Agnolotti of Leeks, Kale and Magic Nuts

I have a modest kitchen. Since it's just Heather and me eating, I don't need to cook large quantities of anything, so I don't need a large pantry for staples, I get by with a normal civilian range and oven, and I don't like gadgets so I don't need storage for a crap like a duck press, egg slicer and cherry stoning machine. In a normal week's cooking I'll literally only need one knife, one skillet, one pasta pot and one rice pan. Occasionally I'll break out the dutch oven if I need to braise something or bake bread, but that's about it. I sometimes use a food processor, but they seem a little bit too fiddly for most chores and they're annoying to clean. We don't have a dish washer, and Heather, bless her heart, has never washed a dish in her life, so the less I have to clean, the better. I own a KitchenAid mixer but I haven't used it in years, and I don't have any attachments for it. I'm solidly against attachments, because they require attaching, detaching, cleaning and other things that aren't cooking. I'm pretty sure the KitchenAid is in the cupboard under the toaster but I'm not sure. I suppose I'll find out when we move.

About the only gadget I don't mind is the pasta machine. If you're going to make pasta, you either need a giant work surface and long pin for rolling it out by hand, which I don't have, or a pasta machine and a nine-inch square spot on the counter. That's my jam right there, the nine-inch one.*

I make cut pasta sometimes, but that requires an attachment**, so I'm more likely to cut sheets of pasta with a knife, or just use dry pasta from the store. Usually if I'm making fresh pasta it's for ravioli of some kind. I don't have any ravioli molds, so usually I just fold the pasta over the middles into little agnolotti or sometimes use a glass to cut circles for mezzalune.

Tonight's pasta was a way to use up the remaining kale from a massive kale indulgence brought on by some particularly nice bunches at the fruit stand. I had some endive, kale and a leek, and made a plan to stuff ravioli with the mixed greens and serve with some browned butter. I cut some bacon into 1/2-inch cubes and started them rendering in the skillet with a little olive oil, then added the leek to get it wilted. I like almonds with greens, so as an experiment I added a bunch of chopped cashews and almonds to the skillet. More about them later, they did magic. While all that was underway I stripped the green kale leaf web off the stems and chopped it into ribbons.

When the leek was tender I added the kale and salted everything. The kale goes in before the other leaves because it takes more time to cook. If I were using collards I'd put them in first, same with beet, turnip or mustard greens. Softer greens like escarole, frisee, spinach, celery leaf, herbs -- basically anything you might eat uncooked -- take much less time to cook, and can disintegrate if cooked too long. I'm always charmed by how much the volume of fresh greens cooks down. You start with an afro and end up with a burr. I chopped up the curly endive, and once the kale had wilted I added the endive and a handful of both celery and mint leaves, which have the effect of brightening any cooked greens..

Sometimes greens can have a slightly dank, musty undertaste, so when everything was tender, I took it off the fire and added a splash of rice vinegar to keep the muddiness at bay. I didn't want to make a puree out of it while it was still hot, because the bowl of the processor is plastic and I seldom feel comfortable about putting hot things in plastic, not just because I might distort the plastic, but because maybe some mutagen chemical could cook out of it and I'd get face cancer or grow a dick out of each armpit. I tasted a bit of the greens and liked them, but doubted the wisdom of adding nuts because they didn't seem to be doing anything. How little I knew then.

I turned my attention to the pasta, which was the same simple recipe I've used forever. I put enough flour on the counter (I guess it's about a cup and a half), then crack an egg into the middle of it, making a little well, add an additional egg yolk, some salt and a spoonful of olive oil, then start stirring the egg with a fork, gradually incorporating more flour into it until it becomes a mass of dough, then grab the whole pile and knead it with the remaining flour until it comes together as pasta. I used semolina this time, but the same basic technique works with almost any kind of flour. It seems like the flour will bind with the eggs until satisfied, then no more flour joins the party, so you basically can't fuck it up. I'm all for things I can't fuck up.

I kneaded the pasta for a while to develop the gluten and make it elastic enough to stretch around the middle of the agnolotti, which I expected to be lumpy from the nuts,*** then put it aside to rest for a few minutes. If you let fresh pasta rest before you roll it, it doesn't retract after rolling as much and rolls down to thickness easier.

Then the magic happened. I put the greens in the basket of the food processor and pulsed them. When I stopped to check the consistency, I grabbed a pinch and tasted it, and was surprised to find that the nuts had given up some of their fat **** and emulsified the greens into a creamy mousse. It was both richer and nicer to eat than the greens straight out of the skillet. I suddenly felt like a goddamn genius and like I invented something and started hollering for the patent attorneys again. I couldn't wait to get the pasta ready.

I rolled the pasta out in a scorched panic, laid it out on the table in yard-long strips and filled it with the greens like I was trying to win a medal in it. Only then did I realize I had no water boiling yet. I sorted that out, and while the water was coming up I ran out into the alley and grabbed a couple of big fuzzy leaves off Old Man Sage. It's incredible, Old Man Sage is still happy out there in his bucket in the dead of winter, laughing, pimping, dancing on the graves of all the other herbs. When I got back indoors, the water had come up to boil, so I salted it and tossed in the agnolotti, and while they boiled I browned the sage in the skillet with some butter and garlic.

 The sage butter was ready precisely when the agnolotti were, so I strained them into the skillet and tossed them until the butter and the residual pasta water emulsified into a light sauce. I plated the agnolotti, dusted them by grating the last of the homemade cheese and decorated them with finely sliced scallions and black pepper.

The nut transformation was evident even inside the pasta, making the greens rich and smooth, and the toasted flavor of the nuts made the agnolotti more complex, which married nicely with the butter sauce. Made it worth breaking out two gadgets for one meal.

* Said the Bishop to the Actress
** Said the salesman in the sex shop
*** Said the Bishop to nobody in particular. Maybe an actress.
**** Bishop again.

Best of 2011

I'm not quite sure where 2011 went, but it has sure been a delicious one!!   Looking back at 2011, I realized it has been quite a creative year and it would be fun to do my first ever best-of on Tri To Cook.  Without further ado, here are 11 highlights from 2011 :)

1.  The most viewed post was my sweet and savory Tomato Jam, and I'm certainly with y'all here.  Along with the Savory Cheesecake and Pop Tarts I made with the tomato jam, I was so excited about this I had to share it with as many people as I could!!  I can't wait until next summer to make a few more batches (apparently three wasn't enough ;))

2.  I never thought that I would like fresh wasabi, but thanks to Marx Food's Ridiculously Delicious Challenge, I got the chance to play with it...  and play I did!  I created an Asian Sundae (incorporating Asian condiments into each component) and White Chocolate Wasabi Truffles (with a crystallized ginger center).  Both surprised and delighted everyone that tried them, and I'd call that a success :)

Asian Sundae

White Chocolate Wasabi Truffles

3.  My favorite breakfast was easily Potato Pancakes w/Spinach, Smoked Salmon & Poached Eggs, recreated from a brunch at Zaftigs.  A great, healthy start to any day!

4.  Another restaurant-inspired dish was the Kaddo Pizza I made last month.  Slow roasted sugar pumpkin, spiced beef and a refreshing mint yogurt sauce, and you've got a winning dinner.  If you've never given Afghani food a try, do yourself a favor and make this pizza!

5.  One of my favorite meals was the Mushroom Crepe Cake I made this summer.  My first attempt at making crepes turned out easier than expected and the mushroom filling amazing.   This meal was special not only because of the decadent crepe cake but also for the person whom it was made it for ;)

6.  Another favorite was this summers' Goat Cheese Ice Cream with Roasted Cherries.  Everyone loved it, and I'm sure my parents wished I had made a second batch ;)  Next time I might cut the cherries in half, but the goat cheese ice cream base could be enjoyed by itself or with other fruits!

7.  My favorite grain this year has been farro, and this Farro with Roasted Tomatoes and Eggplant.  The picture surely doesn't do it justice, but it was packed with flavor and an incredible dish highlighting some of summer's finest produce.

8.  While I have never eaten chicken and waffles, I think my take on this southern classic turned out fantastic.  Potato Waffles with Poached Salmon and Lemon-Dill Sauce is a recipe that surprised me with how well it came together, and one I'll definitely go back to.  Hopefully next time I won't overcook the salmon :/

9.  I began playing with cocktails this year, and my favorite was the Strawberry Meyer Lemonade Cocktail over the 4th of July, although the Peach Sangria was a close second.  This stuff was so delicious, it's certainly worth the cheers :)

10.  One of my goals for 2011 was to complete in an Olympic distance triathlon.  Finishing the Lobsterman triathlon in just about 3 hours was quite a moment for me, and an achievement I'm definitely proud of.  Any ideas on what my goals should be for 2012?  (I'm having a hard time this year...)

11.  This year wouldn't be complete without acknowledging a big project that I undertook with my good friend Rebecca.  Together, we baked a cake and 100 cupcakes for our friends wedding reception (chronicled here and here)!  This was quite a learning experience, but a lot of fun and the empty table at the end of the night made it all worthwhile :)

There are probably 10 more I could add to the list, but then it wouldn't be the 11 Best of 2011 ;)

Here's to a tasty, healthy 2012!  What are you doing to ring in the new year?

Friday Fluffer - It's Just A Weird Situation All Round

Elle Macpherson pic credit.

Not that Elle would ever be a fluffer. Although who knows what floats her 155' boat?

For the last Friday Fluffer of 2011, I give you the BEST way yet discovered to create pet names. Actually, I'm serious. This works, if only for a laugh. SFW.





Bottoms Up Sexy Candy Pandas.

Love Matador

 Paz Vega photo credit.

The PUA community is fully aware of the value of dressing to impress. Overdressing, actually, with the aim of making themselves the centre of attention. Peacocking they call it.

Grabbing and maintaining a woman's eye is the aim, and a quirky or bright outfit will help. The theory is that once you set yourself apart from the shlubs in flops and cargo pants, bedding a woman is then a matter of time.

The lads are probably right.

In Florida, where I live, a man in a long-sleeved shirt creates a stir. If he's in a business suit with necktie and polished shoes, the local television news sends an outside broadcast unit. Of course the climate mitigates against much more than shorts and a flamingo-print shirt, but still; we're a state of slobs.

So I have a vision, thanks to Katherina. The most colourful and distinctive male outfit I can think of is that of the matador. I'm SO tempted to dress myself as a torero - accessorized with hat and blood-red cape - and go about my day. In the morning I'd take my espresso, go to the bank and pump some gas. In the afternoon, naturally, a siesta. And then at then at cocktail hour I'd head to my favourite bar trailing a line of swooning females.

I'd be like a Bullfighting Pied Piper.





Bottoms Up, Picadors.

Rosemary Ginger Fizz

One cannot live on cookies alone (or can they?), so when I was planning my cookie swap, I wanted to provide a drink option...  besides water and almond milk.  A make-your-own drink sounded like fun, so I prepared some simple syrup and sugared cranberries  (perfect as they can be done ahead of time!) and let everyone serve themselves.  Sweeter, not so sweet, your choice!

Drink Station:  assembly required

I actually forgot the lemon slices at the cookie swap, but I liked the dimension it added when I went to try and take another photo the following day, so I'm including it in the recipe.

Rosemary Ginger Fizz
Recipe by Shannon

for the rosemary ginger simple syrup:
1c water
1/2c evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar)
3 sprigs of rosemary
2" knob of ginger (or more), peeled and sliced into thick coins

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower the temperature a simmer for a few minutes.  Remove from heat and let steep 10min.  Strain out the rosemary and ginger, then transfer to a jar and refrigerate.

to prepare the drink:
rosemary ginger simple syrup
ice
seltzer
lemons, cut into wedges or slices
sugared cranberries, for garnish if desired

Add seltzer to a glass with ice, then mix in your desired amount of rosemary ginger simple syrup and a squeeze of lemon juice.  Stir and taste, then adjust as you see fit.  For the wine glasses shown below, I was using ~2T simple syrup and the juice from 1 slice of lemon.

This could certainly be made alcoholic, if you're into that kind of thing ;)  Which alcohol would you pair with this?

You're Such a Dirty Bitch

 Manuela Arcuri photo credit.

You're such a dirty bitch.

God you're so wet, I love it.

Oooh, yeah, that feels great.

Your pussy feels so tight. 

Mmmmm, I could do this forever.


Guess what we're doing here? Yes, I'm talking during sex, and now that it's written down, it's kinda lame - unimaginative, even. But  when I start thinking about improving my sex-talk repertoire, the right words elude me.

My working theory is this: If a woman is sharing her mind and body with me in heavenly congress, she wants me to be as close to her ideal lover as possible. I guess women have the two extremes of men in mind - the worst possible and the best. The worst kind of lover sticks it in, wiggles it around for a bit, ejaculates and remains silent throughout. (Although under some circumstances I can see some women wanting precisely that. Tricky creatures.)

The ideal lover is skilled at making her feel beautiful and sexy; understands just how to help her mind and body stay horny; exerts the right amount of authority; talks eloquently and sexily; and fucks her long and often.

Frankly, that doesn't seem like such a big ask, especially in a loving marriage or committed LTR. Still, the right kind of talking during sex looks to be the most elusive element. From personal experience, men should avoid:


~ laughter. Women seem to take this personally, rather than as an expression of joy.

~ filth-talk if she's not in the mood. Best to discuss this beforehand.

~ comparison to other women, even if positively. Duh.

~ explicit functional chat if she's not prepared for it. Body parts have distinctly unsexy names.

~ anything that makes her feel self-conscious. Until she's comfortable with admiring honesty.


That's a start. As with much surrounding sexual preferences, it's best discussed away from the heat of the moment. Start when fully-clothed, and over dinner, ask:

Darling, when we're making love, do you like it when I tell you how hot you are in Latin?

With luck you'll be able to capitalize on the feeling and try your sex-talk immediately. Practice makes perfect.



Bottoms Up, Woman-Whisperers.

The Marriage Spider: Wombatgram #21

Try as you might, there's no killing the Marriage Spider.

Click on Wombatgram for all the hairy details.

How to choose your wedding limousine service.




Bottoms  Up, Arachnophobes.


For all previous Wombatgrams, try the Wombatgram home page, above. 

Arctic Methane Emergency Group Letter to World Leaders

Arctic Methane Emergency Group  

Emergency intervention to stabilize Arctic sea ice and thereby Arctic methane is today a matter of our survival

I write to you on behalf of the Arctic Methane Emergency Group, which includes among its founding members Peter Wadhams, Professor of Ocean Physics, Cambridge; Stephen Salter, Emeritus Professor of Engineering Design, Edinburgh; and Brian Orr, former Principal Science Officer at the UK DoE (as was). The Group has received support and advice from many pre-eminent climate science colleagues around the world.  The purpose of this letter is to respectfully bring to your attention new evidence of the rapidly deepening climate change crisis in the Arctic. We appeal to you to support our call to put the imminent loss of Arctic summer sea ice and escalation of Arctic methane emissions at the top of the climate change agenda and to support emergency measures to cool the Arctic.

Professor Peter Wadhams, on behalf of the Arctic Methane Emergency Group, spoke about this critical issue at the December 2011 American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in San Francisco, USA. Key elements of his talk have been widely reported, following an article in the UK's Independent newspaper.

The substance of our concerns – and the basis for these media reports – is outlined in our 16-page document entitled Arctic Methane Alert. To summarise:

• The loss of Arctic summer sea ice and increased warming of the Arctic seas threaten methane hydrate instability and a massive catastrophic release of methane into the atmosphere, as noted in IPCC AR4. 

• Research published by N. Shakhova* shows that methane is already venting into the atmosphere from seabed methane hydrates on the East Siberian Arctic shelf, or ESAS (the world's largest continental shelf), which, if allowed to escalate, would likely lead to abrupt and catastrophic global warming.

• The latest research expedition to the region (September/October 2011), according to Professor I. Semiletov, witnessed methane plumes on a "fantastic scale," "some one kilometer in diameter," "far greater" than previous observations, which were officially reported in 2010 to equal methane emissions from all the other oceans put together.

• The loss of Arctic summer sea ice and subsequent increased Arctic surface warming will inevitably increase the rate of methane emissions already being released from Arctic wetlands and thawing permafrost.

• The latest available data indicates there is a 5-10% possibility of the Arctic being ice free in September by 2013, more likely 2015, and with 95% confidence by 2018. This, according to the recognised world authorities on Arctic sea ice, Prof. Wadhams and Dr. Wieslaw Maslowski, is the point of no return for summer sea ice. Once past this point, it could prove impossible to reverse the retreat by any kind of intervention.  The data indicate the Arctic could be ice free for six months of the year by 2020 (PIOMAS 2011).

It is on the basis of this latest and best information that we are calling for urgent and immediate action to arrest the escalating decline of Arctic sea ice.

Action is demanded by the precautionary principle and under the terms of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which states: "The Parties should take precautionary measures to anticipate, prevent or minimise the causes of climate change and mitigate its adverse effects. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing such measures."   

The conditions that have long been recognised as potentially causing vast quantities of methane to be released in the Arctic are clearly developing. The calamitous impacts of inaction are well-known – runaway climate change. As US Energy Secretary and Nobel Laureate, Steven Chu, said when addressing the consequences of an Arctic meltdown, "A runaway effect… We cannot go there." The only way to prevent this critical situation from developing into a global catastrophe is through international recognition of the issue, and collaboration on the immediate and urgent intensification of scientific inquiry and the emergency scale development of countermeasures such as geoengineering to cool the Arctic.

As you are a guardian of the global community, we are counting on your support.

John Nissen,
Chair, Arctic Methane Emergency Group

* "Remobilization to the atmosphere of only a small fraction of the methane held in East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS) sediments could trigger abrupt climate warming….Our concern is that the subsea permafrost has been showing signs of deabilization already. If it further destabilizes, the methane emissions may not be teragrams, it would be significantly larger. The release to the atmosphere of only one percent of the methane assumed to be stored in shallow hydrate deposits might alter the current atmospheric burden of methane up to 3 to 4 times."

— N. Shakhova, Extensive Methane Venting to the Atmosphere from Sediments of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf, Science, 5 March 2010

Chocolates! Chocolates! Chocolates!

I am obsessed with chocolates. Milk chocolate. Bitter sweet chocolate. White chocolate. Ok, maybe not white chocolate.

So versatile.  Chocolate goes well with nuts. I've been experimenting with raw and caramelized almonds, hazelnuts and pecans. 

Chocolate with a bit of heat is delicious as well. A touch of cayenne or a  bit of crystallized ginger.

Dried fruit and chocolate are great too. Dried apricots with dark chocolate are a favorite.

CUSTOMIZE CHOCOLATES THE WAY YOU WANT THEM

What's most fun about making chocolates is I can customize them. A friend tried my milk and dark chocolate mini-bar with caramelized almonds and said, "I'd like to try them with just dark chocolate," so that's what he ordered.

Another friend wanted the almonds toasted but not caramelized. 

My wife said, "Use peanut butter" and those have become a big seller.

Email me at davidjlatt@earthlink.net and tell me what you would like and order as many as you want (with a three dozen minimum).

But Then Again, Too Few to Mention

Maria Grazia Cucinotta pic. 

Choosing the right partner.

I don't know, if there is some secret to making this happen, it's surely not in my possession. The answer is tantalizingly close, like she's so almost there...but she's not.

Or is she?

I am unmarried because I have yet to meet the right person. Well, maybe I've met her, but all the folderol surrounding dating is a barrier. Some people are ready, some people are not, and so the world turns.

Maturity matters. Some people I know married early in life, but they had it together enough to make it work. On the other hand, there are perpetually lagging souls who only present as decent prospects after a few years in oak barrels. Everyone's mileage varies.

If there is magic to be learned, maybe it is just that - that we're all different, and you knowing when you're ready for decanting is paramount.



Bottoms Up, Vignerons.

BTW, here's how to choose a wedding day limousine.

Pumpkin Blondies

First things first, let me say thank you for entering my giveaway, you all make me smile every day.  Random.org chose the winner, Brandi!  Tomato jam and an appearance on the Dr. Oz show??  I don't know what more a girl could ask for ;)

I hope you haven't had too many cookies.  Because I've got two more for you, one a bit more decadent and another a healthy snack.  In the indulgent corner we've got a pumpkin blondie.  I did my best to retain a traditional blondie texture, but pumpkin is tough...  I did manage to retain the slightly crackly top!  The centers of the pan were a bit thinner (more gooey) than the outer edge (a bit cakier), but both parts were delicious in their own right ;)

Pumpkin Blondies

Pumpkin Blondies
adapted from Martha Stewart
Yield:  ~3 dozen

If you don't have an 11x15" pan, I'd suggest halving the recipe and baking it in a 9"square pan for the best results.

2c white whole wheat flour
1t baking soda
3/4t sea salt
1t cinnamon
1/8t freshly grated nutmeg
3/4t ground ginger
dash cloves
dash allspice
2 sticks butter, RT
1 1/4c dark brown sugar (not packed)
1 egg
1t vanilla extract
1c pumpkin butter (I used TJ's)
1c mini cinnamon chips
1/2c chopped toasted, skinned hazelnuts (pecans or walnuts would also be great)

Preheat oven to 350deg.  Spray an 11x15" pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, add flour, baking soda, salt and spices (cinnamon thru allspice).  Stir to combine, then add cinnamon chips and chopped nuts and toss to coat.  Set aside.

Cream together butter and brown sugar in a mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until well combined.  Add pumpkin butter and mix well.  Fold in dry ingredients or mix on low speed.

Pour batter into pan, then spread evenly with a spatula.  Bake for 30-40min, until the center is no longer jiggly and a toothpick comes clean.  Cool completely on a rack before cutting into your desired size blondies!

pumpkin blondies (left), pumpkin oaties (right)

In the healthy corner, we have Pumpkin Oaties, which probably fall closer to snack than cookie due to the absence of added sugar.  Don't let this deter you, they're quite tasty and a nice guilt-free treat ;)



Pumpkin Oaties w/Rosemary Pecans & Cranberries
adapted from Enlightened Cooking
Yield ~2 dozen

I used a Trader Joe's mix of Rosemary Pecans and Cranberries in these cookies, but if you don't have access to a trader joe's, I'd use a mix of dried cranberries, salted pecans, and 1t fresh chopped rosemary.

1/2c mashed very ripe banana
1c pumpkin puree
1/3c mild-flavored oil (I used a mix of extra virgin olive oil and canola)
2t vanilla extract
1 1/4t cinnamon
1/4t fine sea salt (increase if using unsalted nuts)
1/2t baking soda
2c oats
1-2c Rosemary Pecans and Cranberries (see headnote)

Preheat oven to 350deg.

Mix banana, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl.  Let sit for 15min, then add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Scoop out ~1T cookie mix and place on a cookie sheet.  Flatten a bit with your fingers or a fork and repeat with remaining mixture.  You don't have to leave too much room in between cookies, they won't spread.

Bake for ~10-12min, then let cool on the sheet.  Store in an airtight container.


I'm submitting the Pumpkin Oaties to Ricki's Wellness Weekend!


Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa and all that jazz :)  Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season!!

Wedding Night Sex

 Photo hat-tip: Miss Licious.

Somewhere, in blogland or a trashy newspaper, I read that fewer than fifty percent of couples have sex on their wedding night. That seems about right. Conventional weddings are awful, stressful things, non-conducive to relaxed (or even frenzied) lovemaking. Emotional and physical exhaustion ruin desire.

But let's say you've practised abstinence. It's your wedding night, and high time for a thorough seeing-too. For God knows how long you've both restricted yourselves, and now your rules allow for...well, anything, I guess. Where do you start?

 Where would you start? It must be like being locked overnight in your favourite store, able to take anything you want. Presumably masturbation is allowed if you're pre-maritally abstinent towards your beloved, so holding back the reservoir wouldn't be too overwhelming. I guess the whole point is having penis in vagina, so the quickest way to make that happen would be the first order of business.

I wonder how many folks are disappointed at that first time? Wouldn't that be a sinking feeling, discovering that after all that delayed gratification, you'd hitched yourself to a dud bash?

Still, it must be quite a moment, that first time, outcome notwithstanding.



Miss Miz's favourite link. SFW

Bottoms Up, Newlyweds.

Here's how to find your wedding-day limousine.

Sugared Cranberries

These might be my new favorite snack.  A little sweet, a little tart, a little juicy.   Originally made for a drink garnish, I couldn't stop grabbing these as a little sweet snack :)  These would also be gorgeous decorations for a cake or even around your home this time of year!

Sugared Cranberries
slightly adapted from gastronomy & 101 cookbooks

1c fresh cranberries, picked over and rinsed
1c water
1c evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar)
1/3c mix of sugar for rolling (I used a mix of turbinado & evaporated cane juice)

Add 1c sugar and water in a small, heavy saucepan.  Heat over medium-high, and stir until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat and let cool a bit (you don't want the cranberries to burst!).

Place cranberries in a bowl or tupperware and poor slightly warm simple syrup over the cranberries.  Cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least 4hrs).

In the morning, prepare the sugar for rolling the cranberries by adding it to a shallow dish (I added a little at a time to prevent clumping, however I'm not sure this was completely necessary.  Get out a cookie sheet to dry the cranberries on, and then go ahead and drain your cranberries (you can reserve the simple syrup for another use...  say cranberry cocktails?).  Roll drained cranberries in sugar mixture, a few at a time, and then place on the cookie sheet to dry.  Repeat, until you've rolled all of the cranberries.  It should take ~1hr or so for them to dry.

Have you ever tried sugared cranberries before?

Digital Love Analogue

 Stephanie Gateshet.

We're clearly moving from centuries of an analogue world to lives defined digitally. The changes are easy to see - we no longer measure, we count;  infinite shading is now thin slicing; perhaps is either on/off.

If this isn't the revolution of all revolutions, I don't know what is.

But, like, whatever. My interest lies in whether we're changing the nature of love. Is love analogue or digital? Do we look at love like a Caravaggio or a PDF file? Is the answer as obvious as it seems?

Digital love sounds awful. A bunch of ones and zeros on a wafer of silicon won't get anyone's heart racing, let alone inspire them to write a song or pen poetry. However, those ones and zeros are canny things; they understand that they're neither warm nor sexy, so they present us with a more lovable facade. The photo above, for instance. Or blogs. Or iTunes. Somewhere along the line, the digital gods found themselves a first-rate PR firm, and followed its advice.

The problem is that all their solutions are good at describing love but hopeless at actually being it. The look that melts your heart, the feeling of her touch, the invisible communication of minds in synch - I guess a robot will eventually simulate these things, but it will still be reproduction of love, not the core.

So I think we're safe for now. Love will be analogue for a long time, probably until your DNA has sex with an iPad, at which point we're all screwed. Or apped. But at that point it won't matter: we'll all be too busy shopping at Amazon for a lover to notice.




Bottoms Up, Microprocessors.

Busting a Move

Maureen O'Hara pic credit.

Patpong 1 and 2 are the best known streets for titty- and fuck-bars in Bangkok. They're hot, steamy and stinky streets, which is remarkably appropriate for a sex-based precinct. Bonking is on sale here: girls are the medium and the only barrier to negotiate is the price.

Hanging around in a club, one often finds oneself on the receiving end of a paper dart or a ping-pong ball. Innocently sipping a Mekong whiskey and ice, you notice a slightly soggy projectile hitting you on the head. Nothing odd about this, apart from the launching device - a vagina. Don't be fooled. Experienced bar-girls have aim worthy of the best sniper, and delight in wowing patrons - both men and women - with their version of  target practice. Hey, don't blame me. It's a cultural thing.

One night, in a fairly decent club, the usual all-girl pelvic olympics was interrupted by a sex show. A guy and girl arrived on the elevated stage, the lighting dimmed, and their "lovemaking" began. A few details linger:

+ she was stunningly beautiful

+ I felt bad that he had some difficulty attaining wood

+ I felt better when she fellated him to solidity

+ the performance had the aura of them actually being a couple

+ I felt the music was inappropriate. Was it Shostakovitch?

+ the entire menagerie (bar, naked women, gawping tourists, shagging on stage) didn't feel odd, given the location

And, most relevant to this post:

+ I was in awe of the way they moved so gracefully from one position to another.

The entire (overly long) thing was like someone choreographed every penis/vagina sexual position into one outing. The "Joy of Sex" in 3-D.

Miss Miz reminded me of this night with her musings on side-by-side penetration. I like her thought of "transitioning" from one position to another, to suit the mood and stimulations of one or other sexual partner. Wouldn't it be just awesome to sit down with your beloved and actually pre-plan how you're gonna have sex? I haven't done this, and can't think why not. As a kicker, doing so over email or IM or even Twitter, say, takes social intercourse to a whole new level.

I imagine that most people (like me) just figure stuff out as they go along. We start somewhere along the Fucking Continuum (TM) and move back and forth...somehow. I guess someone takes charge, or there's gentle persuasion, or mutual agreement or out come the handcuffs. All of which sounds like fun. But the ideal of planning a sexual tryst, from position to position, like planning a ten-course meal, appeals muchly.




Bottoms Up, (After Some Reverse Cowgirl.)

10 Delicious Holiday Recipes

I'm happy to say I published my first cookbook, 10 Delicious Holiday Recipes.

I wanted to create a cookbook with ten easy-to-make recipes perfect for the holidays.

I'd like to hear what you think about the recipes and I would certainly like it if you would buy the book. For $2.99 you get a great collection of cocktails, appetizers, salads, sides, entrees and a couple of dynamite desserts.

I used Amazon and Kindle, but if you don't own a Kindle, no problem. You can download the Kindle App that works for your smart phone, computer or iPad. It's free and downloads easily.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you.  Have a great holiday!

Cookie Swap v.3

Cookies!!

It's that time again--  time for my annual cookie swap!  As in years past, I invited fellow Boston bloggers over to my apartment to enjoy a couple of savory snacks and swap some delicious cookies.  I'll save the savory stuff for later, as there's still time to add these gems to your holiday baking list :)

photo by Cara

To get the party started, I made Pumpkin Blondies (on the left) and Pumpkin Oaties w/Rosemary Pecans & Cranberries (on the right).  It took a couple of tries to get my blondies to have my desired texture, but I think these came out pretty well.  Both recipes to come soon ;)

photo by Cara

Next up we have Cara's Chocolate Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies (on the right) and Cinnamon Coffee Pecan Cookies (on the left).  Both vegan and free of refined sugars, these are a great option for any GF friends you might have!

photo by Cara

Bridget brought along her mom's Butterscotch Brownies, aka blondies from Betty Crocker ;)  They had exactly the texture I was going for with my pumpkin version, so I'd say Betty Bridget's got it right!

photo by Cara

Elizabeth made some Nutella Oatmeal Cream Pies.  I used to love those little packaged oatmeal cream pies when I was a kid, but these blew my memory of those out of the water!

photo by Cara

Christmas came early when Joanne arrived at my door to hang out for the afternoon :)  She brought along some Rainbow Cookies that are so much better than any I've ever had on an Italian cookie plate!

photo by Cara

Spiced Caramel Pecan Bars were Kerstin's contribution to the swap.  The name says it all here, and loving all things caramel I was definitely a fan!

photo by Bridget

Although Lauren couldn't stay for the swap, she dropped off some Better than Crack Brownies to contribute.  We all missed you Lauren!  And while we debated whether or not the name was accurate (none of us have ever tried crack), we figured they were delicious enough to let the name stand :)

Lizzy kicked up the traditional chocolate chip cookie by creating two variations- one with Andes Mints (on the left) and Hot Chocolate Cookies (on the right).  No need to choose, take one of each ;)

photo by Cara

Melissa made Chocolate Mint Cookies, highlighting a combo that we all apparently love as it showed up in three different cookies!

Photo by Cara

Rounding out the swap were Ranjani's Caramel Pecan Cranberry Bars.  Sweet and just a little bit tart, I bet these would be pretty popular on a cookie plate.

Back Row:  Myself, Joanne, Kerstin, Ranjani, Elizabeth; Front Row:  Bridget, Lizzy, Cara

But wait!  There's more!


This year, I teamed up with Allison at King Arthur Flour to bring a little holiday cheer to the Best Cookie!  I'm already a huge fan of King Arthur's top-quality flours, but did you know that they have a Baking Hotline where you can reach experts to help with your baking???  I should've called them about my pumpkin blondies ;)  Connect with KAF on Facebook, too!

photos from KAF

While I think everyone at the swap this year was a winner, leaving with boxes full of cookies, the Best Cookie will win Peppermint Crunch, a set of Luster Sugars and Fiori di Sicilia to play with.  Thanks Allison!

To help decide the Best Cookie at our swap, cast your vote by Saturday Dec 17th, noon EST.

Chocolate Mini-Candy Bars Make the Best Holiday Gifts

IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATES, I'LL MAKE THEM FOR YOU

For the holidays I'm serving chocolate mini-candy bars at home and giving them as gifts. They're a lot of fun to make. They taste great and look so cool.

For everyone who doesn't have the time, I'm selling the mini-candy bars with almonds or hazelnuts and peanut butter chocolates. If you don't live in the LA area, I can mail them to you.  You can email me at davidjlatt@earthlink.net. You can customize your chocolates, making them exactly the way you like.


If you want to try your hand at being a chocolatier, I wrote an article for Zesterdaily with easy-to-follow directions.

Separating Wheat from Chaff

Mary-Louise Parker pic credit.

Grain silos are dangerous. Fall into the top of one and you might end up suffocating as you struggle to escape, buried alive. There are trucks itching to run you over. Augers want to rip your hand off. And an empty silo can be full of explosive dust. No smoking, thankyouverymuch.

I'll resist the (strong) temptation to compare love to grain silos. Of course love doesn't physically injur anyone. But it can feel nearly as rotten then things turn bad.

My first grain silo accident happened when I had to move cities for a job. She was a friend turned lover, IMO still the best way to find the someone. She stayed, I left. We corresponded, I was busy. She found someone else, I discovered heartbreak. Only sleep soothed.

The loss wasn't fatal, however, and hope regenerated. Another crop came in. I know now the poor odds of success if you're in a long distance relationship.

Separating wheat from chaff. As long as it doesn't kill you. 




Bottoms Up, Croppers.