iPhone 5.....

Today is the big day....the iPhone 5 announcement by someone other than Jobs. Its hard not to wonder what it is going to be like with out Jobs steering the company. Without Jobs, remember, there would be no Microsoft. There would be no iPhone, or iPad. Or probably... no personal computer anything... Mac or IBM.

Its hard to not get wrapped into the hype of it all. Apple has been the innovator that the rest of the market scrambles to compete with. I just hope that it can live up to it. They haven't let me down yet... of course I still get excited to play my Atari 2600.

Cheap Simple Food Can Taste Gourmet

Step aside peas, carrots have a new perfect pairing!!

Pictured here is a ginger carrot soup I made in two hours (mostly peeling the carrots), with two heart shaped pieces of buttery Indian fried bread. The ingredients were simple: Carrots, ginger, garlic, celery, onion, water, flower, baking powder, salt, black pepper, olive oil, butter, and milk. Oh! And inexpensive, however... the finished product could have been ordered in a four star restaurant (actually, that's where I stole the idea from).

Now granted... I love ginger, but anyone can learn to love this simple yet decadent meal--with all the health benefits it provides-- well besides the butter and frying.

Carrot Ginger Soup:

Ingredients:
1 1/2  Large 5# bags of Carrots peeled
1 large sweet onion
1 celery heart
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh minced ginger (more to taste)
2 1/2  cups whole milk
2 teaspoons butter
2 table spoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper

In a stock pot combine all ingredients except the milk and butter over medium high heat. Sprinkle two teaspoons of salt over the veggies to get their flavors to pour out. Continue to stir occasionally until the onions become clear and the carrots are slightly crunchy still. Next fill with just enough water to cover your veg. Allow to boil till carrots are tender and falling apart. Add milk and butter and turn down heat to a simmer for 10-15 min. Blend in a blender and season to taste.

Another option I do on occasion: I add half a bar of cream cheese while blending just to add an extra flavor level and creaminess.

  

Dear Sleepless and Suffering

SO, basically that title means dear me.... Or dear us... the fall allergy sufferers.

I couldn't sleep so I figured I would mention a few things that are making my night not so bad, as I try not to scratch out my eye balls or give a hacking birth to 'Slimer,'  from "Ghost Busters,"  which happens to be on broadcast TV right now.

If you are into Action Adventure stories, the one that has been keeping me company during this crawl into a ball time Jack Dubrul, isn't a bad answer. The current book is "Pandora's Curse" which is fitting. Why? I feel like I am gonna die. And I hate taking drugs. And I had to actually open a box and take a pill.  The curse of the fall season for me. Thus far it is pretty good, though, it isn't holding my complete attention. Though it does have to do with Nazi's which has to do with the theater play I am in.



The other item that is getting my attention though I am rather using my computer to type than watch.... "The Tutors: the First Season." Amazing show. The acting alone... my god,  the costumes. My friend blames me for his newest addiction.... this show. It really is a must see. And re-see, and love every minute.

 Anyhoo, I think Slimer's coz is seeking contact with tissue, so I will leave you to check out these two great items yourself. Later art lovers.

So first, the Governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, gave himself the power to appoint an administrator to any town he deems fiscally irresponsible. This appointed official can then fire whomever... even elected officials. Sell off town property, etc, and the voter (you) can't do anything about it. Not to mention getting rid of the film intensives that was bringing millions to our economy. And now he want to bully fat kids. Yes fellow Michiganders, report all your fat kids. He wants a state registry to record the body mass of all children. While you are at it Governor, Why don't we force them all to wear an arm band while we are at it. Perhaps a yellow blob on it rather than the Star of David. Oh and make them walk on the street rather than the sidewalk. Then since they are over weight Rick's insurance company backers can charge more to families with fat kids. Will he send the Fat Police into our homes to rummage through our fridge next?

Can't Sleep: Cook.

I got about two hours of sleep last night, and after three more hours of trying to get back to the peaceful land of dreams, I got up and chose to be productive instead. My first thought was to type... but the groggy state of my sleepy neurons needed to be fixed first. My morning mantra rang in my brain, "Coffee,I need coffee!" And while I was waiting-- like a brainless zombie-- for the nectar of the gods to drip through my recycled paper filter in the kitchen, I noticed the fresh butternut squash sitting alone on the counter. Honestly... I hate squash. The slimy stringy texture just bugs the living *bleep* out of me. The flavor however, that could be this large gourd shape thing's saving grace.

After the first cup of java replaced the blood of my caffeine stream the mental picture of my late night dinner began to come together.

Wait. Perhaps I should explain what I mean by 'Late Night.' I am acting in a world premiere play based upon a HBO film. I play a Nazi who is involved in deciding of the 'final solution to the Jewish question.' At the bottom of this post is a link to check out the film on Amazon. Its good, creepy, and cheep there. Anyway, because I am acting in this show I really don't have time to eat at the normal dinner time and don't get home till ten or eleven. And this inspired my meal... well, that and the squash.

I looked for veggie broth. None. Poured another cup of coffee and stared into the fridge with a confused look on my face. Another cup of coffee was needed to further formulate my plans. While pouring I noticed the crock pot. What better way to make a delayed dinner. Working mothers across the world make magic with that little device... and a personal favorite: pot roast. That was my answer to no veggie broth.

First, the squash. Sneaking one last sip of my darkly roasted coffee I set my oven to 350 degrees. I got out my cleaver and hacked and hammered away to split this wood like vegetation favorite. Then I gutted the thing like a caveman-- saving the seeds to roast later. I placed the thing on a cookie sheet and oiled it up with some extra virgin, sprinkled it with salt, and dusted it like Tinker Bell with fresh cracked pepper. When the oven beeped I slipped in the squash for its slow tanning process.

Second, came the browning for the roast. Since it was going to be slow roasted a good searing is necessary. Oil on the bottom of the crock pot and then it was time to wash-- very well-- all my veggies, even the onions with the skin on. Why?  When i worked on Mackinac Island, I watched our head chief waste near nothing. All the skins from his potatoes, onions, carrots, garlic, etc. etc. would go into a pot that became some of the best vegetable broth I have ever tasted. He told me the skins imparted color, and flavor.  After getting the carrots, celery, garlic, onions, potatoes, in the crock, I threw all the left over bits and skins in another pot.  Then it was a search for all the older, but not spoiled veggies in the fridge. Mushrooms, peas, and tomatoes, all went into my second pot with oil and plenty of salt, pepper, rosemary, sage, bay leaves, and a touch of nutmeg. Brought it to a boil. And set the second pot to simmer. And now that dinner is well on its way its time to go and paint patio furniture.  

Vino, Aspirin, and Org Chem: connected?

Tonight (or rather last night as I still haven't been able to sleep due to too many things on my mind), I set about learning something new. I turned to the library of rarely cracked books, just as I did as a child. I first looked though the plethora of cookbooks that do nothing but collect dust. I believe creating tongue tingling cuisine is better explored through the senses than in the musty smelling pages of others. I was looking for new ideas, not recipes. I thumbed through whole food books, vegetarian, early American, French, and then rediscovered a book like a old golden debloon long lost in the sand. I found an old book... well... older than me. Published in 1977. The title "Creative Winemaking" By Andre de Chambeau.

I love wine, and always wanted to try my tongue at making some. Well, I must explain that there are vines in the yard. And after letting them be for the past ten years to their own devices they are pumping out juicy little zin grapes in large bunches. The other vine, is as of yet unproductive, and I can't tell what it is. I read the book cover to cover in less than two hours. I learned wine takes truck loads of patience to get a jug of wine. And tons of trial and error.

First, the vines. We had planted two vines and it took 5 years to see a moderate amount of grapes on one.  Then I realized, that I am not going to get enough grapes off of just that one plant. I needed more. So, last night I decided to research how to make clipping clones of my good plant. Which lead me to auxin (growth hormones), and research on natural rooting compounds. In that process, after staring at my iPhone for too long, I needed aspirin to calm my growing headache. The funny thing I learned... my first fact for the day: Aspirin is made from the bark of the willow tree, which is also where you find natural auxin, or the plant hormone needed to root my clippings. A tea of aspirin and honey may just well do the trick. Why the honey? Simple. The clipping will produce auxin (an aromatic carbon ring) if it has its preferred carbon source... sucrose. So a touch of auxin to start it off and carbon to help it along. My new vines will hopefully produce fruit in two years.

That's the next thing. The fruit. Waiting for the damn fruit. A little work and more organic chemistry... then fermentation (three months). Then aging (1-3 years). No wonder why people just go to the store.  

Now Reading...

So, today I am going to start reading Six Figure Freelancing, If anybody has read it let me know what you thought about it.
Buy it on amazon