African Peanut Soup

This past week I wanted to try a vegan dish, perhaps to balance my minor flop earlier. I am an omnivore, but I do appreciate a good vegan recipes that makes me want to eat it. I think I found it.

A warm bowl of peanut soup

This is usually the time of year that I have the foresight to look for vegan dishes to practice before Lent comes along. Also, as Christmas approaches, I start a fictive month called NotPaidSoonEnoughuary, the time between my December and January pay dates. Starting in the summer, with all the cheap, good, seasonal vegetables, I start making soups and meals to freeze for convenience as well as surviving the 41 days between paydays. Until the end of the year, I am always planning to make dishes with leftovers to be set aside to revisit at the end of January. In short, if my dish is a success, I freeze it and I can usually hold off tapping into it before Lent so I don’t always have to cook, killing two birds with one stone.

I went to Stephanie O’Dea’s A Year of Slow Cooking as a guide for a vegan dish, I found her Crockpot African Peanut Soup. I went to my trusty source for African cuisine, The Congo Cookbook, for more information. “Various peanut soups are common throughout Africa. Some are very simple, others more elaborate. They are often eaten as a main course….” The recipes include to some degree the following: chicken stock or broth, onion, bell pepper, garlic, salt, black pepper, cayenne or red pepper, chili peppers, carrots, tomatoes, peanut butter or peanut paste and sometimes an animal protein in the form of chicken, goat or beef. O’Dea’s recipe came from one on All Recipes that started out vegan, through the use of vegetable broth. On the other hand, I would also recommend bulking this up with some chicken tights and shredding the meat when finished cooking.


African Peanut Soup, adapted from Stephanie O’Dea’s Crockpot African Peanut Soup

Ingredients:

Finest West African Hot Pepper

1 large yellow onion, diced
2 red bell peppers, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, with liquid
6 cps vegetable broth
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ - ½ tsp chili powder
½ cp uncooked brown rice
3/4 cp peanut butter

Directions:

1. Place all of the ingredients but the peanut butter into the slow cooker; cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. 
2. Stir in peanut butter, and cook on high for 20-30 minutes, or until fully incorporated.

Serves: 4-6

As you can see, I am fortunate to have some West African chili powder and I put the larger amount (the ½ teaspoon) in and it gives the soup a nice warm spicy kick.  However I do find the spice mellows out as the soup remains in the refrigerator and it’s less of an assault on the senses two days later then when first made.

Not yet named travel entry: Lauderdale before Christmas

Warning, this one is long so I added a lot of pictures to make it go quickly.

A picture of our approach, Jupiter is the white dot in the upper left corner

I jetted off to Fort Lauderdale last weekend for some fun in the sun before the Christmas holiday. I had two free nights from Starwood Hotels and on a whim I picked Florida as the place to use them.  I thought that would be nice to get a bit of relaxation before the end of the year holidays completely kicked in.
Friday, I left work a little early for the airport. I breezed through security, got a cup of Peet’s, boarded my flight, miraculously scored a row with an empty middle seat, settled in my flight and lost myself in the pages of a book to pass the time. Finally my attention waned from the book when that captain announced our initial approach to the airport – high visibility, very few clouds, 76°F.  It was dusk and I could see the sunset over the clouds in the distance; Jupiter was high and bright in the sky. I remenisced about my last pre-Christmas vacation, a trip to Abu Dhabi, where I tried to get a picture of the Emirates Hotel with Jupiter high in the sky.  With a minor jolt from our final approach, I focused out the window to see Miami about 30 miles away south of the airport.

My ocean-view from my hotel room

I took a cab to my hotel, a 6-mile trek that cost about $20 with tip. (I was surprised to see that most of the cabs I took weren’t equipped for credit cards.) I checked into the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel and got a room in the Marina building (there three different building in the complex) which was across Seabreeze Boulevard (A1A) via a skywalk. The hotel touts a multi-million dollar renovation. Its investment is evident inside; the lobby is a tasteful decorated with wicker and sea shells in cooling colors of teal and sky blue, evocative of the beach just outside. My room was painted in blues and creams; it was spacious with a king-sized bed and offered great views of the ocean and the marina. The sea is brought into the hotel through the halls and rooms with simple beach and water themed art and photography. I found it easy to get settled and quickly changed into shorts to match my vacation mindset.

I decided to get my lay of the land and googled maps of the area and yelp reviews for places to eat.  I found Coconuts, up the road. While the reviews ranged from okay to excellent, it seemed like a good enough place to belly up from some grub.  The location can’t be beat – sitting on the Intercoastal Waterway.  As a solo diner, I was able to get a table on the deck and take in some of the water traffic.

Sorry, I already hopped in for a nap before I took a picture

I had ordered the conch fritters and the rib special.  The conch fritters were fine, though I have to admit that they were light on the conch.  The dough was a little sweet with a hint of corn and they were fried a good golden brown.  The rib special was a 10oz of pork ribs, in a dry rub of salt, pepper, dried rosemary, oregano and thyme, grilled to fall-off-the-bone perfection and drizzled with a balsamic vinegar reduction. The two dishes complimented each other well, from the light, sweet and chewy appetizer to the rich, succulent pork with good acid finish.  I partnered my meal with a Monk in the Trunk Organic Amber Ale.  It was a nice malty, spicy smelling beer and had a mild spice flavor, with a little bit of earthiness from the yeast.  The beer changed in sweetness first bite of the fritter. All in all, it was a fine meal.  Yet, the location brings Coconuts to the forefront for me; it was a delight to dine by the water.

A tour boat on the Intercoastal Waterway decked out for the Holidays

After dinner, I looked for a watering hole. Again I used the internet to find a bar and learn bus system, but I learned that they end around 10 or so.  Crestfallen, I decide to tackle the one thing that had been bugging me since I decide to visit Fort Lauderdale - the street naming and number system. After reviewing the maps for the buses, I noticed that the city is laid out as a grid; the intersection of Broward Boulevard (x-axis) and Andrews Avenue (y-axis) serves as the zero-point. All numbered streets and courts go east to west and all numbered avenues and terraces go north to south. Each numbered street gets a directional (SE, SW, NE, NW) based on their direction from Broward and Andrews. However the named streets get a cardinal directional depending on which axis they intersect. This seems to be the general model for most of Broward County.

Art, downtown

With that piece of information unlocked, I choose to go to the Cubby Hole, the closest bar to the hotel. I took a cab and a $14 ride to a quiet stretch of US Route 1. The bar is in a strip mall and I tried the door.  It was locked, and it took me some effort to figure out that the entrance was off the parking lot in the back.  I entered; it was a typical-looking neighborhood dive bar - the smell of stale smoke lingered in the air.  Yet, the music was fun.  I looked for a seat, ordered a beer and tried to take in the atmosphere.  However, I couldn't figured anything out because my bartenders were good, friendly fellows.  Recognizing that I wasn't from here, they introduced themselves.  I like when I can pony up to the bar and chat with the bartenders, I can learn a lot about a place doing that. One of them, John, asked me if I had been to Wilton Manors; he described it as their Castro. As the night drew on, the music got more fun.  I had 1/2 a beer more than I should and agreed with the bartenders that the bars don't need to be open until 3am on the weekend in Fort Lauderdale. With that said, I ended up closing down the bar, promising to be back, and getting a cab back to my hotel, but I was armed with the idea to check out Wilton Manors.

Nurmi Isles

The next morning started too early for me.  I thought that I had made my hotel room impervious to light however there was a sliver under the door that was oozing sunshine. It was made worse when the occupants of the room across from me would exit, the sunlight from their open room assaulted my door and burst through that little crack that aimed for my face. Then this attack was punctuated by the slamming of their door. Yet, I lazily stayed in bed for as long as I could, but, eventually, I would need to do things - visit the bathroom, drink water, crave coffee and eat. To bide my time, I ran to the lobby and got a big chocolate chip muffin.  The sweet treat stopped my stomach from growling and that was the reason for getting it in the first place.

Las Olas Isles

I looked up venues to go that night and Bill's Filling Station got some good reviews.  It seemed like it would be more my speed and less likely a dance-a-teria. With my evening places confirmed, I finally figured out the bus system in Broward County to plan the rest of my stay. However, the bus system didn’t have me figured out. I made it to the bus stop to take a ride to downtown and I waited, sitting on the bus stop bench. I wondered if I had missed the bus since I can tend to be late. I looked down on my phone to check the schedule while still sitting on the bench when the bus, on time, sped past me. Annoyed, I decided to walk and I scratched off a hike in Hugh Taylor Birch State Park from my list. I strolled up A1A to Las Olas; turned left and walked.

Sophy Curson, Fort Lauderdale and Philadelphia

Eventually I knew that I would run into the Stranahan House, an important building on the National Register of Historic Places, which roughly sits on the intersection of SE 6th Avenue and Las Olas. It’s been herald as the birthplace of Fort Lauderdale. Yet, I was on a walk and took in the sights. Spanish for the waves, Las Olas runs from the beach to the center of town. After crossing a drawbridge, I walked through the Idlewyld, Seven Isles, Las Olas Isles, Colee Hammoock and Beverly Heights neighborhoods. The road is interlaced with canals and waterfront homes. Boats were docked by houses like cars in driveways. By the Beverly Heights neighborhood, the canals and boats give way to the commercial area which is alive with bars, clubs, bridal stores, shops, boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and hotels in a clash of culture like South Street meeting Rittenhouse Square.

One of the Stranahan House's Christmas Trees

I made it to my destination, the Stranahan House. This unassuming structure served as the second trading post built by Frank Stranahan and today is the oldest building in Fort Lauderdale. Its history is, for the most part, as only slightly older than the city, which celebrates its centennial this year. Not too much in known about Frank but he was originally from Ohio, outside of Youngstown. In 1893, he heard word through acquaintances that there was a need for a ferry operator for the New River crossing to connect Lantana to Lemon City, now North Miami in 1893. The location on both the river and the new road, which eventually became US Route 1, created an epicenter of active.

The Stranahan House

The New River was a source of commerce for the city. Seminoles from the Everglades would travel down to the New River Settlement to trade their pelts, feathers and native crafts and art for sewing machines, canned goods and tobacco. The Native Americans’ goods were in such high demand since women’s fashion at turn of the century was very lavish, utilizing fur and feathers. At the same time, the original journey between Lantana and Lemon City was a $10 stagecoach ride that took two days. Travelers camped overnight in wooden-floored tents. It was a wise decision to move the trading post from up the river to the current location. Stranahan acquired the surrounding land, over 10 acres for around a $1 an acre. The confluence of people and the ample acreage of the homestead contributed to Stranaham's early success.

The New River from the Stranahan House

During its history, the building also served as the town hall and post office before it became his home in 1906 when he completed the renovations of the existing structure for his wife, Ivy, whom he married six years prior. Mrs. Stranahan was Fort Lauderdale's first teacher; she was a Florida native, born in North Florida who moved with her family to Lemon City trying to avoid the frost line. Ahead of her time, Mrs. Stranahan was a vegetarian, practiced yoga and provide for the less fortunate – including funding the first African-American school in town.

In the late 1920’s, the Great Depression hit as well as two hurricanes, the 1926 Miami Hurricane and the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane. These disasters, coupled with Frank’s diagnosis and treatment for prostate cancer, pushed him to take his own life. After Frank’s death Ivy Stranahan kept the house, but rented out the first floor to a restaurant known as the Pioneer House to make ends meet. Mrs. Stranaham died in 1971 and the Seventh-Day Adventist Church sold it to the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society in 1979. In 1981, a non-profit corporation set up to preserve and maintain the house for all to visit.

A pink house in the Tarpon River neighborhood

After my tour, I strolled throughout the downtown area and returned to my hotel via bus.  Finally I was getting the hang of it and by the end of the trek, I had logged over 4 miles of walking.  I picked up a cubano sandwich and a Key West salad at a cafe on A1A.  The cubano was simply delicious; it could have been because I was famished. Though I attribute it to the spicy and honey mustard slathered over a pile of thinly sliced ham and thick slices of pork, pressed together and bound by gooey melted Swiss cheese lined with sweet, crunchy, tart pickles. The mayonnaise-dressed salad would be saved for dinner since I was going back to the hotel for a disco nap.

Fort Lauderdale Centennial decorations

Refreshed from my siesta, I enjoyed the crab meat and shrimp salad with celery and green onions and filled me up for the night on the town.  I showered, dressed and noticed that I had gotten a little sun kissed from my long walk. I was happy to have a slight healthy glow. I finished dressing and headed to Wilton Drive via the bus. I saw a lot of the city and its Holiday decorations, seemingly out of place - snowflakes and snowmen, but I was charmed.  I made it to the Drive and headed toward Bill's Filling Station. While not as over the top as the Castro, I understood what John meant by his comments the last night.  It is the area's gay ghetto.

I was really on A1A

I entered Bill's and was surprised at the low density of the crowd; there were only two scores of folks. It was 11pm on a Saturday night and the bars are open until 3pm on the weekend.  There was a raffle going on from some charity, so volunteers were asking the patrons for donations.There was a lesbian cover band, dressed mostly in stereotypical attire – flannels and sports jerseys – though the bass player was more forward dressing; she simply wore black.  I heard them playing Melissa Etheridge, Adele and Green Day. While I appreciated their rendition of "Come To My Window," no-one can sing like Adele but Adele. After a $5 bottle of Miller Lite, I used my iPhone to find what other places lay around.
 
George's Alibi, or Alibi for short, read like the aforementioned dance-a-teria that I feared, but a different site gave it a more favorable review. It was also in a strip mall, but it took a huge footprint of the mall, complete with outdoor seating for dinner and for smoking. I walked in to find it cavernous. I walked to the far side of the main bar and the bartender smiled to ask me what I'd like.  Nothing too special was on tap, except there was Yuengling. I paid my $4.75 for the pint and enjoyed the crowd and music. Two beers later, I noticed someone I knew. Steve from Atlanta had moved to Fort Lauderdale and landed a gig as security for the bar. We caught up and I realized that I was having fun, yet by 12:30 the crowd thinned. I hailed a cab and headed back to the Cubby HoleI to finish the night with my newly minted bartender friends.

The beach, taken in HDR

I cabbed it back to the hotel after closing the bar down again only to fall quickly asleep. Yet again, the sunshine pummeled me awake and, though I fought it, I succumbed to its power.  I took the opportunity to get to the beach and enjoy the sun, the warmth, the sand and the sea.  I knew it would only be a matter of hours before I boarded back on a plane coming home. I would be ready for Christmas. I didn't know that I was going to be greeted by 34°F weather when I got home.

For a more complete album of the trip, visit here.

myPics: Not a Creature Was Stirring

I love to see presents under a tree which glows bright with Christmas lights. It brings me right into the holiday spirit.  I must confess that I was going to stage a plate of cookies and milk for this picture, but I got too lazy.

Merry Christmas!

Trimlestown Roast Sirloin

About 10 Saint Patrick Days ago, I stumbled across this recipe when I was looking for some non corned beef and cabbage meal to make.  I goggled Irish recipes and dug a few links deep to find a hearty recipe.  I didn’t want to land on the usual shepherd’s pie. Lo and behold, I found the Trimlestown Roast Sirloin recipe. 

I couldn’t find any story behind the roast. I looked to see if it was an active city or a town or a village; it’s a road in the Dublin area by the Co. Dublin/Co. Meath boarder (in the Co. Fingal area.)  I searched for any historic figures.  There is a Baron Trimlestown, of Trimlestown in the County of Meath (maybe that’s why the road is named what it’s named since it’s a stone’s throw from Co. Meath.) This title was created in 1461 probably by Edward IV (if not by Henry VI) for Sir Robert Barnewall. Today, the title is held by Raymond Charles Barnewall, 21st Baron Trimlestown. As of now, there is no known heir to the barony so on Barnewall’s death, it will become dormant.

I’d like to think that this was a meal that the early barons would enjoy from the cattle of their land. In addition to adding simply wine the chef wanted to add some local flavor and spirit to the pot and added a shot of whiskey while cooking.  This wine and whiskey braised beef must have become so identified with the barony that barony eponymously game its name to the dish.  I have no proof of this at all, though.

Without any history to back it up, I assumed that this recipe was Irish enough to be a tasty dish for the holiday.  I found it simple to make and the results were outstanding.  I figure that it would make a great slow cooker recipe; take a roast and braise in wine and whiskey then hours later there would be a tasty meal.
It was an appetizing meal but not as good as the original recipe. One major disappointment was the lack of the sauce, the pièce de résistance of the entire dish. I looked up ways to make gravy with the slow-cooker but they weren’t successful.   When I conceived this trail, I asserted the stipulation only to use a slow cooker when I cook. Perhaps, I will break down and use addition pots as this experiment continues since the roux-thicken sauce is just that good.

The roast needed to be served with the braising liquid, since there was no sauce, to remain tender; without it the roast felt a little dry on the palate. Also the delicious burnt crust of meat didn’t form on the top of the roast since it was in the slow cooker covered.  However, this was a good meal but not as good as the original.  I would recommend this as good pot roast recipe with a little kick; good for a lazy wintry day.
However for a “special occasion” I would spend the time and energy on the original.

Trimlestown Roast Sirloin, adapted from the traditional recipe. (Use this recipe for "special occasions" )

Ingredients:
4 lb. Sirloin roast
salt and pepper, to taste
1 garlic clove, minced or ½ tsp garlic powder (optional)
1 shot whiskey
1 cp. & 1 shot red wine
more salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1.    Wipe meat, season with salt, pepper and garlic, cover the beef with the seasonings and refrigerate overnight to flavor.
2.    Place roast in slow cooker; pour whiskey and wine over roast.
3.    Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours.
4.    Remove roast to rest on platter.
5.    Serve with the braising liquid.

Note: feel free to add potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms and other vegetables in the beginning of the cooking for a one pot meal.

myPic: A Neo-Romanesque Christmas

While I was in LA, I wanted to go on a tour of some buildings on the National Registry of Historic Places. I thought that I had included the Bradbury Building in blog.  However it also was one the buildings I wanted to see.  I took this photo of the elevator, decked out for the holidays. 

Molha

About two years ago I had a chance to go to the Azores.  Steve was sent there for a stint and I had an open invitation to visit. However the $1000 price tag and the lack of frequent flying opportunities (It’s just SATA that goes to Terceira directly from the US and the only Alliance airline is TAP) made it difficult to come to fruition.

Like most of my travel knowledge, what I know about the Azores was solidified during my youth.  When I was 13, Prince Andrew and Fergie honeymooned in the Azores and I went to my encyclopedia to learn about the islands.  To simply explain the Azores to you, they are Portugal’s Hawaiʻi. While more subtropical then tropical, the islands lie southwest of the Portuguese mainland and tourism is one of the main industries. Plus, volcanic activity left its impact on the island.

The Azores sit on the crossroads of three tectonic plates. Named the Azores Triple Junction, this is where the North American, the Eurasian and the African Plates meet. The western islands of Corvo and Flores are located in the North American Plate, while the remaining islands are located within the boundary that divides the other two plates.  This geographic dispersion drives the forces which give Azorean cuisine such variety. Rich farmland and a dependence on the sea also influence the assortment of dishes throughout the archipelago.

The stew and pot looking all vermelho (photo in HDR)

Though I missed a chance to go to the Azores, Steve brought me back a nice Azorean cookbook.  I have been a little intimidated to try any of the recipes since I don’t know enough about the cuisine to know if I’ve cooked it right.  Plus, I’ve only been to a handful of Portuguese and Azorean restaurants in the States, and mostly in Boston area. This November, I happened upon Snack Bar / O Senhor Ramos in Cambridge with a positive write up on yelp.  I entered and read “Portuguese Specialties” on the menu board.  Not knowing what anything was, I ordered Frango No Churrasco. My server asked me if I wanted half or a whole chicken.  I didn’t even know that was an option.

Anxiously I awaited my dish; I didn’t know what I was getting except that it was a half of a chicken.  After 10 minutes, my server brought me the dish.  It was a half chicken grilled in pieces covered in a red sauce, like the hot sauce and butter mixture of Buffalo chicken, over saffron rice.  It was on the bone, tender, simple, tangy and hot due to the sauce.  I ate it up, leaving nothing on the bone.  I thought that it was great, and when I got to share my experience with Steve, he confirmed that was a dish that he had often in the Azores. 

So, armed with the confidence that I liked Azorean cuisine and my new meme to cook with a crock pot once a week, I sought out a dish to make.  I discovered Crock Pot Azorean Spiced Beef Stew on Stephanie O’Dea’s site, which chronicles her commitment to use her slow cooker daily for a year in 2008. In turn, she would get inspiration for her dishes from other bloggers. Notably the inspiration for her recipe came from Molha: Azorean spiced beef stew adapted by Sean Timberlake, a San Francisco based dot-com product manager-cum-blogger-cum-foodie, from a recipe in Azorean Cuisine by Zita Lima.

Molha

So I give you my take on Stehpanie’s version of Sean’s adaption of "Molha à la mode de Pico" by Zita Lima:

Molha /moˈʎa/

Ingredients:
2 lbs chuck, cut into bite-size cubes
5-6 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp Kosher salt
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 6 oz can tomato paste
3 cps white wine
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 bay leaf

Directions:

1. The night prior, combine the cubed chuck, garlic, red pepper and salt; mix to cover the beef with the seasonings and refrigerate overnight to flavor.
2. The next day, add onion and garlic to the bottom of the slow cooker then add the beef mixture; top with paste and wine.
3. Stir in the remaining seasonings, floating the bay leaf.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
5. Molha is served traditionally with boiled potatoes

Serves: 4-6

I wanted to add my mark to the recipe; I made it last week with that I thought was chopped up Serrano pepper in lieu of the red pepper flakes since, per Sean’s blog, the original recipes calls for piri piri chilis. I found my stew lacking heat – I don’t know if I used a mild chili that looked like Serrano or if I needed to add more, but I think that I’ll follow the tried-and-true red pepper flakes until I can figure out what fresh chili would work.

I didn't have any starch like the traditional boiled potatoes or buttered noodles like Sean had to serve with my molha.  I had to settled for pasta.  It actually looks like a ragù over my penne.

Outside of that, I really enjoyed this dish.  The stew was thick and the cubed beef fell apart easily when I pressed it with a wooden spoon.  Also, there’s an interesting balance of flavor between the rich, succulent taste of the beef and the fruity light note of white wine; I enjoyed the newness of this pairing. In addition, the delicate flavor of the tomatoes was enhanced by the sweet profile of the cinnamon. The cumin added a hint of something smoky. I loved the combination. In short, if I had to pitch it like a movie, I would say, "Think a mole-influenced chili con carne."

Bom apetite!

Wish List: City Island

Usually when I’m in an airport first thing in the morning on Monday, it’s because I’m heading out early for a day trip somewhere. Today, however, I’m still in transit, connecting from a red eye out of Southern California to Philadelphia. Thinking about my recent visit to the LA metro area, I want to go somewhere where I don’t have to drive at all.

The traffic in all throughout the region was hellish. Even my beloved US 101 Songline was more like a parking lot than a freeway. It reinforces why I love cities with great public transportation.

City Island Nautical Museum, image courtesy of Wikipedia

When I turn the phrase “city with great public transportation” I immediately think of New York, our most populated city in the US. While the traffic can be as nightmarish as Los Angeles (have you ever tried to get into the city through the Lincoln Tunnel at 4:30 in the afternoon?) the subway and bus system as well as the taxis of NYC eliminate my stress of needing to drive.

New York is a megapolis – a super city. However just off to the side of this almost unmanageable mass of humanity and skyscrapers lies a relative peaceful, New-England-like oasis: City Island. In Long Island Sound, this charming island with only one way in and out redefines living in the city.

Sea Shore Restaurant & Marina

If you have heard of City Island, it may because of the movie starring Andy García, Julianna Margulies and Alan Arkin. However my love affair started when I had noticed it on a map many years ago. It seems to be in my DNA to appreciate and gravitate toward all of the quirky or superlative places on the earth: the most Western point in Ireland, the most Southern point in California, the most unlike New York City in New York. This simply named island stood out to me and I have been curious about it since.

About 2 years ago, I had seen an article on one of the travel sites that I follow about the charm of New England without leaving New York. When I finally read the name of the location, I was excited to see there were others who wanted to explore the off-the-beaten-path places in the word and that someone penned an article about the spot. City Island isn’t a tourist destination. It’s nowhere near as densely population as Manhattan and it’s sparse with famous attractions. There was only one place for lodging on the island, Le Refuge Inn Bed and Breakfast, which, according to latest google search, is closed.

A house on City Island

City Island provides a slice of life that’s more in tune with the rest of America than NYC; City Island Avenue serves as the island’s Main Street. While the subway doesn’t go to City Island, a bus does. However, bus schedule is limited since the island is a residential area of the city and not a destination like Ellis Island. For me, though, that’s the adventure – just being reliant on public transportation and exploring an area on foot makes the island alluring. It’s like exploring Astoria, Park Slope or Washington Heights for the first time.

It’s a wish of mine to get there next year, and I hope to share my visit with you. However, there is a certain irony that, in the getaway destination where I want to go, most of the residents use and need cars to get along. Yet this is the place I think when the traffic in LA got to me and I needed a place to get away from the automobile.

Images, excepted where noted, are courtesy of Nabe Wise.

Freeform Forum: Santorum, Food Stamps and Obesity

If you don’t know, I can’t stand Rick Santorum. He is just too partisan and too intense for me to stomach. He is too polarizing and I find him plainly despicable.

In Iowa, he recently made the outrageous promise to reduce significantly federal funding for food stamps  under the premise that the nation’s increasing obesity rates make the program unnecessary. Igor Volsky, Health Care and LGBT Editor for ThinkProgress.org, notes in his piece, "Santorum: We Don’t Need Food Stamps Because Obesity Rates Are So High" that Santorum calls the food stamp program one of the fastest growing programs in Washington. Volsky highlights that cost of the program has increased because more Americans are out of work and wages are down and disputes the connection between the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a.k.a. food stamps, and the rates of obesity in Americans.

In the column, Volsky comments that the Department of Agriculture has data that shows that around 33.5 million of the 48 million people who rely on food stamps last year had no earned income. That means over 11% of the US population benefits from SNAP because they earned no income this year. Yet, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one-third of U.S. adults is obese, which comes out to 81.7 million American adults.

Let’s go ahead and assume that Rick becomes President and he enacts the elimination of the food stamp program and use his logic – based on his supposition that food stamps cause obesity, there will still be 33 million obese Americans adults not in SNAP. Over 10% of the population will remain obese. Nice work, Rick. You've stopped feeding the hungry and you left us with one in ten Americans seriously overweight.

If you want to go after government spending and to address American obesity, one of the more constructive ways to deal with the issue is to retool agricultural subsidies. Feed grains (mostly corn) get around 2.8 billion dollars a year in subsidies, which over a 1/3 of the farming monies from the government.

Critics of the farm subsidies note that the artificially low prices resulting from subsidies create unhealthy incentives for consumers, and this is where our obesity issue comes in. HFCS and corn syrup in general are cheaper, benefiting from the corn and feed grains subsidies and this leads to high-sugar food being less expensive and more affordable. To folks on fixed incomes or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the cheaper cheese food product which happens to have HFCS in it will win over the real organic cheese.

How about we tell Congress to use that farm subsidy to encourage the growth of organic fruits and vegetables? And I don’t mean pizza, in which the cheese food product, bread and tomato sauce at least all have added HFCS; I mean tomatoes, green beans, broccoli and more. We are still the bread basket to the world, so I’m not saying that we shouldn’t grow grains and maize (how worldly) or support our farmers. However we should encourage that our farmers are growing appropriate food for us and the world.

In perspective, food stamps do cost the government over 6 times more than the grain subsidies. (However, SNAP cost just shy of twice as much as the total amount of all farm subsidies.) Yet both are insignificant percentages of the $1.2 trillion that the congressional "super committee" was supposed to cut from the budget (grain subsidies are .23% and food stamps are 1.4%). I don’t think that we’ll cut the budget on eliminating one of the programs only. However it’s a way to use our tax money "to promote the general Welfare", which is why we have a government in the first place.

As stated above 11% of Americans were not collecting any income last year. The average rate of unemployment last year was about 9.65%. I’m sure the unemployment numbers factor into the 11% on income-less Americans. The unemployed are looking for jobs, but aren’t getting them since they don’t exist. Keeping our citizens dutifully employed and healthfully fed is promoting the general Welfare.

I find it irresponsible that Rick makes such a bold and unintelligent promise to the voters of Iowa. In summary, Volsky makes his argument against Rick’s promise acknowledging that

"Food prices have also gone up, adding additional costs. In fact, the food stamp program has been critical for reducing poverty and pumping money into local economies during the down economy, so cutting it now would not only take food out of peoples’ mouths (regardless of whether they are obese or not) and could slow down the recovery."

Yet another reason for me to tell Rick to sit the eff down, lie in a pasture and fade from the limelight.  Let the actual level-headed presidential hopefuls work the political stages.

myPics: The Dream of Sharjah Dunes

This week, as year ago, I was in the UAE visiting my friend, Eileen, and her family.  My lovely hosts took me and some of their friends dune bashing in the desert of Sharjah, the emirate immediately north of Dubai. It's like a roller coaster ride, but in a beat up Range Rover.

A few times our young driver stopped so we would take some pictures of the desert landscape.  While there were a caravan of Range Rovers, we were able to stop on the other side of dunes to make us feel like we were the only ones there.  The sane was a beautiful vermilion and, like other desert locales, its color shifted as the sun started to set.

I hope when you look into this photo that you feel a little lost and yet in awe, and you can almost feel the arrival of the cold evening that was falling when I took this photo.

Not yet named food entry: Kelaguen and finadene (Guam)

I was wondering if I had exhausted all of my favorite treats from around the world and feared that I wouldn’t be able to write another “Not yet named food entry.” In the middle of my panic, it hit me out of the blue, I should write about kelaguen or rather kelaguen mannok, chicken kelaguen, to be exact.

During my time playing for and serving on the board of the Philadelphia Gryphons, I became very good friends with a former classmate and colleague, Joe. Joe is Guamanian or, as we lovingly teased, Guamish. He came to Philadelphia somewhat on a lark. A Penn alumnus in Hagåtña had mentioned that Joe should apply to Penn. It was a good school; if it was good enough for the alumnus, it was good enough for Joe. Only applying to two Universities – Penn and the University of Guam, Joe got into Penn and he headed to Philadelphia. Little did he know that he was going to school a lot of us about our territory in the Pacific.

A view of Hagåtña, the capital of Guam - image courtesy of Wikipedia

As Joe and I grew into the roles of captain and president of our team and club, we spent a lot of time working together on the behind the scenes. As part of our club’s board, we all worked together to establish budgets, develop best practices, schedule games, plan player recruitment, fundraise, create an identity and more. Many of the hours were spend in Joe’s ample apartment around his living room during meals.

During this time, Joe’s sister come to live for a spell and their mother would send care packages from Guam. I remember Joe being very excited that a mailing of titiyas had come in. From the Spanish, torillas, these are flour flatbreads made with coconut milk. Joe asked the few of us working if we wanted to try some authentic Guamanian food. We were game.

Titiyas

He went into his refrigerator and pulled out a heavy bowl of white, crumbly something and a mason jar of soy sauce with onions floating in it. “This is kelaguen and finadene,” he said and topped a titiyas with some kelaguen from the bowl and poured a little finadene over the pile of kelaguen. He folded it and ate it like a taco. We followed suit and I fell in love.

Kelaguen is a Chamorro specialty that can be made with cooked chicken or raw shrimp, fish or beef. The pickling marinade of lemon juice, fresh coconut, green onions, salt and hot chilis is the hallmark of the kelaguen. Like ceviche, the marinade denatures the raw meat into a chemically “cooked” protein. The dish is served cold or at room temperature and eaten on its own, over rice, or wrapped in a warm titiyas, like Joe shared with us.

Chicken kelaguen on a titiyas

Chicken kelaguen is made with shredded and then minced chicken, while with the raw meats a finely minced meat would do. Lemon juice, fresh coconut, green onions, salt and hot chilis are mixed with the meat and left to marinade. Like all marinades, it works within an hour to flavor, but the best flavor comes out when it’s left overnight.

The chicken presents all of the flavors at once – sweet with the creamy and nutty hint of coconut, pungent with the sharp grassy bite and burn of the onions, tart with the sour and bight acid from the lemon and spicy from the slow crescendo of heat from the chili. The chicken itself is tender from the treatment and if it was cooked more traditionally there will be a smoky, almost caramel note from the roasting. I ended up being on kelaguen kick for weeks, until I got too tired from making it all the time.

There is no one recipe for kelaguen; the recipes varies slightly from village to village and between families. The best thing I can suggest is go to the blog, “The Scent of Green Bananas: Food from the Guambat” and read her post on chicken kelaguen. Then play with it and find the seasoning proportions that work for your taste buds, a.k.a. how hot do you like it?

Finadene

One flavor that I didn’t mention was the finadene, the condiment (or Guamdiment) of choice. The proportions of this salty, spicy, sour accompaniment vary as much as kelaguen’s does. Also, finadene can be added on top of rice, barbecued meats, grilled fish and more; its acid cuts through food to heighten its flavor. It delivers a megadose umami.

Finadene is present in many Guamanian households and most of them make their own. Again, I’m going to refer to The Scent of Green Bananas for her recipe, but a basic finadene consists of soy sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, chopped white onion and fresh chilis, which are left to mingle in the refrigerator for at least a day. Variations include lime juice, green onions, lemon slices, cherry tomatoes and sugar for example.

Once you have finadene, you can do anything culinarily. In addition to being a great condiment, finadene and an oil of your choice makes an outstanding marinade. Minus the need for patience, finadene is simpler to make than kelaguen, too.  I think I know what I'll be dishing up during the Christmas break.

I'm hungry just looking at this

Images, except where noted, courtesy of The Scent of Green Bananas: Food from the Guambat.

Around the World in a Pot

My roommate and I had our annual Christmas party this year, and outside of the neighbor calling at 1:30am to see if the party would 2:00am because she could hear everything in her apartment, it was a wonderful night.

One of the many dishes that we had was my take on Cocktail Meatballs (a.k.a. Grape Jelly Meatballs.) Prior to my friend Ryan’s birthday party in San Diego about 2 years ago, I never really had heard of treating meatballs this way.  Apparently I’ve been obviously to meat and jam combinations all my life; my friend, Denise, has invited me over to her parent’s for Night in Venice annually for the last 20 years and I enjoyed the Cocktail Kielbasa (a.k.a. Raspberry Kielbasa). Yet I never noticed the similarity between the recipes.  It wasn’t until I asked, “What’s in the sauce, sesame seeds?” that I learned it was raspberry preserves.

A crock pot of Cocktail Meatballs

For an easy and hearty appetizer, I simply use a 4 quart slow cooker on high and add two 1½ pound bags of frozen, pre-made meatballs; a jar of jam, jelly or preserves (this party I used Ikea’s Lingonberry jam, Sylt Lingon); Dr Pepper, about a jam jar's worth; Bourbon, about a 1/3 of the jam jar; and Sriracha, to taste (if you don’t know all about wonderful Sriracha, check out The Oatmeal’s what’s-not-to-love description.) I start it about 3 hours before the party and turn to warm when the first guests arrive.

This kindled my want to use my crock pot more.  My mom had made a few dishes while I was young.  There is something excited about throwing items into a pot first thing in the morning, then turning it on and letting it do its thing until you come home from work. 

Straight from the Oatmeal, Sriracha

In addition to just trying to use my crock pot more, I wanted to be adventuresome in my cooking.  As you probably know, I'm in a bookclub that values good eating and good drinking along with the good read and great discussions.  As part of our "thing," we pick themes for our bookclub potlucks.  Sometimes, they are based on the setting - Indian food for The Splendor of Silence by Indu Sundaresan, and other times they are based on an idea - "Bake whatcha momma made ya" (your favorite dish your mom made growing up) for The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. I love these themes because sometimes we pick a cuisine that I know how to make well and sometimes we all have to learn how to make something new.  For example, I learned how to make Tomato Bredie (about 5/6 of the way down on the page), a delicious South African lamb stew when I chose Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee. 

I want to try to cook dishes with flavors from all around the world in my crock pot, of course. I've been wondering when I could use my crock pot since I've been traveling a bit and I'm not always home. Ironic, I know, when will I have enough time to do something easy like use my slow cooker? With my traveling schedule, it looks like Monday night (for preparations) and Tuesday morning (for setting and forgetting) end up as the right time to try some world cooking in a crock pot.  As you may have guessed, I am cooking something today - my first foray is a molha, an Azorean spiced beef stew.  I'll update you all next week. 

Wish List: What to do in SoCal?

I’ll be traveling to Southern California this weekend for work. Since I have a red eye home, I hope to be able to go to Got Kosher on Sunday and get some more of the pretzel challah that didn’t survive the trip to San Diego last time. Yet, I still haven’t decided either I’ll stay in LA or Anaheim (I have reservations at hotels in both cities.)

The majority of time working will be in Anaheim and to get an affordable flight, I’m taking United/Continental in and out of John Wayne Airport. The Airport is an hour from the LA hotel, in good traffic. The event, a reception and game, is at the Honda Center, but the tickets for the game are up in Westwood. Once I am finished with my responsibilities, will the convenience of being close to the work event be outweighed by the ease of being close to downtown LA?

Gamble House in Pasadena, CA

So I googled “LA travel blog” to help me decide. I found The Los Angeles Consortium for Online Travel on Christopher Elliott's The 11 best new travel blogs of 2011. Christopher calls this site “easily the best new regional travel blogs to come along in a long time. It’s from a consortium of well-known LA area travel writers, including Jennifer Miner. You can tell that these folks love LA!”

I jumped into reading some of the entries and read Noah Albert’s entry about Art Deco Buildings in Los Angeles. From the 20’s to the 40’s the population of Los Angeles tripled and to match this growth in population new buildings were erected in the Art Deco style. Albert continues his entry focusing on two specific Art Deco structures, the Eastern Columbia and The Wiltern. these are two places that are his favorites, and one of the reason why is “when the light is right, the turquoise terra cotta covering both these structures looks just like blue-green magic.”

The Sunset Tower, West Hollywood, CA

Ah, architecture! The LA area is known for its art deco style, as well as its earlier arts and crafts movement, which is a personal favorite. I will take in the wonders. I think I’ve just decided that I’ll stay in LA.

Hopefully, I can sneak a peek and head out to the Gamble House in Pasadena, California on Friday. This outstanding example of American Arts and Crafts style architecture is also a favorite location of my dear friend, Rosie. Designed by Charles and Henry Greene in 1908 for David and Mary Gamble of the Procter & Gamble Company, the house is a National Historic Landmark.

The Edward Alexander Kelley Hackett House, Los Angeles, CA.

Inspired by Hollywood and Albert’s entry, I think that I’ll go check out the Sunset Tower. This hotel, is which has host many an Oscar and Golden Globes party, is located on the Sunset Strip. Architect Leland A. Bryant designed the building in 1929 and it opened in 1931. Also on the National Registry, the Sunset Tower is considered one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the Los Angeles area.

Also in my searches, I found the Edward Alexander Kelley Hackett House is a historic Craftsman-style house in the Pico-Union neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Built in 1901, the house is known for its well-preserved Craftsman architecture. After viewing the house, I can stay in the Pico-Union area, a Salvadoran and Guatemalan immigrant community, and get something tasty for lunch.

Any other suggestions for great architecture in Los Angeles?

Images courtesy of Wikipedia.

myPics: Haul out the holly

I love the holidays.  I still believe that if you have a good Halloween then you're set until Mardi Gras!  Yuletide is the biggest high point for me during this Holiday period.  I'm a strong advocate of decorating for Christmas immediately after Thanksgiving and keeping it up until Epiphany.

  Here's a detail of the tree in the apartment during the day.

This year the tree is decked out in a wintry theme of gold, silver, white and cerulean. Icicles and faceted jems spread glow in the daylight and in the tree lights as well.  The shiny balls reflect the shine and create a festive look that's reminiscent of the delightful chill of a good hibernal night.