The Coy Pond

Well since the park is only 5 minutes from home, why wouldn’t I go take some photos on a late winter afternoon, when nature deficit disorder is calling me. The light was pretty dark on this afternoon and my lenses weren’t fast enough most of the time, but it was still a lot of fun.

But I heard all sorts of great stories on the trail. One man told me that he had seen a juvenile bald eagle earlier in the week. Another family told me that they had been in the nature center and there was a photo there of an albatross lifting a fish out of the lake, with a bald eagle below him, about to steal his fish. I did not pick the right moment to see the bald eagle, but I was looking really hard for him. I was fortunate enough to see an albatross though, perched at the top of a tree just before sunset (Wow! They are a really big bird, almost intimidatingly big)

Anyway the fall color (which in Long Beach turns out to be Winter Color) was pretty nice and made a nice reflection. And of course the ducks were out in force and putting on a bit of a show. These ducks are quite the tame variety, the kind that will come right up to you almost on your foot wondering if you are going to feed him. Even if this isn’t the wildest sort of park, it is still really nice and only a few minutes from. Hope you enjoy the photos.

Last night, I had the pleasure of tasting Heaven on a Cracker. (Thanks, Greck!) I have thought about those amazing morsels periodically since waking up this morning. I’ve thought about how the leftovers are in my kitchen. I’ve wondered when it will be late enough in the morning to have a snack, so I can taste them once again. I’m also wondering if morning is just not serious enough, gastrically-speaking, for the rich symphony of flavor they provide. I’m looking forward to dinner, because then I can be absolutely sure it will be the right time to taste them once again.

No, I am not kidding.

As a result of thinking so obsessively about those Heaven Crackers, I have decided to compile a list of favorite tidbits. These are not officially in any kind of order, except the Heaven Crackers are pretty much the best thing ever.

1) Heaven on a Cracker: a rosemary cracker topped with a thin slice of drunken goat cheese, topped with a dab of fig spread. Oh sure, you say, that sounds good enough. Well let me tell you, it is not merely “good”. It’s an absolutely perfect combination — the cheese is creamy and has a very mild bite. The spread is rich and sweet, virtually exploding with amazing flavor that only figs can provide. The cracker is crisp, with an assertive yet perfectly balanced herbal hit of rosemary. The simplicity of execution belies the complex, blissful flavor in each and every bite.

Again — no, I am not kidding. OK, moving on…

2) Bacon Wrapped Dates: fresh dates, pit removed, stuffed with a chunk of parmesan and a smoked almond, wrapped in bacon, roasted until the bacon is crisp and the cheese is melted. Actually, the more I think about it, these are just as good as Heaven on a Cracker; they’re just a bit more work. They take a little prep. But when they’re done? They’re creamy, chewy, crunchy, sweet, smoky, nutty, and salty all in one bite! Even people who think they don’t like dates absolutely love Bacon Wrapped Dates. Delicious!

3) Prosciutto Wrapped Melon: a chunk of cantaloupe or honeydew melon wrapped with a thin slice of prosciutto (Italian cured ham). This is exactly as it says. The melon is juicy, sweet and refreshing, made even sweeter by the prosciutto’s salty goodness. Perfect summer treat!

4) Stuffed and Wrapped Figs: fresh figs stuffed with gorgonzola, wrapped in prosciutto, roasted until the prosciutto is crisp, drizzled with honey. This is a must-have for fig lovers. Admittedly I don’t make it often, but that is probably because fresh figs are available so infrequently. I really need a fig tree!!

5) Roasted Pears with Gorgonzola: any arrangement, really. I first tasted this combination in a delicious salad at Cafe TuTu Tango at the Block at Orange. The roasted pears take on a rich, sweet, complex flavor that is perfectly complemented by the salty-sharp flavor of gorgonzola. This combination is especially good when enhanced with a drizzle of honey. It is great in a salad, as mentioned, but it’s also great on its own. It’s surprisingly delicious in a sandwich! (Thinly-slice the pears, grill the sandwich a la panini.)

6) Brie with Fruit: many fruits, fresh and dried, work with this. Serve on a cracker. Simple and delicious, the perfect complement to a nice glass of dry red wine. Kick it up with smoked almonds to add a nice salty crunch.

Upon reviewing my list of favorite food combinations, it is clear that I have a thing for fruits + salty cheeses/meats/nuts.

I have always loved sweet mixed with salt, and have been known to eat some pretty wild foods together in the past. Here are a few — some I still occasionally eat, and some I may never eat again:

1) Get a bucket of movie popcorn, NO BUTTER, pour in a box of goobers. YUMMY!

2) Fry up an egg, make some toast. Spread preserves on the toast, add egg, eat as a sandwich. I still do this often.

3) BBQ Lays + Chocolate Hostess Donette Gems — this is one I’m not too likely to relive, but I ate it a lot when I was in high school. It’s important to eat them at the same exact time… one bite, donette and chips. The donettes must be chocolate! (Full-sized hostess donuts — chocolate only — may be used in place of the gems.)

4) PB & J with potato chips directly on the sandwich: who doesn’t love this?

5) Incidental Maple Syrup on Fried Chicken: must be enjoyed at Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, and it is important that the syrup be incidental. Pouring syrup directly onto fried chicken is just weird.

I’m sure there’s more, but that’s all I can come up with right now. If you have a favorite unusual food combination, let me know. I’m always interested in trying new things, and who knows? Maybe it’ll be the next Heaven on a Cracker!

We love to make things that no one makes.

A perfect example? We once made pop tarts from scratch. We got a lot of reactions along the lines of, “You made pop tarts? You can make pop tarts??”

We make salad dressings, salsa, sauces for stir-fries, pie fillings, breads, pizza-from-scratch, soups not from cans, cakes not from boxes, biscotti, ice cream, and baby food, among lots of other things. I know we’re not the only people who make items from this list, some might not even be all that unusual. We just like to make things, to consume things we made from raw ingredients. No weird chemicals, no stabilizers, no preservatives beyond good old sugar and salt.

Today, Bruce made sarsaparilla soda.

Well here its been a few weeks since I posted. My first batch of beer was a mild success, completed a few weeks ago, but now that is almost gone and I was hungering for a new batch.

So two weeks ago I tried my next batch and ended up giving my outdoor plants a good soaking of really good/expensive beer. So another week went by, and I took a beer making class, and this inspired me to make my current batch, a Belgian Wit. Currently now fermenting x 1 week. This beer has combination of wheat and barley malts, and has flavoring from orange peel and Coriander seed. For any beer people, this is similar to Hoegaarden.

Anyway this batch seems to be going well, and fermenting away. But that did not satisfy my desire to brew. My mom is coming to town this weekend for Jarrod’s baptism, and she loves Ginger Ale. So why not brew Ginger Ale!
Christy picked up a book on soft brink brewing. So really I had no excuse not to brew. On Sunday evening I spent 4 hours fiddling with a less than explanatory recipe and finally brewing a pretty groovy Ginger Ale. I am really looking forward to trying this.

I should be able to refrigerate this in a day or so, after it carbonates. Of course I am a little nervous about this since it is carbonated with yeast and is in a glass bottles, which could mean a refrigerator explosion, but I have heard that this is pretty rare unless you keep it in there for a long time.

So I am hooked on brewing. I am reading all about homebrewing, great recipes, food pairings, etc. I picked up a 4 pack of beer on a homebrewer’s recommendation (yes a 4 pack since really good beer comes in 4 packs) of a fancy, and amazingly good micro brew beer. Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA is amazingly good, and surprisingly sweet, (for a beer that has so many hops that it should be barely edible). Anyway it is a lot of fun. Root beer would be my next soft drink, except that you can’t get the sassafras root except if you dig it up, and this stuff only grows on the East Coast! Booo!!! Well I will just have to live with that, and make some root beer with extract or with sassafras bark (which I hear is not as good for this).

Hope it all turns out!