Eric Asimov of the NY Times has a new article about ciders. I wrote about ciders in last month’s Front Porch magazine. We don’t do them as Thanksgiving picks because ciders aren’t for everybody, but if you’re game they are great to have on Thanksgiving. My personal favorite – the ciders of Michel Jodoin from Quebec, especially his rose cider. It’s pink color comes from the type of apples used: Geneva apples, a rare variety that has red flesh. I’ve had plenty of French, American, and British ciders, and this one is the best I’ve ever tasted.

Eric Asimov of the NY Times has a new article about ciders. I wrote about ciders in last month’s Front Porch magazine. We don’t do them as Thanksgiving picks because ciders aren’t for everybody, but if you’re game they are great to have on Thanksgiving. My personal favorite – the ciders of Michel Jodoin from Quebec, especially his rose cider. It’s pink color comes from the type of apples used: Geneva apples, a rare variety that has red flesh. I’ve had plenty of French, American, and British ciders, and this one is the best I’ve ever tasted.

The College Terrace Neighborhood Association will be meetingat 7 PM, wednesday, December 1st.We will be getting progress reports on the botanical garden and the dog park.Specifically we will be addressing a request for artificial lighting at the dog pa…

I came across this while browsing around on some of my favorite foodie blogs for Thanksgiving recipes/ideas. Just the pictures alone had me very nearly drooling…all oozing with rich grapiness atop a tender, lightly sweet & yeasty baked dough. (sigh)

Bread and grapes…I have a marked weakness for both. They are comfort foods, whispering of autumn and warmth. While my own grapes will not be ready to harvest for a couple of years, I believe Wegman’s had some beautiful wine grapes in about this time last year – you can bet I will be checking. This could be a delicious alternative to traditional pumpkin pie.

I think this will be superb with a New World-style red blend from Tuscany, such as the Perazetta Erio Rosso.

I came across this while browsing around on some of my favorite foodie blogs for Thanksgiving recipes/ideas. Just the pictures alone had me very nearly drooling…all oozing with rich grapiness atop a tender, lightly sweet & yeasty baked dough. (sigh)

Bread and grapes…I have a marked weakness for both. They are comfort foods, whispering of autumn and warmth. While my own grapes will not be ready to harvest for a couple of years, I believe Wegman’s had some beautiful wine grapes in about this time last year – you can bet I will be checking. This could be a delicious alternative to traditional pumpkin pie.

I think this will be superb with a New World-style red blend from Tuscany, such as the Perazetta Erio Rosso.

Here’s a good article about how you don’t need to soak dried beans before cooking them. I’ve always had the same problem as the author – I can’t be bothered to plan a day ahead for a dish involving beans. I think the overnight soaking thing came about because people are used to having their beans completely mushy. I have found that if you just simmer the beans for long enough they are perfectly edible but may have a little give, not unlike al dente pasta. Frankly I prefer the al dente style over the mushy style anyway. And if it’s less work, so much the better.

Here’s a good article about how you don’t need to soak dried beans before cooking them. I’ve always had the same problem as the author – I can’t be bothered to plan a day ahead for a dish involving beans. I think the overnight soaking thing came about because people are used to having their beans completely mushy. I have found that if you just simmer the beans for long enough they are perfectly edible but may have a little give, not unlike al dente pasta. Frankly I prefer the al dente style over the mushy style anyway. And if it’s less work, so much the better.

Yesterday I made some Bison chili at home. I love Chili when the weather turns cold and it’s fun to cook too. There are a few things I do differently with my chili than most people. One, I don’t use any tomato sauce or whole tomatoes. Instead I sautee some tomato paste with my onions at the beginning until it caramelizes a bit. This gives just enough tomato flavor without turning the chili into a tomato sauce. Second, I use a combination of beef stock and water instead of just water. I think this adds flavor. Third, instead of just using spices to give it a chili flavor, I make a puree from re-hydrated chili peppers combined with canned chipotle chilis in adobo sauce. It is this third step where I went wrong this time. I foolishly put the whole can in the puree; too much for the amount of chili I was making. The result was a way-too-spicy chili with too much chipotle smoky flavor. It still tasted good, but was out of balance.

I had opened a red wine that I was planning on having with the chili, but because of the intense spice I just couldn’t drink it. Instead I opened up a Belgian Christmas ale we just got in, the Delirium Noel. The beer is quite sweet and lower in alcohol than wine, so it goes well with spicy food. The sweetness of the beer toned down the spice in the chili and improved the flavor quite a bit. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Good wine or beer can improve a mediocre dish. Plus I love Christmas beer.

Yesterday I made some Bison chili at home. I love Chili when the weather turns cold and it’s fun to cook too. There are a few things I do differently with my chili than most people. One, I don’t use any tomato sauce or whole tomatoes. Instead I sautee some tomato paste with my onions at the beginning until it caramelizes a bit. This gives just enough tomato flavor without turning the chili into a tomato sauce. Second, I use a combination of beef stock and water instead of just water. I think this adds flavor. Third, instead of just using spices to give it a chili flavor, I make a puree from re-hydrated chili peppers combined with canned chipotle chilis in adobo sauce. It is this third step where I went wrong this time. I foolishly put the whole can in the puree; too much for the amount of chili I was making. The result was a way-too-spicy chili with too much chipotle smoky flavor. It still tasted good, but was out of balance.

I had opened a red wine that I was planning on having with the chili, but because of the intense spice I just couldn’t drink it. Instead I opened up a Belgian Christmas ale we just got in, the Delirium Noel. The beer is quite sweet and lower in alcohol than wine, so it goes well with spicy food. The sweetness of the beer toned down the spice in the chili and improved the flavor quite a bit. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Good wine or beer can improve a mediocre dish. Plus I love Christmas beer.

1. Ratio of an igloo’s circumference to its diameter = Eskimo Pi2. 2000 pounds of Chinese soup = Won ton3. 1 millionth of a mouthwash = 1 microscope4. Time between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement = 1 bananosecond5. Weight an evangelist car…