Samoas vs. Caramel deLites

Samoas vs. Caramel deLites

Have you ever wondered why are there Samoas AND Caramel deLites?  

• Do-si-dos AND Peanut Butter Sandwiches? 
• Trefoils AND Shortbread?  
• Tagalongs AND Peanut Butter Patties?  
• All Abouts AND Thanks-A-Lots?  
• Lemon Chalet Cremes AND Lemonades?

The reason is there are 2 major companies that produce the cookies for the Girl Scouts and they keep some of the names to themselves.  There is Little Brownie Bakers - and there is ABC Bakers both making Cookies for the Girl Scouts.

From Wikipedia: "Little Brownie Bakers (LBB), a subsidiary of Keebler (which is owned by Kellogg's); and ABC Bakers, a subsidiary of Interbake Food (which is owned by George Weston Limited.)  ABC Bakers has been making cookies for the Girl Scouts since 1939."

I always thought the different names were regional (like places with a heavy Pacific Islander population had somehow rejected the name "Samoas."  However, I found another juicy tidbit on Yahoo! Answers posted by Shahid who seems to have an inside scoop:

"[Samoas are] one of the few cookies in the group that has differences depending on the bakery. The reason there are two names is because while similar, the cookies have some differences.

Samoas are made by Little Brownie Bakers. They are circular, with an orange color and are thicker from top to bottom, usually they also contain more caramel per coconut, and they are made with dark chocolate.

The Caramel deLites, made by ABC Bakers, are actually hexagonal, with a more yellowish tinge, are made with milk chocolate rather than dark chocolate, and more of the cookie comes through in the flavor because of the lower caramel content."

 Caramel deLites

Samoas

So there you have it.  Case closed.

What can we expect in the coming months from the Girl Scouts?   Cinna-spins and Sugar Free Chocolate Chips were introduced in 2008.  Cinna-spins are cinnamon-flavored cookies that come in 100-calorie packs and Sugar Free Chocolate Chips are exactly that.  

For 2009, they will introduce the Dulce De Leche, a Latin inspired caramel cookie.  

Dulce de Leche

Mmmm. 

Girl Scout Cookies

photo by Pictures from Heather

So it's 2009 and parents everywhere are teaching their daughters to become sidewalk sales superstars, hawking their cookies to the masses.  A tradition for more than 90 years, as early as 1917, they began encouraging the Scouts to bake their own cookies locally.  They've been going strong ever since - except for WWII when they sold calendars instead.   

According to an article on CNN Money titled, "Girl Scout Cookies: A tasty lesson in business," - what began as a simple way to raise funds has turned into a $700 million business and that the cookie drive teaches young women to become entrepreneurs.

It's no joke.  Supposedly in 2008, 15-year-old Jennifer Sharpe from Dearborn, Michigan sold 17,328 boxes of cookies.  As if that's not enough; "The Cookie Queen" Elizabeth Brinton is attrubuted for having sold more than 100 000 box in her time as a Girl Scout between 1978 and 1985.  

"I push a lot," she is quoted as saying, "Sometimes they would try to sneak past you, and you look them in the eye and make them feel guilty. After all, the cookies taste good, and it for a good cause."

 

Here is a recipe from girlscouts.org (possibly from the 1930's):

AN EARLY GIRL SCOUT COOKIE® RECIPE

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar plus additional amount for topping (optional)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

"Cream butter and the cup of sugar; add well-beaten eggs, then milk, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking powder. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll dough, cut into trefoil shapes, and sprinkle sugar on top, if desired. Bake in a quick oven (375°) for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Makes six- to seven-dozen cookies."

- Dave Koch

Making your own sprouts at home

"My (little) garden" - photo by Erin Collins

I'm not a health food nut, but I do enjoy some foods many consider should be reserved for Hare Krishna feasts and rabbits.  One of these delicious delicacies is sprouts.  I love 'em.  One really simple and delicious sandwich I make is just sprouts, honey, and peanut (or almond) butter.  Mmm.  

There is plenty of new age hullabaloo about the benefits of eating sprouts and eating raw in general.  It is true that most enzymes are denatured, ergo useless, at temperatures above around 140 degrees Farenheit.  

Enzymes are, on the other hand, also denatured by pH extremes like the acid in your stomach so... what's the point?  Most of what I found on the internet is ranges between the wacky and the outright delirious, but there are some good articles especially on making your own sprouts at home.

I was reading www.wisebread.com (a website for frugal living) and they had this article on making your own sprouts.  It sounds really easy.  I want to experiment with sprouting different things, I'll bet they each have some different nuance.  

Then I also found from www.living-foods.com there is a whole plethora of spout-it-yourself information in their article here.  Not only do they discuss the basics, but they go into different methods of sprouting, and have a nearly exhaustive list of specifics for each type of grain.  

This list includes: amaranth, barley, buckwheat, corn, millet, oats, quinoa, rice, wheat, almonds, cabbage, fenugreek, flax, psyllium, chia, mustard, pumpkin, radish, sesame, sunflower, alfalfa, clover, garbanzo, beans (including: Anasazi, Black, Fava, Kidney, Lima, Navy, Pinto, and Soy), lentils, Mung beans, peanuts and peas.

I'm not alone with my sprout sandwiches.  Here are a few more that I found:

From www.thekitchn.com -  their Alternative Sprouts Sandwich

From www.milkandhoneyfarm.com - thier Easy Tomato and Sprout Sandwich (at the bottom of the page)

And from www.goodmagazine.com here is a really good looking recipe for what they call  Project 009: Avocado And Sprouts Sandwich

- Dave Koch

Soopid Food Myths

Explosinve Orange - photo by noisen8r

From the comedy magazine (now web-only), Cracked, comes a hilarious take on "7 Retarded Food Myths the Internet Thinks Are True."  I have heard most of them, in some way, shape, or form; however, I thought MSG burns your stomach lining, not your brain.  I also never knew how bad water was for you after eating.  How I've for lived this long - we'll never know.

My own high school Physics teacher (Mr. Brundin?) had a story about HIS college Biochemistry professor keeping an unwrapped Twinkie on hand to make the class guess how old it is.  If I remember correctly, it was more than 20 years old.  Although it is all hearsay, I don't think I ate a Twinkie for at least the next ten years.

This Twinkie story pre-dates the internet and I'm sure all of these rumors existed by word of mouth well before Netscape Navigator existed.  Nevertheless, at the time I had now way of "fact-checking" on the web (oxymoron?) to confirm or deny the truth behind Mr. Brundin's story.  So here are Cracked's Top 7:

#7 - Coca-Cola Will Melt Your Stomach

#6 - Red Bull Gives You Wings, and By Wings, We Mean a Brain Tumor

#5 - MSG Burns Your Brain Cells

#4 - Cold Water After a Meal will Give You Cancer... Or a Heart Attack...

#3 - Twinkies Are Not Real Food, They Last Forever

#2 - Margarine is Actually Plastic

#1 - Canola Oil is RAPE OIL

Read the article here for their Facts for each one and commentary from their readers.

- Dave Koch

The Sofi Award Winners

The National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) announced their "Sofi Award" winners which recognize excellence in specialty foods and beverages in 32 categories.  The NASFT is a "not-for-profit business trade association established in 1952 to foster trade, commerce and interest in the specialty food industry."  

After narrowing down their selections from 2,191 entries the winners were announced June 30 at the 54th Summer Fancy Food Show in New York.  The complete list can be found here, but these are some of the items that I would especially like to take home and put into my face:

Barefoot Contessa's Pantry's Lemon Curd - Outstanding Jam, Preserve, Honey, or Nut Butter 

Bissinger's Handcrafted Chocolatier's Blueberry Acai Gummy Pandas - Outstanding Confection 

Callie's Charleston Cheese Biscuits - Outstanding Baked Good, Baking Ingredient or Cereal 

Hancock Gourmet Lobster Company's Spruce Head Smoked Scallop Lobster Bisque - Outstanding Soup, Stew, Bean or Chili 

Lettieri & Company, Ltd's Giuseppe Riccardo Balsamic Vinegar - Outstanding Vinegar 

Nuovo Pasta Productions, Ltd's Roasted Portabella and Truffle Gourmet Sauce - Outstanding Pasta Sauce 

Route 11 Potato Chips, Sweet Potato Chips - Outstanding Snack Food 

Saaf Ginger Beverage Company LLC's Gingernize Ginger Lemonade Rush - Outstanding Cold Beverage 

Stella Cadente Olive Oil Company's Basil Oil - Outstanding Oil 

Stonewall Kitchen's Balsamic Fig Dressing - Outstanding Salad Dressing 

The Cheese Works Ltd.'s Ortiz Conservas Boqueroned Marinated White Anchovies - Outstanding Meat, Pate, or Seafood 

The Seasoned Palate Inc.'s tsp spices Sweet Basic - Outstanding Food Gift

Transatlantic Foods Inc.'s Aux Delices des Bois Black Truffle Butter - Outstanding New Product 

Vermont Butter & Cheese Company, Inc. - Outstanding Product Line

 Congratulations to all the winners!

What We've Been Reading Lately

• The Pampered Chef, Ltd.
• Nielsen - Press Release: U.S. Consumers View Alcoholic Beverages As Affordable Indulgence
• fall salad with fuyu persimmons - Tuesday Recipe
• Metroactive Dining | Persimmons
• CHOW - Recipes, cooking tips, resources, and stories for people who love food
• Top 10 Food Trends for 2008
• Stamp FAQ - Consumers | The Whole Grains Council
• Plastic Recycling Facts - Earth911.com
• Apartment Therapy The Kitchn | Weekend Meditation: Belonging
• Coffee - Niemann Opinion Art Blog – Abstract City – NYTimes.com

Winter beer tasting at The Jug Shop

I did a beer tasting at The Jug Shop in San Francisco. 13 beers for $15. All of them were Belgian except the Sammi Claus'; of which they had the original and the Helles. The helles being even stronger on my palate and tasting a bit like cherries. Maybe that was because it comes in a red label. Funny how the mind works like that.

Now I swear that Sammi Claus used to say on the bottle, "the strongest beer in the world. " That was most likely the reason why I bought it in the first place. Even when I was broke, beer was still something I would splurge on.

The Sammi Causes were the only two that came in 12oz. bottles. Everything else was in a 750ml, some of which resembled the Champagne silhouette more than anything else.  The first beer they poured was aged in oak barrels for, I believe he said, two years - and it sells for $50.  People simply refered to it as, "The Expensive One."

I started geeking-out with a guy named Brian Yeager, modest as he may have been, it was his girlfriend who told me he has just published a book... on beer.  They gave me a sticker and I found his website the following morning.   www.beerodyssey.com - "Red White and Brew," it looks like a fun travel book about driving across the country in a Prius and drinking beer.

The 21st Amendment

Constiution banner - photo by fixermark

Today marks the 75 anniversary of the ratification of the 21st Amendment which officially ended prohibition.  I'm going to celebrate by going to a beer tasting at one of my favorite establishments in San Francisco, The Jug Shop.  

The process began with Michigan on April 10th, 1933 and was completed on December 5th later that same year when Ohio, Pennsylvania, and [I'll bet the slightly reluctant] Utah joined in. 

This was in the email I received from The Jug Shop and thought it was so interesting, I would relay it here:

"Christmas beers, also known as Winter Warmers, are a tradition dating back at least 2,000 years, with the ancients making highly intoxicating brews to celebrate winter's Saturnalia. This brewmaking evolved into a holiday celebration when medieval monks, the world's first professional brewers, pulled out their finest ingredients to produce soul-warming styles for the occasion.

Today brewers continue the custom, either with centuries-old recipes or newfangled concoctions with spices and herbs, enabling thirsty beer fans to put aside their everyday favorites each winter and deck the halls with the world's most flavorful ales and lagers, brewed especially for the holidays." from Don Russell's Christmas Beer: The Cheeriest, Tastiest, and Most Unusual Holiday Brews"

I find it especially poignant that some historians have pointed out that it took a year of sobriety to grant women suffrage.  Prohibition began with the 18th Amendment in 1919.  The 20th Amendment granted women the right to vote in 1920; and 13 years later the 21st ended the nation's teetotalling.  

So let's all thank the temperance movement for spurring Congress into action, finally allowing our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, cousins, and daughters the right to be heard.

While we're at it, here's an interesting read.  Alcoholica Esoterica: A Collection of Useful and Useless Information As It Relates to the History andConsumption of All Manner of Booze.  Although I have not read it [yet], I heard an interview with the author and it looks sounds perfect for a toilet book.  Here are some of the excerpts (from Amazon).

Did you know...

• that the word bar is short for barrier? Yes, that’s right—to keep the customers from getting at all the booze.
• that Winston Churchill’s mother supposedly invented the Manhattan?
• that the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock because the sailors on the Mayflower were running low on beer and were tired of sharing?
• that you have a higher chance of being killed by a flying Champagne cork than by a poisonous spider?
• that the Code of Hammurabi mandated that brewers of low-quality beer be drowned in it?
• that beer was so popular with medieval priests and monks that in the thirteenth century they stopped baptizing babies with holy water and started using beer? 

The Mysterious Persimmon

photo by Sandy Austin

Growing up in the US, I was not aware of the existence of the persimmon until I was in my 20's.  In fact, I had know about the color "persimmon" before I had known about the fruit.  Now I notice that each fall, they start popping up in grocery stores and farmer's markets everywhere.  I recently bought some at a road side fruit stand along Highway 5 in California and went looking on the internet to learn more.

I was blown away to find out how many different varieties there are.  Wikipedia.com identifies at least 16 but breaks them down into two main categories; astringent and non-astringent.  As a basic identifier, if they are acorn shaped - they are astringent, and if they are squat and bulbous - they are non-astringent.  Unfortunately, I found that I had bought the astringent kind (probably the Hachiya variety) which are better off being cooked than eaten raw.

So here I am waiting for my giant tannic orange acorns to ripen, I started looking for persimmon recipes and this is what I've found:

• Traditional Indiana Persimmon Pudding from allrecipes.com
• A Raw Persimmon Pudding (which is basically persimmons and bananas blended together, but they say it makes for a good fruit salad dressing - and that sound good) via living-foods.com
• Persimmon chews (sounds complicated) from seasonalchef.com
• Persimmon Rice Pudding (also sounds complicated) also from seasonalchef.com.
• An intriguing Persimmon Chutney, also from seasonalchef.com, now this I might try, I love chutneys
• A Persimmon Fudge from fooddownunder.com
• From pinchmysalt.com some Persimmon Cookies that look really good in their pictures
• Persimmon Fruit Confetti, which is really just a fruit salad with persimmon in it from vegparadise.com
• The one that sounded the tastiest was Poached Persimmons in Rum w/ Mascarpone-Coconut Cream from whiteonricecouple.com
• There's no name for this but popping slices into your toaster oven with a dusting of cinnamon, from thekitchn.com
• And the fall salad with fuyu persimmons sounds really good from tuesdayrecipe.com

You can also just chop the tops off when they're super ripe and eat the innards out with a spoon.  That's what I may end up doing - just soaking up the pure persimmony-ness.

I also frequently buy dried/dehydrated persimmon slices at my local market out of the bins.  They seem to be available year round and make for a great snack in my car.  

Mmmm.

 - Dave Koch

Coconut Oil - Facts and Fallacies

Coconut - photo by anitasarkeesian

There's been a ton of hype about Coconut Oil in the health food news lately and I went digging to see what I could find.  What started this article was a friendly argument with my sister in-law last April.  I knew that Coconut Oil wasn't as bad as the press has made it out to be.  But at the time, I couldn't tell her why...

Remember the movie theater popcorn "butter" backlash?  coconut oil was implicated and I remember signs saying "No Coconut Oil used here" after the showdown.  As far back as 1994, the LA Times among others reported that, "A medium-sized "buttered" popcorn at a typical theater contains "more fat than a bacon-and-eggs breakfast, a Big Mac-with-fries lunch and a steak dinner with all the trimmings combined," article found here.

Two days after the dialectic with my sister in law, I went to Chicago for the 10th Annual Spring Fancy Food Show.  There, I met a representative for Coast Coconut Farms who convinced me to eat a teaspoon of their "Extra Virgin."  Because the melting point is 74 degrees Fahrenheit, he handed me a spoonful of a pure white solid but it instantly melted in my mouth.  It was delicious.  The other surprise was that it didn't coat my mouth like butter, shortening, or an animal fat would have.  

I was intrigued.  I told him about the discussion I had just days prior and he filled me in on two commonly overlooked health benefits of coconut oil.  

1. Although coconut oil is mostly saturated, the fatty acids are of small and medium length fatty acid chains, making up medium chain triglycerides.  Which are good for you, read about them here.
2. Coconut oil is one of the best sources of lauric acid (44-45% of its total makeup)  - which is believed to not only have antimicrobial/antiviral properties but may naturally raise the metabolism. 

Small chain fatty acids (SCFA) contain less than 8 carbon atoms.  Medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) contain 8-14 carbon atoms.  Large chain fatty acids (LCFA) contain more than 14.  

Coconut oil may be mostly saturated fat (90%); however, it is mostly made up of SCFA's and MCFA's.  Almost 70% by volume via wikipedia.com.  As long as you are consuming unrefined, non-hydrogenated, and non-fractionated coconut oil, you are consuming a natural and healthy product.

By contrast, olive oil is mostly made up of Oleic acid, a monounsaturated LCFA (55-83%) and Palmitic acid, a saturated LCFA (7-20%).  Even though it is mostly LCFA's, we all know how much the health benefits of olive oil are touted by the western medical world.

 I have since bought some and use it often.  Spreading it on toast, frying with it [especially eggs, yum!], and although I have not baked with it yet, they say it can be substituted ounce for ounce with shortening.  This is a great tip if you are looking to remove trans-fats from you pie crusts or biscuits.

Give it a chance, I personally like Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil 54oz.

Summary - WebMD's Top 10 Food Trends for 2008

What's on your stethescope? - photo by pixel bunny

From WebMD, the ever-increasingly-popular, online resource, for-all-that-ails-you, comes an interesting article about food trends in 2008.  No surprise, it all revolves around eating healthy.  

• Food Trend No. 1: Eco-Friendly Foods
  
  • "Captain Planet called, he's wondering happened to The Planeteers..."
• Food Trend No. 2: Local, Natural, and Fresh Foods
  
  • Organic asparagus from Chile? Or, local asparagus... that have been sprayed?  Hmm, so many choices these days.
• Food Trend No. 3: Concern About Food Safety
  
  • Remember when spinach killed those people in 2006? (via cbsnews.com)
• Food Trend No. 4: Higher Prices
  
  • Keith Collins, former chief economist for the Department of Agriculture, estimates that biofuels have caused 23 to 35 percent of the increases in food costs. (from nytimes.com)
• Food Trend No. 5: Prebiotics and Probiotics
  • So don't forget to eat your yogurt and drink your kombucha or one day you may need a fecal transplant!
• Food Trend No. 6: Whole Grains
  • Believe it or not but there is a Whole Grain Council fighting to standardize a "Whole Grain Stamp" for labeling in the marketplace.
• Food Trend No. 7: Simple Ingredients and Clearer Labels
  • Clear Labels?  Grams of fat?  Americans don't know the metric system! It's no wonder we're fat!  Why is food the only thing for which we use grams?
• Food Trend No. 8: Emphasis on Lowering Salt
  • From cnn.com, "But the salt industry says that with the exception of a minority of patients with high blood pressure, there is no clear proof..."
• Food Trend No. 9: Alternative Sweeteners
  • Isn't it funny how Sweet 'N Low in the US is made from saccharin (which is banned in Canada) and Sweet 'N Low in Canada contains cyclamate (which is banned in the US). - from www.commonground.ca 
• Food Trend No. 10: Bottled Water Backlash
  • From earth911.com, "In 2006, Americans drank about 167 bottles of water each but only recycled an average of 23 percent. That leaves 38 billion water bottles in landfills."

I hope soon that our society will begin to look beyond a minimalist approach to health; beyond just calories, grams of fat, proteins, carbs, and the % of RDA of vitimins A-E.  

There is so much more.  Polyphenols,  flavonoids (or bioflavonoids), resveratrol, peptides!  We are only starting to discover these because we had blinders on.

Take an apple for example, the FDA labels it as having potassium, fiber, sugar, 2% of Iron, 2% of Vitamin A, 8% of Vitamin C.  Pretty meager really.  

The breakfast cereal Lucky Charms chimes in with far more vitamins.  Recent studies have finally isolated folic acid, quercetin, flavonoids, phytonutrients, and  procyanidin are all contained within apples (these are good things).

We have known all along about what, "an apple a day" will do for you.  We're just begining to learn why.

Business reviews and more with Yelp.com

Yelp - photo by Dave Schumaker

If you haven't had yelp.com pop up recently in a Google search for a local business I'd be surprised.  Here in San Francisco it happens all the time.  Yelp allows people to post reviews - and although most people immediately think about restaurants, it is a fantastic resource for choosing other vendors where trust is important.  I'm talking about auto repair, plumbers, contractors, doctors, and dentists.  

This is a great tool if you have recently relocated to a new city and don't know many people... how do YOU pick a dentist?  The Yellow Pages?  Ick.

Lately, I've been utilizing a few of the other features within Yelp.  They have a forum at yelp.com/talk where people can post questions and get answers from fellow "Yelpers."  The forums are VERY active.  One recent post titled, "Arrogant inlaws.  how do you deal with them," received 46 responses in the first hour alone.  Yelp Talk topics are obviously not limited to business reviews.

Another useful section is on local events at yelp.com/events.  Besides searching within posted events, you can sort by date, category (including music, fashion, food, charities, etc.), most popular, and my favorite way to sort, free.  People can post comments about the event and you can see if any of your Yelp "friends" are planning on attending, for whatever that's worth.  

There are a lot of postings in the events section if you like to get out.  Today, a Tuesday, is showing 20 events near San Francisco including everything from an AC/DC concert to a bike light giveaway.  

Of course their bread and butter is still restaurant reviews; but when I recently had to plan a birthday dinner for 15, I found that using both the review section and the Talk section I was able to pin down exactly what we were looking for.  Thank you yelp, I'm a fan.

Nielsen survey, "consumers continue to see alcoholic beverages as an affordable indulgence."

From nielsen.com, comes some interesting insight into holiday dining and drinking trends.  Citing a fragile economy, it indicates that business is down for restaurants and bars.

"two-thirds (66 percent) of fine dining patrons admitted they are going out less often compared to a year ago...and 52 percent of casual dining visitors." 

They delve into how grocery and convenient stores may be picking up the slack as people consume their beverages of choice at home.

Some other interesting factoids in the survey are:

•      Expect an increase in online alcoholic beverage shopping, especially wine.
•      On-premise retailers may begin to push customer loyalty programs.
•      Some states may increase the legal hours for alcohol purchases, Sundays for example.
•      Due to the "localization" trend in consumerism, domestic wines and spirits are making gains against imports.  
•      Alcoholic beverages are traditionally more recession-resistant than other products.
•      There will likely be an increase in giving alcoholic beverages as gifts this year. (like Wine.com's Best Selling Gifts)

     The Nielsen Company's Senior Vice President for Beverage and Alcohol, Richard Hurst gives some advice to retailers: 

“[They] should consider multiple store display locations to capitalize on impulse purchasing, as well as providing gift accessories nearby, such as bottle openers, gift bags, mixed drink party pack ingredients and glassware.”

 - Dave Koch

Homebrewing for beginners

Homebrew beer fermenting in carboy - photo by geoffeg

I've been brewing my own beer at home for 14 years now and although it is easy... it does require some specialized equipment and quite a bit of homework.  I could have never done it without Charlie Papazian's The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing - AKA "The Bible" for novice and experienced homebrewers alike.  Basically, anyone who enjoys making their own suds.  You can brew as basic or as complex of beer as you like to.  

I have gone as far as making "Mocha Stout"  by adding cacao powder and espresso to a stout.  "Chile Lime Pulque" which was brewed using Agave malt extract (instead of barley malt extract), adding lime, and then dropping a chile into every bottle.  Spicy spicy stuff.  "Kava Kava Cranberry Mint" started as an American Ale with Kava Kava, cranberry, and you guessed it... mint.  Go nuts.

After you are all set up and prepped, it takes about 4 hours to make 5 gallons.  I'm already including extra time in there for clean up too, which can get a little messy.  That's enough beer to fill (53) 12-ounce bottles, or if you're lazy like me, (21) 22-ounce bottles and some change.  

There is really only a 2 hour commitment (at minimum) to cook the wort [which is pronounced WERT], 10 days or so in the fermenter, and about 2 hours to bottle.  Two more weeks to ferment in the bottle and you're ready to drink it!

Recently I discovered MR.BEER , and at first I doubted the efficacy of brewing without 5 gallon buckets, a carboy, an air lock, and all those tubes that my wife adores when I hang them all over the kitchen to dry!  But then I saw this video of Garrett Oliver demonstrating it on YouTube.  He's the Brewmaster of The Brooklyn Brewery, and the author of The Brewmaster's Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food.  So in my game, he's legit!

This is not going to replace the bucket method and grain pushers the world over don't have to worr.  But what I like about ths system  is that someone can TRY homebrewing without much investment; in their time or money.  They offer a pretty large selection try experiment with different styles and the starter kits are only $40 here.

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Roasting Plant - Chocolate Chip Cookie - photo by ccho

I have an "Aunt" Alice, with whom I have absolutely no relationship to, but I care tremendously about - and she makes the most phenomenal chocolate chip cookies.  They are crispy around the edges and gooey in the middle.  They are packed with awesome chocolate chip goodness.  They really are the BEST chocolate chip cookies.

I asked her for the recipe one time and she confided in me how she came to develop them.  She said that she took the Original Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe and she added 50% more butter and 50% more chocolate chips.  Basically, add more of what makes cookies delicious.  Was that a surprise?  Done and done.  So here in all its glory is "Aunt" Alice's "Secret" Recipe:

 The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 1/4 cups  flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 sticks softened butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 1 cup chopped nuts

And instructions from the Nestle website 

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. 

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. 

PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars. 

SLICE AND BAKE COOKIE VARIATION: 
PREPARE dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies. 

* May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks. 

FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING (5,200 feet): Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups. Add 2 teaspoons water with flour and reduce both granulated sugar and brown sugar to 2/3 cup each. Bake drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookie for 17 to 19 minutes."

[Mostly] Useless Kitchen Gadgets

Kitchen Gadgets

From Wired comes a list of 12 Kitchen Gadgets you can use to impress relatives and friends alike this Thankgiving.  We had a tradition where people would bring ambigious gadgets to the gathering and everyone would sit around and guess what they could be used for.  

I clearly remember one year where a wooden spagetti measure (like this one) stumped the clan for days.  This was obviously pre-Google. 

Some of the downright silly gadgets on Wired's list include... the Turkey Frying Rig, theThermometer Pan, and the hideous pink, cat-eye, Onion Glasses for preventing tears while chopping onions.  Good lord, really?  

I honestly wouldn't mind; however, checking out the Clifton Food Range for cooking sous vide "under vacuum," and OK, maybe the Spice Gun just for kicks and saying, "Bam Bam Bam."  You can find the list here - via wired.com.

Cranberry Chutney

photo by patterned

My father has been making a killer cranberry chutney for the holidays ever since I was little.  When I grew older and got more into food I asked him for the recipe.  He didn't have one.  

He never had one.  

He denies this but he throws everything into a sauce pan and simmers it to his desired consistency.  In fact, it isn't even the same each year because he forgets some ingredients some years and not others.  All in all, it's really quite simple - and delicious!

Here's what you start with and you shouldn't omit any of these [unless of course, you really want to]:

1)  Cranberrys - obviously.  The fresh bagged ones are best. Start with one bag unless you're making enough for both Thanksgiving AND Christmas (you can freeze it.)

2)  The zest and juice of an orange... or two, or three.

3)  Raisins - add some golden raisins in too if you've got 'em.  A cup or two, or three if you really like raisins.  Or, if they've been taking up cupboard space and you've been looking for something to do with them.

4)  Ginger - A cup at least chopped; this is what makes this so good!  You can very safely and easily skin ginger with a spoon and let the kids do it.  Then you can either mince it fine, grate it with a microplane, or if you don't want any fibers - you can grate it up and then squeeze the juice into the mixture with your hands.

5)  Apples, Pears, or both - unripe pears and firm apple varietals are best as they will hold up to the [potentially long] simmer.

Keep in mind that if it needs to be sweeter, add sugar.  If it's too sweet, add lemon juice.  And if it gets too thick on you, add some water - or as Jacques Pepin likes to call it, "Chateau Faucet." I love Jacques, he's an anomaly - he's French and he's funny.  Keep it simple, just don't try and skimp on the ginger.

Here are some other add-ins that I am not a fan of:  

• Walnuts and Pecans - I don't like the texture.  Braised nuts?  Who likes that?  If I want fruit and nuts together, I'll grab some trail mix or make myself a PB+J.
• Spices; including Cinnamon, Clove, and Allspice - These spices are in nearly everything else on the table.  They're in the stuffing, the pie, even the potpourri... keep them out of the cranberry sauce.  Please.
• Apricots - they are an extra step and they fall apart and dissolve.  When you're done, no one will even know they're there.
• Vinegar - Ew.  Why?  You've got enough acidity already.

Turkey Brines

photo by Average Jane

It is just two days before "turkey day" and if you were even thinking about making turkey, know that brining helps keep meat moist and flavorful during cooking.  I've been looking around and started running into some intriguing ingredients that chefs were putting into their brines.  

Some of the more unusual brines or unusual ingredients in brines we’ve run into are: 

7)  Apple juice - from Andreas Viestad via washingtonpost.com

6)  Allspice berries - from Alton Brown via foodnetwork.com

5)  Candied Ginger - also from Alton Brown via foodnetwork.com

4)  A whole bottle of wochersher sauce [sic] - from N7uvh at grouprecipes.com

3)  Dark Beer - from Emeril Lagasse via wchstv.com

2)  Riesling - from NcMysteryShopper,at recipezaar.com (There's also a Riesling Gravy there)

1)  Spiced rum, "such as Captain Morgan Original" - from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

You can find myriad methods online but there seems to be common themes that nearly all of them stick to.  Here is a recap of some of the steps involved:

1.       Dissolve salt and sugar in boiling water
     a.      Keep your “salt to sugar” ratio between 2:1 and a 1:1
     b.      Your brine can anywhere between a 4:1 and a 10:1 “water to salt/sugar” ratio
     c.      Cups to cups, quarts to quarts, it doesn’t matter.  Just watch the ratios.
     d.      Don’t worry about this too much

2.       Add your aromatics 'at will'
     a.      Crushed garlic
     b.      Pepper or Peppercorns
     c.      Chopped onions
     d.      Rosemary
     e.      Cilantro
     f.       Thyme
     g.      Sage
     h.      Really anything, even just “poultry” or “Italian” seasoning will work fine

3.       Chill the brine solution in the refrigerator for a while – or chill immediately with ice

4.       Place the bird into a container and cover it with the chilled brine
     a.       An easy way to do this is to start by placing it in a double layer of oven bags then into a cooler or an ice chest,
     b.      Keep the bird cold with either ice, ice packs (outside of the oven bags)
     c.      You’re allowed to worry about this step, keep it cold! 

5.       Brine for 4-24 hours
     a.      Ensure the bird is well dried before placing it in the oven, you can use paper towels
     b.      Or, you can even dry it overnight in the fridge on cooling rack in a rimmed baking sheet

 Try our Chelada Turkey Brine!  It's amazing.