Sam Adams, Meet Juicy Lucy

Have you been to Minneapolis? I haven't, but Lindsey and Trevor talk about it and its superiority to every other city incessantly. Thus, I get the impression that it is, in fact, a big deal.

A specific big deal comes in the form of the "juicy Lucy" - a burger filled with cheese such that you bite into it and best have a napkin on hand for the gushing that will ensue. Over spring break, Lindsey was busy sunning in the Keys and Trevor and I sat up here touring breweries and cooking a little more creatively.

Observe T-rev filling up the turkey patty. We had sun-dried tomatoes that we mixed with the ground turkey meat (in addition to the regulated bread crumbs and egg). Ciabatta rolls were halved, drizzled with olive oil and baked for 15min while we cooked the burger patties. The patties were so large (12oz. easily) that they cooked for almost ten minutes a side.

I happen to have a pretty small mouth. My dentist (and the orthodonist from back in the day) always comments on how I ought to use kids' toothbrushes. Rather than feel like an awkward prepubescent holding a brush no larger than my palm every morning and night, I just opt to use smarter technique with a big kids' brush. Anyways, you can see how big the burger ended up being.


I ended up having to take two bites vertically (that is, one on top of the other) to make my way through this delicious monstrosity. While trekking through the land of lean poultry burgers, I learned an interesting something. Feta melts at a higher temperature than most cheeses, so it was just barely on the verge of goopey when we happened upon it in the center of the burger. Still, it was damn good stuff. Surprisingly, considering the nature of feta, I still think the meat could have had more salt.

As far as Sam Adams goes, we just hiked on down to the Jamaica Plain area, walked five minutes to the brewery, and were shown around a bit. I snagged a few images of the guy from the Sam Adams commercials in his signature brown khaki overalls but the quality isn't good enough to share here. The sampling was, of course, the best part. The sampling glasses were so bitty! We got to try Sam's classic Boston Lager in addition to the Noble Pils, Cherry Wheat (or was it Pale Ale?) and Irish Red. The under-21's were given root beer. All the beer was delicious, and why not? It was totally free. The only negation to the trip was that our host was a bit on the stingy side. No refills of any sort were given out. Trevor says that he's always been able to squeeze out an extra sample size (or four) from the host, but this one would not budge.

So much for spring break indulgences.

Chocolate Cake

Lindsey is a goddess. She can put out a mean chocolate frosting, and do so in a matter of minutes. Our chocolate cake (boxed) was topped with an awesome concoction of butter, melted chocolate, cocoa poweder, amaretto, coffee and some sweet stuff. No measurements, just sprinkles here and dollops there and regular finger tasting.




Triple chocolate cake by Duncan Hines is just as good of a cake as any chocolate cake I have made from scratch. It is one area where the box really can be your friend.

Pancakes, Buttermilk

Few people are even aware of the fact that buttermilk may be used for things other than pancakes. Let me assure you that buttermilk pancakes can hardly be better by any other form of flapjack, but if you ever plan to make wings at home, please please PLEASE soak those bad boys in buttermilk for 24 hours beforehand. The buttermilk breaks down all the tendons and muscle fibers and makes them fantastically more delicate, moist, and chewy. The meat falls off of the bone with but little effort. It is well worth your time.

Don't be intimidated by the name either. It's the stuff that's leftover after one makes butter from fresh cream. Next time you want butter (i.e. ALWAYS), have a cup of cream and a Mason jar, pour part A into part B, seal, and shake for 45 min. Toss it back and forth with friends. Shake it high, shake it low. Shake it like a salt shaker. It'll be soft, then hard, sloshy, then thick. After your time's up, get a cheesecloth and drain that baby for a good hour. The liquid that'll've drained out is essentially buttermilk. The gorgeous and pale ball in your cloth will be BUTTER! I don't salt mine until I've spread it on whatever. Make sure to get out as much water as possible (manipulate it while it drains) or it'll really shorten the life of your butter. It's that simple.

Cultural fact: In Morocco, buttermilk is served post-couscous to wash everything down.

Now, buttermilk pancakes are a bit higher than the bee's knees on my list of grand things (but not as high as butter, haha). The fluff and chew is just impeccable. If you throw in some lemon zest, you've really got something to wake up to. If olfactory stimulation just isn't good enough, the gustatory sparkle and shine of these pancakes will bring absolutely anyone out of bed (I recall a time when my sister, so reluctant to leave her covers, forced my dad to carry out the ever-present threat of pouring syrup in her hair!).

This is the recipe that I always have gone to. I tried altering things, and the only good options I found were subbing almond extract for vanilla and orange zest for lemon.

Buttermilk Pancakes
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 pinch salt
2 tbs white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (or almond)
1 tsp lemon zest (or orange)
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
3 tbs butter, melted

Put your griddle/pan on medium heat and have the Pam at the ready.

Sift the dry ingredients together in a big bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the wet together. Usually, I have let my buttermilk and egg sit for a half hour or so at room temperature to get slightly warmer, as this binds things together better.

Add the wet to the dry and stir together being careful not to overmix. Having lumps is totally okay.

I use either a 1/4 or 1/3 cup to measure out my pancakes. It takes out the guess work of pouring and creates a pleasant uniformity. Cook about two minutes on each side. Slide off onto a warm plate and either serve in batches or put the one plate of pancakes in the microwave between batch preparations to keep them warm. Be sure to spray that cooking spray between every batch or two.





If you want to put any berry fruit in your pancakes, rinse and dry them off and toss them in some flour. You'll want to drop them into your pancakes after you've poured them out. Adding them this late ensures that all the fruit doesn't sink to the bottom of your batter. The flour coating helps the berry to "float" in your pancake, so they're not all on one side or another.

Lindsey and I have quite a table setting for these guys. There's butter, maple syrup, honey, blackberry jam, Nutella, sliced almonds, and walnuts. Try out whatever toppings you feel like!

Eat Your Heart Out, Claire Robinson

Once upon a time, a genius realized that if you agitate cream for long enough you get a goop that takes like fantasy. We know this goop as butter. It's fantastically versatile and essential in many households.

This afternoon, I did nothing special for my lunch. I sliced up some Trader Joe's polenta, fried it (a real crust developed) in olive oil, and then topped it with butter-thyme sauce. I heated up some of Lindsey's warm vegetable salad (potatoes, green beans, roasted red peppers in a lemon vinaigrette). Yum, right?

But let me rewind to the miracle part. I took unsalted butter, melted it, let it brown slightly, then threw in maybe a teaspoon of thyme. Once that sat and stewed for a minute, I poured it on my polenta. This three ingredient fix had me in awe. A single bite and I literally stopped myself for a few seconds. It was all at once crispy, chewy, warm, sweet and savory. It was... impossibly good. Can things really be that simple? God laughed from on high and said, "cha."

I am embarrassed to admit that I ate it all before the thought of taking a picture came along, but let's face it - a picture of yellow discs with some leafy brown sauce on it isn't going to be that aesthetic. Still, I assure you, it was stunning. I had only two discs of polenta when I first sat down, but after that one bite, I leaped up to put on another one frying.

So, in a nut shell, this really simple meal surprised me. I knew it would be tasty, but I hadn't any idea it would be FANTASTIC.

My Relationship with Food

So, why do I eat? I eat for a number of reasons, none of which are unique to me. I eat socially, preferring the company of friends to eating by myself. I eat when I am bored, a terrible habit that I try time and again to get rid of by saying to myself, "Will I be any happier in ten minutes because I ate this handful of almonds? What about this Pirouette cookie?" It is extremely successful when I do remember to ask myself those things but the asking doesn't always happen.

Most importantly, I eat because it gives me pleasure. Don't go taking that the nasty sexual way that some of y'all do. It is pleasing from my ears to my toes to bite into something delicious, especially if I made it myself, or better yet, with friends. Everyone says that it's better to make it yourself, and you know why they all say that? 'Cause it's true. It's the same with all those terrible clichés. There's a reason that they have stood the test of time. When you see and smell and hear and taste and touch everything that goes into your meal, you gain confidence, knowledge, expectation, and anticipation. I swear that your logic and common sense will improve, too. "Hmm... is it a good idea to ever make a sugar-free/low-carb version of a baked good?" The answer is no.

Pizza was made from scratch the other day with real semolina flour and EVOO and artichoke hearts and olives and pepperoni and straight up tomato sauce. No white flour. No sugar. No bullshit. It was laborious and glorious.

I finally got a summer job, so once that first paycheck comes in, I can eat something other than cold cereal and oatmeal for 18 meals a week!

chez Belghali

Sfa:
tons of angel hair, cut up
cinnamon
sugar
raisins

We used our largest plate to serve all 3kilos of this bad boy. Mother had been generous with the raisins. We had three small bowls of powdered sugar around the table for people to have as much as they wanted. Hanane, Mohammad, Mother, Uncle, and I did not finish it all.

Brahim Says

Moroccan pancakes
sauce: butter and honey
palmiers
coffee
tea
milk

The CCCL is having a two-day training session for some newly hired staff people, and Brahim serves a snack and lunch. Today's snack was 80% sugar and, upon departure of the staff people, was annihilated in ten minutes by a very enthusiastic bundle of students.