee in their daily rations. Soldiers were referred to as “G.I. Joes,” so it followed that their daily cup of coffee would be a cup of joe.
There is no calories in straight or black, coffee.
Coffee beans are really berries. In Arabic, it is called a “bunnu.”
Although opinions differ greatly, the best way to brew coffee is arguably in a French press. Many options exist including vacuum brewing, cold press, drip brewing, espresso, Italian press, percolator and Norwegian egg coffee. The later involves boiling 10 cups of water, adding a well stirred mixture of ¼ cup of water - 1 egg - and ½ cup of coffee grounds, simmering for 2 - 3 minutes, removing from heat and adding 1 cup of cold water. The egg coagulates, collecting with it the coffee grounds. The additional cold cup of water causes the grounds to fall to the bottom of the pot, leaving a rich, very clean coffee that can be decanted into a thermos.

Cash: American IV Album Review

2009-09-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

I know I am a little behind the times in reviewing this album, since it has been out since November of 2002. So I thought I would bring some of my thoughts (having just purchased the album) along with some other thoughts retrieved from Amazon.com reviews.

I personally love the CD. I won't listen to it very often though. It does not have songs on it that you listen to over and over again. Frankly, it is a depressing album. There are a number of covers in it, that arguably Cash makes his own. Hurt, originally done by Nine Inch Nails becomes another song entirely when Cash does it. Yet, like I said there are no feel-good songs here. Listener beware, you need to be in the right mood for this album. When you are though, its fantastic in an "end me now" kind of way.

Here are what some other reviewers said:

(retrieved from Amazon.com on 9/5/09)

By A Customer

First of all, I'm a Johnny Cash nut. So, I tend to be a little more critical than most people when it comes to reviewing his albums. His fourth album in the American series is by far the weakest. Although the title track is by easily one of the best Cash songs ever, the remainder of the album is evidence that Cash needs to ditch Rick Rubin and start writing his own songs. Has anyone noticed how every American album Cash puts out seems to have more covers than the previous one? Sure, some like "Rusty Cage" and "Personal Jesus" (which is featured on this album) work beautifully, but it seems that Rubin has gotten a litte too cover-happy these days. Cash's own tunes are always the best. This album is, however worth every cent, if only for the wonderful title track. For casual Cash fans, its best to buy one of the earlier American albums, or just buy one of the live prison albums.

(retrieved from Amazon.com on 9/5/09)

By	Bram Janssen

I am the least capable person to review this album. This man had been writing and singing songs for forty years and all I'd heard of him was "Ring Of Fire". I knew the song. I did not know who sang it. It was all but another one of these inevitable songs on every compilation, and one of these songs every channel my parents loved so much would play. I never noticed. Today, I still know hardly more.

One late-summer evening as I was zapping through the music channels here in The Netherlands, my thumb froze over the remote. On the screen singing was, not the usual parade of lewd, crafted, playbacking little mouths seemingly right of production lines, not good capable singers only better than the rest because of management and advertisement skills; it was a man dressed in black, looking old as death, with a voice raw as a crow's. I did not know it was he, if it had mattered. It was Cash, singing "Hurt". I looked, listened but then more. It was so unspeakably sad, so unfathomably melancholic. How can I describe the emotions hearing that song? Haunted and moved don't seem adequate.

Enchantment. I was a youth with a passion for music: metal, symphonic, classic, techno. Give it to me, give it to me every day, all day long. I'll be satisfied. I was a youth, looking at an old man, singing for me, singing of his life and emotions. Music moves me always, but it was this music, barely more than a voice and an acoustic guitar, that drew a tear, dropped into my heart - then another and another. Silent, invisible tears filling hollows, and all that showed on the outside, were a sniff of the nose and a blink of the eyes. I was a youth.

Many of the songs on this final album, including "Hurt", are covers, even though some are his own. Cash here also covers Paul Simon, Hank Williams and John Lennon. Not all of his arrangements are better than the originals. Technically. But Cash performs with such feeling, such sway, such voice, that this is the most cherished music I've bought in a lifetime.

Then, as I sat there oblivious, and wishing I had seen the whole thing, the clip ended and I saw Cash's name. I turned off the set, stood, and hoped I would hear it again. Weeks later, Cash was dead. Today, I still know hardly more.

Now back to me.

I would recommend purchasing this album or any of the four other American Recordings albums. They show a good view of Johnny Cash in the last days of his long and difficult life.

Rocky Patel

2009-09-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

Recently I read a mass email from my favorite cigar shop, Stogies on Grand, about a Rocky Patel event. I hadn't heard much of Rocky Patel cigars, but the man himself was going to be at Stogies promoting his line of cigars. Time and motivation kept me away from the event, but I found myself at the shop yesterday and decided to give a post-celebration salute to the cigars and try one.

I found myself of on the other end of a Renaissance. This cigar line has a dark wrapper leaf. I picked up a Coronas (typical sized cigar, round end, usually a little over 5" long and 40-50 ring size diameter).

This was a very smooth cigar. It had a cool smoke throughout and burned evenly. It was a bit difficult to get lit, but once it had a good burn it kept it up. My only disappointment was that it died out while I still had a good inch of "smokable" cigar left. I found that I had to smoke this cigar quicker than most to keep it going.

It was a strong cigar. Luckily I had eaten at Dixies just before and had about 50 pounds of BBQ meat sitting in my stomach to absorb everything. I would rate this cigar similarly to a Punch cigar, having more of the characteristics of a true Cuban.

On a side note, looks like we might be even closer to removing the tight restrictions of the trade embargo with Cuba. That would revitalize the cigar industry in America as we know it!

Happy Smoking!

The Wearing of Hats

2009-05-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hats have gone in and out of fashion. In Greek and Roman times, the hat indicated freedom. In more modern times, the hat indicated your desire to stay out of the harsh frontier sun. What do hats mean now? I would like to think they still indicate a little about the person, even though we are in a "dressed-down" fashion trend these days.

The hat of all hats in my opinion is the fedora. Interestingly enough, the fedora was originally worn by women and soon adopted by men. Although, the fedora was not instantly iconic. It is rather a reaction of another hat, but more on that later. The fedora is a (typically) pinched front (tear drop usually) hat with a full brim that is usually pulled down over the eyes.

There are many variations hats (besides the baseball cap):

Porkpies (what Frank Sinatra wore and what you can stylishly get away with today without any undo pressure)

Standard Fedora (think Casablanca and a step up in class - if possible)

Hombergs (a favorite of Winston Churchill)

Bowler (left side)/Derby (right side and practically identical - just a rounder crown). One thing to note about the derby. It was originally the hat of a gentleman. With the coming of the frontier days and the introduction of a western hat, hat makers began to branch out and made a hybrid western derby, which was the birth of the fedora.

Panama - the classic from Ecuador. In fact, good panamas only come from Ecuador. Is there a better hat to smoke a cigar in? I think not.

Indiana Jone's Fedora (notice there is no "flip" to the back part of the brim)

Of course there is also the Western Hat and its many variations. I might get into that for a different post. Then there is the hooligan hat or driving cap or flat cap depending on where you are from. The fact of the matter is, wearing a hat is a style signature. You have to wear it with confidence. I think a lot of guys don't know how to wear anything but a baseball cap anymore (which should only be worn while playing or going to a baseball game in my opinion). Better yet remember when this was in style? LOL!

The sad thing is that visors persist in golf. Oh sad, sad days.

I digress; Here are some hat wearing guidelines to help you wear that stylish hat with confidence (hat etiquette):

Go to a haberdashery that will help you find a hat to fit not only your head, but your face.
Remove your hat when you enter a house, business, an elevator, or restaurant. Unless you really are a gangster or a cowboy, never wear your hat while having dinner.
Touch the brim of your hat when you meet a friend and raise the front of the hat when you meet a lady friend.

That's about it. Otherwise make sure to dust your hat off with a medium stiff bristle brush, store it on a hat block if you can or a hat hook otherwise and don't set the hat on a flat surface or you will ruin the blocking of the brim. Otherwise enjoy your new status in the world with a fine hat.

Freewill vs. Predestination: Foundation's Edge

2009-05-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

Did I choose the person I married or was I always meant to be with her? If there is a higher power, do we choose our relationship with It or does It choose? If either of those are the case, did It choose to create evil or was that destiny?

These are the metaphysical questions you grapple with at a theological university. It seems too that Isaac Asimov grappled with these questions too, although without the explicit introduction of a god.

In Foundation's Edge, Isaac Asimov continues his philosophy of the "Three Laws of Robotics" in which robots, that humans have created for their benefit, continue to delicately look after their inferior masters.

Asimov takes the reader through three unique plot twists in what turns out to be a correctly paranoid book. Very well written and lacking the usual ambling style of Asimov, Foundation's Edge is a story about the man, behind the man, behind the man. He layers on the complexity of social psychology as only he seemingly can. The end result, a good story about an intergalactic escapade that could almost be considered a science fiction western. Well it turns out that not only is it an enjoyable read, but Asimov continues to examine the interplay between free will and predestination. If nothing else, this novel will have you question the workings of the universe and leave you feeling like you are a tiny spot on a tiny spot (which is good, because realistically we all are even smaller than that). Now that I say that, it makes we think of Horton Hears a Who, by Dr. Seuss.

I hope you pick this one up soon and enjoy it as much as I did.

A New Type of Golf

2009-05-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

I've decided that after this weekend, when I took my father-in-law out golfing for his birthday, that I was going to invent a new type of golfing. My primary desire is to bring joy to millions. However, a secondary and believe me it's way lower on the list, is because I think if the inventor of golf was still alive I might kill him. If not me, then I would definitely send a pack of rabbits on him... the kind with "sharp, pointy teeth."

No, my new game of golf will combine elements of golf. You will have a regulation golf ball, a fairway and a green. The primary difference will be in driving. Rather than having a fancy-dancy driver, you will use a modified potato gun. It will shoot the golf ball out, exactly where you want it. However, the trick will be in setting the gun correctly and judging you windage and elevation. Also, we will be prepared for WWIII while on the golf course; bet they won't see that coming!

Yes, you will see my golfing guns (patent pending) on sale in your local supermarket soon. I forecast they will be an immediate success, shooting me (pun intended) into the billionaire club by early next quarter.

Home Coffee Roasting

2009-05-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

There is little doubt that I am a foodie. I made the switch to home brewed coffee long ago and will only get something from Starbucks these days as a last resort before having Folgers. No, there is no doubt that I have high standards, but where do I go from here in my quest for ultimate foodie-ness?

I am among the lucky. I say that because I know a friend that roasts coffee. I've talked about him before; Spunky Monkey Coffee. My friend uses a common and inexpensive method of home roasting. He utilizes an air-popper, typically used for popcorn, only slightly modified. I've discovered that he is much more an artist than just a coffee roaster because with these air poppers one can only judge the roast by eye. He is rarely off by much.

Here is how it all starts: With the beans.

These are Tanzania Pea Beans. Notice that they are not half beans like most coffee. They also tend to smell more like caramel when you roast them (my opinion).

Now, with these raw beans, all he did was to plug in the air poppers, get them going and pour in a cup (a measurement he found by trial and error) and start swirling the poppers.

The beans will start to turn golden brown as you swirl them around. The whole reason for swirling is that you need to move the beans around. After they have roasted for a little while, they will expand and become lighter. Eventually the air popper will move them around on its own. Soon, the beans will start "popping" and shedding their skins. At this point, you will realize the wisdom of doing this outside as the bean skins or hulls start swirling around every where. The beans will eventually stop popping. They are now through what is plainly called the first pop. At this point the beans will be somewhere around a medium roast. If you keep on roasting you will enter into the "second pop" - so aptly termed. During this pop the beans sound more like the crackling of a camp fire. Then its all a matter of seconds as you go through medium dark roast, to a light french roast when the second pop starts dying down. A few seconds after the second pop stops you have reached a dark or true french roast (about 10 seconds following the second pop - give or take). A few more seconds you will be at espresso. After that you will have achieved charcoal. When your bean gets to the desired roast level, dump them out on a baking sheet to cool them and stop the roasting. After a few batches you will have a wonderful smelling pan of beans.

(Notice the bean skins all around the tray? Best not to do this inside)

That's it folks. Bag those beans up in a paper bag or put them in a resealable container and you've got good coffee for a week or so... depending on your level of addiction! So that is not to bad of an ordeal. I hope I have de-mystified the secrets of coffee roasting here. If I have left anything out or not explained something well enough please post your questions and I would be happy to clarify. Also, if you have any other tricks to add, please share!

(The "tricks" of the trade)

Wrigley

2009-05-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

Isn't there something special about an old baseball stadium? The way the old score board needs to be changed by hand, the way the ramps to get to the noise bleed seats look like they were designed in the early industrial period? Well I sure think so. That's why I'm not so up in arms about the Twins new open air stadium. In my mind, it will be more like an old fashioned stadium; more like Wrigley. Although, don't expect me to make any of the early or late season games... That's just nuts!

How to smoke a cigar

2009-04-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

Recently I had a moment that I need to confess. I read Cigars for Idiots. Yup, I went there. Here you thought I was a seasoned cigar aficionado only to have your conceptions dashed upon the rocks. Well take heart, all that means is you are not that far behind me in learning about cigars! I think its better that way. I always felt like (insert anything here) aficionados had an air of arrogance about them anyway.

Now I would like to share a few things that I learned from my studies, to save you time and increase your enjoyment of the next smoke.

First, clipping a cigar. Never clip off the whole end of the cigar. Just clip enough off that you can get a good draw, making sure you leave a portion of the rounded cap.

Lighting a cigar. It may take two or three or more matches. The key word there is matches. Either invest in a fancy lighter or buy wood matches. A BIC lighter will give an odd flavor to the cigar. When you do light it up, make sure you get an even flame on the end of the cigar. Once it is lit properly, give it a rest. Allow it to sit for about 30 seconds and you will get a better, more even burn on the cigar. Resting it allows the fire to become even before you draw oxygen through the cigar, potentially causing some areas to burn in further than others, leading to a strange burn.

Now, when you smoke the cigar, sip it like a good glass of wine. That will give you the best smoke, preventing the end from getting to soggy. Unless you want to look like a big shot with a cigar sticking out of his or her mouth... if so go for it. I'm just letting you know the best way, not the only way.

While smoking, don't keep puffing on the thing. Take a good draw, let the smoke swirl in your mouth before blowing out. Then wait a little while before taking another hit. Cigars are not like cigarettes. They won't burn themselves down quickly. You still need to take a few puffs from time to time or the cigar may burn out, but don't over do it. You'll end up loosing some valuable relaxing time and may be snickered at after you leave the cigar lounge.

Enough for now, enjoy your next cigar!

Joyo de Nicaragua

2009-03-25T19:59:00.001-07:00

Didn't like this one. Didn't burn well and was rolled way to loosely. I had a hard time lighting it and it burned up one side and then went out. Horrible! They got a big rating in Cigar Aficionado, but I disagree. I won't spend my time on this again unless its free.

Macanudo [cigar review]

2009-03-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

When you purchase a cigar that's sealed in its own glass tube, you have a certain right to look forward to a blissful smoke. That presupposition proved perfectly precise for my latest balcony vacation.

I must admit, I have sinned. Not just your typical day-to-day sins, but a very horrific sin. I did a good friend the nastiest trick I could have... Allow me to confess. During our latest wine party I cracked open the seal on a Macanundo that I purchased a while back and stuck it under my friends nose. Of course, I did this at about midnight and the two of us never shared the distinct pleasure of smoking it together.

Well I will share that experience vicariously with you now (and him if he has forgiven me and reads this blog again).

Today was not bad. It actually got up to 34 degrees F. After a long Minnesota winter, that's like a heat wave. So, I donned a light jacket, grabbed my el-cheapo cigar cutter, a pack of matches and I headed out.

This cigar was among the best smokes I have ever had. It has a rich undertone of oil with the smell of oak and leather. At the same time it wasn't overpowering even though it was a robusto. This smoked evenly right to the end. It wasn't a hot smoking cigar. What do I mean by that? Well it felt like I was getting the flavor when I took a draw and not the fire. Some cigars seem loosely put together and draw in to much of the heat. This was a perfect balance. I got a good draw that didn't feel like I was sucking air through a straw, while maintaining a smoothness that wasn't burning.

I would recommend this brand to anyone.

Grilling Again!

2009-03-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

So one good thing has come with daylight savings time... I have officially fired up my grill. Yes folks, I am once again in my element. I did a little on it through the fearsome winter, but the season is open now!

This morning, as I exchanged my LP tank for a fresh one at the local box store, I could just smell that esoteric aroma filling my nostrils again. Ah, grilling. Cooking the way God intended. Just you, a chunk of meat and fire. Actually, I've made some taste vegetables on the grill as well as some delightful fruits as well. Ah life is good once again, at least at the dinner table!

So join me for the next few weeks as I move through a series of grilling posts. I don't have a planned number of posts to do, but I'll move through some basic principles as well as offer some hard learned tips and recipes as I bring you a tour of Lucky's Grill.

Bon Appetite!

Watchmen

2009-03-07T19:51:00.000-08:00

There has been a flurry of posts ever since the opening of Watchmen this weekend. How to adequately explain it?? I'll try this; take the director of 300 and give him a platform similar to Gotham city. Now through in some outstanding graphics an out of this world soundtrack and a movie that doesn't take itself to seriously.

This is the best movie by far that I have seen this year. Don't worry though if you haven't read the graphic novel. I went into this film a virgin on not only the novel, but the overall concept. My wife gave me a low-down as we were walking in (she read the novel). Still, the "briefing" was like this: "There are a bunch of guys and it all starts with one of them dying. That's like a catalyst, oh and they go to Mars." At that point I didn't know what to expect.

Don't go to this one though if you saw 300 and couldn't stomach it. The graphic violence caries over. Although the story made up for any excessive use of blood and guts that producers put in. You had to think and yet at the same time I had a pretty good idea of who... ooops! I almost gave it away. Let's just say there is a really good bait and switch in this movie.

There is not doubt that this will be a permanent DVD in our collection!

Skype and calls over the internet

2009-03-05T17:41:00.000-08:00

Have you jumped on board the Skype train yet? Not sure what Skype is? Well I'll describe what Skype is and how a huge world of internet calls has opened up, making the standard wall phone a thing of the past. Not to mention I give an idea on how to save a bundle on international calls.

Skype is a software application that allows you to make PC to PC phone calls...for free. What is even cooler is if you have a webcam, you can video chat for free too. Skype has a new interface that may or may not be user-friendly depending on your tastes. For an overview of that go to CNET's video on Skype.

The gear is realatively unexciting. All you need is a mic and a set of head phones. Set up a free Skype account and off you go. You can talk completely free of charges, PC to PC, with anyone that has a Skype account. You can also makes calls to traditional phone numbers, but that costs extra.

Now, on to why I included a router in my 5 best electronics post... VoIP or Voice over IP, essentially making phone calls over a broadband internet connection started in the early 90's. With the g and now n types of wireless networks (getting back to the router), you can make phone calls without interuption over those networks. That's why the router is cool. Let me explain more, cause I can tell I haven't hooked you yet.

There are a number of wireless VoIP phones out on the market today. Here is a sampling of them:

With these, or any WiFi phone you have, all you need is a wireless signal and you're making calls for pennies on the dollar compared to a mobile phone. Not to mention, you have friends in Germany or Spain? No problem. There really isn't anything like a domestic or international call anymore. Just get online...done.

Skype has its own line up of phones as well and offers goodies on thier website like headphones and a host of wireless access points for your home.

What's the deal with VoIP? Well I'll de-mystify it for you. There are a ton of VoIP companies out there, the biggest being Vonage, Verizon and Skype (not necessarily in that order). They have a mishmash of goodies including their own routers that will turn your existing POTS (plain old telephone service) and turn them into a VoIP, to straight up VoIP phones that can hold 500 or more contacts. Some of these phones have remarkable features and fantastic user interfaces. No more "how do I transfer this call?" at work.

What if you want to use your WiFi enabled mobile phone to hop on a network? Well that's available too. Its called FMC or fixed mobile convergence. A good example of this is T-Mobile's hot spot. This service essentially lets you pick and choose between mobile minutes and WiFi freedom.

It all comes back to the router. Cut those wires, that's what I say. With the high price of copper these days, why not go wireless? Its getting faster and more powerful all the time.

The Wine Party Results

2009-03-02T19:43:00.000-08:00

We had a rudimentary, rather informal scoring system that we stumbled through at the wine party I recently introduced, one post back. Here is how the wines ranked:

Go Go Red (Cannon River) - really by far the best wine there. It had an extremly pleasant, smooth taste that ended wonderfully.
Hastings Reserve (Alexis Bailey) - this was a well liked young port. It made a fantastic desert wine.
Honeywine (Winehaven) - a very sweet white, this did very well and merited a pronouncement as my wife's favorite wine of all time.
Cranberry (Winehaven) - this is a very delightful sweet red wine. The cranberry taste is not overwhelming and would pair nicely with a red meat or stew.
Sogn Blanc (Cannon River) - this was a semi fragrant white with a good, mellow taste. People that appreciate whites, appreciated this one.
West 7th (Cannon River) - I suppose the reason this is a house wine is because its bland and would go with anything. A step above water really, but not offensive to the palet.
Highbush Cranberry Honeywine (Minnestalgia) - this was a wine brought by some dear friends. Little did they know it was horrible. This didn't rank 7th, it ranked 107th. I wouldn't buy this as a gag gift. It smelled and tasted like dirt... no lie. There was such a thick sediment in the bottle that we are pretty sure there was a bottling error, leading to spoiling. I hope so, because right now I would never buy another Minnestalgia wine.

Five Best Electronics

2009-02-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a short list for the best electronics out there today. I'm thinking more home office users when I put this list together, so don't be PO ed if you're a network engineer or something.

Number 5.

The iPhone 3G
Few phones get it right. iPhone happens to have had a little time with their first generation and nailed it with the 3G. Its sleek style has been cloned in the Blackberry Storm, the LG Dare and the Samsung Omnia (which are decent phones for Verizon users). No one is near the place though that Apple is in offering applications (15,000 to date). One future pitfall though will be Apple's Nazi restrictions to application creation, which might affect its versatility. Not only that, but they have become very proprietary lately (not going to a universal charger). That kind of business philosophy may hinder their sales as competition flattens out across the world.

Number 4.

The Sonos music system
This one gets a D- for cost, but makes up with an A++ for everything else. I've talked about this one in previous posts, so 'nough said.

Number 3

The Epson Workforce 600 AIO wireless printer
Set up is a flash, WiFi networking doesn't let you down and the versatility is great. It is not clunky like many HP printers and the wireless capabilities are rated good to excellent.

Number 2

The Nuvi 265WT by Garmin.
This is the best all around GPS navigator available on the market. It isn't very pricey, but has a nice wide screen and turn by turn directions. Verizon's VZ navigator should just quit. For the price of a one year subscription you have this little dandy paid for and the best part is you don't have to look at your little phone screen. While number 5 on this list does include GPS, it doesn't have the great interface that Garmin does. Trust me, if you ever want to go geocaching or get up to date traffic with auto recalculating directions, this is it. Not only does it have the traffic updates, but it has blue tooth, songs and even picture capabilities. It doesn't get much better than this one without significantly increasing in price.

Number 1

The Linksys WRT 160N Wireless Router
You want something that has the power to get it done? Well look no further than this beauty. Want NAS (networked attached storage)? Well utilize its built in USB port you can power one, or with a USB hub, many external hard drives. Now you and your significant other don't have to worry about which files you stored on the laptop or on your desktop. Oh, and by the way, this router is backwards convertible, meaning you can run your old WiFi (G and B) network devices on it, no problems. When you are ready you can begin getting other things that can fully take advantage of the speed and versatility of an "N" type network.

Number 1A

OK, I lied. There are more than five on this list. The last one is a bonus, hence I call it 1A. It is the Logitech Harmony One Remote. Its the best fix for the five remotes that you have laying around your house. Its also miles beyond the universal remote that you have to find the code for your TV and half the time it doesn't work. Check it out on-line for more information, but it is super sweet and is programmed using your computer. For the ultimate is universal experiences, check out the entire line of Logitech Harmony remotes. I guarantee you won't ever worry about that remote boat ever again. Why is it so great? Well just use your computer to program what you use to watch a DVD with and your remote does the rest. Ready to watch, press the "watch DVD" button on the LCD screen and your TV will turn on, change to the correct input; your DVD player will turn on and open the tray; your sound system will change to the correct component; all you have to do is physically put the DVD in, close the tray and away you go. Plus, if you have an XBox this works with that too. XBox might have made the list too, but CNET did such a good job with it's latest Prizefight where it pitted XBox against PS3. Check it out if you have the time.

That about sums it up. Given today's economy, I wouldn't suggest going out and purchasing everything on this list because the total would be somewhere around $1650 and that's utilizing the saving power of Amazon.

Wine Party

2009-02-25T18:45:00.000-08:00

My beautiful bride and I are planning a wine party for this weekend and picked up the wine tonight. Its a unique party in that we are serving Minnesota wines exclusively. So, I thought I might give you a virtual experience.

The picture shows all the varieties that we will offer for the tasting. I'll go through the wines individually as well as some background on the vineyards they come from.

From top to bottom:

The first sampling is a cranberry wine from Winehaven. As the name indicates it is fruit wine, made with Wisconsin cranberries and is one of the winery's most popular bottles.
The second is a red from Cannon River Winery, called GoGo Red. Its a fun variety crafted from Sabrevois and Frontenac (true MN grapes). It was apparently inspired by Grandma "GoGo" who grew up through the depression, WWII and always had great stories to share. Its a sweet red (no doubt inspired by Grandma) and has won multiple international wine awards
Third in the photo is another from Cannon River; an unusual variety known as Sogn Blanc. Its named after the valley that produces the grape Edelweiss. This is another Minnesota grape that's hardy enough to live through the frigid winters and thrives in the sweltering heat of the summers. Sogn Blanc is also a winner of multiple international wine awards.
Fourth in the picture will actually be last in the tasting. It is a port called Hastings Reserve from the Alexis Bailly Vineyard. It is a "ruby" port made from a variety of native Minnesota grapes and aged 2 to 8 years to achieve perfection.
At the bottom left hand side of the picture is our third and final from Cannon River and that is the West 7th wine. I must admit that I was initially attracted only by the name; west 7th has been a landmark in downtown St. Paul for over 100 years. It used to be the trolley way, once housed the classic Schmidt's brewery and many Winter Carnival torchlight parade...not to mention the 7 corners hardware store. This is also the house white for Mancini's Char House which is one of the best Italian steakhouses in the region.
Last, but certainly not least is the Winehaven Honeywine Mead. Otherwise known as honey mead, this wine-ish drink has been served since before Elizabeth held court in England. This is the signature wine of Winehaven and actually the original variety they produced. Winehaven began as a honey farm, which began to dabble in making honey mead. Well, honey mead is such a complex beverage to craft that it makes wine seem easy. It wasn't long before the business expanded into other types of wine. This wine was actually presented to Sweden's King and Queen during their Minnesota visit in 1996. This is definitely a beverage meant for royalty.

Well, if you received an invite to the wine tasting then I hope this will get you excited. If not, I hope that this might inspire you to do your own Minnesota wine themed party. It wasn't difficult at all to plan and there are certainly a variety of wineries to choose from (over 30 in MN, I have heard).

Whether its wine or ice fishing, I encourage you to go try something distinctively Minnesota or wherever you come from. Some of the best things to do are in your own backyard, all you have to do is look for them like you would if you were on vacation. Enjoy your own state for a cheap trip this year!

Lasagna for a crowd

2009-02-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Sit back and loosen those belts for this tummy pleaser.

Primo Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 lb sweet Italian sausage
3/4 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion (1 small)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 - 6oz cans tomato paste
2 - 6.5oz cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 Tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 Tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
4 Tbs chopped fresh parsley (or 1/2 the amount dried)
12 lasagna noodles
16oz ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1/2 tsp salt (a divided amount, not from above)
3/4 lb mozzarella cheese, sliced (I recommend getting a real buffalo variety)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted and oiled water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions (for about 10 minutes). Drain noodles, and rinse in cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with one third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, ending with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cover with foil; prevent the sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray or try to make sure the foil does not touch the cheese. Go with the former as the later is practically impossible. Also, this fills the pan, so put some foil down beneath the oven rack to catch the spillage.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 12
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Total time: 3 hours and 15 minutes

Fair Trade Coffee

2009-02-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

So while I was trekking the Twin Cities looking for the best coffee houses I kept running into signs advertising for "Fair Trade Coffee." Time to de-mystify that term.

Lets start with a definition of fair trade. Fair trade is an organizational process undertaken by many in the agricultural industry to promote a fair price for raw goods. The general philosophy is to help protect the interests of smaller producers that tend to be marginalized by global companies. Fair trade has grown to become a booming multi-billion dollar industry that grew by 47% year after year (once it caught on that is). Most would argue that success is indicative of the poor times that were experienced by produces prior to organization. While its difficult to surmise what a "fair" price really is in a mostly free market economy, one must admit that fair trade has become something of a marketing phenomenon.

Now lets turn to coffee. Coffee is an agricultural product. As with most ag products, it is raised largely by independent owners and purchased by (in coffee's case) roaster co-ops, speculators, and investors as a commodity. Growing up as a dairy farmer, I can tell you that the economics of supply and demand don't work out very well on a farmer-by-farmer basis. Typically the middle man makes the most money. That could be anyone from a speculator on the New York Mercantile Exchange to Starbucks.

Then, lets combine the two. Fair trade coffee originated with a Dutch company by the name of Max Havelaar Foundation. It was a labeling campaign, meant to enlighten coffee drinkers to the plight of the small time coffee farmer. Well its introduction was of tremendous success, so much so that today, major coffee lines are beginning to carry Fair Trade coffee. Even independent research has shown that fair trade coffee, which seeks to give farmers a negotiated pre-harvest price, has improved the lives of many farm families.

In essence Fair Trade coffee doesn't taste better (necessarily), it isn't better for you, but it may be better for the farmers producing it and that may be a humanitarian effort worth backing.

Ironically, in these hard times one of the first pieces of financial advice is to cut down on consumption (which further depresses markets, leading to a tail spin effect...roughly speaking). One of those items on the cutting board is the $6 Turtle Mocha each morning before work. How do you reconcile that price with poor farmers? The answer is obvious once you know it. The farmers don't get the bulk of that money. In fact, most of that cash is made off of greedy speculation - essentially paper trade. Little if nothing has to do with the actual coffee, the roaster or the Batista that serves it. A lot has to do with selling short and buying long in the commodities trade.

What then is the compromise? How can I look out for my fellow global citizen without breaking the bank? You can certainly look for the fair trade label on products and begin brewing a cup or two of coffee each morning. That will save a ton off the "half-caf, no whip, mocha latte with soy" that essentially is coffee with soy milk and a little cocoa powder. Try it out, you may be surprised how easy it is to get your own self-brewed cup of fantastic coffee.

Now you can ask the question "Is this fair trade?" not for the sake of sounding vogue, but for the sake of helping out a small coffee farmer somewhere in the world.

Twelve Best Coffee Houses in the Twin Cities

2009-02-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

After the relative robustness of my last "Twelve Best" I had to delve into the rest of my foodie bliss and review something new. I chose coffee. To some it is a pleasurable distraction and to others it is a second source of life. Well to me its one of the most enjoyable and controversially steeped drinks of the time. It has taken me longer than I thought, but with no further ado, here you go.

I have a friend that roasts and sells his own coffee. His customers often ask if the coffee is free-trade to which he usually responds, "What is free-trade?" Its become the buzz word surrounding coffee, but does anyone really know what free trade is? I'll discuss that and much more as I take a look at the twelve best coffee houses in the Twin Cities.

Before I begin my review let me make a comment. This was a true sacrifice to go around trying coffee at anything from the "hole-in-the-wall" joints to Starbucks, j/k. I encourage you to make your own coffee pilgrimage around the cities. Its a fairly cheep way to see the scene around Minneapolis and St. Paul. Also, this list is not made in order from best to worst. Its just the way I wrote it out. Any of these places are great and they really are the twelve best of the cities.

Black Dog Cafe, located near the St. Paul farmers market is a full cafe offering both wine and beer. First off the coffee was extraordinarily smooth. It had the best aroma I've smelled in quite a while. The only odd thing was that my dark roast was served up in a pint glass. I kept looking down and thinking I was drinking a Guinness very early in the morning. The atmosphere was intriguing. The Black Dog is housed in a renovated warehouse that still had the original wooden beams. This was mixed with WiFi and acrylics painted by local artists. Although if you go the one of the back corners you'll see some paintings heavily steeped in the macabre. The coffeehouse smelled like and aromatic antiques joint. You could see the history of this place, even though the bright colors that the owners have painted it.
Nina's Coffee Cafe: Located in the Cathedral hill area of St.Paul, this coffee house plays upstairs to Garrison Keillor's book store. You'll find an odd collection of miss-matched tables and a good listing of coffee. The brews are solid, meaning they don't skimp on the beans. I think the best part of this place though is buying some coffee, going downstairs and finding a little hole in the book store to hide in for an hour or two. Believe me too, the book store is great at having little spots to snuggle into and read. It reminds me of some old English bookstore, that has so many nooks and crannies that no one really knows where everything is. But, I digress... the coffee is very satisfying here.
Dunn Brothers: Yup, I didn't think I would have a chain in my list either, but golly, this is just a good place. I would recommend them over Caribou or Starbucks any day, any where.
Muddy Water: Come for the atmosphere and the malted mocha...holy cow! You've got to love the half cup mugs glued to the wall. Come here for the people watching atmosphere and you won't be let down. Of course freeWiFi (comes standard with most coffee shops today) and one cool, laid back place.
Bob's Java Hut: Well, if you like to have a strong coffee without the yuppie flair, then this is the place for you. The music is loud and the beans are louder...what does that even mean? Well anyway, not a place to sit and ponder things, but if you need to get energized quick, here you go.
Uncommon Grounds : Toted as one of the sheik-est places to grab a mug of coffee; although here we would refer to it in the proper English as a cup. Great Victorian atmosphere, but don't come here without a loaded wallet. The service is very good, but they try to feel more hip than they are. They should just embrace their classiness and go with it. As far as the coffee goes, its very good.
Coffee News Cafe: This hole in the wall place is located by Macalester college. There was a heavily political, Andy Warhol inspired interior decorating theme. My favorite painting was "W-Mart" referring to Mr. Bush. Though it tried to pull a very hippie vibe, the place only had six drinks on the menu. The house blend was bland with a dull aroma. It was vaguely like drinking coffee, but I don't know what to call it. I was disappointed too that the delicious looking New York style cheesecakes were not made in-house, but rather from a bakery down the road. The hot chocolate was pretty good though. I guess I could sum up my experience by letting you know that the Dunn Brother's down the road was at least twice as busy when I left. I could not find a website for this coffeehouse. Apparently the owners are Luddites...
Gingko Coffeehouse, located in St. Paul along historic Snelling Ave. offers one of the richest bohemian atmospheres around. Taking coffee in house is always best because it offers a chance to start conversations and have aGrande in a house mug. While me and the misses were there a local folk singer pointed us out and sang what he said was the "most romantic song" he had ever heard.
Sister Sludge Coffee Cafe, great mochas and very good service. All the workers there are great. They are close to a few lakes and here is one of the best parts; they are dog friendly. If you go there I suggest the Turtle Mocha.
Jitters, the coffee is pretty good, but the true reason to savor Jitters is the music. Jazz, blues, soul, R&B. Also, one of the best kept secrets is the 99cent comedy hour on Wednesday nights.
Spyhouse Espresso Bar and Gallery, this is a very hipster place where your servers are known as baristas. They have, as the name implies, some neat art on the walls. If you want to feel like a real up and coming try this place out. The only thing is be prepared for a similar kind of attitude in the service.
Urban Bean Coffee Shop is a delightfully sunny place with a vibrant ambiance. The signature drink is the Furley Freak, named after the Don Knott's character in Three's Company. Its a chilled drink that will be both refreshing and energizing. Its a great place to sit back and gets some blogging done. It can be dog friendly and offers free Milk Bones, but in my research I learned that you may be asked to leave if you dog so much as yelps. I have had better coffee elsewhere though.

I hope you will your enjoy your own exploration of the coffeehouses in the Twin Cities. Maybe this list will afford you an easier start in getting great coffee.

Pandora

2009-02-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

One last post on the Music-ie theme. There are tons of places out there for you to look into new music. Of course there are links in Windows Media Player and of course you have the iTunes store with the Genius sidebar, intended to get you to purchase as much music as is possible. Some of the interfaces are quite intelligently done. For example, the Genius feature in iTunes is dedicated to telling you what kind of music is similar to your own and offering it up for your convenience.

With most on line music stores you can listen to snipits of music to see if you like it or not, but wouldn't it be great if there was a place you could explore music? To listen to it before you buy it. To find songs and artists of similar styles and be able to customize your listening and potentially purchasing experience?

Well such a place exists. It is www.pandora.com. It is a hybrid interent radio, music store experience. It has all the benefits of any online radio station although much more versatile. On Pandora, you create your own stations. Just type in an artist, song or multiple ones of each and you will get a music experience that is tailor made. It has all been made available thanks to the Music Genome Project. Check it out for more details, but essentially they pair up similar kinds of music. So, say you start a Jason Mraz station. Well the kind folks at Pandora will populate it not only with songs by Mraz, but also songs and artists that have a similar sound.

Now comes the hybrid portion of Pandora. While you are listening to Pandora you can "tag" songs or artists that you like. Say for instance you're listening to your Jason Mraz station and you hear Adele singing Cold Shoulder. You like it, so you tag it. That song is then stored for you, allowing you to go back at any time and purchase it either in an MP3 format via Amazon or on the iTunes music store (if you must). The cool thing about the Amazon MP3 store (which I highly recommend if you want to buy music online) is that through Pandora, you can buy all the songs you've taged with one quick stroke of the button.

Oh, one last thing. Systems like Squeezebox and Sonos can play Pandora directly. I don't know if you can use them to tag songs though, but if you could that would be awesome!

R-I-P

2009-02-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, we have talked about the different types of files, the two types of meta-files and what how listening to either of them varies. The question now, is since we know so much about our options, how do we take advantage of them?

The answer is dBpoweramp. First things first, I'm not sponsored by them or anything. I've just been doing enough research to realize they are likely the most versatile option out there. I have also been using it to create a digital back up of my music collection and to convert it all into a portable file as well.

What's neat about it? Well it is super customizable. So much so that you might want to read carefully at first until you get the hang of using it. Like any piece of software, it can be easy or difficult depending on how much of it you utilize. It connects to virtually every single meta data server available (to pull album art and other CD info) plus it will convert all your music to any codec you want. I've been ripping all my music to FLAC files (which the creater of dBpoweramp suggests to be the best and has the data to back his claim up). One word of advice, if you are going to rip your music to any lossless format, utilize an external hard drive or have a LOT of memory on your computer. There are NAS solutions that are especially made for music. One such type is RipNAS (see photo above). These actually have a CD drive built into them, making ripping music a super easy experience.

What else is cool about dBpoweramp? Well you can convert small amounts of music to various codecs or you can utilize the Batch converter to do multiple files at once. They also offer a CD burning tool as well, but I haven't looked into that.

Once you have gone over to the lossless ripping, you can lay your dusty collection of CDs to Rest In Peace, back on the shelf that is. No need to get them down. No worries about loosing the integrity of your collection through overuse. Plus, no need to listen to sub-par music again.

Music Players

2009-02-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Now that you are better informed on the types of music files that exist out there (don't get to head-strong, we barely did a beginners course), we can talk about the music players that are available. How many kinds are they you may ask? About like the number of fish in the sea. Well, not really, but you get the point.

I'm not going to talk much about the software that's out there. It all boils down to your preference. Are you an iPod - name brand - kind of person or a Zune - break out - kind of person? Use whatever feels good on your computer, it's completely up to you. What I really want to talk about are network players.

Network players are independent devices that play music off of your home network. Now, allow me to step back a little and fill in any possible gaps for you.

Your home network is all set up on a router. You may have a combination router/modum for internet connectivity. Either way, you have a router that has more or less outputs depending on the model. I would suggest getting an "N" type router preferrably the Linksys WRT160N. Anyway, get your network set up and then look to add music to it.

As I mentioned in the original post of this series there are a few players such as:

Sonos
Squeezebox
Grace
Sangean
And many more (check out Crutchfield)

These players sync up to the wireless or wired network and pull music from your devices such as computers or NAS - network attached storage (external hard drives connected via USB or stand-alone devices). No need to load your music on them, although a few do offer that option. Mostly they will pull together all the different music you have, in all the various spots and play it all.

In doing research my personal favorite is the sqeezebox, offered by Logitech (also pictured at top of this post). It's relatively inexpensive and comes with its own controller with an LCD screen to help navigate between not only all your music files, but tons of internet radio and the ever popular Pandora or Rhapsody. Another benefit of the squeezebox is that it naturally plays FLAC formated files - for the best sound experience you can get. The cool thing is you can add multiple receivers around your house, plug in speakers (or get the boombox option) and listen to any music anywhere in your house, any time. The only caveate, is you need to have the source turned on (computer or NAS).

Now, if you've got a large house or a lot of money to burn and you want the very best go with Sonos. It's got everything squeezebox does and a little more. Again, you will be paying out for it though.

Compressed Music

2009-02-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not talking about listening to a lot of music in a little (compressed) amount of time. I'm talking about the difference between lossless and lossy file types. Last post in the "Music-ie" forum, I talked about the various codecs or file types there are for music. This post will talk about the two "meta-formats" of music, as well as the pros and cons of each.

First - Lossless. This type of file is exactly as the name suggests; nothing is lost. A lossless file will have every piece of date that is contained on the original CD. It will also be a considerably large file. Most lossless files will include the meta tag, or ID tag on the CD that contains the album art, the track names and what not. I'm not going to go into how the true CD mix-masters put this all together. For now, it will be sufficient to say that lossless has lost nothing of the original CD.
Second - Lossy. The name is also indicative of the type of file here. Lossy types of files have lost some data in the quest for a more manageable sized file. These are the .mp3, .m4a, .wma files that we are all more familiar with. With these files, a ripping program gets ride of parts of the original file via compression. Its what allows a 16G iPod hold as much as it does. Without compression, our mobile media players would have to be like external hard drives to hold all that raw data. Compression is the bare bones data and can suffer slightly for it.

Of course, as with every giant company, the music industry has tried to muddy the waters as much as they can. Now Apple and Microsoft have their own types of not only Lossy formats, but Lossless too. Can you blame them? They saw a trend towards digitized CD collections and have tried to get their fingers in the pie. I mean, its tough times right?

That brings me to my final point for this post, why would you want lossless as opposed to lossy, since it is the later that plays on you iPod (or Zune, or Sony player)? Well, there has been a movement lately to have a true digital back up for music collections. Most of us have a music library on our computer and most of our music was ripped off CDs (granted a lot of downloads have "threatened" the CD market lately). All of that music is in a compressed format though. Unless you have taken the time to use software the rips in a loss CDs indefinitely.

Remember how you used to get a CD, play the heck out of it for a few weeks and then notice after time it started to skip as the track qualities diminished with use? Well, ripping a CD with a lossless format is the answer to that problem. You then have all the raw data on the CD and the best part is you can then the best part is you can convert copies of it into whatever codec you want...virtually forever without losing a single kB of data. In fact tests have been done where individual converted files between the various types of lossless (.FLAC, .WAVE, .APE, etc.) and the file size is the exact same as the original. The other benefit... you want to have an apple file (.mp4) or a windows file (.wma) no prob... or better yet, jut have a copy of the .mp3 that works with virtually everything. The big deal here is that it doesn't matter what you want to convert a copy to, either now or in the future. You will have ALL the data to use at your discretion.

iTunes and the use of Codecs

2009-02-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

The first article in my series entitled "Music-ie" deals with codecs. What is a codec? The short answer is it is a file type. If you have the newest version of Office you will know that new word documents are saved as .docx file types where as older versions were stored as .doc only. The same applies to music files, there is just WAY more of them to deal with. Here are just a few:

.mp3
.wav
.wma
.wmv
.m4a
.mp4
.mpp
.ogg
.ra
.rm

If you want to go to a site that has an even bigger list visit: codec central.

So, now you can start to understand the predicament of finding a code that is universally accepted. For example, .mp4 is a type of codec used by Apple Inc. for their iTunes music player and the ever popular iPod. However, .wmv is Microsoft's codec for their Windows Media Player and the lesser known Zune. Are they compatible? Short answer - sort of, but don't count on it.

For example, if you like to watch Netflix on your home computer, you will need to download Windows Media Player. Then if you have an iPod, you can't beat the powerful playlists and organization of iTunes. To add a further degree of complexity if you have a smart phone you made need one or the other of the above or even a completely different piece of software to load songs on it. Then, if you have a Sonos or Squeezebox system at home, well there you go. You now have a lot of players, that take a lot of different codecs. How do you keep it all straight?

Short answer - with a lot of work. However, there is a way to sort thru it all. The good news is that .mp3 is probably the most universally recognized codec (format) of any compressed music. With a music converter you can make sure all your files are .mp3, giving you the greatest degree of flexibility between players. However, going this way has its draw backs and you need to make a life decision here. When you download music from say iTunes store (for example) it is usually locked up with a little tag that prevents you from converting it. That's why you have to "authorize" your computer to play the music. Apple has started to sell some music that doesn't have this though. However, if you must buy online, try Amazon. Their music store sells in the ever popular .mp3 format. The one problem...mp3 doesn't necessarily sound the best. The solution, buy the CD. CDs are still the best sound out there. Why? Because they are not compressed...more on that next post

Chili

2009-02-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

Chili has gotten a bad rap through the years. To many deli lines seem to fill their vats with a tomato-bean goop during the winter time. Well gosh darn it, can't someone make a good pot of chili? As it turns out, I've found a recipe that has topped my old standby, the Better Homes and Garden chili... I don't recall where I ended up getting the recipe (sorry creators), but it is excellent. One thing to note: its home-made, from scratch so prepare for a long ingredients list. Here goes:

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef chuck
1 lb Italian sausage (not in casings)
3 (15 oz) cans of chili beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can of chili beans in spicy sauce
2 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes in their juice
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 large yellow onion
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 strip of cooked bacon (or 1 Tbs bacon bits)
4 cubes beef bullion
1/2 cup beef (use something good here)
1/4 cup chili powder
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce (easier written than said)
1 Tbs minced garlic (3-4 fresh cloves)
1 Tbs dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp hot pepper sauce (Tabasco for example)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp white sugar

Directions:

Heat a LARGE stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan. Cook until evenly browned. Drain off any excess fat (makes the recipe healthier...).
Throw in the rest. I could spell it out for you, but I won't bother. Let it simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring every so often.
After 2 hours, taste and adjust the salt, pepper and chili powder if you feel like it. The longer it cooks the better. Even better, make it ahead, take it off the stove, refrigerate over night and serve the next day... it will be amazing.
Serve with cheese and Fritos on top.

Recipe says it makes enough for 10, but those would have to be pretty big people. Cut the recipe in half or save it for a big party.

"Music - ie"

2009-02-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

I've heard the word "foodie" tossed around in conjunction with my name before and I have to admit that people are probably right. I wonder though, since I've gotten my new computer (which can actually run multiple programs at once, unlike my old one), if people will start using the word "music-ie." Ok, so its not a word (yet) but I would like to think it refers to some form of music snobbery.

How did I get to the point that I want to be a music snob? Well it all started as I prepared to update to the aforementioned new computer. I was transferring all of my music files over to an external hard drive and I started to notice the different file formats. I started to wonder whats the difference between MP3 and M4U and MP4 and WMA? So I googled music formats. There weren't that many good online articles that could help me out. So, I struggled to figure out what it all meant. I knew that some file types were propriatary (only worked with some software/hardware) and I also learned that some types were "locked" or secure tags. In other words, a company (in my case Apple) had attached a little file that locked the music down and forced me to use only certain types of software. As I found out, it also limited what I could do with my music.

I began to think of the Sony debacle a few years ago. The Sony company tried to hinder music sharing back then by placing multiple "layers" on a CD. Those multiple layers could be read by a CD player, but computers didn't naturally read through them. This effectually made the CD quality poorer on a computer and made ripping difficult.

While I was digging through the online archieves I kept finding one word repeated...dBpoweramp. So, being a good little "gen Y-er" I googled that too. Turns out dBpoweramp is a pretty comprehensive CD burning/converting/ripping software tool. I began learning about "codecs" and the difference between lossless and lossy file types. At about this same time I was looking into wireless music players and found one by Logitech that caught my eye - "Squeezebox." I happen to really like Logitech products and kept researching their networked WiFi player. I found it worked naturally with a codec (file type) of FLAC. I immediately said to myself... "Don't give me no FLAC son!" Sorry, bad joke. Anyway, this post begins the series "Music-ie" where I will attempt to share my new found knowledge of the music ripping and encoding world. I'll go through the different codecs out there, what players they work well with, the difference between lossless and lossy formats, the benefits of both and how you can be a music snob in general.

I know that there are many out there that are probably bigger music snobs than me. Please comment on areas that you are knowledgable about and we can have a great music forum of fantasic snobbery... made available to regular folks like you and me :-)

Pasta with Broccoli and Sausage

2009-02-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a real twist on fettuccine alfredo.

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh broccoli, cut into flowerets
1 9-ounce package of refrigerated fettuccine
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (optional)
1 clove of garlic
1 lb smoked sausage, sliced
3 large eggs
3/4 cup whipped cream
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook broccoli and fettuccine in boiling water to cover in a dutch oven 4 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender; drain. Rinse in cold water; drain. Place in a large bowl.
Melt butter in a large heavy skillet; add mushrooms and garlic. Saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add to fettuccine mixture.
Brown sausage in skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes; drain and add to fettuccine mixture. Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel.
Stir together eggs, whipping cream, and pepper in skillet until blended. Add fettuccine mixture; toss well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and toss. Serve immediately.

The serving size is about 4 on this.

Enjoy!

Staying Healthy

2009-02-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

Everywhere you look there is a new diet that promises to trim the fat in weeks. There's the west coast diet, Atkins's diet, low carb diet, low sodium diet, Mediterranean diet, Japanese diet, egg white diet, and so on. How is a person to cut through all the "expert" advice out there to get to the heart of things? Well, this non-expert can answer that for you.

Have you noticed a change in your dishes? That's right, a change in your dishes. Next time you find yourself at a restaurant take note of the size of the dish. They should look familiar to you. They are the same size as a serving platter in your home china hutch. Why the size? Well as Americans we have become enamored with bigger meals.

Lets explore the history, briefly. Think of the saying "bigger is better", now think of the great American SUV. What about the "great frontier" or the great American railway. As a culture we have always had a preference for the extreme. Extreme sports, supercharged Ford Mustangs and now the supercharged meal. First we had a 1/4 pounder, then a 1/3 pounder followed by a 1/2 pound burger.

I don't want to comment on American ego here, I just want to point out that we like our "money's worth" when it comes to things and food is no exception. Eating a balanced diet is great, if and only if you don't eat a double balanced diet, or if you opted for the "extra value sized" balanced diet.

Want the secret to healthy living? Everything in moderation. Don't go back for seconds, in fact don't even finish your firsts. If you want a sure fire way of cutting your meals back, purchase smaller plates. In that way, your psychological experience will still be a full plate, but your waist-line will thank you for it.

Out side of that, stay active. It used to be we all had to "work" for a living. Now days we have to expend even more time in our busy day just to stay active. Here is an added bonus piece of advice, start small but stick to it. Once you have any pattern developed its 100 times easier to expand it than if you started big and then failed. Set yourself up for success - anyone with a pragmatic business mind should appreciate that.

Good luck!

Stogies

2009-02-01T07:38:00.000-08:00

If you are a fan of the "good-life," then you would be a fan of Stogies on Grand in St. Paul. There are other GREAT stores out there that offer a small selection of premium tobacco, Heimies Haberdashery also in St. Paul, but few places (none other that I know of) offer a smoking lounge to get you through those cold winter days or hot summer ones at that!

My father-in-law and I sat down yesterday in the Diamond Crown Lounge at Stogies and played a tournament of cribbage. The best part of this, other than almost skunking my dad twice in a row, were the cigars. I warmed up to a Hoyo de Monterry and my dad had an Olivia. Both scored over 92 in Cigar Aficionado. It was the epitome of living it up and I am going to have to make this a regular thing.

Now, in case you're thinking of starting your own cigar shop and lounge I should warn you. As my dad and I were leaving, we stopped to talk over the idea of getting one of these shops in Forest Lake. Well, we were informed that it takes roughly between $300,000 and $500,000 to start one up. I guess real estate, equipment and inventory is still pretty pricey! The racking if Cuba by hurricanes hasn't helped things either. Perhaps President Obama can include lifting sanctions on Cuba to help fuel the economy by bringing more quality cigars into the states.

Ah, cigars. Now if we can only get fedoras to come back into style...

Out for awhile

2009-01-19T13:28:00.000-08:00

So, I've been "out" for awhile and have put the hunt for the best coffee houses on the back burner. Sorry if you were looking forward to that. I'll try and take it up to you sometime. In the mean time I'll leave you with something at least:

Try Gingko Coffee in St. Paul or Nina's Coffee House (also in St. Paul). They are great places.

Onto my post. I've just finished A Voyage Long and Strange, by Tony Horowitz. Mr. Horowitz the acclaimed author Confederates in the Attic and (infinitely better in my opinion) Blue Latitudes. Anyway, Voyage, is a great book for those of you that missed the in-between history of the English invasion of America. You will learn about the Spanish explorers as well as the true story of Pocahontas. This isn't just your usual history book though. Like his others, Mr. Horowitz does a wonderful job of sharing with you his researching trek. It becomes an adventure as you learn both the history as well as the adventure Mr. Horowitz undergoes while writing the book. The only problem with this one, there is no fun loving Roger to share the adventure with (See Blue Latitudes). Still it will keep you interested as you relearn your 9th grade history.

Enjoy the read.

Coffee Beans

2008-10-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

In preparation for my rating of coffeehouses in the cities I thought I would do a series of coffee related articles.

My first is to explain the coffee bean in a totally non-Wikipedia way. Essentially I want to cut through the etymology, types, processing and anything that is boring and detracts from what we are all really, honestly concerned with...the taste.

Its true, coffee beans start more as a berry than a bean and that there is a large amount of polluted water created by their processing, but what few people realize is that a dark roast typically has less caffeine and more sugar. We usually get a dark roast for a very robust flavor, but in fact it has a smoother flavor and is less acidic...the true reason we like it.

How to keep that flavor in:
Air-tight storage and a cool temperature. Keep them in the fridge if you have the space. I've got a cool little vacuum sealer that I got from Target a few years ago that comes with a series of containers. For my uber-special coffee I will vacuum seal it in a tupperware-ish container. Oh, what is that supper great coffee you ask?? Well it is the basis for all of my comparisons in the upcoming "Twelve Best Coffeehouses in the Twin Cities" article...its a medium-dark roast of beans from Papua New Guinea available exclusively from the home roaster "Spunky Monkey Coffee." Which if you want even more great coffee tips or to order you should check out his site. Also, he has got the coolest...or I mean warmest Spunky Monkey cups...doesn't it take you back to your childhood? I remember having a Spunky Monkey rag doll when I was little...twenty years later I found out that I didn't create that name... foiled again!

Coffee Houses

2008-09-30T17:26:00.000-07:00

So I've begun a series of reviews. It all started with the ice cream parlor review. I get this itch to go and find something else I love...track down a bunch of places and then share it with all of you, my friends. However, I thought this time round I would do something unique. If you know of a particularly good (non-chain) coffee house that I should check out let me know. I'll take your suggestions and then you can find out where they rank in comparison to other top coffee houses. Essentially I'll do the testing for you. So if you think your favorite place is great, just try these...get the idea? In as much as you would like to know how your coffee house stacks up with others across the Twin Cities leave a comment and I'll include it.
Then, after a bit of research time I'll give you the "Top Twelve Coffee Houses for the Winter Blues" list.

Slainte

Banana Bread

2008-08-31T18:46:00.001-07:00

Back in the 1960's there was a home cooking revival that along with the well known Pillsbury cookbook gave banana bread its stardom and ever after popularity. I dare say there are hundreds of variations on this beloved bread which include nuts, raisins, cranberries and even peppermint. The unknown scandal of banana bread though is that it really is not a bread or at least it should not be. In reality, banana bread should be a muffin! Like many other quick breads, banana bread has succumb to being over processed which really results in more of a banana cake than a bread. I've found the following recipe to be outstanding. It is the mainstay in our household and will most likely continue to be so for quite some time. The recipe consists of three bowls for mixing: two "wet bowls" and one "dry bowl." In the first "wet bowl" mix together three or four ripe banana's (really, as long as no furry stuff is growing off them they will be perfect) with one cup of sugar. I use a potato masher and find it works very well for this. Turn it into mush as if you're least favorite person was in that bowl. In the second "wet bowl" mix together two large eggs, one stick of melted and cooled butter and a teaspoon of almond extract. This adds a nutty flavor to the bread and makes the kitchen smell delicious! In the meantime, set your oven rack to one position below the very top rails. Preheat to 350. Prepare a pan with butter and parchment paper. Then, in a third and much larger bowl, sift two cups of all purpose flour together with a teaspoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of fine salt. Make a depression in the center and set aside. Combine the two wet bowls until well mixed. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Now be careful at this step. You want to mix the ingredients gently until you see the last of the white flour disappear. No more. This is why banana bread should really be a muffin not a bread. You want lumps. They will add to the structure of the bread and ultimately give you a scrumptious bread, not a cake. If you want fold in extras at this time like pecans, walnuts, craisins, etc. Pour the batter into your bread pan and place in the oven for 40 minutes. After that time, check to see that your bread has achieved a perfect caramel brown on top and place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top. Allow it to bake for another 10-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. When the bread is baked, take it out and let the pan cool on a rack for 15 minutes. If you have used a sling of parchment paper, pull the bread out of the pan and let it further cool to room temperature. If you rap the bread tightly in saran wrap it will keep for about 5 days. Trust me, it won't last that long anyway!!

Ice Cream Parlors

2008-08-31T09:25:00.001-07:00

It all started for the wife and I when we read an article in Mpls St.Paul Magazine, Best of Summer: 12 Yummy Ice Cream Shops. That was like a challenge for us, three months, twelve weekends, it just seemed right. So we set off on our trek for great ice cream and wound up discovering not only good and bad creameries, but new neighborhoods. Overall, it was as fun searching for these places as it was trying the ice cream... well almost! The only problem... summer ran out on us. Hopefully we will continue our search for the best of the best throughout the remaining warm days of the season, but I wanted to get this out to you in case you were so inclined to try a few late-minute culinary delights. Now, I've tried to order my review for you in terms for best to worst. Keep in mind that the worst may still be better than you local Cold Stone Creamery, it just isn't as good as the best. Here we go:

Grand Ole Creamery: This was the best of the best. I have yet to go there when there wasn't a line snaking out the little red door. This has unique, but tasty flavors as well as the old standbys. The ice cream is rich and has the perfect texture. Get the waffle cone which was just recently baked. They have the best of the best.
Crema Cafe: With a Tuscan looking building and (at least when I was there) a very snappy and friendly server, this place comes up as a very close second. In fact, I think the only reason its second is because I have gone to Grand Ole Creamery more often and it has a special place in my... tummy! Anyway try the signature flavor Crema. It is ice cream churned with Arabica coffee beans. Its like eating a creamy espresso! The wife had a pluot sorbet that was one of the most refreshing things I've ever had.
Pumphouse Creamery: Again, we are talking about a few degrees of separation between 1 & 2 here, but try this place out! It is in a little niche of shops off of Chicago Ave in Minneapolis. What I love about this place is they incorporate local ingredients in their ice cream. I had a thin-mint and homemade brownies ice cream, while the wife had a blueberry, buttermilk cone.
Sebastain Joe's Ice Cream Cafe: I've got to be honest, there is little difference between #1 and #4 in this review. The ice cream is delightful and reminds me of the homemade stuff I used to have back on the farm. Parking is a little sketchy around this place, but look for the chocolate dipped waffle cones to put your favorite ice cream in.
Izzy's: You may very well have heard about Izzy's. It has been a twin cities trademark for sometime and gets a GOLD STAR from me for being highly dependent on solar energy. However, I have a gripe here with Mpls St.Paul Magazine. When they reviewed this place they commented on the Cherry Bomb, a delicacy that was featured in Bobby Flay's Throwdown with Izzy's. It was cherries jubilee ice cream inside a chocolate shell... who the hell wouldn't want that! Well I burst in the door and said, "ONE CHERRY BOMB PLEASE!" "Oh, we haven't had that for... what do you say?(turning to a co-worker)...yeah, like two years..." What the *%$&! You have a desert featured on national television and you discontinue it. "Well I'll take a single scoop of Guiness then... what do I want for my Izzy scoop? What's that?" "Oh a little scoop of ice cream on top... cool... I'll have Irish Whiskey please" Anyway, that's where I stand on that shop. Might go back, but I was horribly saddened by no Cherry Bomb.
Edina Creamery: Has recently become a chain (disappointment), but still good ice cream. It has all the benefits of a 50's dinner (or so they claim because I can't judge from first hand experience).
Luxury Sweets: Gelato... typically yum... not so here. This is the worst, and I would probably eat at Cold Stone before here again. Sad to say this about a Gelato place, but this falls far short of the delightful Italian Ice that Gelato should be. Inconsequentially, if you're looking for a really good Gelato, go to Door County Wisconsin. There you'll find Double Delights in Egg Harbor. Wonderful Gelato!!! The wife says its as good as the authentic Italian stuff... if she says so its true!

A breeze in the air

2008-08-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

Oh ah. That's what I thought of as I woke up this morning. Currently I'm looking at a cooler than average 70 degrees. There is no humidity in the air and I can almost smell a bbq coming. Another thing I can smell...the apple pies gearing up to be made. Oh boy, am I really thinking of fall while its still a beautiful summer? Dear, oh dear.

Cooking Blog

2008-08-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

Ever notice that different types of blogs can by their very nature receive more or less responses. I began noticing this as I posted more recipes on my blog than book reviews. The wife has a wonderful blog on book reviews. She receives so many comments that she even uses an analysis tool (from google) to track her hits and what not. She also belongs to a gozzillion different book blogs and challenges.

We were recently at friend's house talking about this. Both of them have blogs too and making the same comments. The one has a cooking blog that is really neat, but doesn't get many comments. The other has more movie reviews, comic book reviews, video gaming stuff, etc and gets more comments.

So my question, being a psychology major, was why does one type of blog get more comments than another and I have drawn the following observations:

A person is more likely to get more comments on their blog the more they leave comments on other blogs. This would make sense. A person that does this is not only putting their name (blog) out there more often, but is encouraging more response by a social interaction theory.
The content of a blog can either be open or closed. What I mean by that is that the content can either lend itself to being commented on or not. So, a cooking blog is less likely to get comments than a book blog. Why? Book blogs generally do book challenges. Ergo, everybody read this book and make a comment on what you think. Its like an on-line book club. If it isn't one book, its one type of book (e.g., sci-fi, history, etc). Cooking blogs do not generally have cooking challenges though. I mean, how many Spanish Tapas Cooking Challenges have you seen out there. This may be uncharted territory though for cooking enthusiasts. How about this, leave a comment and let me know what you think about doing a cooking challenge and then sharing recipes afterwards.
That leads me to my final observation. Blogs that pose a question or request a response generally get one. Exceptions exist ofcourse. If the blog is a slow traffic site, it may not get that many hits to begin with. One thing is unique about blogging though; it doesn't lend itself well to the trajedy of the commons. When you read a post, you automatically see how many people have commented. Therefore, there is not the temptation to leave without commenting, based soley on the thought that someone else will. Wouldn't it be great if social situations came with automatic feedback features? Perhaps more people would call 911 when they see an emergency situation occuring?

Happy thinking!

Lucky's Secret Fried Chicken (Declassified)

2008-08-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

Skill Level: who cares, cooking is an adventure!
Time: well...you'll get quicker.
Serves: depends on the company, but makes a good dinner for six

Here's a fried chicken recipe that will give Colonel Sanders a run for his... chicken! This took loads of modification and lots of treadmill - guilt running to perfect.

1 quart buttermilk, plus two cups (yes be authentic, will not taste as good with skim milk)
1 egg or two (depends on the size, but don't sweat it)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (pre-ground will do if you must)
2 tablespoons of hot sauce (use your favorite, I like a chipotle personally) and 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 whole chickens (3-4 lbs each) cut up into at least 8 pieces

In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 quart of buttermilk, 2 tablespoons of salt and hot sauce mixture along with the black pepper. Add the chicken pieces, turn to coat, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (4 hrs if you're in a pinch)

Next day: place the remaining 2 cups of buttermilk in a bowl. Make some buttermilk biscuits to go along with this. They will be mighty tasty and a good use of the remaining buttermilk. Add the egg and stir just till they are combined. In another bowl, put the flour mixture (recipe follows). Drain the chicken in a colander and pat it till its absolutely dry. Dredge the pieces a few at at time in the flour mixture and pat off the excess. Be sure to get the excess off, if you don't the breading will fall off instead. Dip them in the buttermilk and allow the excess to drain off. Dredge them again in the flour mixture and pat off the excess. Put the chicken on a pieces of parchment paper till ready to cook.

Using a large cast iron pan (I recommend a Lodge Cast Iron Fryer ), fill the pan until it is almost half full of Crisco shortening and one piece of bacon. Heat the pan over medium high (350) heat while you are coating the chicken. When ready, pull out the piece of bacon, if you haven't already. Just make sure it doesn't burn. Place about 4 pieces of chicken in the pan at a time and let them cook for 6-8 minutes, flip them over and cook another 6-10. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F for medium done (I wouldn't recommend much cooler). Dark meat will take a little longer. Remove the chicken and let rest on a drying rack with lots of paper towels under it. You'll fry the last four the same way you fried the first four.

Flour mixture (here's the secret ;-))

3 cups of flour (sifted)
2 teaspoons garlic salt
2 teaspoons onion salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon course salt (Kosher)
1 teaspoon black pepper (fresh!)
1/2 teaspoon dried powdered rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried powdered thyme

Grilled Potatoes

2008-08-10T17:35:00.000-07:00

If there is every a type of vegetable that couldn't be messed up easily it the potato. With millions of variations, the potato has had a long history of not only making, but breaking a society. In fact, 2008 was declared by the United Nations to the International Year of the Potato. With that I thought it right to discover the flexibility of the potato.

When grilling a potato, I will parboil them. To parboil means to boil the item a little before grilling, essentially partially cooking it and then finishing it on the grill. Another food you would do this with is lobster. Anyway, parboil as many potatoes as you want to serve up. There is no science to this. Cut up your potatoes into as big or small a pieces as you want, just don't go to small our you will have mashed potatoes whether you want it or not.

Half way through boiling, fire up the grill to high heat. Use either coals or a gas grill. If you're using coals, start them in a chimney before you cut up the potatoes. With the grill heating and the potatoes boiling, melt 1-2 tablespoons butter in a microwaveable dish. Put a pinch of sea salt in a large bowl (big enough to toss your potatoes in). Accompany that with a equal portions of dried thyme, parsley and black pepper. Finally, if you want a little zing to you potatoes, through in a couple drops of Tabasco sauce. Mix this up with the butter.

When your potatoes are tender, drain them and put them back on the stove for a moment. This will take the excess water out of the potatoes. This is a little known secret that works well for this recipe as well as mashed potatoes. Who wants to dilute their seasoning with water, huh? So get rid of it completely. When the water has pretty much crackled out of it (listen carefully), put the potatoes in the bowl. Mix them well with the butter seasoning.

Place a grill pan on your grill. If you don't have one, they are a pan with holes in them and are wonderful for these kinds of applications. As opposed to foil bagging your food, these pans allow the flavor of the charcoal to come through. Now your potatoes are essentially cooked, what you do from here on is icing on the cake. Cook them on the grill until you have sufficient char marks to your liking. Here is another important part. When you take them off the grill, put them back in your seasoning/butter bowl and cover them will tin foil until you are ready to serve. At meal time, just plate them up. Your potatoes will be smoky and moist. If you prefer them crunchy, just skip the tin foil. Here is the best part, this recipe is so flexible. Try Cajun spices, or lemon pepper.

Any way you go, enjoy the grilled potatoes.

The capacity for happiness is equal only to the capacity for sorrow

2008-08-07T19:37:00.000-07:00

One snowy Christmas, a young orphan boy received a jack-in-the-box. Never before having see a toy the boy asked what he was to do with the box. His headmaster told him he was to wind the crank, but would tell him know more for he wanted to keep the surprise alive. The boy looked quizzically at the box and set it aside while his headmaster returned to his work. You see, the boy had never been given much of anything but a hard time in life and he was slow to trust and even slower to jump into things he had not already done. So the boy could simply not understand what the point was to cranking the box. Did it supply food? He remembered seeing a coffee grinder similar to this that belonged to a doctor he visited. No, it was nothing useful he determined. If it was, his headmaster would have told him and he could certainly not find anywhere to put the coffee beans anyway. It continued to perplex him why anyone would want a box that you simply cranked on. Was this someone's idea of a cruel joke? Then suddenly a younger boy came up to him, wide-eyed and utterly fixated on the box. He had never seen anything like this before. The small boy asked what it was and the older responded that it was a box you cranked. The small friend asked if he might have a better look at it and grabbed it delightedly when the other nodded his head. He began feverishly spinning the crank. Within moments the top flew back and the small joker popped up on his wiggly spring, an endless grin painted on his face. The young lad was completely delighted and rolled on the floor in laughter. After a good go at it the small boy returned the box to his older friend and complimented him on the splendor of the toy. Yet the boy just stood there, his mouth agape, holding onto what he once thought a useless box. He dropped it to the floor and began crying. His smaller companion stared at him for a moment, shrugged his shoulders and went about pretending to be a jack-in-the-box for the rest of the day. All the while, the other boy just sat against a wall, wondering at the injustice of it all. If only the headmaster had told me he said to himself. All would have been well and I would have enjoyed the toy so much.

The Oceanaire Seafood Room

2008-08-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

Looking for a premier seafood experience in the Twin Cities? Look no further than the Oceanaire Seafood Room. Located in downtown Minneapolis, beneath the Hyatt hotel, the Oceanaire offers not just excellent quality seafood but an entire dinning experience meant to satisfy the Sea Captain in us all. The service is stupendous. My wife and I had the opportunity to celebrate our anniversary there and I cannot even tell you the number of people that wished us a Happy Anniversary! I simply mentioned this fact when I made reservations and we were treated to a special dessert, custom anniversary menus and the like. Now, I haven't had that service elsewhere in a long time. Aside from the rich wood interior that makes you feel like your sitting in the hull of some schooner, the food is fresh,fresh,fresh! Now, on to dinner: We opened the night with two glasses of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label from France. This particular drink is dominated by Pinot Noir, but is balanced well with a Chardonnay all combined to make a fantastic Champagne. Now, its not the Le Grande Dame, which is the premier bottle of the Veuve collection, but it was still fantastic. For an appetizer, we picked from the various selections of the oyster bar. Heres what we got:

Kumamoto - Oregon
Barron Point - Washington
Eld Inlet - Washington
Jorstad - Washington

Now, you will notice that they are all from the west coast. My wife and I prefer west coast oysters to east coast. That's only a preference though, both types are excellent. The difference is this: west coast oysters are smaller and have a delicate melon undertone to their flavor, whereas east coast oysters are bigger and saltier tasting. The trick to get the best flavor out of oysters - eat them on the half shell with no seasoning or sauce. Just pick up the shell and toss 'em back. If you want to expereince them as they are intended don't order Oysters Rockefeller or dip them in any of the sauces provided... it will just ruin the flavor. The entrees: I had the South African rock lobster tail. I've had my fair share of lobster in Maine, but I hadn't tried a rock lobster. This was the same kind that one would find off the coast of Florida. Essentially a little firmer than a Maine lobster, it lacked nothing in flavor. Broiled with some herbal butter it was rich but not overpowering... all that lobster should be. My beautiful bride had the Yellowfin Ahi Tuna. This could be prepaire two ways and she elected for it to be lightly pan seared and served raw - sushi style with some wasabi in the side. Two words describe it Fin Tastic! LOL! One of the best parts of the meal brought me back to my childhood in a new way. We ordered a house favorite of Summer Squash Fries. They were prepared like shoe string onion rings: cut into thin strips, battered and deep fried. They were served up with a roasted red pepper mayo. What a delight! They reminded me of the onion rings I used to get at the same steak house mentioned in my last post. The only difference was that these were more delicate due to the soft texture of the summer squash. However, that was only enhanced by the crunch of the batter. They were fantastic. Dessert was on the hosue. Another nice little treat for our anniversary. It's called baked Alaskan, although why I'm not sure. It was a mound of cherry icecream, wrapped in meringue, all stacked on top of a brownie sitting in a creme anglaise. The presentation was magnificent. The waiter brought this out with a saucer of Grand Marnier which he lit a fire and poured over the top. The result, a beautiful blue flame in the dimmer light of the evening and a toasted meringue that looked like a beehive made out of roasted marshmallow! DE-lightful! :-) Disclaimer: I highly recommend this restaurant, yet a dinner like the one described above will run well over $200.00. To some that's not much, to others its enough to make the Oceanaire an annual trip only - like on your anniversary if applicable!
Link: Oceanaire Seafood Room Minneapolis

When good meat goes bad.

2008-08-02T16:02:00.001-07:00

Have you ever found that one steak house that just pulls you in like cattle to a slaughterhouse? Ok, bad pun and I apologize, but I could not resist. Growing up in southern Wisconsin I was blessed to have a Swiss style, Irish pub, serving a wonderfully done English prime rib roast (no kidding). I remember my family would go there almost every weekend growing up just to take advantage of the Saturday night special. It was a rib roast encrusted with rosemary, garlic and various other fresh herbs and spices, served up with roushtie potatoes (later post perhaps). Then one day we went and it wasn't the same. What happened? New management was certainly behind it. Yet it was the same recipe, the same chefs and the same cut of meat. The problem was in the supplier. For years the restaurant had used a local butcher whom they had a good relationship with. The problem was that the local butcher asked a little more than "fair market value" of his cuts. Well in the Walmart economic model, the restaurant began getting its meat from a bulk restaurant supplier. I've only gone back a hand full of times, each time praying things have changed.

MEAT 101
So lets start with a basic lesson in picking the best cut of meat. First though, my credentials. I grew up on a dairy farm where it was quite the norm to butcher your own meat. Lets not get into the details, but suffice it to say I have a first hand knowledge in literally raising quality meat. We rarely ate anything that wasn't a prime cut. Prime cut? Yes, that's the first part of the lesson. What makes a prime rib prime? Well it has a good deal to do with the marbling in the meat. No, not the mineral, the fat. That's right, the fat. Marbling is the fat that has worked its way into and around the meat. The more and more even disbursement of marbling, the higher the quality of meat. Now this does not mean grissle. It means fat. HUGE difference! Grissel is what you gnaw at in lower qualities of meat. Marbling is what makes a prime rib oh-so-delicious. Its the kind of fat that melts away and bastes the meat as it cooks.

Well if there is prime quality meat, what is all the rest? A good way to keep the quality of meat in line is to remember that you "needs to PiCS your meat" (as Popie might say). PiCS standing for Prime, Choice, and Select: the various cuts of meat from highest to lowest grade. Essentially prime is from well raised cattle, choice from decently raised cattle and select from the lesser cows (usually an injured cow sold to slaughter). Now before you vomit a little in your mouth from that last selection of meat, allow me to put it into context. The meat is fine, the cow itself just wasn't in prime condition. So, you get meat, but a lack of effort or bad luck as it may be, forced the owner to cash the cow in earlier.

What to use them for. Prime, don't worry: you would have to try to mess this cut of meat up. BBQ it, grill it, roast it, broil it; whatever you do you will enjoy it! Choice, a little less forgiving, but good for steaks, especially if you marinade. Its also great because its a lot easier on the check-card (I almost said checkbook, but come-on its the 21st century right?). Anyway, this is a great cut if you want your guest to feel like Kings and Queens at your next dinner party. I mean, usually you just serve hamburger and hot dogs (unless you are from Wisconsin, then brats are a given). With choice you can serve everyone steaks for cheap, without sacrificing flavor. Select... well can anyone say stew meat. It doesn't even make a good hamburger (which is why I prescribe to grinding your own meat, but that's another post). You can use select as a filler if you want. I actually make a pretty good Texas chilly using select cuts. Anyway, even when good meat goes bad you can save it somehow. Just remember, there is a tool for every job, so too there is a meat for every need.

Happy grilling.

Collapse

2008-07-27T08:22:00.001-07:00

My wife and I recently returned from a vacation to Colorado. A stop on our journeys was the Anasazi site of Mesa Verde. The Anasazi (Navajo for "Ancient Ones") were a tribal population very similar to the Maya and other sophisticated pre-American societies. The only caveat is that they completely vanished around the mid 1100s.
Its interesting to wander about the ruins of the Anasazi cave dwellings and cities, climbing down into restored Kevas (akin to a temple in modern day understanding) and trying to understand how a society slips away. In Jared Diamond's book Collapse, he does that on a global scale; trying to understand what happened to the societies that just went away.
Its hard for us to imagine in this day and age that a society can simply vanish. Although, remember that the State of Israel was created in 1948, which is only 70 years ago. Already they have nuclear war heads and are major players in the global theater. If a society can be formed that quickly can it not fall all the quicker?
Let's pull away from that for a moment and consider this: how strong or fragile is any society? We all have national pride to some extent, regardless of where we come from. I mean, who wants to see their own country fall (unless you have something very serious to gain from it)? The answer is that we have a certain psychological relationship to the security of ourselves and the place in which we live. Its the same reason people will spend thousands to install a security system in their homes; the same reason we purchase car insurance, life insurance, health insurance, pet insurance. We want security. The greater question is can we have security in isolation? Societies in the past have proven that the answer to that question is a double edged sword. Its a catch-22 at times.
It is often at election times that we become very invested in questions that we can at other times shrug off. In this election time, how can we apply the lessons of forgotten societies to our current situation? What conclusions do we draw about our candidates? Can we afford to look beyond our borders? Can we afford not to?
Jared Diamond does a phenomenal job of exploring the history of lost societies. Although the reading can become a bit dry at times, you will leave the book all the more knowledgeable about the self preservation and destruction of a people group. My recommendation is to skim through some of the detail that Diamond gives for each society and read just enough to understand his premise. Although, you may go back in the book to discover, for example, how the Easter Island inhabitants erected the enormous stone statues that line the island (especially if you want to consider alien creatures meddling with the human population).

Sushi

2008-04-13T09:52:00.000-07:00

Delving into the world of Japanese cuisine can be intimidating. To begin you have sushi which refers basically to some type of raw food. However, thanks to commercial distribution many think that sushi comes in rolls. This is not necessarily the case. Sushi is really just some type of food placed over rice. There are many variations on sushi though. The sushi rolls (made by wrapping sushi in Nori, a seaweed wrapper) that we are more familiar with are called Maki and Tamaki. Maki are basically just Tamaki rolls, cut up into smaller servings.

Maki come in an almost endless variety (e.g., California rolls, Spider rolls, etc.) depending on your location. Also, each Japanese eatery has its own various styles and selections.

Now, to make life easier and less intimidating: All the types of rolls you could get are widely discussed on websites such as Wikipedia. Yet, without having to do research before you go out for an enjoyable dinner... I have found most Japanese eateries in the Twin Cities have very helpful staff. Even so, here are some helpful etiquette tips if you go our for sushi.

Sushi may be eaten either with your hands or with chopsticks. There some good news for the few of us that are not coordinated! Nigiri (the most common sushi) is typically eaten with your hands because chopsticks would crumble the rice it is wrapped in. If you get a roll (maki) and you want to impress your friends with your skills, use chopsticks.
The soy sauce is meant to flavor the fish, not the rice. Also, mixing wasabi (the spicy green stuff) with soy sauce is typically a no-no. In fine restaurants, every morsel of sushi should have a dab of wasabi in it already. The mixing of wasabi and soy sauce is really just a matter of taste though. If you like it, guess what... DO IT! You are paying for it, get what you want. If you really want to sound sophisticated call the mix of wasabi and soy sauce by its name, Wasabi-joyo.
Now, if you have seen the movie The Last Samurai, you will recall the scene where Tom Cruise's character called out "SAKI, SAKI!" as he was laying captured in the enemy samurai's house, well don't you do that the next time you dine on sushi. The rice flavor of Saki (a type of Japanese liquor) is not considered a natural pairing of sushi. In fact, neither is wine (for the most part). The traditional pairing is beer - did the Japanese know the Irish?

Here's to the restaurants in the area. My wife and I have tried two restaurants in the Woodbury area lately. The first, Sushi Tango, is a satellite of the uptown Minneapolis restaurant. The second we visited was Akita - sushi and hibachi. Overall impression: Sushi Tango wins out by a landslide.

Both of the restaurants offered sushi, sashimi, maki, temaki, tempura, various soups and limited deserts (green tea ice cream). Both also had a full bar, but Akita also offered a hibachi style of dining (what Benihana's does). The short story was that Sushi Tango had fresher tasting ingredients and a more enjoyable atmosphere. I had a spider roll (a maki roll with deep fried soft shell crab) at both locations for a comparison, as well as spicy tuna. The spider rolls at Sushi Tango were crisper and sweeter and the spicy tuna had a fuller taste. The sushi at Akita had a "rubbery" texture. The presentation at each restaurant was compatible. One feature that I did like about Akita is that they had a "buffet" option, where you ordered anything off the menu and paid a base price. This way you could experience a lot of different options, for less "green". However, Akita's layout reminded me of a combination between Olive Garden and Hollister. Now, I didn't do the Hibachi at Akita, but just looking over at it, I thought Benihana was better. In the long run, I will be going back for seconds at Sushi Tango, but not Akita.

Penzey's Spices

2008-03-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

I recently had the good fortune to find myself in a Penzey's Spice store. My first impression was the delightful smell that met my nose when I walked in. My second was surprise the the entire section dedicated to Saffron.

Really if you are looking for a good collection of spices, dried herbs, and various mixes I say that Penzey's is the place to be. Here are some things that you might want to know before you enter your local Penzey's though:

Everything is alphabetical, even the mixes. You will need to browse the store to find all that is available.
Try out the glass "smell" jars. Each spice, herb or mixture is bottled up in a glass jar (at least the one I found had this). You can pop the top off that jar and get a hint at what you're buying. Good news - no more guessing at what you're getting.
Everything is very informative. They actually described the difference between types of peppercorns - black peppercorns that is. I didn't know there was a difference! I guess they are like a fine wine though, location and harvesting are critical to the taste of the pepper. There goes my pepper vine in the back yard!
Pick up the store recipes. Different mixes have recipes that Penzey's chefs (I'm assuming) have put together. I'm looking forward particularly to the taco mix and taco salad recipe we got.
They are not about the salt. Although Penzey's has started to move into the gourmet salt market, they emphasis saltless mixes. It seems like their take on it is that food can taste good without a sodium base. I tend to agree and here is a story about that...

I picked up the Chicago steak seasoning and tried it on a ribeye. Apart from letting the meat overcook on the grill (still getting back into the swing of things), the taste was wonderful. I bought the mix based on its smoky smell (reminded me of Swiss Landjaegers). I took a very simple approach to the meat so I could really tell the taste of the mix. Here is what I did:

Preheat a grill to high.
In the meantime apply 1-2tsp. of mix per lb of meat. Spread mix on both sides of meat and rub in. Cover and set aside to come to room temperature (or as close as possible).
Oil your grill - so important, but often missed!
Place the meat on the grill over the fire (direct grilling).
Cook till done (I use, or should have used :), the poke test. This takes some time, but eventually you can feel the difference between rare, medium rare, medium and well done - more on this later).

This made a delicious steak. The only thing better would be to season it a little ahead of time. This would taste great on lamb or chicken too. So for any dry rub marinated piece of meat, I whole-heartedly recommend Chicago Steak Seasoning by Penzey's Spices.

Menu Options

Ribeyes with Chicago Steak Seasoning (steaks about 1" thick)
Sweet Potato Fries
Roasted Corn on the Cob with Herb Butter
Paired with Marechal Foch from WineHaven.

Tullamore Dew

2008-03-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

Tullamore Dew 12 year is a fine Irish sipping whiskey. No, the origins are not the same as the caffeinated drink Mountain Dew whose name comes from the Tennessee mountain moonshine. This sophisticated drink hails rather from the small town of Tullamore in the Offaly County, smack dab in the heart of Ireland.

It's the nose sets Tullamore Dew apart from most American whiskeys and in a distinct class of its own among Irish whiskeys too. In the nose and on the tongue you will notice a rich caramel, just like the delicious treats that grandma used to make. That and a little touch of lemon. Barley grain, which is use to produce whiskey is dried over coal fires in Ireland, as opposed to the peat fires in Scotland. This keeps the flavor pure and clean.

Following the caramel taste that fills your mouth and nose you get a slightly pungent burn that a livens the taste buds. It's not quite to the "kick your butt" stage, but dangerous none the less. It has an addicting, buttery body, with a sweet range of spices and a smoky wooden undertone that doesn't shut your drinking down. The burn starts on the top of your tongue, lingers there and then fades to the deep back of your throat. Throughout you'll find a nuttiness coming through the drink.

Now, down to dinner. If you're going to pair this it will finish off any barbecue quite nicely. However, if I may, let me recommend keeping this drink with something off the emerald shores. Try a grilled leg of lamb with this. Maybe some pears and roasted potatoes on the side. Don't let the lack of a lavish dinner stop you from enjoying this drink though. Its a stand alone, after dinner, sit down with a nice figurado cigar.

*Snob Alert* This may be a bit mellow for a loyal Jack Daniels fan, but for anyone that wants one hell of a good drink that finishes smoother than Jameson and is more robust than Bushmills, try Tullamore Dew.

Now, the true story of how Tullamore Dew was named. What is remembered of the song of olden days is thus:

Down the hills and to the streams
The piper played for sweet dreams
Yet in the valley green
Among the yellow flowers fair
Comes the amber water beams

As it was the land of emerald isles was still new and born to the minstrels of Taglash, the seventh star set in the sky. It was the days before the first rain and the minstrels delighted themselves by playing and frolicking in the hills and valleys. Taglash loved so much the songs that radiated to his place in the sky that he filled his days with it. That was until the Meckrel came to what is known now as Ireland. The meckrel was a beast of the earth and brought with him a consuming fire that was never satisfied. It devoured the grasses of the land and left barren the soils. The minstrels of Taglash faltered in their song and gave way to wailing, for the hills were special to them and they dried up in spirit as the fields did in the fire. Taglash could not bear to have the music halted, for in that time the delight of the tune carried the heavens. So he brought down the clouds upon the emerald isles one morning and blessed them. They covered the fire and consumed it in turn. The waters were so pure that nothing could resist their movement. It was then that the Meckrel came up from the earth to see what had laid waste to his anger. He bent low and took drink from a stream and drew deep of its waters. He soon flooded his belly with it and grew merry as he had never before. Soon he brought out a lute and played a skipping melody. The minstrels came and joined him in harmony. For many years Taglash would decend the dew upon the hills for the Meckrel to drink and the joy continued. The Meckrel and the minstrels honored Taglash by playing upon the highest hill in all the isles to lift the sound up best to him. To this day, the dew that comes from the big hill, or Tulach Mhór in the Gaelic (Tullamore), is revered as a drink which brings lightness to a dark soul.

Introduction

2008-03-20T16:08:00.001-07:00

There are all kinds of foodie blogs out there. Here's what I would like to do in addition to just sharing recipes:

I'll give my review of local eateries
I'll try to share some of the history of the dishes I make, along with what makes them work
I'll comment on any of the latest drinks or cigars I've had - let you know if they are relaxing or not
I'll even throw in some romance ideas as well as my picks for fashionable attire to work or out on the town

Every so often I'll put something in there about some good music I've heard recently. Maybe a short story or two. I basically don't want you to get bored when coming to this blog - either that or I don't figure I'll have enough info on one topic to keep it going :)

I hope you will enjoy the posts at much as I enjoy making them.

Good times!