Friday, January 11, 2008

Rover Rover


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Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic
Last night I went to the training session for poll workers for the upcoming primaries. dull dull dull. It wouldn't be, really, except that it's pretty much the same thing every time, and since I work every election...you get the picture.

Anyway, for yesterday's self-portrait I put kit on the table and stuck my hand in there so it could be called an sp.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Childress Vineyards Wine

Let me apologize up front for the quality of the upcoming wine photos. They all just are...bad! But I had collected quite a few empty bottles on my windowsill and just needed to get them into the garbage.

This is a North Carolina Vineyard in Lexington. I was first introduced to their dessert wine when buddy Tambri brought a bottle of it to Thanksgiving dinner. It was a delightfully sweet blueberry dessert wine and we just about polished off the bottle that day.

Since then I have tried this Classic Red table wine and also a red blend called Pinnacle. I'm not sure which red blend I liked better: this Classic one or the Pinnacle, but I did like them all. They have just the right amount of sweetness to me. Not too harsh, like some reds can be.

I'm definitely becoming a fan of red blends. I haven't had a bad one yet.

Childress Dessert & Pinnacle

I love these new shoes


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Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic
I bought a pair of the new Ryka studio shoes to start the new year and I absolutely LOVE them! They are light as a feather, which I find with most of the shoes I buy from them (these are actually an ounce heavier than my last pair), but I especially like the heel structure.

The heels on these are rounded so you have better range of motion when dancing. Some might see that as a negative...maybe a greater likelihood for twisting an ankle. But I like it because then the shoe does not determine the angle as which my foot extends during some of the poses and dance moves.

Rare for me to write about shoes, I know. But there you have it.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Monday, January 07, 2008

Switched-Up Schnitzel


SwitchedUpSchnitzel
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic
My buddy Tambri gave me some cubed venison loins. My other buddy Sarah told me about a dish her mom made for her every year on her birthday. Mom would dredge the loins in milk, then egg, then a
mixture of saltines, Parmesan cheese, oregano, basil, pepper and thyme. Then she would fry them in butter. Serve with lemon wedges.

Well. This sounds like schnitzel to me, with the exception of the Parmesan. Austrians do not put Parmesan in the breading. And of course it's usually veal or pork.

Time to play with the food.

First, I decided I wanted to use Panko instead of cracker crumbs. Big fan of the Panko. Love the Panko. I also decided to raise the smoke point of the butter by adding some olive oil. Less chance of burnage that way.

Since I was using Panko mixed with Parmesan rather than saltines, I thought maybe I should not use milk as my first dip. That would add more liquid to the eggs and I really wanted more of a sticking effect, to hold onto that Parmesan and Panko. Panko being much coarser than saltine crumbs would be.

Also? At the very last moment I noticed I did not have LEMON! That, my dear foodie, is a mortal sin in the schnitzel world! I could not send someone to get lemon...Nate is down with flu and Mensa Boy was working hard at home on a big project.

So? Lemon pepper became one of the seasonings in the Panko mixture.

Here is an approximate list of ingredients:

1 # cubed venison loin

First coating:
3/4 cup flour

Second coating:
2 whole eggs

Dredge:
2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan (I used Parmigiano Reggiano, which was what I had, but I think it'd be better to go with something CHEAPER!)
2/3 cup Panko crumbs
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon thyme

Fry over medium-high heat in 1 stick of unsalted butter cut with about 4 tablespoons of olive oil. (Turn to second side when the blood rises to the top) Check for doneness by prodding with your finger. Should firm up, but not become hard.

I think if the heat in the skillet were too high, and the crumbs were in danger of burning, it would be a good idea to just fry to a golden brown and then finish in the oven. Especially if you have an electric oven. A gas oven will lend moisture and keep it from being quite as crisp.

Oh. The lemon in the photo...Neighbor Mary to the rescue!

Now this was an exciting meal! The guys became more and more animated as the schnitzel cooked, although Mensa Boy was sad that the meat wasn't actually cube-shaped. uh yuh.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Cellar No. 8


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Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic
2005 California Zinfandel.

I don't know why I buy this every once in a while. I read about it in the paper one Wednesday and the reviewer liked it, and I like the reviewer, so I guess I just can't let go.

But the truth is, I really don't think much of this one. Not sweet enough. It's just too tannic for me. I really like a Marietta Cellars table wine, but sometimes I can't find it, and this one often seems to be near where the other should be.

Oh. And it had a cork. I've been wanting wines with corks. Just because I got an electric cork puller for Christmas!

Quote for today

My friend Jenny said this yesterday on her blog when she wrote about a Weight Watcher's pizza idea:

"I resisted trying this recipe for a long time because it was frequently described as a good cure to a pizza craving. You know what is a good cure for a pizza craving? An entire Papa John’s pizza."

p.s. She did like the pizza idea, which involved a "Flat out" wrap.

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Supper


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Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic
"What will you have for supper tonight?" my friend asked.

"Oh...I'll probably just open a can..." I replied.

Friday, January 04, 2008

Foray into Sourdough


Well, this is a food blog, right? At least it used to be. And it's been a while since I wrote about food. This entry is especially easy to write about because I'm so excited about the topic: Sourdough!

My guys love sourdough bread. They like to buy it at the grocery store on Sunday after church. And anytime I tell them I'm going shopping they ask me to pick up some. Well, I like to make bread. (I don't use a bread machine. I use my KitchenAid stand mixer) So I decided to do some reading about sourdough.

I found this recipe in my favorite book, "Cookwise," by Shirley O. Corriher. She has a recipe for starter with yeast, which only needs 10 to 12 hours, rather than a week, to ferment. So I made the starter Tuesday night and then the bread on Wednesday. Altogether it was a 20 hour process, but the bread! Oh. My. Gosh. And to really make it all worthwhile, the bread used all the starter! So I didn't have to begin a long-term relationship with a bowl of fermented flour.

I have skipped all the instructions about how to form loaves.

Starter with Yeast
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour*
1/2 cup semolina (durum) flour
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1 3/4 cups cool water (65 to 70 degrees)

Combine flours in a mixer bowl. Stir yeast into warm water in a small cup. Let stand 2 minutes, until foam appears, indicating yeast is alive and well (I skipped this. I use instant yeast and I use yeast so much that I always know it's alive). Add dissolved yeast and cool water into flour. Blend on low speed about 1 minute. Knead on low-medium speed for 5 minutes. Place in a plastic or glass container and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the starter to prevent crusting. Let stand in a draft-free area at a temperature about 71 degrees for 10 to 12 hours. The starter is now ready to to make bread. This is enough to combine with 1 pound (about 3 cups) or enough for two loaves, or one large round.

*I used an unbleached, "white whole wheat" flour by King Arthur. Normally I buy unbleached white flour, but I was intrigued by the whole wheat, so thought it might be good to try. I've had mixed results. The first time I baked bread with it, I made a basic cuban-style bread and I thought it was too dry. I really think whole wheat flour requires more moisture. This flour worked great in this recipe. When I made the bread, I added bread flour to this whole wheat starter for a bread that was darker in color but not so dense as all whole wheat.

Yeast Starter Bread

makes one 10-inch round, or two 7-inch rounds

1 recipe Starter with yeast
1/4 500-mg vitamin C tablet, crushed*
1 teaspoon barley malt syrup**
1/4 cup crushed ice
3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon oil for bowl
Coarse cornmeal as needed

Place the starter, vitamin C, barley malt syrup, and ice in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer with the dough hook. Mix on low speed just to blend. Add the bread flour and salt and knead on low-medium speed for 5 minutes, until dough is very elastic. The dough should be firm. Add a little flour or liquid if needed.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turning so that it is coated. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough, and divide in half if making two loaves. Let rest for 15 minutes.

Shape the round loaf (or loaves). Place on a baking sheet that is heavily sprinkled with cornmeal. Sprinkle the loaf with some flour, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let the the dough rise until doubled, about 3 to 4 hours.

About 30 minutes before baking, place a baking stone on the lowest slot of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. (I use 4 unglazed quarry tiles.) About 5 minutes before baking, turn the oven down to 375 degrees and carefully place a shallow pan with 1/2 inch of boiling water on the oven floor. Slash the loaves and place the pan directly on the hot stone.

(I put my tiled rack on the second slot, and in the bottom slot I put another rack with another baking sheet on it. I preheated the oven with the other baking sheet in there so that it was nice and hot. When I put the bread in, I first tossed a dozen or so ice cubes on the preheated baking sheet. Then I put the bread on the tiled rack above that to bake.)

Bake until well-browned, 45 to 55 minutes total baking time.

*I skipped the vitamin C because I was out. I do usually do this, though. Corriher says it helps gluten development and produces lighter breads. I tend to agree with her on this.

**A couple of months ago, I accidentally pulled the jar of barley malt syrup off the shelf while reaching for something else. Broken, sticky glass all over the place. YUCK! I used Agave nectar in its place for this recipe because I was giving a loaf to a diabetic. But really any liquid sweetener would do: honey, molasses, corn syrup, etc.

We really enjoyed this bread! And I was so pleased with how photogenic it was! It had a wonderful crunchy crust and a nice crumb. I'll make more this weekend using all white flour to achieve a lighter texture.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Boom! It's Winter!

It's 21 degrees here this morning. Downright frigid for our part of the U.S. The skies are clear as a bell, so really the only indicator of the weather visually is the ice on the bird bath. I need to get the extension cord out and plug that in. Water is so scarce that it's even more important this winter to keep it full and thawed. We did have a couple of inches of rain last week, but of course that is still a couple of FEET less than we really need.

Taylor and I watched a FABULOUS movie last night: "The Prestige." It's about two turn-of-the-century magicians who spend their professional and personal lives destroying each other. Very very good. Taylor had seen it already but said it was hard to follow so he wanted to watch again. I had no trouble, but I had the captions on. That always helps.

It's a back-to-work day today.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Happy New Year!

I have to say, except for the neighborhood sounding like a war zone (fireworks started around 6 and lasted until past midnight), the New Year slid in very quietly at our house. My bout with some virus (I'm suspecting flu) caused us to stay home rather than going to the neighbor's for the annual New Year gathering. They assured me they would tip a glass in my honor, and that it wouldn't be any kind of Chardonnay or anything with a Yellow Tail label. So that base was covered. I started sleeping Sunday and pretty much kept that up until 8 this morning. I'm still a little dragged-out, but I feel hopeful that it will all pass.

Resolutions? I really have none. Actually maybe one. I'm going to cut down on the number of adjectives I use in my speech. I won't eliminate them entirely, but just cut way back. Fewer adjectives. That's it.

Foodwise, I'm going to follow The Hungry Fox's idea to add more of these items to my diet. squash, bok choy, turkey, edamame, quinoa, mango, salmon, buttermilk, beef, and chickpeas.
These are all part of my diet now, but I'm going to choose two each week and plan menus around them.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Playing


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Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic
I learned how to fire my speedlight wirelessly by using my camera's on-board flash. Now that was fun! I'm going to play with use the two flashes and the photo light, umbrella and light stand I have. FUN!

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Bear's Christmas Gift

It can be difficult to tell where the gift ends and the recipient begins!

Bear's Christmas Gift
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic

Santa Sarah


SantaSarah1
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic
We had a very special visitor yesterday for our Christmas Eve Jazzercise class.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

No Photo. Just Words.

Hm. I guess it has been a long time. I see I haven't written since last Saturday. I think most of it has been that I've been busy, and some of it has been that I haven't had much to say.

Mensa Boy came home from his trip to Indonesia. He had a terrible cold. This happens a lot when he travels. Especially if it's several time zones. He was in flight for 30 hours. 30 hours of breathing all that recycled air. Yuck. So he basically stayed home sick for the rest of the week. He did go to the chiropractor on Thursday and had an adjustment, which really helped his sinuses. I had him get a massage on Wednesday and he thought that helped, too. Now he's just got a lingering ear thing.

I worked fast and furious for the paper and then running around to do last minute Christmas stuff, spent almost an entire day getting a new spring for our garage door. ours sheared in two while Bob was gone. Fortunately I have a backup spouse for these emergency repairs. Buddy Rena's husband. He was able to put the new spring on. And unclogged the garbage disposal after Taylor and I tried to grind up peeling for 10 pounds of potatoes.

Taylor and I made lefse. That was a really fun project. Not nearly as spooky as I thought it would be. I've always been told that it was hard to master. We didn't have any trouble at all. Buddy Sarah's daughters helped me make the last half of the batch on Thursday. Then Sarah and I relaxed with giant salads, spicy peel & eat shrimp, and a bottle of Pozzi Scilia Bianco wine. We did that to celebrate her birthday.

Yesterday Mensa Boy and I took Bear to do his Christmas shopping. He ascribes to the theory that his gifts to people should be stuff that he would enjoy getting. He bought a new kennel cab for Nate, a biscuit pouch for me to clip to my waistband, and squeaky toy for Taylor and Mensa Boy.

So now I'm off to church and this afternoon I'll lay around a lot.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Accidental Exposure


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Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic
Yesterday I ran like a crazy woman, from school to school, interviewing and taking photos. At one point I walked into the high school after leaving the elementary, and got a call on my cell. The editor. Asking me to go to the new middle school to shoot some teachers taking a tour. They are going to move into the building around January 15.

Fortunately, I've learned enough about my photography skills to know that I should take several shots at several different exposures when I'm shooting for pay.

This is my HUGE SHADOW on the wall behind a group shot I took at the new middle school. I corrected the angles, exposure and lighting so that I could get a good, printable photo. But I thought the shadow was cool enough that I played around with some color and texture in Photoshop and submitted it for my self-portrait for yesterday. I'm in the mid-60s now with the self-portraits. Some are well-planned, but many are quite accidental.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Wrestling? What Will I Do Next?

When I started this freelance gig, I was writing food stories for our local newspaper. After a couple of weeks of writing and waiting around for the newspaper photographer to come shoot my food, I bought a little Fuji FinePix F10.

And so the photography thing began.

After a short bit, I was getting requests from the paper to "Run over there and take a photo."
Then it was "Can you write a short bit about that while you are there?"

And so I became an all-around writer/photographer. A lot of school features, then church features, some human interest stories. Then new business introductions. Then they asked me if I'd like to be the reporter/photographer for our school's Cross Country team. I've done that for 2 seasons now.

Last week my editor was telling me that the photographer is going to start taking Wednesdays off for a while. I said "Well, just let me know if I can help pick up the slack with some photography."
"Would you like to shoot the wrestling meet Tuesday night? You should be able to just get in there, take a few shots, and get out."

Sure. Why not?

I was there for almost 2 hours. It was interesting. I had no idea what most of the rules were. But I do know the coach, so he explained a couple of things to me before I started. Just to give me an idea what to look for. This is the best shot I got all night. I wish I had their entire bodies in there, but hey! I tried, right? I doubt I'll do this very much. I get only $10 per photo and they will probably only publish one shot. So $10 for almost 2 hours of my time doesn't really make a lot of sense. But I did enjoy working the camera.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Christmas Preparations Underway


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Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic
Well, we finally got the tree and outside lights up this weekend. It was a struggle, to be honest. Every year we all kind of galump around, wishing someone else would do it. This year I got Taylor to help me put out the outside lights by promising that whoever did that wouldn't have to be involved in taking them back down. I am short a string of clear lights, and trying to buy another at Target proved fruitless. Clear lights seem to be all the rage these days. At least in our neighborhood. I think we might be almost the only ones that have multi-colored lights outside. I want to put clear ones on the two tall bushes. I also have several strings on the pergola that stay up year round, but they have quite a few bulbs burned out and I think I'm going to just replace the strings. I've been trying to fix them and it's just very complicated.
The tree took essentially 3 days. Not that it's a particularly great tree, but we all just pretty much kept running out of steam.
So. Next is the shopping, which I imagine we'll do online. Mensa Boy's list is completely shot, leaving Nate and me nothing to get for him. This happens all the time. Nate didn't even publish a list this year.
Wow...looking back at this, it seems all pretty dismal. But actually, things are looking pretty nice around here. And restful.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Lancaster Christmas Parade

Saturday my friend Tambri had her dance school in the Lancaster Christmas Parade. We had 50 little girls, most of whom rode on a trailer we decorated with posters and Christmas lights. Although I do not have a kid in her classes, or even have girl for that matter (thank goodness!), I always help Tambri with her big productions.

All I can say is, we seriously underestimated Lancaster. This was one cool parade. And they had the downtown well-decorated.

This is my friend Tambri, decked out in her Christmas finery, riding to the parade route. You can see me and my camera peeking over her shoulder. I really enjoy this shot.