Tonight, Kristen, the kids, and I spent the evening readying the house for the final party of the year. Not much a New Year's Eve party-goer, we have always enjoyed staying at home with a few friends, eating and drinking, and as my dad would suggest: "staying off the roads".
The menu is going to be finger foods, but with a twist: Chile Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Steak Sauce (perennial favorite), King Crab Legs (yes, I got them on sale at Restaurant Depot for $8/pound), and Roasted Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce. Kristen is making Queso Dip, some cool Baked Crab appetizer, and a cheese tray. Neighbor Irene is bringing the Jalapeno Corn Muffins to go with the Black Eyed Peas from sister Vickie (my sibling, not a convent member). Dessert is Chocolate Sundaes from Julie Maupin and Carla Dyess.
Now as far as I know, we will have about sixteen people counting the kids. See a problem with this picture?
2009 has been a good year for us. The kids have just blossomed, and that word doesn't even do justice. Will has matured into a nice young man -- kind, sensitive, excited about the world, and growing up right before our eyes. It will only be 4 years until he plans on heading to college. Scary for me. Right now, though, he has become a proficient welder as well as player of video games. But most importantly, Will has developed a spark in his eyes this year -- you can just see him being happy. That makes me happy too.
Cathryn (or, as her daddy refers to her, Cat), is so smart and creative that sometimes I can't believe what she comes up with. Whether its technology, drama, art, or poetry, she just has a love of learning. She has now become the second biggest user of Amazon.com in the household next to me. And, she has decided this year to be a marine biologist. I know she's only eleven, and she will probably change this many times before she decides on a career, but as a biologist dad I'm excited to see her fascinated by nature. I guess I vicariously see the romance in studying some obscure fish.
So the "Last Party of the Year" is really the beginning of a new year for our family. I hope 2010 turns out as good as the last.
Dan
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
www.sugar-sugar.com
The sugar-sugar.com website is undergoing a revamp so its not active. Instead, if you want to talk about chocolate, please feel free to email me at docdano@gmail.com.
Thank you for your interest, and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Dan
Thank you for your interest, and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Dan
Monday, December 7, 2009
Candy and Christmas
It has become a tradition around our house at Christmas to make candy. One of my earliest memories is my mother's peanut patties (peanuts cooked in sugar tinted pink and poured onto wax paper). And then there was my Godmother, Ma.
Ma was older, in her sixties at least, when I came along. She was more than a baby sitter and functioned more as my surrogate grandmother. She took me to church, shopping for groceries, visiting her neighbors, and even to the soda fountain for a short Coke. It was an idyllic time in Hico, Texas in the '70's. Ma didn't drive and we walked everywhere we needed to go. Places seemed a lot closer in the '70's. I wouldn't even think about walking to the grocery store today. I barely like to walk to get the mail.
Ma is always on my mind at Christmas. On a holiday near the end of her life, she was spending her final days with my sister Vickie and lamenting over not being able to do her Christmas shopping. I told her not to fret, that the only thing that I wanted for Christmas this year was for her to show me how to make peanut brittle.
Peanut brittle is a simple enough concoction with a minimum of ingredients: peanuts (of course), sugar, water, "Karo Syrup", and finally baking soda. But the creation of this crispy treat is where it finds the balance between granite and Scotch Tape (read: not too hard, not too sticky) takes practice. I've since learned the science behind the candy -- the syrup prevents crystallization by acting as an invert sugar and you cook the mixture to just shy of a caramel -- but nevertheless, study and understanding does not necessarily equal good taste.
So, Ma gladly shared her recipe. She positioned her walker that she now used for balance in front of the stove, made a few missives about my sister's electric range (she preferred gas; so do I), and then set out to make our first batch. I diligently took notes and still have them in my recipe file today. I remember clearly that I should cook it until it "looks just right." (I clocked "13 minutes" at that moment.) Once you reach your temperature and with the flare of good flambe', you mix in the baking soda and miraculously a foamy, yet nuclear mixture appears: peanut brittle.
Since then I always try to make one batch in her memory. She left an indelible imprint on my life and that of my sister. Food is about fellowship and family and sharing love with one another. This year our family will make candy as well. Our truffles of pumpkin, tea, candy cane, Kirsch, Grand Marnier, habanero, orange peel, and yes -- peanut brittle -- probably say a lot about who we are. But mostly they serve to share the love of making candy for our friends. Hopefully Ma would be proud.
Ma was older, in her sixties at least, when I came along. She was more than a baby sitter and functioned more as my surrogate grandmother. She took me to church, shopping for groceries, visiting her neighbors, and even to the soda fountain for a short Coke. It was an idyllic time in Hico, Texas in the '70's. Ma didn't drive and we walked everywhere we needed to go. Places seemed a lot closer in the '70's. I wouldn't even think about walking to the grocery store today. I barely like to walk to get the mail.
Ma is always on my mind at Christmas. On a holiday near the end of her life, she was spending her final days with my sister Vickie and lamenting over not being able to do her Christmas shopping. I told her not to fret, that the only thing that I wanted for Christmas this year was for her to show me how to make peanut brittle.
Peanut brittle is a simple enough concoction with a minimum of ingredients: peanuts (of course), sugar, water, "Karo Syrup", and finally baking soda. But the creation of this crispy treat is where it finds the balance between granite and Scotch Tape (read: not too hard, not too sticky) takes practice. I've since learned the science behind the candy -- the syrup prevents crystallization by acting as an invert sugar and you cook the mixture to just shy of a caramel -- but nevertheless, study and understanding does not necessarily equal good taste.
So, Ma gladly shared her recipe. She positioned her walker that she now used for balance in front of the stove, made a few missives about my sister's electric range (she preferred gas; so do I), and then set out to make our first batch. I diligently took notes and still have them in my recipe file today. I remember clearly that I should cook it until it "looks just right." (I clocked "13 minutes" at that moment.) Once you reach your temperature and with the flare of good flambe', you mix in the baking soda and miraculously a foamy, yet nuclear mixture appears: peanut brittle.
Since then I always try to make one batch in her memory. She left an indelible imprint on my life and that of my sister. Food is about fellowship and family and sharing love with one another. This year our family will make candy as well. Our truffles of pumpkin, tea, candy cane, Kirsch, Grand Marnier, habanero, orange peel, and yes -- peanut brittle -- probably say a lot about who we are. But mostly they serve to share the love of making candy for our friends. Hopefully Ma would be proud.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday Night Suppa'
My neighbor Irene has hosted a Sunday night dinner for our mutual friend Lelia Hamilton for many years. Both women epitomize the idea of graciousness. Lelia recently fell and fractured her hip, and she is doing very well -- mending in a metroplex rehabilitation hospital and hopefully will be home soon.
Tonight to fill the evening, I hosted the Sunday night dinner. Irene joined us along with Kristen's parents, Julie and Bill Maupin, and Tom Adams -- famed local (and even not so local) florist, caterer, and decorator.
Lelia always remarks at her China gilded parties that it is "something I just threw together for suppa'." Well, tonight I tried to emulate her idea of a good time as best as possible in her absence.
Tom started the evening with a wonderful cheese tray, fruit, glazed almonds, and dehydrated garlic (of all things!). The first dinner course was a doubled poured soup of roasted red pepper on one side and fresh corn-jalopeno soup on the other. My daughter Cathryn helped today to create the garnish of ancho chili cream and cilantro cream. The main course was served family style with grilled ribeye steak with lemon, rosemary, and olive oil; broccoli slaw; and, roasted new potatoes.
Dessert was special (my Sweetie likes these): roasted pears with caramel sauce. The recipe from Kate Zuckerman's cookbook was fabulous.
The wine worked well tonight. Irene surprised everyone with a '81 Bordeaux! Perfection. I refilled with Caymus -- not the typical drinks our house!
But whether its food or wine, the people are what make an evening meal special. And, in this case a special Sunday night suppa'.
Tonight to fill the evening, I hosted the Sunday night dinner. Irene joined us along with Kristen's parents, Julie and Bill Maupin, and Tom Adams -- famed local (and even not so local) florist, caterer, and decorator.
Lelia always remarks at her China gilded parties that it is "something I just threw together for suppa'." Well, tonight I tried to emulate her idea of a good time as best as possible in her absence.
Tom started the evening with a wonderful cheese tray, fruit, glazed almonds, and dehydrated garlic (of all things!). The first dinner course was a doubled poured soup of roasted red pepper on one side and fresh corn-jalopeno soup on the other. My daughter Cathryn helped today to create the garnish of ancho chili cream and cilantro cream. The main course was served family style with grilled ribeye steak with lemon, rosemary, and olive oil; broccoli slaw; and, roasted new potatoes.
Dessert was special (my Sweetie likes these): roasted pears with caramel sauce. The recipe from Kate Zuckerman's cookbook was fabulous.
The wine worked well tonight. Irene surprised everyone with a '81 Bordeaux! Perfection. I refilled with Caymus -- not the typical drinks our house!
But whether its food or wine, the people are what make an evening meal special. And, in this case a special Sunday night suppa'.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Thanksgiving Leftovers with a twist
Every year we are daunted by the volume of left over food from Thanksgiving dinner. This year was no exception. From a 20 pound turkey along with corn bread dressing for 19, we combined it with a 12 pound smoked ham. Plus, all the trimmings of giblet gravy and cranberry sauce.
So with the challenge of figuring out a way to convince my family and friends to eat one more turkey meal I thought I would try something new. This worked out well since we were asked to have a "leftovers" dinner with two of our closest friends, Meredith and Fred Biltz. Both are avid cooks and love to entertain. They provided wonderful cornbread dressing, ham, and Meredith's Mother's fresh mustard greens -- not something you regularly see on a table in the year 2009.
But we tried something different: I took the cornbread dressing (complete with sage, onions, garlic, and of course chopped egg) and combined it with some standard masa harina tamale dough, chicken stock and, of course, some lard. After whipping this in the stand mixer it looked great, but I added in some poultry seasoning, sage, and some salt and cracked black pepper to round out the flavors.
Next, I shredded the chicken and combined it with some left over giblet gravy. While this was all going on, I had dried corn husks soaking in hot water.
So here's the set up: I took the masa/dressing mix and spread a thin film on the corn husk. Then I laid down a small row of the turkey/gravy mix, and finished it with some few berries of cranberry sauce. I then folded over the tamale and placed it in the steamer where it cooked gently for 90 minutes.
And, you know what? They weren't have bad. We had a "Turkey and Dressing Tamale" -- the complete meal. Probably won't see it on any Mexican buffets anytime soon, but it was a cool way to eat leftovers.
So with the challenge of figuring out a way to convince my family and friends to eat one more turkey meal I thought I would try something new. This worked out well since we were asked to have a "leftovers" dinner with two of our closest friends, Meredith and Fred Biltz. Both are avid cooks and love to entertain. They provided wonderful cornbread dressing, ham, and Meredith's Mother's fresh mustard greens -- not something you regularly see on a table in the year 2009.
But we tried something different: I took the cornbread dressing (complete with sage, onions, garlic, and of course chopped egg) and combined it with some standard masa harina tamale dough, chicken stock and, of course, some lard. After whipping this in the stand mixer it looked great, but I added in some poultry seasoning, sage, and some salt and cracked black pepper to round out the flavors.
Next, I shredded the chicken and combined it with some left over giblet gravy. While this was all going on, I had dried corn husks soaking in hot water.
So here's the set up: I took the masa/dressing mix and spread a thin film on the corn husk. Then I laid down a small row of the turkey/gravy mix, and finished it with some few berries of cranberry sauce. I then folded over the tamale and placed it in the steamer where it cooked gently for 90 minutes.
And, you know what? They weren't have bad. We had a "Turkey and Dressing Tamale" -- the complete meal. Probably won't see it on any Mexican buffets anytime soon, but it was a cool way to eat leftovers.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Turning off the engine...
Well, not really. But its as close as you can get in helicopter training to simulating an engine failure. Today we began autorotations.
Helicopters rely on a main rotor to supply both the airfoil and the thrust, or power, to stay aloft. Think of an airplane wing and engine combined. If you lose power, the main rotor continues to function as the "wing" to allow the chopper to glide. Now, to be honest, the glide ratio (how far you can glide compared to your altitude) is not as good as an airplane. Possibly 2:1 compared to 6:1 -- but, you need a much smaller spot to land if that's any consolation.
The key to any autorotation is to keep the main rotor turning. You see if it were to stop, you would fall like a rock. So to practice this maneuver you ascend to an altitude that will give you some time to practice before you land (say, 1400 ft AGL) and find a good open field as a target. And with my flight instructor Caleb counting down "3,2,1" I would lower collective (reduces power out of the main rotor), apply aft cyclic (pitches up the nose and causes air reversal through the blades), apply right pedal (weird thing about helicopters -- if you reduce power they want to turn to the left), and roll off throttle (reduce the engine speed to simulate an engine failure).
Then its just a matter of keeping 70 knots airspeed which is the best speed to give you the best distance, watch the main rotor RPM so that it stays around 100% (not to fast or to slow), and keep the field in sight. When you get close to your spot (since its just practice), pull in collective, set your pitch attitude, add back throttle, and climb to your altitude and do it all over again.
Its an essential skill in learning to fly a helicopter, and I have to tell you, a lot of fun. I'll keep you posted.
Helicopters rely on a main rotor to supply both the airfoil and the thrust, or power, to stay aloft. Think of an airplane wing and engine combined. If you lose power, the main rotor continues to function as the "wing" to allow the chopper to glide. Now, to be honest, the glide ratio (how far you can glide compared to your altitude) is not as good as an airplane. Possibly 2:1 compared to 6:1 -- but, you need a much smaller spot to land if that's any consolation.
The key to any autorotation is to keep the main rotor turning. You see if it were to stop, you would fall like a rock. So to practice this maneuver you ascend to an altitude that will give you some time to practice before you land (say, 1400 ft AGL) and find a good open field as a target. And with my flight instructor Caleb counting down "3,2,1" I would lower collective (reduces power out of the main rotor), apply aft cyclic (pitches up the nose and causes air reversal through the blades), apply right pedal (weird thing about helicopters -- if you reduce power they want to turn to the left), and roll off throttle (reduce the engine speed to simulate an engine failure).
Then its just a matter of keeping 70 knots airspeed which is the best speed to give you the best distance, watch the main rotor RPM so that it stays around 100% (not to fast or to slow), and keep the field in sight. When you get close to your spot (since its just practice), pull in collective, set your pitch attitude, add back throttle, and climb to your altitude and do it all over again.
Its an essential skill in learning to fly a helicopter, and I have to tell you, a lot of fun. I'll keep you posted.
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