Fleeting romanticism

This past Thursday morning contained a variety of what I hope to be rare situations. As I walked out the door for my run I noticed a pittance of sprinkles and was quick to dismiss their nuisance. However, with about 2 1/2 miles until my run's completion I realized how quickly the novelty of running in the rain in the desert wares off. Warm rain in 85+ weather is far from romantic. I tried to focus on my stride, but was quite distracted by the amalgamation of rain and sweat imposing on my refreshing spearmint gum. My steadily accumulating annoyance compounded as the rain mixed with sweat, finding a convenient residence in my ever burning eyes.

Once home I dried off a bit and got in a little stretching before taking Jackson for his walk. By this time, the dark rain clouds appeared far enough in the distance that our walk would remain dry and uneventful. Silly me. Just prior to our halfway point moisture started to descend.  Sprinkles became, rain, became barbed tick-tacs, simultaneously pelting and soaking Jackson and myself as we walked back home. Trying to remain optimistic I smiled knowing that thanks to the rain, I'd be far less stinky by the time I arrived home, however, Jackson, the very dog who will damn near water-boards himself when playing with the water from the hose, appeared to be melting like a sugar cube with the ever increasing rainfall. As we turned the corner of our street the rain had decreased to sprinkles, and eventually ceased completely by the time we arrived at our doorstep.  With a little toweling off Jackson was back to his peppy self, and it was time for me to start my daily routine, or so I thought.

Throw in managing to set off our neighbor's house alarm while checking their mail and having to run home to get my phone, then back up the street barefoot to speak with the cop who had already shown up, and you've got one stellar start to the day.

Spent grain goodies

Jonathan's recent interest in home brewing not only produces a plethora of homemade beer, but also something called spent grain.  Spent grain is the byproduct of the grain used during the brewing process and boy oh boy is there a lot of it. Not being once to waste a resource Jonathan discovered some awesome looking spent grain recipes, two of which I've tried, and have been pretty happy with. 

"Spent Grain Cheddar Scones" was my first attempt at baking with these unique hearty grains and my second at scones.  My first scone attempt, a few years back, resulted in what we fondly refer to as "scoffins" (not quite scones, but not quite muffins... aka fail). Thankfully I've learned my scone lesson and took a little more care in making these savory beauties.  As per the recipe's recommendation I added some finely diced jalapenos which contributed just enough heat to complement the savory cheddar.  In addition, per usual, I used an eyeballed, less-than-tablespoon of vinegar added to milk to create a buttermilk substitute to avoid buying an excessive amount of buttermilk. Its rare that I follow a recipe to the T, so I figured I could, and did, get by without "official" buttermilk.  Another recommendation was to add bacon, but I thought the salt factor might be a little overwhelming and decided to go without.  Not only did they look like real scones, but their texture was spot on and they were quite scrumptious.   (Recipe below courtesy of http://brooklynbrewshop.com/themash/recipe-spent-grain-cheddar-scones/)


The second recipe in which I used spent grains was a graham cracker/spent grain crust for a key lime pie.  I've never made a key lime pie before, but was quite satisfied with the outcome.  Admittedly, since key limes are a rare find in Phoenix, per the recipe, I used a substitute of quality lime juice, so I cannot "officially" call what I made "key lime", but so be it, the result was mighty tasty nonetheless.  The grain was processed with the graham crackers and mixed with butter to form the crust.  I enjoyed the underline savory richness that the spent grain contributed to the sweet graham crackers, but I'd recommend pulverizing the spent grain a bit before adding in the graham crackers since on occasion an unprocessed grain could cause quite the texture interruption. Having never made this type of pie before I opted to go big or go home and used an Emeril Lagasse recipe in its full, rich glory.  The pie definitely improved in texture and flavor from one day to the next, but seeing that the pie plate is now vacant, I'd call it an overall success.

Two for two so far... not half bad.

Spent Grain Cheddar Scone Recipe:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Spent Grain, dried
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/4 cup (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg

What You Do

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, spent grain, baking powder, sugar, and salt. With a pastry blender (or using two knives), cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the cheese to combine.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Add it to your dry ingredients, stirring just until the dough comes together.
4. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and gently flatten into an 8-inch round. Use a knife to cut the circle into eight triangles. Transfer scones onto the sheet pan and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve hot and with butter!

Traveling fool

The last month and a half has cemented my appreciation of purchasing a decent suitcase. My work adventures started in Dallas, then meandered to and from LA, STL and Kansas City, MO.  My trip to Dallas was pretty short, but an overall interesting experience. Nice people, ok food, but a whole lot of sprawl, and let's be honest, it's Texas. While in Dallas I made strides in my fear of skittering bugs (aka the small hotel roach I named Raul whom I smashed upon site, but remained in my bathroom floor post house keeping visit), and also experienced some good ole fashion tornado sirens. Luckily despite the hideously red map to the right, the tornado did not touch ground near my hotel.  Ironically, it just so happens that the last time I was in Texas for work I had to leave a day early thanks to an especially devastating hurricane. Perhaps these reoccurring natural disasters during my visits are an indication that I should stay away from the lone star state.

After being home for memorial day weekend, and enjoying a lovely break from the heat in Flagstaff, I was off to LA for my second in a series of work trips. I usually always enjoy my time in the Golden State and this trip, despite the long work hours, was no different. Part of my time was spent making a solo trip to Malibu (work related), in which I managed to navigate the wicked LA freeways despite my best efforts to tune out the navigation system via excessive radio rocking out. Thank goodness for the reroute!

The STL IT headquarters whale stapler!

It wasn't long after spending time in the City of Angeles that I found myself back in the alphanumeric Southwest boarding line on my way to St. Louis, Missouri.  The office, where I spent most of my hours, is just a few blocks from the Arch, and also has a terrific view of Cardinal's stadium. The only disturbing aspect of my trip had to be my culinary experience. Little did I know, one of the city's claim to fame is something called provel cheese. Yes, it's edible, kind of, but I will not go as far as to call it "food". If you have ever had a "craft single", imagine creating a block of the same rubbery, oil based amalgamation and dying it white, then for kicks, smashing it through some sort of play-dough like processor to create "strings". Said Provel "strings" resemble plump cooked spaghetti noodles but taste like chewing plastic. Not all provel is served in its sting form, in fact sometimes they attempt to melt said "cheese" which, if left to cool for too long results in an eventual rubbery clump drowning in pool of oil. Yummy...
 

Yet another culinary regional favourite is something named "ooey gooey butter cake". Now, I am a sweet tooth through and through, but this was just too much. Imagine a butter saturated graham cracker crust, topped with something akin to sugar cookie dough plus a little extra butter, then sprinkle copious amounts of powdered sugar on the top. I can officially say I tried it, and will never eat it again.



Despite a poor food experience, all was not lost in STL seeing that that I can now add the Arch to my "sights seen" list, and I had the chance to travel to St. Louis' famed science center with a few coworkers. Color me surprised, I was quite impressed with their science center. The space exploration section was my favorite educational wing, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the anamatronic T-Rex and its Dino-prey dinner wasn't my hands down favorite exhibit. Their movements were darn near mesmerising.



Look ma, my foot isn't thaaaat big...
for once.

 
After St Louis I was home for a mere 2 days before returning to my spot in the Southwest line for a return tip to LA. For a delightfully unexpected reason my flight was booked business class and I wound up with an A01 boarding pass. For those non-Southwest flyers this means that I was designated the first person down the jet way to board the plane. Now I usually am not too much of a stickler if I have B12 and B15 steps in front of me; however, when I noticed the guy holding A12 had put himself two feet in front of the designated A01 line position, I wasn't just going to step aside.  Hell no was I going to let my A01 opportunity pass me by!  I had no shame in confidently stepping right in front of him and happily making my way to the plane first. Honestly pal, back off! 
 

Club at LAX, go figgya...

My time in LA was mighty short, not even lasting 2 full days, before I hopped on another flight to Kansas City to help out with the last two tech roll-outs. During my KC stay I managed to stay in 4, yes, 4 separate hotels, each with its unique quirks and benefits. I never expected to be one to enjoy travelling for work since I tend to be quite the home body, but as of late I've very much enjoyed my adventures, especially the time spent getting to know my fellow IT team.  I ended up spending a solid week and a half assisting with two major office roll-outs in Kansas City, and also managed to fit in a little shopping while avoiding the excessive 110+ degree heat of Phoenix.  I finally returned home the evening of July 3rd and will be staying put for some time. Not sure what I'm going to do with myself now that I don't have to pack a suitcase within the very week I've arrived home!