Today, I cookie day, I used to make many… but, alas, they disappeared far too quickly. Nowadays, I make just a couple types… Shortbread is today.
Yum
it’s cookie day, whats your favorite?
what do women want?
In a letter to Marie Bonaparte, close to his death, Sigmond Freud wrote:
“Die grosse Frage, die nie beantwortet worden ist und die ich trotz dreißig Jahre langem Forschen in der weiblichen Seele nie habe beantworten können, ist die: Was will das Weib?”
a very rough translation would be:
“The big question that has never been answered in spite of my nearly thirty years on the subject is what do women want?”
With a wife and three daughters, this is the question that haunts me at birthdays, anniversaries and, yes, at Valentine’s Day! When I first met Laura, we were both 17 and her favorite cuisine was pop tarts washed down with a slug of Tang. Well, she was 17. Since then we have discovered many interesting foods from around the world that she has favored, but to find one is a challenge… and on Valentine’s Day, it’s important to get it right.
The answer came by following the fusion example of South Africa and combining a few worthy items. Laura loves scallops and pasta. She has also become fond of a South African curry sauce I make with Peri Peri and about a dozen spices that make the curry. Fortunately this was relatively dietetic as well and delicious!
So, women may not be so simple in reading their desires as in reading the hopes and wishes of men, but when in doubt… ask them! 😉 … or fix them a South African gastronomic experience worthy of connoisseurs!
Roger Freberg
Valentine’s Day is coming or have you forgotten?
Karla came up with this sweet drawing for Valentine’s Day… hopefully you remember all the little Valentine’s in your life!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Roger
marinating, grilling lamb for sandwiches
A while ago I wrote about the challenges of marination and tenderizing meats. The tougher the meat, the more important this process is for producing a result that everyone might enjoy. Lamb has always been one of my favorite dishes… but not Laura’s. I always wondered why? Not long ago, I realized that she hadn’t tried it since she was young and was served a very chewy piece. So, I decided to produced a nice lamb sandwich to reintroduce her to this wonderful meat.
The marination process is important and I thought I’d throw the kitchen sink at this task by using Kiwi fruit, pineapple and Papaya! Can we have some now? I love a sweet marinade with a bit of a bite, so here is what I used:
Sherry, Soy Sauce, and Olive Oil, lime juice
honey
garlic, green onion
basic spices: cumin, pepper, chili, salt, cinnamon, coriander, cardamon, fenugreek, turmeric, fennel, cloves, ginger
Part of the challenge for making a great lamb sandwich is in slicing the lamb thinly prior to marination ( most people know that a thick piece of meat seldom allows the marination to reach the center of the section of meat). Many cooks will say that after the marination, take the lamb to the grill!!! Interestingly enough, placing your marinated lamb on a ‘George Foreman” grill gives great temperature control and perfect results.
… and Laura changed her mind, she loved her Lamb sandwich. Next, whole lamb on a spit!
Roger
squeezing beer from a fossil
There is a little known secret hereabouts and it is about a wonderful new beer. As many people who know me are aware, I don’t have the opportunity to have a beer as much as I would like to, but the other night introduced me to something special.
Laura and I had the opportunity to dine at Gennaro’s in San Luis Obispo ( yeah, I know there is one by the same name in New York) and it was a fun evening. Their Cuban Pork , mashed plantains and vegetables was delicious. One of the gentlemen there was a professor named Raoul Cano who has many accomplishments related to research into ancient DNA. I believe he was even a consultant on the movie “Jurassic Park”.
However, we are more interested in the Eocene Epoch a time in which the yeast — we are most interested in — originated. The Beer had a nice flavor with just a hint of lemon, and I enjoyed a second for purely scientific purposes. Each sip was better than the last.
I hope this new brewery does well… this is definitely something to be shared with friends!
Roger