Fluffer Friday

One advantage of childlessness is that my daughter will never announce:

Dad! I got a job today! I'm a fluffer!

OMG [link]

What would a father say? Does the job offer benefits?

A Tribute Meal- Hot Dogs & Potatoes

The passing of a family member is always hard, but I think it's important to celebrate their life and enjoy the memories you will keep with you. At my grandfather's memorial service, I couldn't help but to be in awe of all he accomplished with his almost 89 years. A man of many talents, he was incredibly generous with his time and touched many lives. Now I know where my dad gets it!

Me & Poppy

When it comes to food, there are certain things that I'll always remember about Poppy. The ends of bread were always his, and liked things crispy. Crispy may be putting it lightly, as that usually meant charred and overcooked ;) One of his favorite meals was hot dogs and potatoes. This week, I made it for him--here's to you, Poppy!


The general idea is to fry up some thinly sliced white potatoes, season with salt, pepper and paprika, and add in some sliced hot dogs and hot peppers. I tried to minimize the oil and used turkey dogs, but... it wasn't as good as I remember it. What can I say, most things are better when Nanny (or mom) makes it! Regardless, I'm sure Poppy was eye-ing the nice crispy layer that formed on the bottom of my stainless saute pan ;)

Awesome, bitch.

I often wonder how to nail down self esteem. What is it exactly? Is self esteem the way I view myself - Wombat, blogger, Australian living in Florida - or is it more about the internals - Wombat, worried blog readers will dislike this post, wondering what dopey decision led him to live in Florida?

Parents of young kids seem inordinately concerned with their sprogs' self esteem. Schools in the United States appear to an outsider to be all about teaching it, along with how to address a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered person so as not to offend their self esteem.

But that's not my point of interest. I'm consistently confounded by the way in which women can appear to be loaded with confidence, and yet choose men who treat them like shit. How can it be that powerful females who look to have the world by the balls end up doormats for oaves? A friend explained it this way:

There is a certain je ne sais quoi to bad boys. I think there are a million psychological reasons as to why women go for them, each one of the reasons pretty fucked up. "I want to piss off my parents by showing them I'm autonomous", "He's a rebel and Hollywood shows us that rebels are hot", and my personal favorite, "It feels good when he makes me feel bad". It's true...some chicks dig on feeling like shit. Call it a Martyr Syndrome if you wish, but she gets off on bitching about everything. I had to consciously rip myself away from that path, lest I become like (that). Thesedays I prefer men who treat me like the fucking awesome bitch I am.

Indeed. Awesome.

An Easy 30 Minute Meal: Arugula Salad with Avocado & Sauteed Fish with Olives and Tomatoes

When you're pressed for time, the last thing most people want to do is cook. Coming home after a hard day at the office or dealing with kids and errands, the kitchen can seem unwelcoming.

You're hungry. It's dark outside. The house is cold. You open the freezer and stare at the frozen dinner you bought two months ago but never nuked. A can of chicken noodle soup in the pantry holds the promise of a warm meal but a quick read of the label tells you that the salt content is high enough to brine a Thanksgiving turkey.

Your mind tries to convince you that you aren't all that hungry. Maybe all you really want is a glass of wine and a bowl of dry cereal.

But you are hungry and you'd feel a lot better if you had a home cooked meal.

The truth is all it takes is a little planning and a couple of easy-to-make recipes and you'll actually look forward to coming home and cooking dinner. Ok, maybe that's a little Pollyannaish, but you get the idea.

First things first.

Stop at a farmers' market or the grocery store and buy a few essentials: fresh fruit (maybe a bunch of grapes, a pear, an apple or stone fruit), a leafy green (romaine or arugula), carrots, a basket of tomatoes (if they're still in season), a bunch of Italian parsley, spinach or kale, a clove of garlic, a couple of onions, some fresh fish or organic meat, and whatever else looks good to you.

When you get home at night, don't go straight into the kitchen.

Get out of your work clothes, wash your face, and slip into something comfy. Now when you go into the kitchen, you'll be re-energized. Give yourself 30 minutes to make dinner.

Here are two ideas to help get you started.

Arugula Salad with Avocado and Croutons

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 bunches farmers' market fresh arugula, washed, pat dried, stems removed
1 carrot, peeled, ends trimmed, cut into thin rounds
1 medium sized avocado, peeled, roughly chopped
1 scallion, washed, ends removed, green and white parts thinly sliced
1/4 cup croutons, preferably home made
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and pepper

Method

In a small saucepan, over a very low flame, slowly reduce the balsamic vinegar to 2 teaspoons. 5-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Tear the arugula into bite-sized pieces and put into the bottom of a salad bowl. Add the other vegetables and croutons. Toss well.

Drizzle with olive oil and the reduced balsamic vinegar. Season with sea salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Variations

Add 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes

Add 4 pieces crispy bacon, chopped

Add 1/4 pound grilled shrimp, roughly chopped

Add 1/4 cup fresh grapefruit sections, peeled

Fish with a Spanish Accent

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 pounds white fish--sole, swordfish, halibut, flounder--washed, deboned, skin removed
1 medium yellow onion or 4 shallots, washed, skins removed, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, skins removed, roughly chopped
1/4 cup green or black Mediterranean olives, pitted, roughly chopped
1/2 cup Italian parsley
1/4 cup fresh corn kernels
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon capers
1/4 teaspoon Spanish paprika
Sea salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Method

Cut the fish into squares roughly 2" by 2". Put half the olive oil on a plate, season with paprika, sea salt and pepper, dredge the pieces of fish in the oil and put aside.

In a large frying pan saute all the vegetables and herbs, except the tomatoes, with the remaining olive oil until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Because of the capers, additional salt may not be needed. Then, push them to one side of the pan to make room for the fish.

Pour the seasoned olive oil from the plate into the frying pan. Add the pieces of fish and saute until lightly browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Carefully turn over the pieces and spoon the saute over the top of the fish while the other side cooks.

Top with the chopped tomatoes and continue cooking another 4-5 minutes.

Serve hot with a salad or a side dish of sauteed vegetables--garlic spinach or steamed broccoli for example.

Variations

Substitute fresh cilantro for the Italian parsley

Add 1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes to the saute

Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Ponytails

I didn't have the stomach to search Flickr for photos, because I'm sure there's a ponytail fetish group there. Not that fetishes are bad (as I grit my teef through thoughts of Furries and other truly fringe weirdness.) It's more that I don't want to be thought of as being defined by my preference. Or get caught out by membership in a totally dweeby photo-based fetish organization. That's just too depressing.

So let's get it out there. I think women wearing ponytails are hot. More so if the ponytail is tucked through the adjustment strap of a baseball hat. That's it. Now I'm on record as having the lamest predilection ever.

Here are some reasons that make them sexy:

> The girly factor. Ponytails are feminine, and emphasize luxuriant, lustrous hair.

> The youth factor. They remind us of innocence.

> The vitality factor. Healthy, ruddy, active, tiger in bed.

> The shakeout factor. When the scrunchy is removed, and the hair falls free...

> The erogenous zone factor 1. Ears. We know that women's ears can be Zonal.

> The erogenous zone factor 2. Neck. We know that women's necks can be Zonal.

I hope no-one reads this.

Apple Cider Doughnuts

With the acquisition of a mini doughnut pan and some farm-fresh apple cider, I knew I wanted to create a healthier version of one of my favorite fall treats--cider doughnuts! After some field research ;) and online searching, I came up with a recipe that can be enjoyed a bit more often than its fried counterpart! I think the taste is pretty spot-on, but the texture was more like a muffin. My testers (thanks Elina and Kerstin) seemed to enjoy them, though!

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

Baked Cider Doughnuts
Recipe by Shannon, adapted from Diana's Desserts and the Food Network
Yield: ~16 mini doughnuts



I filled mine a bit too much, and the top looked almost like muffins! I'd fill them a little more than half-way, as these little doughnuts will rise. You may get more out of them this way. A regular-size doughnut pan can also be used.

For the apple puree:
1 apple, peeled and diced (I used Cortland)
3/4c apple cider

Dry ingredients:
1c whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat)
3/4t baking powder
3/4t baking soda
1t cinnamon
1/4t salt
1/8t fresh grated nutmeg (I eye-balled this amount)

Wet ingredients:
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/3c turbinado sugar (or brown sugar)
1/4c apple puree (from above)
1 1/2oz maple syrup (I used grade B)
1 1/2oz apple cider
1 1/2oz greek yogurt
1 1/2T veggie oil (I use Smart Balance Omega blend)

For the topping:
1c apple cider
1/4c powdered sugar
cinnamon-sugar mixture (I used a premade mix from gosh knows when!)

Prepare the apple puree by simmering the diced apple and 3/4c cider over med-low heat until broken down. Puree with immersion blender (or regular one). You should have 1/4c puree. If you have more than this, return to heat and simmer until reduced. Let cool. This can be made ahead, if you'd like.

Preheat oven to 375deg. Spray doughnut pan lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. To prepare the glaze: add 1c cider to small saucepan and simmer over med-low heat until reduced to ~1/4c. Whisk in 1c powdered sugar until smooth and glossy. Use more cider or powdered sugar to adjust consistency if needed.

Combine the dry ingredients and whisk/stir well together in a small bowl. Whisk together wet ingredients in a medium bowl . Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until just combined. In prepared doughnut pan, fill cavities halfway full. Bake ~10min, until they spring back when lightly touched. Remove from oven and turn onto cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough. Add cinnamon-sugar to plate. When cooled slightly, dip top (and/or bottom) of doughnuts in glaze and then into cinn-sugar mix. Serve warm.

These are best served the day you make them, but I stored some in the fridge overnight and they made for a perfect post-run treat! Just warm for a few seconds and dig in :)

Consider the Penis

Consider the penis. Poor thing suffers from negative headlines and poor approval ratings. Nobody likes him, at least not publically, and those who are supportive choose to shmooze in private. His life is - as the old chestnut goes - like a married man's; he's always in the shit, it's only the depth that varies.

He needs a new PR firm. The current one has either lost the client file or is concentrating on more lucrative accounts, like breasts or the vagina. I believe that the penis's lousy popularity is all about the way he's spun, media-wise, and not something intrinsically bad about him. How not to like what is basically a telescopic injection system?

At the moment Mr P has about the same cachet as Gary Busey, or, worse, David Hasselhoff. You know these guys have talent, and they've done good work in the past. But you'd be less surprised to see them featured on TMZ or the Smoking Gun than at the Oscars or the Emmys. Ditto the penis. His resume is filled with solid if dull work: he's a journeyman, and that's fine, but things are slipping in that 'I heard he's doing pills/saw him drunk at noon' kind of way. He's better than that.

A big part of the problem is the arm's length relationship men have with their penis. To most of us he's that distant friend we're not sure how we met, always there, mostly good company, generally well behaved. Unabashed mateship is possible, but we're aware that he harbours the ability to go rogue. Horrid cliche that it is, the penis has a mind of his own, and he can be willful in a way that leaves the rest of us looking bad. So we remain less close than you might imagine.

Vaginas have their Monologue, breasts have Hooters. What does the penis have? Yes, there is that puppet show, but does that really help to uplift the image? I think not. With an eye to engaging a marketing firm, the penis's abstract would go something like this:

External variable-length dual-function mammalian appendage needs re-imaging. Delightful pleasure-centre with whimsical side sometimes appeals to adult women. Mysterious qualities worth highlighting. Relationship with owners usually good, but lacks spark without female interaction. Penis name is stale, although the right campaign might rescue it. Key issues: bad reportage, low public awareness, downside only highlighted in mainstream media. Recommend completely new media strategy.

And the winner is...

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway!! I have many new blogs to check out, hopefully I'll be able to make the rounds in the next week or so :) For those of you who visited Tri to Cook for the first time, I hope to see you again! To entice you back, I'll let you know that tomorrow I'll be posting some Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts...

without further ado, thanks to Random.org, the winner is...

Diana of Soap and Chocolate!!

Girl, shoot me an email (tri2cook [at] gmail) and I'll get you in touch with the right people ;) Hopefully you'll have no more ice-y concoctions!

Thanks again to everyone for making this a fabulous year (and 2 months)!!

Fun in the Sun - AZ

I think I need a vacation from my vacation! It's been quite hard to catch up and get back in the swing of things, but I thought a quick recap of my trip to Arizona would be a good distraction :) My parents and I went out to visit family and get away for a bit. After my luggage arrived (a day after I did :/), I was able to enjoy myself and have a great trip!

Some of the highlights...

Andre Agassi

We caught the last match of a Champions Tourney and it was great to see Andre Agassi in action again. Oh how I love him! I always liked watching him play, and once imagined my backhand to be like his (ha).

Pinnacle Peak

I dragged my dad on a couple of hikes, one day up Pinnacle Peak and another on the Lost Dog Trail. I forgot to find out where the name of the latter trail came from, but we didn't cross the paths of any dogs-- just lots of cacti!

view from the Lost Dog Trail

I know I was on vacation, but I actually went to PT while I was in Arizona! If you're in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, I would highly recommend Endurance Rehabilitation. I've been to a few physical therapists and various doctors about my knee/heel issues and orthotics, and I can't say enough good things about them. Except I wish they were back east!


Another unexpected treat was the chance to meet an awesome blogger and her adorable daughter! It was great to have a chance to chat with Averie, she's just as passionate and inspiring in real life as on her blog! Skylar's was a little picture shy for me, but luckily Averie had the good sense to snap a quick picture before we had to part ways.

Me & Averie

Later in the week we hit up the Pueblo Grande Museum to escape the escalating temperatures (our last day hit 100!) and I was quite fascinated to see how well the prehistoric Hohokam people cooked ;) By placing grasses and herbs around hot stones and agave hearts, they were essentially infusing their food cooked in their "ovens"! How neat is that?!



While we didn't try cooking like the Hohokam, we did have a few terrific meals. My parents indulged my peanut butter habit and went to lunch with me at a P.B.Loco Cafe. I've already recreated the sandwich I had (Curry/Spicy PB, cucumber and pineapple on wheat, toasted or pressed), and I think they enjoyed it, too! We won't talk about how much of the jar I bought (the Sumatra Cinnamon & Raisin was my fav) there is left...

Curry Spice Sandwich

Luckily our pb-filled lunches held our bellies over through the wait at Pizzaria Bianco. The food was definitely worth it-- their antipasto plate was a wonderful assortment of roasted veggies (butternut squash, zucchini, mushrooms, peppers...) that was quickly polished off. The brick oven is in the corner of the restaurant, and the bread and pizzas it produced were pretty amazing. Thin and crispy, we couldn't wait to dig in to our pizzas! Sudded with rosemary and pistachios, the Rosa took us by surprise, but the Wiseguy with roasted crimini's stole our hearts. Definitely a restaurant I would recommend, if you can get there at 4:30. Grab a drink at the bar next door, get in line, and enjoy each others company until the restaurant opens at 5 :)



My aunt also took us to a fabulous French place, Zinc Bistro, that took her back to the streets of Paris (I've never been, so I can't say ;)). Everything we had there was phenomenal, but the dish that is at the top of my list to recreate is their pistachio ice cream. The waitress we had was awesome, going above and beyond to try and find the recipe for me! She confirmed my suspicion--it had a coconut milk base. When I make room in my freezer, expect me to figure this one out :) As our "last meal" we went to White Chocolate Grill, which was also pretty good. They made their bread pudding with croissants, which won over a few of my dining companions!

I've probably missed something along the way, but it was great to go on vacation with my parents (it had been awhile!). It was also fun to meet my cousins' wives and their kids... crazy to think about how old that makes us! I leave you with one of my new buddies, we had fun flirting at lunch one day ;) Isn't he just the cutest??

Me & Tommy

Cocktails Perfect for the End of the Week: Passion Fruit, Lime or Orange, & White Rum

Just when you thought you'd never get a break, the week is finally over. It's Friday night and you can stop thinking about work, school, and those never-ending errands.

The truth is, if you don't recharge on the weekend, you're toast next week. You'll be in a bad mood. You won't look forward to work, school, or those never-ending errands.

So you owe it to your good humor, your health, productivity and the betterment of all your relationships to kick back and take it easy.

A cool refreshing drink is a great way to slow down and smell the roses, or, in this case, the fresh fruit.

These drinks are all about the quality of the fruit. The limes, oranges, and passion fruit need to be fresh and juicy. The rum must be white. The sugar powdered.

Besides that, you'll need a couple of ice cubes and a muddler or a spoon. Now you're set to entertain yourself or share the good times with friends.

Passion Fruit, Lime or Orange & White Rum

Pick either lime or orange, the choice is yours.

Yield: 1 serving

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

1/4 cup finely chopped lime or orange, with juice
1 teaspoon passion fruit pulp including seeds
1/4 cup white rum
1 heaping tablespoon powdered sugar
4 ice cubes

Method

Crush the lime or orange in a glass with a wooden muddler or the back of a spoon, add the passion fruit, rum and sugar. Stir to mix well.

Add the ice cubes and serve with a small spoon, the better to sip and stir and sip some more.

Exciting news

**Cue red bridge-shaped confetti**

I'M GOING TO SAN FRANCISCO!!!

I am very excited at the opportunity to attend the 1st-Annual Foodbuzz Festival as Nature's Pride Bread Ambassador :) There may have been a happy dance that took place when I found out... and my oh my was it hard not to say anything! Thanks for all the congrats ;)

I'll be back soon with a tribute meal and a recap of my trip to Arizona (including one sunny blogger and some amazing eats), but in the mean time, check out the recipe that did it, or my giveaway.

Who else is going to the Festival??

The Bullpen

Baseball is supposedly the national pastime in America. That makes it ripe for use in metaphors, so here's one for you to ponder. A certain kind of woman maintains men in reserve, a backstop against her main squeeze bailing. This emergency pool of guys is remarkably similar to the way the pitching rotation works in baseball.

Let's take a step back. In baseball, the bullpen is the area to the side of the playing field in which secondary pitchers await the call. To use a farmyard analogy, the men therein are for when the main man fails to perform - in the parlance, they pitch clean-up.

In the game of sex, a bullpen is where a woman stashes her prospective suitors, the ones she can call on should her starter fail to perform. He might also consider himself a free agent and leave for another team, in which case his ex will want a replacement.

I have been reliably informed that happy women in stable relationships do not maintain a bullpen. That implies every other woman who is not in a stable relationship keeps a bullpen, no?

Trust and Respect

It's all so bleeding obvious really, and yet we keep making the same crappy mistakes. At least I seem to.

I asked Maryanne how a woman will know she's with the wrong guy. Her reply - and I'm paraphrasing - is that you need to test for trust and respect.

Trust is straightforward. An honest gut-check will provide you the answer.

Respect is more nuanced. Respect goes to motivation and intent, tricky animals to flush out in ones-self, let alone in someone else. Respect is easier to judge in retrospect, if you'll forgive the word play, most clearly seen in the rear-view mirror. And that takes time.

My assumption is that this works for men as well as women. If it doesn't we're in more trouble than I'd figured. And I should make it clear that even if shared trust and comprehensive respect exist within a relationship, it does not mean that match is perfect. There's always the unknown X-Factor that make these things work.

Ah, the X-Factor, that fugitive from logic and reason.

Maryanne and Hindsight

With luck, my interview with Maryanne Comaroto will proceed at 6:00 pm Eastern US time tonight.

Yay.

Edit: That was fun. If you want to listen via your medium of choice, go here. Thanks Maryanne, you're the best!

Smart women

Serendipity plays a bigger part in our lives than we might imagine. It has been a while coming, but serendipity brings me to this point: women are stronger than men. It's the truth, and I have yet to see it so beautifully put.

It's the flight syndrome, she continued. We've always been told that the male creature is so much stronger than the female. That it is men who seek conflict and struggle. Yet women are so much stronger. When it comes to clashes of emotion, to conflicts of the heart, men run like dogs. It's true. Just look around, at some men. Look at their eyes. A woman's eyes are naturally open and frank, emotive and fragile. Men live their lives a few inches behind their eyes, hiding behind them, keeping themselves out of any real danger. They look at the world as if through a mask.*

Right or wrong?

It's what I hinted at here.


*Quoted from The Third Translation, by Matt Durant. p 74, with thanks, this is a wonderful work of fiction.

A year gone by and a giveaway!

I knew it was coming up... and then all of the sudden I missed it! A year (and two months) has come and gone at Tri to Cook, and oh my how aweful my pictures were when I first started :) To celebrate, I have a pretty awesome giveaway for you, courtesy of CSN stores.

Tyler at CSN recently contacted me to tell me about the large selection of dinnerware and cookware they carry on their website. Boasting unparalleled customer service, selection and savings, CSN stores has rapidly grown into a top online retailer in the US, Canada, the U.K. and Germany.

CSN stores has graciously offered to give away something pretty amazing to one Tri to Cook reader...

are you ready for this??




A Cuisinart ice cream maker!!! I am quite excited to have this opportunity for my readers, and can't wait to have you making ice cream with me :) Thank you CSN!!

There are two ways to enter:
1. Check out CSN's site and let me know which product you're most interested in why (maybe some Counter Stools or Rachel Ray Cookware? I've had my eye on this).
2. Link back to this giveaway on your blog, and leave a separate comment here letting me know you've done so. If you don't have a blog, feel free to spread the old fashioned way and just have them mention you sent them!

Giveaway ends October 26th, 8:00AM

A day in the life of a pussy

A very serious message. Probably NSFW, although I'm not sure exactly why.

Food Plus Sex

I accidentally slipped a strawberry into Carol's pussy. That was my first time, some years ago now - my berry-busting if you will. Accidentally is not the right word because, just between you and me, it was not truly a slip-up. More of a pre-planned spur of the moment event.

There was chocolate sauce present too, in one of those squeezable bottles that make it easy to overindulge. Portion control is hit and miss with those things. We'd been fooling around with the chocolate, engaging in what we considered sexually sophisticated foreplay. I would spurt chocolate over her breasts, then lick it off, taking great pleasure in teasing about with her nipples. Carol was quite tasty enough without the sticky sweet stuff, but she seemed to enjoy it.

The downside of food in sex is the mess. Egyptian cotton sheets absorb really well. If you're enthusiastic with your congress and edibles are in the mix, the wet spot can be the whole bed. Makes for a squelchy kind of icky afterglow.

Perhaps your experiences are better.

Edit: Because TFABS can read my mind, here's the defining moment.

Guest Post: Salmon Burgers

I'm out of my kitchen for a bit, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity for a guest! I have the pleasure of bringing you a fellow triathlete who shares a love for healthy, flavorful food. Michael Bissanti is the owner of FOUR burgers, and has graciously shared his recipe for salmon burgers. It sounds absolutely delicious, and I can't wait to try it out :) I also asked Michael to share a triathlon tip with us, which you can find at the end of the post! So without further ado... here's Michael!

FOUR burgers is an all natural burger joint in Cambridge's Central Square. The concept is simple: four burgers are served along with house cut potato chips and french fries. The burgers are an all natural grass fed beef burger, a turkey burger served with a cranberry chutney, an organic vegan black bean burger and our wild salmon burger.

When I was developing the concept for the restaurant, I noticed how many burger places have their turkey and veggie burgers listed last, at the bottom of the menu as if it were an afterthought, making all of you non-beef eaters feel like second class citizens. You can have your turkey/veggie burger... if you can find it.

At FOUR burgers, all of our burgers share equal billing on our menu and we take them all rather seriously. There are no chuckles in the kitchen should someone order a veggie burger, that's for sure. I knew I wanted to offer beef, turkey and a veggie burger, but the last spot in the lineup took a cue from my other restaurant, the paramount on beacon hill. From time to time, we'd serve a salmon burger that was tasty, popular and easy to prepare, so I followed my love of salmon and this burger found its home as the fourth offering at FOUR burgers. Equally as important, I wanted to offer something for everyone, regardless of whether or not you eat beef. The salmon burger has been the surprise hit and we sell about 200 per week.

Wild Salmon Burgers w/Asian Slaw
Recipe by Michael @ Four Burgers
Yield: ~8 burgers

for the burgers:
2 1/4lb ground wild salmon (or fillets run through a meat grinder/food processor)
1/2c panko bread crumbs
1/2c minced scallions
2t minced fresh ginger
1 egg, slightly beaten
1t salbal oelek chili paste
1t minced garlic
1t salt
1 1/2t soy sauce

for the slaw:
6c shredded green cabbage
1/2c veggie oil
3T rice wine vinegar
2t toasted sesame oil
1/2t crushed red pepper
1T toasted sesame seeds
kosher salt, to taste

For the slaw: add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and combine. Refrigerate for 30min.

For the burgers: If starting with salmon fillets, cut into 1" cubes and pulse in a food processor until finely chopped. Be careful not to over-process, you want to leave some chunks. Transfer ground salmon into a mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients. Mix salmon mixture well, then form into 4.5oz patties.

In a medium saute pan heat olive oil over medium heat. Add some of the burgers to the pan and sear until golden brown. Turn over and sear on other side until golden brown (~3-4min/side). Repeat as needed to cook remaining patties.

Serve burgers on a toasted bun topped with Asian Slaw. These could also be served with lettuce, tomato and a simple tartar sauce, or over your favorite salad. These salmon burgers can also be prepared ahead and frozen for a quick meal. To defrost the burgers, simply put one or two in the fridge before you head to work and they'll be ready when you get home!


Michael's tri tip: If you want to get faster, train with people faster than you, they'll push you beyond your limits! Find an experienced traithlete who can teach you the in's and out's of training, resting, nutrition and my favorite, transitions.

Hot Soup for a Cold Day: Homemade Vegetable Soup

In the blink of an eye, summer disappeared. It seems like the 4th of July was just yesterday when we wore short sleeve shirts and shorts, had a picnic in the park, and watched fireworks explode overhead.

Now we're trying to keep warm and dry as dark clouds matte out the sky and cold winds push thick rain drops against our bodies. At a time like this, happiness is a good parka and thick socks!

Wrapping up in a thick blanket or cozying up to a well-stoked fireplace fortifies body and soul against the chill. For internal weatherproofing, though, nothing beats the cold better than homemade soup.

Simple is often best and that is doubly true in soups. When I'm cold, I want my soup hot, fresh tasting, and flavorful.

Vegetable soup is easy-to-make and nourishing. Perfect any time of the day, but when the weather's cold and rainy, I like soup in the morning. It's better than a cup of coffee or tea to get me out the door.

8 Vegetable Soup

For visual appeal, the vegetables are all cut the same size as corn kernels.

Please check out the Variations below. The soup makes a good base for the addition of other flavors and ingredients.

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion, skin removed, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, skins removed, finely chopped
1 medium potato, peel on, washed, finely chopped
1 ear of corn, husks and silks removed, kernels cut off
2 carrots, washed, trimmed, peeled, finely chopped
1 cup Italian parsley, washed, dried, leaves and stems finely chopped
1 cup brown mushrooms, washed, pat dried, finely chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, washed, quartered
3 cups spinach leaves and stems, washed thoroughly, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 cups water
1 tablespoon sweet butter (optional)
Sea salt and pepper

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium flame. Saute the onions and garlic until lightly browned. Season with sea salt and pepper. Add the other vegetables. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the water, bring to a light boil. Continue to simmer for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. For a creamier texture, add the sweet butter.

Serve hot, topped with croutons, preferably homemade.

Variations

Use chicken or meat stock instead of water

Trade out any of the vegetables for broccoli, zucchini, leeks, squash, kale, or any vegetable you like

Use chopped arugula instead of the spinach

For a hearty soup, in the final 5 minutes, add 1 cup cooked pasta, like ziti, penne, fussili or 1 cup cooked rice or 1 cup cooked white beans

Add 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken meat

Add 1 cup roughly chopped sauteed sausage

Season with 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or oregano added to the saute

Just before serving, sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

For a touch of heat, dust the saute with cayenne

Pie... as a Side Dish?!?

As you may have caught at the end of a recent post, I recently went apple picking with some friends (Kerstin, Lauren, Elina, Kelly and Nicole to name a few). The weather, which threatened rain, cleared up for us and it turned out to be a fantastic afternoon. I was extremely excited, and had a smile plastered on my face the entire time we were there :) Fall is my favorite season, and I have totally been eating 3 apples a day when they're in season!

the loot

I came home with a bag full of Granny Smith, MacIntosh and Macouns, and I knew the first thing that I would make with some of them... PIE! I have actually made one apple pie from scratch, a couple years before I started a blog. I actually still have the picture I took to show my mom :) What can I say, I was proud!


After my last pie disaster, I knew I had to jump back in and not be afraid of pies. This time, I actually remembered to use the apple peeler-corer that my mom had given to me! Nice to use when you're peeling more than an apple or two :)


Of course I had to put some pressure on myself, this couldn't be just any apple pie ;) Morphing an idea from Simply Organic, I used a Rosemary-studded crust and added some cave-aged gruyere to a crumb topping. It smelled heavenly in my apt while it was baking, and I thought it was pretty incredible!! To prevent myself from eating the entire pie in an embarrassingly short amount of time, I sought out the opinions of some friends. I was humbled when it got top marks across the board... hearing how much they enjoyed it made my day :) Rebecca thought it was up there as one of her favorite of my baked goods, up there with her birthday cake! Daryl (who's an excellent cook I might add) had the brilliant idea of eating a slice of this pie with pork chops or a roast. Umm, apple pie for dinner? Sign me up! He certainly has the right idea :)



Without further ado... here's the recipe. Anyone else like to play with the lines of savory and sweet??

Apple Pie w/Rosemary Crust & Gruyere Crumble
Recipe by Shannon, adapted from two recipes (on Enlightened Cooking and in Simply Organic)



Crust:
1 1/2 c white whole wheat (WWW) flour
1/4 t salt
4T cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2oz Nufatchel
2T neutral-flavored oil (I use a Smart Balance Blend)
3T tablespoons ice water
~1t fresh rosemary, chopped (I eyeballed this, fresh or dried thyme would also work)

Filling:
~2.5lbs of apples (I used a mix of Grannys, MacIntosh, and possibly Macouns)
3/4c brown sugar, NOT packed
1T cornstarch
1/4t fresh nutmeg

Crumb Topping:
2/3c WWW flour
2T ground flaxseeds
2/3c turbinado sugar (or brown sugar, but I was out)
1/2t fresh ground pepper
2T cold butter
2-3T neutral-flavored oil
4oz cave-aged gruyere (Cheddar or Asiago are other good options)


Whisk together flour and salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender (or 2 forks), cut in butter and cream cheese until crumbly (you want it to look like pebbles). Add oil and stir until moistened. Sprinkle rosemary and water over flour mix and toss with a fork to combine. Knead dough in the bowl a few times, then press together into a disk and wrap in 2 layers of plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 min (I made mine a day ahead).

Roll out dough in between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Have your pie plate out to make sure the circle is larger than the dish. Peel one sheet of parchment off your dough and invert over pie plate. Peel off the back piece of parchment, then press dough into the pan. Crimp the edges with your fingers, then prick the dough. Refrigerate the crust again while the oven is preheating.

*I prebaked my crust for 15min at 375deg in the lower third of the oven, but I thought my crust got a little dark. I might cut this back to 5-10min or not prebake at all next time* If prebaking, let crust cool before assembling.

Preheat oven to 350deg. In a large bowl, combine filling ingredients. To prepare the topping, combine flour, flax, sugar, pepper and cheese in a medium bowl. Grate butter into mix and add 2T oil. Using a fork, mix topping, adding more oil until the mixture is moistened. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Add filling to prepared pie crust and and spray the edges of the crust with nonstick spray. Bake (in middle of oven) for 20min, then add crumb topping and continue baking for 40min, or until crust is browned and apples are soft. Cool on a rack before slicing (the longer you wait, the better it sets up. I had to leave the house :)). Enjoy slightly warmed or at room temperature. Pick your side/topping!

Hindsight

Newsflash: Today's chat with Maryanne is being delayed one week. Sadly, she's battling a nasty creature from outer space. No, I mean she's fighting off a nasty cold.

Get well soon, Maryanne, we'll chat next Monday.


Tomorrow, Monday, October 12, I am interviewing Maryanne Comaroto. Here's her website.

We're planning to chat about her most recent book, 'Hindsight - What you need to know before drop your drawers.' This I am looking forward to, because Maryanne's a Relationships Superstar. She's bound to teach me a thingertwo.

Here's the BlogTalkRadio website should you want to be there live with us, or there are numerous ways to listen to the show at a time of your convenience.

We'll be commencing at 5:00 pm Eastern USA, 2:00 pm Pacific USA.

Edited correcting 'draws' to 'drawers'. Sheesh.
Edited again for various manglings of English.

Talk to me, big boy.

Internet dating in its current form excites me not at all. As I have written before, it's a gigunda People Mall reliant upon guys liking what they see (pictures, not words) and women liking....well, I have no clue how women interpret dating site profiles.

There are the eHarmony-type sites which purport to use scientific questioning to match personality types. Success, they claim, lies in the clever untangling of your personality at a "deeper level" thereby overcoming the shallow visual attraction. Fair enough.

Then there are the video dating sites. These provide fodder for YouTube, as poor unfortunates chronically unused to being on camera attempt to brand themselves as fabulous mates with a few seconds of ill-advised self-revelation. Bad.

My idea is different. I want to avoid the visual, as it's too powerful for guys to overcome. Many folks are hopeless at articulating a self-sketch in words, and that too needs junking. So what about an audio-profile in which a trained interviewer spends five or ten minutes asking questions of the date-seeker? The recording would then be available for download, along with a short, professionally written blurb, and a way to contact the candidate should you be interested.

The advantage is that a friendly interview in audio form is intimate. The right interviewer can draw out even the most recalcitrant person, and we're all much better at talking than we are at writing. For those seeking a mate or a date, hearing a voice and an outline of their ideas on a few topics gives you a decent idea of who they are - way better than that photo of them at the Trevi Fountain seven years ago.

All I need now is a name. And a (moneyed) backer.

Edit: November 3. Here's my chat with Miss Have the T-Shirt about this idea.

Rhode Island, O Rhode Island, How You Have Changed

In the mid-1970s, when I lived in Providence the food wasn't very good. Sure there was great local seafood, especially clams and lobsters, but if you wanted to eat out, your choices were pretty much limited to diner food and Mafia Italian.

To get decent food I traveled to New York to buy ethnic ingredients, read cook books and taught myself how to cook.

Recently I had the chance to return to Rhode Island to write a series of food and travel articles. I spent two weeks traveling around the state, eating in a great variety of settings, from diners and beach-side clam shacks to upscale bistros and fine dining restaurants.

I discovered a lot has changed in Rhode Island. The state is now home to dozens of passionate chefs with incredibly smart palates.

Johanne Killeen and George Germon (Al Forno), Brian Kingsford (Bacaro) Kevin Thiele (One Bellvue in the Hotel Viking), Kyle Ketchum (Spiced Pear in the Chanler Hotel), Champe Spiegle (Persimmon), Matt and Kate Jennings (Farmstead and La Laiterie), Ed Reposa (Thee "Red" Fez), Matt Gennuso (Chez Pascal), Ross Audino (Hotel Manisses), Bruce Tillinghast and Beau Vestal (New Rivers) to name a few.

Whether they're running a 10 or a 50 table restaurant, they want their customers to have the most satisfying experience possible. They care deeply about finding the best ingredients. They are constantly innovating and changing their menus. Good food is taken seriously in Rhode Island.

These are chefs with extraordinary energy. Like Derek Wagner, chef/owner of Nick's On Broadway. He is in the kitchen from the breakfast service at 7:00am until the restaurant closes at night. His energy, focus, and attention to details is mesmerizing. His food, delicious.

He is one of many.

The chefs know each other. They eat in one another's restaurants. They share ideas. They shop together. They help one another when needed. This is a community in the best sense of the word.

When I lived in Providence I had to fend for myself and that was good for my cooking. If I lived in Rhode Island today I might not have learned how to cook, but I probably wouldn't miss it. I'd be eating too well to notice.

Silken Chocolate Cheesecakes

A coupon made me pick up a package of Nasoya's new Silken Creations. I chose the chocolate, figuring if I got lazy I could just eat it as chocolate pudding :) Desperately wanting to use my new mini cheesecake pan, I decided to try and adapt a recipe for Chocolate Cheesecake. I had a few issues, as I wasn't sure how long to bake these (as I was using a new product and a new pan), but in the end they tasted great so I decided to post my recipe. I would use it as a template to tweak how you deem appropriate!



Chocolate PB Mini Cheesecakes
Recipe by Shannon
Yield: 9 mini cheesecakes



1c graham cracker crumbs
1-2T applesauce
1/2 pkg Nasoya Dark Chocolate Silken Creations
3oz Nufatchel cheese
1oz natural style nut butter (creamy or crunchy your choice, I had a crunchy PB open)
1 1/2T cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 deg.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and enough applesauce so all the crumbs are wet. Press 1-2T mixture into 9 wells of a mini cheesecake pan. Bake for 10min, then remove crusts and lower oven to 325.

While crusts are baking, prepare filling. Combine cream cheese, nut butter, silken creations and cornstarch in food processor (or blender) and mix until smooth. Divide filling amongst crusts. Bake, covered with foil for 20min, then another 10-20min until cheesecake has set. Remove from oven and let cool for a bit. Unmold cheesecakes and refrigerate for a hour or so (or more) before serving. I ate mine with a drizzle of peanut butter on top!


Has anyone used these mini cheesecake pans before?? Am I supposed to spray the inside of the molds? Mine stuck like crazy to the sides--don't know if it was the Nasoya addition or the pan. The texture definitely improved after refrigeration, and I'm not sure why. I may have overbaked mine, but I didn't know how "set" the Nasoya Creations actually get! It wasn't a completely failure, but you know what they say... if at first you don't succeed, try and try again! Guess I'll have to make some more mini cheesecakes :)

What is a woman thinking?

The interior of my mind (I'd like to think) is similar to that of an English gentleman's club. There are books and whisky; fine conversations and ancient agreements; nuance and humour. A smell of leather wafts around, the passing down of wisdom from one generation to another the currency of the house.

It's all bollox of course, a pure fantasy fuelled by (Sean Connery as) James Bond, failed British Empire schooling and a particular kind of snobbery one admires from afar, but can never really be a part of.

Never end a sentence with a preposition, by the way.

What interests me is what it's like inside the female brain. Those kitchy funnies depicting lady-brains as being all about shopping and emotion leave me cold, if only because the real thing is so much more likeable than that. A big mistake I have made in the past is to see women as a kind of enemy...or more like an untrustworthy ally, like, say Siegfried and Roy's tigers.

The female brain is an utter mystery to most guys I think, but it need not be so. One thing I discovered a while ago is that unlike mine, your brain is full of voices competing for attention. Goodness, it must be a cacophony in there. Guys need only understand that in order to be heard, they should be the loudest, most persistent voice. That's all. And I don't mean shouting without taking a breath. Just be there with a consistent, loving message, and you'll be heard.

Move over pasta, make room for the veggies!

I apologize for the slight randomness of this post, but I've tried some tasty recipes recently that I thought I'd share. The first two may be pasta dishes, but the stars of the show are not the noodles! To use up the last zucchini I had in my fridge, I made Soba Noodles with Zucchini Ribbons. I stuck to one portion, but kept the amount of veggies the same (thus doubling the veggies). Since I had no mushrooms, I used some diced red pepper. I love the hearty soba noodles, edamame, and zucchini, so this was a real treat for lunch :)

Soba Noodles w/Zucchini Ribbons

I also had grand plans for the bunch of kale I had picked up at the farmers market after reading Molly Wizenberg's article in Bon Appetit about how a recipe for Spaghetti w/Braised Kale made her fall in love with this highly nutritious vegetable. While I didn't need to be convinced (I already like kale), I thoroughly enjoyed this dish, which I made with some Lemon Chive Angel Hair!

Spaghetti w/Braised Kale

To finish off the kale, I also decided to try this recipe for a chickpea and kale stirfry. The recipe has been morphed from Heidi's site and I've also seen a version by Esi, so I knew this was probably a winner ;) Indeed it was-- the lemony zing went perfectly with the sauteed kale and crispy, hearty chickpeas!

Lemony Chickpea & Kale Stir Fry

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I've got a fun dessert coming up using this new(ish) product and a cute pan :)

The Nugget's Best of the West Rib Cook-Off is a Recession Buster

If you've never been to a barbecue rib-cook off, let me paint you a picture.

On either side of a long street, booths are set up with sellers hawking their wares. You'll hear laughter and a hundred conversations as people walk down the crowded street or stand in line at the booths.

Imagine a midway that looks very much like a county fair only instead of having rides, baking contests, and pens with animals, at a rib rib-cook, everyone is selling meat.

Pork ribs, beef ribs, brisket, turkey drumsticks, barbecue chicken, pulled pork, and hot links.

Ok, that's a slight exaggeration. Not everyone is selling meat.

You can buy sides that go with meat: cole slaw and baked beans and you can buy lots of fried things--thick fried onion rings, zucchini strips, hush puppies, garlic fries, and potato chips piled high on a plate looking very much like a small mountain.

For those watching their diets, there is fresh fruit on a stick and freshly squeezed lemonade. If you want something sweet, there are booths selling fennel cakes, shaved ice and chocolate dipped fruit on sticks.

But you don't come to a rib-cook because you want to eat all that other stuff. You come to a cook-off because you love to eat meat and you love barbecue.

You might see people in PETA t-shirts and you'd scratch your head wondering why animal rights advocates would be here, but then you read the fine print and you'd understand. At a rib cook-off, PETA means "People for the Eating of Tasty Animals."

In early September I was on assignment for Peter Greenberg to be a judge at John Ascuaga's Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off, my second year and the Cook-Off's 21st.

Over six days, the Nugget's rib-cook attracts over 500,000 people, who come together for a celebration of good times and good food.

There are families everywhere you turn. Toddlers in strollers. Babes in arms. Teenagers who might not otherwise hang out with their parents are happily comparing notes about a favorite rib cooker or fiery barbecue sauces, like Johnson BBQ's ThermoNuclear or Rasta Joe's Island Fire sauce.

The Nugget adds to the fun with bands playing day and night. The sound of rock and country music drifts through the air, combining with the sweet smoke that pours off the wood burning grills as the racks of ribs are coated with thick brush-strokes of barbecue sauce.

People find space on the picnic benches that have been set up in the shade. Mostly though, impromptu picnics happen as soon as the people get their ribs. They can't wait. The ribs are that good.

People who come to a rib cook-off don't just come to have a quick bite to eat. Not a chance. They've come to sample and compare.

If you strike up a conversation with people as they eat their ribs, you'll find out that this isn't their first cook-off. Odds are they've attended the Best of the West before and they've come back to enjoy the ribs from their favorite cookers.

They'll eat a basket of ribs. Lick their fingers. Grab an ice cold lemonade. Walk around a bit. Listen to the music, maybe gamble a bit, then they're back out to the midway to try another cooker's ribs.

The conversations you'll hear as you walk down the midway are all about ribs and sauce. If there's inside-baseball talk, then at a cook-off, you'll hear inside-barbecue talk.

Which cookers are at the top of their game. Whose meat has the best balance of smoke and tenderness. Which rib has just the right edge of heat. There are comparisons between old favorites and new ones. Which sauces hit flavor out of the ballpark.

In addition to the judges ranking of the Best Ribs and Best Sauce, there's also a People's Choice award. People have their favorites and they lobby one another to promote the cookers they like.

Butch of Smack Your Lips BBQ is a favorite because he beat Bobby Flay on the Food Network's rib Throwdown. There are long lines in front of Rasta Joe's because who can resist barbecue with Jamaican flavors and heat? Last year's winner for best ribs, Bone Daddy's Bill Wall, has so many fans, they've started a Facebook page and he tweets to let people back home know what's happening each day at the cook-off.

The cookers are as enthusiastic about ribs as are the fans. They literally live, breath, and sleep dry rubs, sauces, and quality of meat. Of the 24 cookers in competition, 23 are on the road 4 months of the year.

From just before Memorial Day to just after Labor Day, the cookers criss-cross the United States in big rigs, pulling their mammoth smokers and barbecue grills. They move from competition to competition, selling their meats and sauces, going up again long-time competitors, and (hopefully) picking up more trophies along the way.

But even if they don't win, this is big business. Only a few of the cookers have restaurants. Most make their living doing catering and traveling the competitive barbecue circuit. In a down economy, where their catering business might be off because corporations don't have as much to celebrate and they've cut back on events, the cook-off business is as good as ever. Virginia Beach's Dan Johnson of Johnson's BBQ says, "People are staying local, enjoying themselves. The cook-offs are good for families. There are things for dads to do, moms too, and the kids get to play. There's lots to do."

The Nugget's Best of the West is a great example why business is so good. Where else can a family have so much fun for so little money?

There's no admission fee. The entertainment is free. Everyone is welcome to stop and listen to the bands that play day and night. A large crafts fair is set up nearby where you can shop for clothing, hand-made jewelry, household decorations, and toys. There's plenty to eat and drink. The most expensive plate of food is under $15.00. You're hanging out with family and friends.

So where do the big guys like to eat when they’re on the road?

Butch eats ribs from old friend Ray “Red” Allen Gill’s Razorback, stopping by Red’s place in Arkansas and when they’re at events competing against one another.

Peter and Roberta Rathmann of BJ's Nevada Barbecue Company--the only Sparks barbecue restaurant at the competition—-try small, family operations when they travel because they want to see what people like themselves are doing.

Joe Alexander of Rasta Joe’s likes Corky’s in Memphis, Tennessee for the pulled pork and ribs.

But surprisingly, what most cookers recommend isn’t what you’d think.

Most agree with Bill Wall who says, “The honest truth is I don’t eat a lot of barbecue. I love to visit and see barbecue places [when he’s traveling]. But when I’m going out to eat, I like Caesar salads and shrimp, a good pasta or a great piece of meat.”

Unlike Bill and the other cookers, I rarely get the chance to eat great ribs and I love them. So being a judge at the Best of the West is a great treat.

The tough part, though, is the waiting. The first rule of the contest is that no judge may eat a rib until the judging.

Walking past all those cookers, their grills ablaze, the smell of barbecue sauce and smoke in the air, is pure torture. Watching crowds of people eating baskets of ribs and licking thick, sweet sauce off their fingers, it takes all my self-control so I don't just reach over and grab one of those ribs and devour it on the spot.

But I’m true to my judge’s oath and I wait.

When the time comes, the judges meet in a secured room inside the casino. The ribs are put out on a large table. The cookers are identified only by number.

The tasting begins in hushed silence. The second rule of judging is “No talking.” In 40 minutes, each judge has to evaluate either 12 (the preliminary round) or 10 (the final round) ribs. Walking around the chafing dishes we solemnly nibble on a bone, evaluating each rib for appearance, tenderness, mouth feel, and taste (salty, sweet, and heat).

Some ribs I like right away. Others I’m convinced aren’t good. But in fairness I know that a cooker shouldn’t be judged on one rib alone. So it’s back around the table for a second tasting. I score each one. Then I go back a third time to confirm my favorites. I’m dying to know who I like, but all I know is a number.

After the judging we’re invited to a special area where the cookers bring their ribs to a large tent so it’s easier to try everyone’s ribs and sauces. Now I have the chance to put a face to a rib, so I methodically take one rib from each serving dish (if you’re keeping track that’s 24 ribs) and carefully write on the Styrofoam plate the name of the cooker. I take a bite out of each one but only eat the whole rib if it’s great.

By the end I think I have a pretty good idea which cookers made my favorite ribs. I keep it to myself because the results of the contest aren't announced until tomorrow.

When I go to bed that night, I go to sleep happy and very full. In four hours, I’ve eaten 30 ribs.

After about an hour, I wake up with terrible chest pains so bad I am convinced I am dying. I know I should call the front desk and ask them to call an ambulance, but the pain is intense, I can’t move a muscle.

Then I realize I'm not having a heart attack. It is heartburn. You can’t eat that many ribs and not pay the price.

But it was worth it