There isn’t anyone who hasn’t spent time around the kitchen that hasn’t heard from clients, patrons or family members the often chilling call …”what do YOU have that’s NEW??”
Currently, I am looking at various approaches to birds in pies… a fowl concept indeed!
Rather than look for questionable combination’s utilizing exotic items and creating ‘tentacles with licorice sauce’ … I prefer to look at improvements on an old favorite. I don’t know too many people that don’t enjoy a meat pie of some sort… and I am very much a fan of corned beef…. even Laura loves it.
I thought about ‘something new’ as I was looking through the freezers and found — misfiled — one of my corned beef pies! Finding buried treasure can be fun … and delicious!
When I am not blogging about things I love, I throw a few well deserved bricks at Cal Poly. Over the years, Cal Poly has received much well deserved national attention as a leader in squashing student rights that are clearly protected by the constitution. However, when it comes to throwing students out of school for rioting, drugs and such … they show a remarkable tolerance.
Nothing so clearly demonstrates the collision of cultures better than a recent story about a young underage male coming to the rescue of his underage alcohol boozing roommate only to get arrested himself… and then having the additional problem of possession of cocaine. Interestingly enough, the youngins didn’t understand ‘the problem.’ Oh yes, we have had the rioting and excessive partying completing the full academic experience.
Cal Poly has had a couple of deaths this academic year I believe, maybe more, I haven’t kept score, from ‘alcohol related instances’ as they call them. Local hospitals report an alarming number of college age youth coming in severely ‘impaired.’ Nothing of this is a surprise and — from what I can see — nothing is happening at Cal Poly… or likely will ever be.
I remember on one site that discussed colleges, one experienced allegedly Cal Poly student wrote,” Cal Poly is a great choice because school won’t interfere with your social life.” I wonder how many parents would be thrilled to read this?
This overt behavior can be addressed, but it takes the ‘will’ to stop it… and it takes more than a Cal Poly ‘wink.’ It takes a real commitment to excellence.
The world is a lot more serious and competitive place now, it’s time that Cal Poly grows up and face it.
This is not news to those in agriculture, but California has multiple growing seasons.
The fact is that my wonderful apple tree is starting to bloom for it’s ‘second’ season and it looks like a wonderful harvest. With my first ‘batch’ , we produced 12 wonderful apple pies and apple sauce by the ton. Laura made some delicious cinnamon flavored dried apple slices that were surprisingly good! It is surprising to me as I don’t usually like dried fruit.
One thing woke me up this year when I wanted to fill in with some ‘store bought’ apples…. hmmm … same variety, fresh and grown locally , but they were much less tasty.
In any event, it looks like a lot more fun is coming to us down the road!
There is a beauty in learning how to cook and mastering those foods that are so special to you and those you care about.
The problem today is three-fold: first, very many people know very little about nutrition; secondly, basic meal preparation for a lot of folks comes out of a box or a can and ;lastly, they are stumped at where to go to learn. The folks on TV are entertaining, but they spend far too much time trying to be easy or different…. they don’t teach the basics of bread or cake making or what constitutes a well rounded dinner.
I even read in a current recipe book that one never uses any cake in a bread pudding! Funny, the old kitchens of the 1800’s to early 1900’s would throw in everything from bread to croissants and from cake to muffins! They really knew how to cook in those days… and they didn’t waste anything.
Here’s a tough question I asked a few people: how many minutes does it take to cook a 3 minute egg? It was surprising to find that a lot didn’t know how to begin to answer that question. I know it sounds a little mean … but it does show the state of affairs in many kitchens today.
I love my bread puddingwith a wonderful brandy sauce!
The key to starting out is to start with the basics, master that and then move up. Children love to learn how to make desserts: cookies, pies and cakes. It’s great to see a child pull out their first set of Tollhouse (Chocolate Chip) Cookies… and dig in when they are still warm and gooey!
Teach someone to cook and you open a world to them that they never knew existed!
