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.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
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:
"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
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 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.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Add it to your dry ingredients, stirring just until the dough comes together.
- 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!
What You Do
Monday, July 8, 2013
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!
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...
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| The STL IT headquarters whale stapler! |
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| 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!
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| Club at LAX, go figgya... |
Friday, June 7, 2013
Last day in Philly
Coffee in hand we made our way to one of the swanky shopping avenues. We started in a store called Barbour which is London based and serves "the attire needs and preferences of the gentry". (Insert hoity toity sound effects.) I didn't stay long seeing that their ladies sizes didn't quite meet my American woman needs, but Jonathan remained to do a bit more shopping. As it turned out, the more stores I checked out, the more I realized that apparently women in the greater Philadelphia area did not exceed a size 6. As willing as I was to spend my hard earned cash in the city of brotherly love, the city's affection for the small and spindly left me somewhat frustrated but with a few bucks saved. I eventually met back in with Jonathan and we grabbed a light lunch and beverage before walking to the Philadelphia museum of art.
We toured the modern art wing first, then meandered through the medieval weapons and armour display, followed by a stroll through a very impressive Asian wing before checking out the featured exhibit named Outsiders. The Outsiders art was supposed to be a collection of no-name, or non established/officially recognized. artists who were selected by what I understood to be art collectors/aficionados. I wasn't sure how I felt about this exhibit since initially I thought it unique and exciting that unknown artists were being recognized in such a renown museum, however the more I thought about it, I found the very concept of those choosing these new "artists" very pretentious. How is it they got to choose whose art counted as "art"? I appreciated some of the art, but again found the whole concept somewhat odd.
Before we left the museum grounds we had to snap a pic with the Rocky statue, then hung out with Ryan a bit before going to dinner. |
| Kind of a silly picture, but I love it! |
Monday, May 20, 2013
Prisons, museums and szechuan, oh my!
We awoke to gray skies struggling to illuminate our matchbox hotel room on Monday morning. Eight hours worth of drizzling rain isn't my favorite vacation weather, but the gray and the rain was an appreciated change from arid Arizona. Our first stop was to pick up some price-gouge-tastic umbrellas that barely made it through the day before we headed back to the Ritten House for a quick breakfast with family. Bellies full and having said our farewells we made our way to the Eastern State Penitentiary to check out "one of the world's first true penitentiaries" originally designed to inspire penitence and expected to change/shape punishment and reform across the world. The irony of the cold day and the frigid social design of the prison did not go amiss.
The dreary weather provided not only an ideal backdrop for the impressive yet slightly eerie prison, but likely also helped with the very minimal fellow visitors, enabling us to enjoy touring the facility without having to jostle for photos or views. Unlike many audio tours, which Jonathan and I avoid, this tour, narrated by Steve Bussemi was quiet enjoyable. You were encouraged to walk as we listened instead of being held hostage at a certain location, and we could easily get the drift of the chat and move along at your own pace. |
| Solitary |
We toured all of the open cell blocks, admiring the occasional two story, later additions, as well as the extra creepy and decrepit death row sections. Despite no one ever being executed at this prison, death row had its share of inmates. Another creepy section, which didn't photograph well, was the area designated for solitary punishment. The ceilings in this location were not even 5 feet tall. If you look close enough you can kind of see the doors along the left wall. Wretched.
Despite the repressive nature of the establishment, the design of the prison was very impressive. The center of the prison was set up to enable the the guards to stand in a central location and almost simultaneously view all of the corridors. From the rotunda, a guard could watch several rows, and as additions were made, mirrors were installed for additional viewing opportunities. (mirrors seen to the left)
One of the more famous or shall we say "infamous" inmates was the one and only Al Capone. Of course his cell was a bit more lavish than the rest as seen below. It felt odd to take a kitsch picture by a prison cell, but I would have felt remiss had I not taken a tourist pic in such a unique place. Oh, and don't mind the plastic tail-like object sticking out of my back pocket. I am usually pretty aware of my photo surroundings and setups, however the umbrella cover sticking out of my back pocket like a perturbed cat tail apparently slipped my filters. Oh well, that's what I get for a smiling picture in a prison. (for more photos, a few blurrier than I'd prefer, check out the slide show to the left)
After we left the prison we headed across the street to what turned out to be a rather pretentious coffee/vegan/hipster/too-cool-for-school restaurant. I don't care for false flattery but am not keen on feeling less worthy after placing a simple coffee order with the monochromatic, androgynous server. Nothing like paying for a little local condescension.
From the apathetic coffee shop we walked to The Barnes Foundation. I had never heard of the Barnes Foundation but Jonathan gave me a little back story, so here is the super skinny. Albert C Barnes made his fortune by co-developing an anti-gonorrhea drug, and thanks to his nouveach riche status, was shunned by the old school art collectors. So he opted to do his own thing. Barnes bought all kinds of art, decorated every available space he owned and deemed those elites who sunbed their nose at him, banned from seeing or having his art. At some point the goal was to always grant free access to his magnificent collection, but generations and heirs later the amazing structure that houses Barnes' cluttered, yet impressive collection. charges your usual gallery ticket prices.
In addition to the plethora of paintings, sketches and drawings there were random antique items such as door knockers, hinges, benches and chairs. Mind you, there were benches clearly placed in the center of nearly each gallery room for visitors to rest their bones upon which differed greatly from the antique furniture that abutted the walls beneath the famous paintings. Enter oblivious tourist. Apparently one of the chairs on the 2nd floor (clearly within the gallery borders) was too much for one visitor to pass up. We heard the hustle and bustle of security and "sir, you can't sit there" harrumphs, only to learn that someone decided to literally pull up a chair and have a seat among the exhibits. The huffs and puffs of the security and exhibit specialists clearly displayed the worth of the chair, but we couldn't help but find the whole situation pretty entertaining.
Later that evening we met up with Ryan for a spicy, spicy, spicy szechuan dinner. One of the sections on the menu was specialish. Specialish? Since we couldn't quite put our finger on what "specialish" was supposed to mean we opted not to order from that section. The experience was fun, but after only a few bites this fragile flower knew my dinner would consist of a good amount of white rice and a few adult beverages. Win some lose some, but overall a much enjoyed vacation day. 
One more day to go... I promise it will not take me quite as long to post!
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Vaction part deux
Both Saturday and Sunday of our vacation turned out to be wedding days. Our first wedding was between a Rutgers swimming buddy and his lovely bride. Nick and Christine have been a part of Huppdates in the past thanks to their visits to the valley and Nick's treck with Jonathan across the Grand Canyon. After some Rutgers pride educing campus touring Jonathan and I got ready for the full mass wedding, accompanied by a much anticipated reception, complete with plenty of dancing!
A full catholic mass isn't quite my scene, but Nick and Christine's ceremony was brimming with sincere love and the newlyweds appeared quite delighted with the first step in their new marital adventure. Ever since our own wedding I have to admit, I'm a bit of a sucker for weddings, so despite the religious aspect, I very much enjoyed being a part of such an exciting first step in a friend's married life.
After the ceremony we hopped on a shuttle back to the hotel, and snagged a quick beverage before loading into the school bus (yes, an official school bus) to the wedding reception. Turned out, a buddy whom Jonathan crossed the Grand Canyon with, John, was in charge of decorating the interior of the school bus. I was particularly impressed with his crepe paper decorative style. I mean honestly, how many guys know how key it is to twist the streamers? Job well done.
After we off loaded from the bus it was party time. We enjoyed all sorts of appetizers, including oysters and clams in the half shell (yum yum yum), ravioli, sausages and sourkraut, veggies, cheeses and all sorts of tasty server-passed goodies. As the reception continued we sat, danced, ate, and danced some more. Not only are weddings a lovely display of shared love and appreciation, but I'd be remiss if I didn't note just how much I love, love, love eating good food and dancing until my feet can't take it any more.
After the reception we boarded the shuttle for a rather entertaining, semi rowdy ride back to the hotel, then headed out to the after party at Old Bay. Old Bay is a Cajun themed bar/restaurant in New Brunswick that Jonathan and I rarely visited while at Rutgers, but is a favorite of the newlyweds. We enjoyed a terrific live band, a few more libations and time with friends, before this partier was ready to turn in for the night.
The next morning we enjoyed breakfast with friends at one of New Jersey's many random hole in the wall dinners. Dinners, for those not accustom to New Jersey, are a very Jersey thing, which include 24 hour massive portion earteries that serve any kind of food at any hour. Yeah, I appreciate them when I'm in town, but my waist line is happy that their novelty has not made its way west. Back at the hotel we said our goodbyes and loaded back on yo the NJ rail line headed to Trenton where we would switch trains for our final destination, Philadelphia.
Upon our arrival in the city of brotherly love, we taxied to our hotel, checked in, changed, and walked to the second wedding in two days. We quickly made our way to The Ritten House and met up with Jonathan's parents before making our way downstairs for a few family pictures, and a lovely wedding ceremony. We enjoyed a lovely reception complete with a fantastic dinner and plenty of dancing. When we're home, despite my love of dancing, we do not seek out clubs or dance scenes, so whenever we have a wedding to attend I'm sure to get my buggy on!
Monday was the first day of our free time in Philly which we planned to spend touring one of the nation's first prisons and perhaps a museum or two.
Prison and museum touring to come...
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Vacation!
Wheels up to wheels down, the flight east from the nation's "friendliest airport" to, Newark New Jersey was about 3 and a half hours. Not quite as long as my college commutes home to California, but still the longest flight I've been on in quite some time. We experienced an hour long delay before take off thanks to the "sequestration", which the airline made very clear was the cause of our tarmac sitting, but overall our trip to the armpit went well. Our trip was 6 days long, split between Jersey and Pennsylvania and we were quite excited to take full advantage of rail lines and subway/metros instead of a rental car.
It had been almost 5 years since the last time I'd set foot in New Jersey/New York and as much as I enjoy the diversity and sites to see, I certainly do not miss the massive, and often completely oblivious crowds of people everywhere. This said, instead of fighting through time square and walking our legs clean off, we hopped in a cab to Penn Station and just so happened to catch an express train back to New Brunswick.
Friday evening we met up with some Rutgers buddies, whom I personally have not seen in far too long. We walked from the hotel to Stuff Yer Face and enjoyed some scrumptious strombolis, and just a few libations. There have been several changes in New Brunswick since our last visit, such as new buildings, a few changes to the college book stores, but overall, most of our favorites, including tasty east coast pizza, thankfully still exist.
Saturday, was the day of our friend's wedding, so we opted to stay local and wander about the campus. Turned out Rutgers was essentially having a "get to know your University" event that included all sorts of Rutgers booths including free mini cupcakes that you got to decorate yourself, RU alumni pins and magnets, and various games and crafting sections for kids. It was refreshing to see Rutgers so festive and outgoing. At one point we came across the RU Knight and I used my Jersey, know-when-to-step-up-faster-than-the-guy-next-to-you moves, to snag a great pic. GO RU!
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| Kirkpatrick Chapel, historic Rutgers chapel where Jonathan and I got married nearly 5 years ago. |
Wedding shenanigans to come...
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