Where is my pen?

Loukoumades at the PDX Greek Festival

2009-10-05T03:14:45Z

Loukoumades are Greek donuts that are delicious little golden puffs, which are drizzled with an aromatic honey syrup and then sprinkled with a dusting of cinnamon.

Ingredients
-- Batter --

* 1 packet (2 1/4 oz) active dry yeast
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F), divided
* 1 large egg, at room temperature
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* Vegetable oil (preferably safflower), for frying (or, other high temperature oil)

-- Honey-Lemon Syrup --

* 1 cup honey
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

-- Garnish --

* 1 or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, to taste
* 1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Preparation

In a large bowl, mix yeast and sugar into 1/2 cup of the warm water. When mixture turns foamy, about 5 minutes, stir in remaining 1-1/2 cups warm water along with the egg, flour, salt, nutmeg and vanilla. Mix until batter is thick but smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. (The dough should be very soft and bubbly.)

In a deep fryer, large heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat 3- to 4-inches of oil to 375 degrees F. Make sure there is at least 2-inches between the oil surface and the top of the pot.

While oil is heating, prepare honey-lemon syrup. Add honey, sugar, and water to a small saucepan, mix to combine and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, and simmer until lightly thickened. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Working in batches, slide dollops of the batter (about the size of a heaping tablespoonful each) into the hot oil, making sure not to crowd the pan. Dollops will puff up and float to the surface. Fry, turning occasionally, until pastry is a crisp, golden brown on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove carefully with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat as many times as is needed. Place drained puffs on warm platter and keep warm.

To serve, place 4 or 5 fried puffs into the warm honey-lemon syrup. Allow puffs to soak for about 10 to 15 seconds, remove to a small plate, dust generously with cinnamon, and sprinkle with walnuts, to taste. Or, (no dunk method) place 4 or 5 puffs onto a small plate, drizzle with warm honey-lemon syrup, dust generously with cinnamon, and sprinkle with walnuts, to taste.

Loukoumades are best if eaten warm, the same day they are made.

Makes about 36 to 40 puffs, or 8 to 10 servings.

Lamb.

Pasta with Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes wiith Carmelized Sweet Onions

2009-09-02T04:16:34Z

The cheese melted a bit too fast.

Saturday Breakfast

2009-03-28T19:41:01Z

Grilled Ciabatta Bread, Grits with Parmesan Cheese & New Kale and a Sunnyside Up Egg

Taurus

2009-03-02T22:04:56Z

March 2, 2009

Career strivings will meet with success. A business hunch of yours is right on the money. Communication with co-workers or business partners is successful and will gain you positive feedback. Mix-ups in banking or investments call for patience. Spending and earning bring you pleasure this month. Your attention this afternoon may involve writing, classes and conferring with close kin and neighbors. Consider a pie chart and make each piece your divided time; as in pie pieces. Create a balance for yourself using this chart and try and keep a little time for rest and refurbishment. You feel a love of order and law--an appreciation for responsibilities. Problems are valued for the lessons they represent, rather than perceived as obstacles

Guess where that chicken went?

2009-02-07T06:24:25Z

Taco Taco

w00t!

2009-02-02T04:20:36Z

That makes 6!

Go Steelers!

I am fucking exhausted.

Why conform?

2009-01-17T18:47:30Z

Artichoke

2008-12-19T21:46:29Z

I found this photo of an artichoke that I took in July. Pretty wild.

Cross posted on food_porn.

Thursday Night Dinner

2008-12-05T16:47:35Z

My comfort food.

Sourdough Dressing with Bacon, Granny Smith Apple and Hazelnuts

Games Hens stuffed with Garlic and Lemons.

Seriously, this is one of my favorite meals.

Yum

2008-11-23T17:10:16Z

Hand cut fries.

Another version of my baked burger.

Baked Burger with Monterey Jack Cheese, Bacon and Tomato.

The burger is half ground pork and half ground beef (20% fat). I added a bunch of goodies to it and mixed it well.
The baking part really just melts the cheese and the flavors together.

Cross posted on food_porn

Beach Weekend

2008-10-14T00:08:15Z

We went to the Oregon Coast this weekend. I'll be making several posts about the meals that we made. Here is the first:

Taurus

2008-10-07T16:39:01Z

October 07, 2008
TAURUS
April 20-May 20

Today is a very good day for you to look into your future and try to identify possible pitfalls in your latest endeavor. Troubleshooting before there is trouble is a very smart habit to cultivate, so get started! It's not that you are thinking negatively about your project, it's just that you like to be prepared! Having an alternate plan (or two) ready to go will not only put your mind at ease, it will keep you at the head of the pack. So use your imagination to figure out what might go wrong.

I just received this from my cousin Jenny.

2008-09-18T01:12:36Z

Forward this message to as many friends as you can.
Send your reply to womensaynopalin@gmail.com (not directly to me).

Friends,
We are writing to you because of the fury and dread we have felt
since the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential
candidate for the Republican Party. We believe that this terrible
decision has surpassed mere partisanship, and that it is a dangerous
farce-on the part of a pandering and rudderless Presidential
candidate-that has a real possibility of becoming fact.

Perhaps like us, as American women, you share the fear of what
Ms. Palin and her professed beliefs and proven record could lead to
for ourselves and for our present or future daughters. To date, she
is against sex education, the pro-choice platform, environmental
protection, alternative energy development, freedom of speech (as
mayor she wanted to ban books and attempted to fire the librarian
who
stood against her), gun control, the separation of church and state,
and polar bears. To say nothing of her complete lack of real
preparation to become the second-most-powerful person on the planet.

We want to clarify that we are not against Sarah Palin as a
woman, a mother, or, for that matter, a parent of a pregnant
teenager, but solely as a rash, incompetent, and all together
devastating choice for Vice President. Ms. Palin's political views
are in every way a slap in the face to the accomplishments that our
mothers and grandmothers so fiercely fought for, and that we've so
demonstrably benefited from.

First and foremost, Ms. Palin does not represent us. She does not
demonstrate or uphold our interests as American women. It is presumed
that the inclusion of a woman on the Republican ticket could win over
women voters. We want to disagree, publicly.

Therefore, we invite you to
reply here with a short, succinct
message about why you, as a woman living in this country, do not
support this candidate as second-in-command for our nation.

Please include your name (last initial is fine), age, and place
of residence.

We will post your responses on a blog called "Women Against Sarah
Palin," which we intend to publicize as widely as possible. Please
send us your reply at your earliest convenience-the greater the volume
of responses we receive, the stronger our message will be.

Thank you for your time and action.

VIVA!

Sincerely,

Quinn L. and Lyra K.
New York, NY
womensaynopalin@gmail.com

**PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY! If you send this to 20 women in the next
hour, you could be blessed with a country that takes your concerns
seriously. Stranger things have happened.

At least something was funny today.

2008-09-17T20:22:49Z

Obama "The old boys network. In the McCain campaign, that's called a staff meeting."

I golfed this morning. It was more crowded then I expected. It was a slow round. We teed off at 7:30 AM and finished at 12:15 PM. I played pretty well. I shot a 44-43 for a 47. I only missed 3 fairways and holed a shot from a bunker for a birdie. That was pretty sweet.

Spanish Dinner

2008-07-22T14:54:36Z

We had a "Mike's Dinner" last night. Five of us friends who are named Mike. Spanish was the theme.

Avocado & Shrimp Soup.

Mussels, Clams, Chorizo & a bunch of other great things.

I made paella, but I had to stir it a bit, so it wasn't very photogenic. It was pretty good, however.

Dinner

2008-06-30T05:38:51Z

We have a rib eye steak, garlic tops w/ three mushrooms and a cucumber, heirloom tomato and Walla Walla Sweet onion salad.

mikeymo421 @ 2008-01-15T21:04:00

2008-01-16T05:04:08Z

Summer

Winter

I want Summer.

Yummo !

2007-09-06T19:19:27Z

Pepperoni and Canadian Bacon Pizza with Fresh Zucchini and Heirloom Tomatoes.

:o)

2007-02-21T01:07:27Z

I received a package from my friend Kyle today.

It's a Mr. Happy shirt (shown with the original Mr. Happy) and a Guinness bottle opener. Woo Hoo!!!!

Thanks Kyle. You made my day.

Snow Day!!

2007-01-16T16:38:04Z

Snow! W00t!!!

Unfortunately my commute is totally clear of snow.

We were supposed to get 1 inch. Now it's up to like 3 inches.

I made rabbit last night. Fucking good bunny!!!

Before

After