Happy Seasons!

Hello faithful readers! I guess being busy with school studies, final exams and papers, and being involved in school clubs takes up more time than I realized. I have had no time to cook, hike, or go visit any new bands live. So that leaves me with the question, what am I going to blog/report about?

So I am going to share a couple recipes that I would have loved to have made these last few weeks, share about some bands that I have been using recently to help me get through these days, and share a little about what my life looks like and why I think I may have made a mistake.

A friends cheesy potato recipe

I have had these in the past, and man, they are incredible. No one has ever complained about these showing up for meals.


"Quarter and boil some gold potatoes, 8 to 12, for about 45 min to an hour, until they are soft and the skin starts to peel off. Drain the water completely, then add a block of Philadelphia cream cheese. Beat until smooth. Add a couple few dollops of sour cream and beat in until the potatoes are the consistency you want. Finish off with 2 or 3 tablespoons of butter on top, and put a lid on the pot so the butter melts. That's it!"

Too easy.

This is how I roll

This is a recipe I found at Simple Daily Recipes.

I recently made these and they turned our very nice. I used a little more butter in the recipe and next time I would cook them for a little less time and or make them larger (I was a tad conservative in pinching them off).

The recipe is in the linky link also.

• 1 package quick-acting active dry yeast
• 1 1/3 cup milk (105 to 115F degrees)
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups flour or whole wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon melted butter (I used 3, 2 in the mixer with the oil and the rest melted on top)
  
• coarse salt
  

Dissolve yeast in warm milk with sugar in electric mixer bowl. Stir in 1 cup flour, oil, and salt. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour, scraping dough from side of bowl, until soft dough forms. Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 45 minutes.

Heat oven 400F degrees. Punch down dough in center and fold over a few times. Prep a 12 cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pinch off 1 inch balls of dough and quickly roll in palm of hands. Put 3 balls to one muffin cup, brush with melted butter; sprinkle with coarse salt.

Bake until crust is light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Immediately remove from pan.

New Music?

Well...I have not explored this part of my social life recently. I do listen to 90.3 FM KEXP as any good person should and there is always good music on, and some of it is new as well. If not new in generally then at the very least new to me. Sadly I have not had the pleasure of discovering a new band or stumbling over a lost treasure. Actually, I take that back. I stumbled across some funk that is just great. I can not even recall where and when I was exposed to it, but I immediately went to Pandora and created a station for it. It was Dennis Coffey & The Detroit Guitar Band.

I also have been listening to some older bands that I think are great. Such as Jawbox who recently reissued their first album "For Your Own Special Sweetheart" ala remastered. It sounds great.

And Sparta, while they are good, I think some of their songs are redundant. All though almost each song on "Wire Tap Scars" has some sort of power pop-ie hook melody like thing that grabs you.

Also The Promise Ring, The Helio Sequence and Nada Surf. BTW, I like some of the things that Pitchfork has to say, but mostly I like them because they offer free music. I find some of their review scores to be biased and actually I hardly ever take into account what others say as far as reviews go as I am my own person and am more than capable of creating my own interpretation of things.

Go download the KEXP podcasts right now to your MP3 player and soak up some good tunes. (Podcast 81 song 4 "The Heavenly States - The Race", clearly they have called the Fountains of Wayne Hotline...oh song 5 is great as well "MGMT - Kids")

What else is going on?

- On December 5th, my old stomping grounds, the Kirkland branch of the KCLS is re-opening! This is the first time it will have been open since it closed for the remodeling it has undergone. Should be great.

- On December 12th, the 12 Bars of Seattle charity pub crawl is taking place. This year they are raising money for Dynamic Family Services. Sounds like a good time.

- Also on Saturday December 12th the Juanita Woodlands and Denny Creek area are looking for volunteers to plant trees. This is where you will find me.

And now a formal Apology

As you may or may not know, I am currently in school earning a degree in Environmental Technologies and Sustainability. Why you ask? How did this happen?

Well, it came about in equal parts haste and desperation. It was the best of all possible options in front of me at the time (mind you it has turned out incredibly well, mind numbingly so).

The fact remains that I have some regrets.
I regret not taking a harder look at culinary school.
I regret not taking a closer harder look at earning a musical degree.

I do not regret being back in school and learning, that much is certain. And I realize I can complete either one of these above mentioned goals easily upon the completion of my current studies. Which I intend to do.

I resolve that upon completion of my current school curriculum, I will immediately enroll in either a culinary program and then a music program (or the other way around). It is just common sense.

Duh

Merry Jubilation!

Boo!

Happy All Hallows Eve! I was just carving up some jack-o'- lanterns and I thought "Hey! I should take some pictures and post a blog post." So I am.

I love squash. It is very good for you. I mean pumpkins are chock full of good stuff for you. And the seeds? Don't even get me started!

Soaking in salt water after a rinse

Of course while I was doing all this, I was also cooking a meal for myself. For some reason, even though I have never had it before, I was particularly craving beans and toast. So I toasted some bread, buttered it up, heated up a can of black beans with some spices (chili powder, onions, oregano, onion powder, salt and pepper) and placed a heaping spoon full on the buttered toast. See...

Mmmm...

It was delicious! Of course, being the pro protein person that I am, I also added a dollop of cottage cheese on top of these as well, of course, after I took the picture.

Now for some scenery!

Tree

Leaves

Boo!

B-eats (a subtitle for my blog)

The Crocodile, Seattle WA

Given the nature of my time spent these days as well as my availability to make it to the great outdoors to do some trail hiking, I have chosen to focus on music as well as food. A while back while hiking with some friends at Rattle Snake Lake, this issue came up and we started bouncing potential names around, and that is how the blogs new subtitle was concocted:

"B-eats"

Get it? Music and food, beat/eat...how very clever my friends are.

I have written music reviews in the past for a now defunct web site called Dark America, which got me into some great places such as Graceland (now called El Corazon) to see The HIVES when they first came through the US in 2000 with The International Noise Conspiracy. Somehow I was able to parlay this into getting a monthly press packet kit from Epitaph records to review CD's from them and become a live show reviewer for Skratch magazine. These two sources placed me on the press list for many local shows in the Seattle area which allowed me to see bands in exchange for writting reviews about them and their performance.
One of the last shows I went to go review was at the Crocodile in 2001, and somehow even though I was supposed to be on the press list, I was not. I was being a bit stubborn about it so I opted not to pay my own way in, and obviously submitted no review for the show. I lost that battle with Skratch. As it turned out, there were many local music writers in Seattle that were willing to take my place.

(Personal history: I played drums in a punk band while growing up in Iowa called The Doppler Effect. We played many shows at the local venue The Cattle Club (from what I understand, it is still around, in a new location and new ownership, in Sioux City Iowa). My now brother in law taught me to play drums. He still plays drums in a band called Hawn Swamp. I took a hiatus from playing drums, until last year when I bought a new kit and started playing for Blind Cartographers.)

So that was the last time I was at the Crocodile. It was closed for awhile, and has since been refurbished and reopened. The Dutchess and the Duke played a show there on Oct. 9th. I was excited to go to, basically, a new place and see a band I really like.

But before you ask, yes, I did have some food of sorts that evening as well. Right next door to the Croc is Via Tribunali , and I indulged in a double shot of Maker's Mark, neat, and pint of beer. While this is not food per se, it is how I consumed my calories for the evening. The setting at Via Tribunali's was...well...dark.

The Chandelier at Via

I mean really dark. Like "can not read the menu unless it is so close to the candle it might catch fire" dark. Usually I would have no qualms about this setting, but I was there to eat, well drink, as opposed to doing shady things in a high backed leather booth.

But the drinks were strong and the show was starting soon, so it hardly mattered.

The Stage

The show was really good. I was very happy to visit this old friend and check 0ut the new attire. Besides plying myself silly with shots of spiced rum and PBR's, I listened to the music and watched the crowed. And man was there a crowd. I did not take a head count but from what I could tell, that place was purty durn near maximum capacity. A sea of locals had filed into the Crocodile, drinks in hand, eagerly anticipating the promises of the evening.

The first band, Meth Teeth, was okay. They had a pretty good sound overall and I would say for the most part I liked them. I would be open to explore more of their work.

Meth Teeth

The second band, Dead Ghosts, played well, I just did not care for their sound. Even though by the time they came on the stage, I was pretty well lit up. I mean I was well on my way to having a very bad hang over at this point. Luckily I did not drive, so it was back to the bar for another drink for me.

Isn't the name "Dead Ghosts" redundant?

Then the THE DUTCHESS AND THE DUKE came on and they were great. I mean, I already liked them. Seeing them live was a treat. I highly recommend them.

D&D? I think not.

So that about wraps it up, as you can see, there was not a food installment in this episode. My hopes is to start again having food entries, very soon.

p.s. The Strangers new Happiest Hour guide is just out and my personal goal is visit all the listed establishments before my next birthday. That means by February. Feel free to join in the libations.

Love in the time of H1N1

Immune defense boosters

Just a quick note about what one can do to avoid this malady as many of us are coming into contact with the masses who may be carrying this particular virus as we go about our daily lives of doing those things we love.

In the photo: fresh brewed green tea, 5 garlic cloves, about a inch of fresh ginger and a orange.

I peeled and diced the garlic, and just diced the ginger, put it on a spoon and washed it down with a few swig of green tea. Than I ate the orange.

Not only do I feel this is great for prevention of flu and cold, but just even doing this as daily maintenance would seem to me to have enormous benefits overall. (I may even be vampire proof if I am luck)


Also, if you have not heard about elderberry extract, but it is very anti viral as well. (In fact, so is eating with real silveware ((I heard you can find authentic silverware at pawn shops and consignment stores and save some $$)) and zeolites).



Speaking of elderberry's, if you think about it, elderberry mead/wine is kind of like the first NyQuil. Strong antiviral and alcoholic enough to help sleep through the night. Those monks who invented it were very smart indeed.

In fact, I am pretty sure eating any type of brightly colored edible berry is healthy for you. But wait! Now it is fall, and fresh berries are hard to come by. So now what you ask. Well, the answer is simple: squash.



Pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. Cinnamon, pumpkin pie, and spiked hot cider also may help alleviate the flu. (course, I always have been a sucker for egg nog rather than cider)

Umami

Auguste Escoffier 1846-1935 (image from NPR)

I have been reading lots of Jonah Lehrer recently (well, that and some scintillating text books), specifically "How We Decide" and "Proust Was a Neuroscientist" . For what it is worth, I highly recommend both these books.

How I cook (notice the Library bar code, holla!)

In "Proust..." there is a part about Auguste Escoffier and umami. After reading this I became inspired to try it myself.

Step One
Rendering the Marrow Goodness

I purchased some beef shank bones and some cubed beef for making stew, baked them in a pan with copious amounts of vegetables at 350 for about 5 hours.

Step Two

Step Three

After the baking, it all goes into a pot with some red wine and some water, and gets reduced. I repeat this step, minus the wine, four more times.

The Result

I then strained out all the solid stuff, so just the liquid remained, and reduced this still until it reached a desired consistency.

It took some time to complete but the end results were decent enough. No one complained and the aromatics it gave off while it was baking, cooking and rendering was absolutley ambrosial. I am very sure that this concoction was very nutritious as well as yummy. I used it to accompany steaks and rice. Not just any rice, I might add. But lime nori green tea rice (organic white aromatic jasmine rice, Whole Foods, bulk # 6706). What? All that in rice? Absolutley, make it as good as possible. Antioxidants, polyphenols, Lime Juice, it is all good and essential for living well. (If you have not caught on by now, I regard eating well an essential staple in this communial experience we all call living.)

The Ingredients...

...in a pot...

...on a plate!

And of course, a little bit of celebration at the end of a meal never hurt.

Mmmmm, beer.

Urban Hiking, Pizza and a Pantry Challenge

In the beginning...

Soul Party

A Soul Party was thrown, and food was made. Specifically pizza galore. I used the previously posted dough recipe with a few variations. I used a self raising dough and added 1 egg per batch of dough. A variety of thicknesses of dough were made and both thick and thin were damn fine.

Pizza Margherita

Some other pizza with yummy toppings that was eaten

Sadly, there was an0ther pizza made, but it was eaten too quickly to be photographed. I can provide witnesses, if needed, to back this story up. I think the last one, the one not photographed, was the best.

The rest of the spread was delicious, some dried cured meats, olives, cheese, and wine were available as well as some very very fine soul music that was danced too.

The hostess also served Molly Moon's Ice cream and another guest made some killer brownies to go with it. I could have rolled out of that party and home I had so much food, and that was even after I danced some of it off.

Urban Hiking

What urban hiking may look like

Urban hiking has temporarily replaced my hiking in the rural wooded areas, and I recently went to take in all the local areas of natural wonder in my neck of the woods. And drink, of course.

What foraging for food on an urban hike may look like

However, I quickly realized how similar urban hiking is to real hiking. There is beauty in those fine crafted cement squares you walk on, the way the houses are laid out in the neighborhood, the fences may have been aligned many years ago when created but now lean this way and that way every so often giving it a lazy look almost as if on purpose. There is just as much art and beauty in the city as in the woods; one just need to look for it. Even if the house or fence or cement layer years ago was not aware of it, he was making art, and even probably at the deepest level of their being knew it.

What a natural source of wild refreshment may look like on an urban hike

After the last stop on my urban hike, I decided to walk back to my lair as it was a sunny day and the fresh air after all of my jubilation was more than likely needed (and in the end it proved to be not enough to counter the wild intoxication of the urban hike). I began my walk home and again found myself amazed at the local bounty of art and grand art in the makings of man. After cresting a hill on my way home, a view of the far off jagged horizon appeared. The mountains in the distance adding to the serene placid beauty I was already experiencing and surrounded by on my urban hike. As if the mountains were not there to counter the city, but to make it better in any way they could.

A Challenge Arises

The beginning of a pantry challenge meal

I was recently challenged my a friend who came upon my blog. The challenge was simple; make a great meal out of whatever was in the pantry. The catch was I did not get to know what was in the pantry until I arrived.

The sauce is about to me made

The host was going to cook some all organic grass feed free range steaks, which I had marinated in lime juice, garlic and beer. The pantry was well stocked (according to me, not the host), and I found quinoa, seaweed, and a host of spices and other goodness to make a sauce and side dish with. The garden out back had some delicate baby squash that was sauteed up in, what else, garlic, onions, butter, salt and pepper.

Garlic lemon quinoa with seaweed

The quinoa dish was easy enough. I prepared the quinoa as normal, added a few crushed and whole cloves of garlic, a few tablespoons of lemon juice, and a handfull of rough chopped seaweed.

The End Results

The sauce was made with a little peanut butter, lemon juice, olive oil, tumeric (the yellow) powder, red pepper flakes, garlic, salt, pepper, and mayo (I hardly ever use this terrible stuff, but it was just needed to help with the texture).

I also sauteed some baby carrots, red onions, garlic, and black olives that were generously topped upon the quinoa.

The end result was a great meal with things that the host already had in the pantry. I was pleased with myself in the end, but is always the case, found things to do different and more better next time.

Spanakopita and the Olympic Peninsula

I made some spanakopita on Friday as a snack for an all day Sunday exploration of the Olympic Peninsula. I was a little worried that after making them, and then freezing them, and then defrosting them in the car they would deteriorate into something less than edible. They did taste and smell great right out of the oven, but the real test would be the road trip on Sunday.

On some Saturday mornings I make a brunch meal for some friends of mine, this past Saturday was one such day. I wanted to make french toast using brioche bread, but being the consummate procrastinator, I ended up using some fresh baked french bread from a local grocery instead.

I made a caramel sauce from scratch, using 2 cups sugar, 2tbs butter, a shot of cacao liqueur, about a half cup of brown sugar, and some heavy whipping cream. The stove I happened to be using that day was of the electric variety, and it has two available cooking temperatures: off and supernova.
Melting the sugar into liquid without burning it was challenging, and even though it did not burn it had many hard crystal hunks in it. For a very brief moment I thought about throwing it out and starting over, but then I decided to put it in a blender and blend those crystal hunks out. It worked out fairly well, leaving only very small pieces left over that acted as little intense flavor crystals in the caramel sauce. It was delicious!

For the french toast frying dip, I used eggs, cultured butter milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and soda, and a little sugar. I whipped it all together in the blender, put it in a bowl and set it aside until I was ready to use it.

I toasted some walnuts in a dry pan, sliced fresh bananas and made fresh whipped cream to top it with.

As a side dish, I sauteed onions and garlic in butter and then made scrambled eggs. I had some coffee with mine.



Later that day, after some drinking and karaoke, I added some salt to the left over caramel sauce and dipped some left over walnuts in as a late night snake. If you have ever had salted caramel, this was just like that (but in my very humble and biased opinion, way better! Well, except maybe for this).

Sunday came, and it was a rainy day in Washington, well at least on the peninsula. I got to be the driver, which is a rare treat for me these days, while the owner of the car got to have a very nice lazy Sunday nap ride on a overcast day, all warm wrapped up in a blanket. It was supposed to be a sight seeing day, but the overcast weather was hardly cooperating. We took a lunch break in Port Angeles at a Mexican place, it was rather nice even if the place had very over sanitized restrooms. There was also a store, Curtis Interiors, that had a large golden elephant as the mascot. That makes two recent times out I have seen this mythical magical beast in some form, sort of a trend don't you think? What in the world could this possibly mean?

The Golden Elephant

While I did have a rough plan of visiting the Sol Duc mineral hot springs, the cold rain was not having any of that. So I had to audible to another plan, which was just go to the coast. However, on the way I saw a turn for Cape Flattery and thought that would be a nice alternative. So I took it.

A view of what Cape Flattery may look like on a clear day

The road ran through a few small towns, a few stinky bays, and hugged the north coast of the peninsula and reminded me of the road to hana on Maui. Painfully slow and curvy, but very intense in cinematic scenary at the same time.

It was a very poor audible on my part. The end of the road still had a 3/4 mile trail to hike to get to the actual view. The trail was very muddy from the copious amounts of recent rain, I was wearing flipy flopies, and my co-pilot was on doctors orders to refrain from hiking. So we had the spanakopita as a snack.

This was it, the moment of truth and dread I was waiting for. Would they be plain tasting spinach wrapped in soggy phyllo? Or would they be edible? After the first bite we knew, they were still tasty and somewhat flaky; completely and totally edible. Success!

The trip back home was just as good if not better. Lots of Neil Diamond on the playlist, and I got to become reacquainted with the Thompson Twins (which oddly enough came on right after we spotted a double rainbow in the sky that was for the moment clear.)

We made our way to Port Townsend, where after a momentary lapse of recollection, we made our way to the Water Street Ale House for a drink and dinner.

We orderd dinner (I had the seafood chowder while my co-pilot had the mac and cheese) and we both ordered the in house brewed beer called Swag light (which was much more like non-light disgusting blah). The food was at least passable; my chowder was more like thin flavored sea broth than anything else. The mac and cheese was redeemable only in the fact the elbow pasta was done to perfection and was in a very thin but great tasting garlic sauce.

We set course for the ferry at Kingston, to take us back to our homes. After a long day, the gentle rocking of the speeding ferry cross the water at night was the perfect background for the story of "The Miserable Withering Richard the Wretched and the Kingdom of Happiness". But that is a story for another time (like after I edit it a few good times).

Pretty Lanterns at the Water Street Pub.