Market 314
A summary of the recipes and foodstuffs at the home of two energetic amateur chefs.
Monday, December 27, 2004
Yesterday I had lunch with two friends that, although years have passed since we could say that we lived in the same city (let alone state), are closer than ever. While this pretends to be a blog about good food and the pursuit thereof, we wholeheartedly acknowledge that it is the relationships that are created, cultivated, and deepened around the table that make food worthy of a peripheral mention.
The occasion of yesterday's lunch was a simultaneous reunion and send off: one person with whom I made and still share many memories is moving halfway across the world and another is embarking on a new life albeit slightly closer to home. What a spectrum of emotions swirled around the small booth we shared. Excitement; nostalgia; inspiration; and, anxiety in the face of the unknown.
To my good friends: you can move away or closer still, but you cannot escape the bond of friendship. Best of luck, Nate; can't wait to see what part of the world you "do" next. Congrats, Max, and best wishes as you walk the road ahead.
Oh...and the soup was good, too.
The occasion of yesterday's lunch was a simultaneous reunion and send off: one person with whom I made and still share many memories is moving halfway across the world and another is embarking on a new life albeit slightly closer to home. What a spectrum of emotions swirled around the small booth we shared. Excitement; nostalgia; inspiration; and, anxiety in the face of the unknown.
To my good friends: you can move away or closer still, but you cannot escape the bond of friendship. Best of luck, Nate; can't wait to see what part of the world you "do" next. Congrats, Max, and best wishes as you walk the road ahead.
Oh...and the soup was good, too.
Friday, December 24, 2004
It's Christmas Eve. What better way to celebrate it than with a big cup of coffee and DiscoveryKids' Paz the Penguin.
Oh...by the way...we enjoyed Fish 'n Chips last night. Verdict: always good.
Oh...by the way...we enjoyed Fish 'n Chips last night. Verdict: always good.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Over the next several days we will be enjoying time spent with family, friends, and food. We are blessed with quantity and quality of each and, during the holiday season, we seem to be particularly aware of the memories made when this trio comes together.
Here are a few recipes, etc. for elements which have either already been enjoyed today or that we expect/plan to enjoy this evening when we kick off the holiday season with a new tradition.
Hot Cider
2 quarts apple cider
3 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
2-3 cups water
3 T orange juice concentrate
2 T lemon juice
1 stick cinnamon
1 tsp. whole cloves
1/2 tsp. whole allspice
1 small orange, thinly sliced (we used a clementine...'tis the season)
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simer over low heat. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Before serving, remove the spices and add a slice of orange to the cup. Yields 13 cups.
Source: Turnbull, Yvonne. The Living Cookbook. Omega Publications (Medford, OR): 1981, p. 240.
Mexican Hot Fudge Sundaes
3/4 c heavy whipping cream
1/2 c freshly brewed coffee
16 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Vanilla ice cream (Imported from Lancaster County)
Toasted pine nuts
Fresh mint leaves
Bring heavy cream and 1/2 cup coffee to boil in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and ground cinnamon. Stir until chocolate is melted and sauce is smooth. Mix in vanilla extract. Scoop vanilla ice cream into bowls. Top with warm chocolate sauce, pine nuts, and mint.
Source: Bon Appetit. January 2005, p. 116.
Here are a few recipes, etc. for elements which have either already been enjoyed today or that we expect/plan to enjoy this evening when we kick off the holiday season with a new tradition.
Hot Cider
2 quarts apple cider
3 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
2-3 cups water
3 T orange juice concentrate
2 T lemon juice
1 stick cinnamon
1 tsp. whole cloves
1/2 tsp. whole allspice
1 small orange, thinly sliced (we used a clementine...'tis the season)
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simer over low heat. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Before serving, remove the spices and add a slice of orange to the cup. Yields 13 cups.
Source: Turnbull, Yvonne. The Living Cookbook. Omega Publications (Medford, OR): 1981, p. 240.
Mexican Hot Fudge Sundaes
3/4 c heavy whipping cream
1/2 c freshly brewed coffee
16 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Vanilla ice cream (Imported from Lancaster County)
Toasted pine nuts
Fresh mint leaves
Bring heavy cream and 1/2 cup coffee to boil in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and ground cinnamon. Stir until chocolate is melted and sauce is smooth. Mix in vanilla extract. Scoop vanilla ice cream into bowls. Top with warm chocolate sauce, pine nuts, and mint.
Source: Bon Appetit. January 2005, p. 116.
Monday, December 20, 2004
In Bon Appetit's January 2005 issue (which mysteriously arrived in our mailbox), there is a focus on "What's Hot; What's Not." One thing that is listed as "What's Hot" is FOOD BLOGS. They list a few of their "favorite sites that rise above the blog babble," and although we didn't make the cut, we thought we'd list their picks:
GroceryLists.org: a collection of lost grocery lists which Bon Appetit believes "gives insight into how America eats."
SauteWednesday.com: from the Bay Area, "includes a thorough list of links to other food-related websites."
SliceNY.com: "all things pizza."
TheFoodSection.com: "all the news that's fit to eat."
Vinography.com: wine reviews, ratings, wine bar reviews (SanFran), etc.
On a related note, we took a break from the holiday season to catch Sidways, a movie about wine and bachelorhood. It was very good (for a movie seen in a theater). If you're not addicted to wine and wine culture, this movie will make you thirst for wine tastings and oak barrels.
GroceryLists.org: a collection of lost grocery lists which Bon Appetit believes "gives insight into how America eats."
SauteWednesday.com: from the Bay Area, "includes a thorough list of links to other food-related websites."
SliceNY.com: "all things pizza."
TheFoodSection.com: "all the news that's fit to eat."
Vinography.com: wine reviews, ratings, wine bar reviews (SanFran), etc.
On a related note, we took a break from the holiday season to catch Sidways, a movie about wine and bachelorhood. It was very good (for a movie seen in a theater). If you're not addicted to wine and wine culture, this movie will make you thirst for wine tastings and oak barrels.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
It's 7:45 a.m. and I've already had a good day. Out for breakfast with my lady before sending her on her way to work. Then to Market for some essentials. The air is very crisp this morning, the wind brisk. It's morning like this that get me in the holiday spirit.
It's going to be a good day.
It's going to be a good day.
Saturday, December 11, 2004
Wow. The login screen says that our last post was Feb 15th. That's not possible. Is it?
Before I begin: solace to my brother. It is comforting that a college not known for its athletic prowess (save, Swemming) was playing football so late in the year. Hmmm.
Tonight's post is not so much about food as it is about apartment living. For those of you who don't know we are blessed with a most amazing apartment in the City of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It has the been source of great pleasure, comfort, and an much-needed outlet for creativity. In recent days (i.e. today) the fact that this truly is not our home has reared its head. We are temporary renters of this magnificent space; as much as we feel "at home" here, we cannot make changes beyond a certain lease-specified point. That fact could not have been more apparent today.
We attacked our closet this afternoon, hoping to make the overdue transition from summer/early fall clothes to winter clothes. What we found was not only short sleeves and even shorter shorts but also a poor design and even worse craftmanship. We have noticed our lone shelf bowing, being pulled downward by the non-distributed weight of the clothes suspended below. For every centimeter (ah, metric) the front edge of the shelf leaned toward the floor, the rear edge slid toward the heavens (a place I prayed to join this afternoon). After several hours of frustration, two trips to Home Depot within as many hours (same cashier...how embarassing), and logic-based creativity we have installed at least a temporary remedy.
What does this have to do with owning a home vs. renting? For all you homeowners who complain about all the work that you have to do on your castles, moats, and surrounding orchards: at least you have all options at your disposal. Trying to make repairs to someone else's design, restricted to few permitted alternations of structure, and doing so under the threat of deductions from security deposit makes for added layers of sweat. There were several options which were better than our ultimate solutions. None of them were available to us, however, because of the limitations placed on renters.
On the positive side, my better half pulled together an amazing dinner: salmon baked in olive oil and covered with pesto, served with salt-sprinkled asparagus sauteed in olive oil as well as roasted garlic mashed redskin potatoes.
We ate and laughed at a movie neither us had seen and that we would recommend (with reservations for some): The Birdcage.
Tomorrow, in celebration of a special birthday, we will be dining at a new restaurant. We'll let you know how it goes.
Before I begin: solace to my brother. It is comforting that a college not known for its athletic prowess (save, Swemming) was playing football so late in the year. Hmmm.
Tonight's post is not so much about food as it is about apartment living. For those of you who don't know we are blessed with a most amazing apartment in the City of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It has the been source of great pleasure, comfort, and an much-needed outlet for creativity. In recent days (i.e. today) the fact that this truly is not our home has reared its head. We are temporary renters of this magnificent space; as much as we feel "at home" here, we cannot make changes beyond a certain lease-specified point. That fact could not have been more apparent today.
We attacked our closet this afternoon, hoping to make the overdue transition from summer/early fall clothes to winter clothes. What we found was not only short sleeves and even shorter shorts but also a poor design and even worse craftmanship. We have noticed our lone shelf bowing, being pulled downward by the non-distributed weight of the clothes suspended below. For every centimeter (ah, metric) the front edge of the shelf leaned toward the floor, the rear edge slid toward the heavens (a place I prayed to join this afternoon). After several hours of frustration, two trips to Home Depot within as many hours (same cashier...how embarassing), and logic-based creativity we have installed at least a temporary remedy.
What does this have to do with owning a home vs. renting? For all you homeowners who complain about all the work that you have to do on your castles, moats, and surrounding orchards: at least you have all options at your disposal. Trying to make repairs to someone else's design, restricted to few permitted alternations of structure, and doing so under the threat of deductions from security deposit makes for added layers of sweat. There were several options which were better than our ultimate solutions. None of them were available to us, however, because of the limitations placed on renters.
On the positive side, my better half pulled together an amazing dinner: salmon baked in olive oil and covered with pesto, served with salt-sprinkled asparagus sauteed in olive oil as well as roasted garlic mashed redskin potatoes.
We ate and laughed at a movie neither us had seen and that we would recommend (with reservations for some): The Birdcage.
Tomorrow, in celebration of a special birthday, we will be dining at a new restaurant. We'll let you know how it goes.
