Muslim leaders say blah blah blah

BBC

Frankly I am tired of the occasional condemnation of these terrorist acts. How about a condemnation of the prevailing belief of these enemies. Are these leaders saying that the underlying philosophy of these disciples is okay? Do these leaders have the same ideals but are appalled by the method? This is what we need to know. If it is war, I have no objection to these terrorist activities. I understand it is their only real option to seeing there goals completed. If the Muslim leaders want the same end, they are our enemy, even if they don’t believe in the means.

Jason

Acid Test

I had been meaning to write a post on “acid” with regards to wine. Well Robin Garr did it for me. I think he does great job of explaining acid in wine. If you have any interest in wine, I recommend reading this and then experimenting. Try a wine before you begin to eat and then have it with you meal. See the effect of food on your wine. I like to open two different wines, maybe a pinot noir from California (generally lower acidity) and a pinot noir from Burgundy (generally higher acid), so that I can compare them with and without food. When you get use to identifying the acidity in wine, you will be better able to pick the right wine. If you want a wine just to drink and enjoy with your friends prior to a meal, you may choose a wine with less acidity. The wine still needs balance and should not be flabby. Once the food comes, you can open something with more acidity so that the food can shine as well.

Click Here

Jason

Forget the Turkey, Here's the Hot Pot

Christmas can be pretty boring. In fact, even with variety, it can become boring. But, variety delays the inevitability of boredom. So, this Christmas, our dinner wasn't your standard-issue turkey. It was something more...Chinese Hot Pot.

Your mouth's watering, isn't it?

Here's how it's done:

Start with a large pot and soup base. You can use chicken stock or beef stock (I think we used Chicekn this time). In the large pot with lots of base, you add Chinese mushrooms, sliced varieties of fish cake, taro, and daikon. Get these going and cooked/warmed thoroughly.

Next get out your electric wok/deep pan (like the one in the picture). Set it in the middle of a large table and surround it with raw everything - sliced fish (snapper or orange roughy are good choices), shrimp, squid, beef, lamb and/or pork (you can pick up pre-sliced versions cut for this, or cut your own paper thin slices with a meat slicer - don't use anything thicker than a few sheets of paper or it's not going to work), sliced fish cakes, spinach, red leaf lettuce, extra taro and daikon (half-cooked, so it will go quicker), and glass noodles.

Your dipping sauce will be some combination of: Chinese BBQ sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, sliced jalepeno chiles, ponzu, and/or lemon. I prefer 3 tbsp BBQ sauce, with 1 tbsp soy, lots of peppers, a bit of squeezed lemon, and that's all. Experiment and see what you like.

Now, have the family sit down and enjoy. You will add what you like to eat, watch it cook/heat, then pull it and dip it in your own bowl of sauce. It's family style (and many might be afraid of sharing soup, but...it's boiled...how bad can it be?).

Study the picture to see the elements, keep the working soup pot full with extra broth, and by the time everyone is done eating, you can enjoy the soup which will be thoroughly flavored.

You can pick up everything you need at Stater Brothers and 99 Ranch.

Enjoy!

~ Brock

Where Have the Good Rentals Gone?

This week, I've rented Must Love Dogs and Into The Blue. One sucked and the other was enjoyable, you guess which.

Ok, now that you've guessed incorrectly, let me let give you a few hints:

One of them uses every movie-script-magic trick known (i.e., the gay couple who represent the only healthy couple in the entire movie [I'm blanking on the name, but it will come to me later], the family signing moment [reminding you of My Best Friend's Wedding, which also starred Dermot Mulroney...interesting], the instant family member [reminding you of Kate Hudson in How to Lose A Guy in Ten Days], and so on and so on.) This is the one I didn't like.

The other one had a great plot...broke young couple in the Bahamas finds the mother lode of all treasures, then a sunken drug plane nearby. The rest of the movie is spent with action, twists, fun and a happy ending. This is the one I liked.

Rent them both and see what you think.

~ Brock

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. This week I'll be posting pictures and recipes for Chinese Hot Pot and a few other things.

Stay tuned.

~ Brock

Wine Review: 1995 Estancia Duo

(Sorry about the poor picture) I'm sure you're surprised to read a wine review of a 1995 blend (Cab and Sangiovese) opened in 2005. Well, don't read it if you don't believe it. Otherwise...

I collected a large amount of wine in 1995 - 1997. I have probably 40 or so bottles left from that time period, and open them whenever I feel like it. My latest offering was a 1995 Estancia Duo, a blend of Cabernet (70%) and Sangiovese (30%). Normally, a wine like this would have a shelf life of maybe 3 - 5 years, but not this bottle. It was great after 10 years!

The wine was certainly light bodied and juicy, which was surprising given the date I opened it. Also, after taking off the foil wrapper, I noticed some leakage. I don't like to waste wine, so I tried it and am glad that I did. Even with leakage and age, this wine held together.

Fruity, simple, and light, not overly tannic and refreshing aroma, this wine was worth the $10 or so bucks I spent a while back. It reminded me of a beaujolais.

It went well with a spicy ravioli I threw together.

~ Brock

Awesome Pickled Vegetables

With most Asian meals, you'll want to have at least one small dish of pickled vegetables. For Japanese (although you can use this with any Asian meal), I suggest this packet. You can find it at just about any Asian market. It's best on cucumbers, but works well with cabbage, carrots or whatever you like.

Chop your vegies into the size you like, sprinkle ample amounts, mix, and chill.

Give it a try with curry or Korean BBQ and enjoy!

~ Brock

Pork and Peanuts Get Spicy

You don't always have to know what you're cooking to make something decent. Sometimes, it's just having an idea of a dish or dishes that you like and combining elements in hope that it won't taste like crap. Here' s four ingredient (not counting spices) dish that only takes a few minutes (except for the rice) to make.

Ingredients
pork loin
oyster mushrooms
peanuts
rice

Directions
Cook rice according to instructions (I use a rice cooker with 1 1/2 water to 1 cup rice).

Slice the pork loin into long thin strips, like pictured. Set aside.
Slice the oyster mushroom into long thin strips like pictured (you can buy oyster mushrooms fresh at most decently stocked markets, or canned at any Asian market). Set aside.
I used planters roasted and salted peanuts; about 1/4 cup.

Oil a pan and heat it to medium-high. Drop in the mushrooms and fry for about 3 minutes. Add a bit of fresh ground black pepper, some ground ginger and garlic. Add pork and fry until just about done. At the same time, add dried shallots (you can pick these up at an Asian market). Add about 2 tbsp soy sauce, red chili flakes, ground pepper, garlic and ginger. Drop in peanuts and blast the fire to high. Take out and drop onto rice.

Enjoy!

~ Brock

Starbuck's v. Sambuck's

Call it what you will, but trademark owners should be able to protect their property. Yes, Starbuck's was able to cause a coffee shop owner to change her name and logo. And, many reports on this case have made it sound like this is the big guy beating up on the little guy, but what's the point of having trademark law if it's not for everyone to use, including the "big guys"?

Victoria's Secret sued Victor's Secret, but couldn't force it to change it's name. Starbuck's sues Sambuck's and can. It's knee-jerk reaction when people cry foul simply because the underdog remains the underdog.

Just my opinion!

~ Brock

Wine Review: 2002 Novy Syrah (Santa Lucia Highlands)

2002 Novy Syrah SLH

You don’t even need to get near you glass to smell this wine. Earthy aromas mixed with tar and black fruit dominate the nose. My first thought was “brett”. The wine coats your mouth like olive oil. Very full bodied. Blackberries combine with the flavors of earth, chocolate and star anise. Very strong flavors. Soft sweet tannins. The alcohol is not very present. On the second day, the wine was more balanced and was surprisingly food friendly.

50+5+12+15+7 = 89 (scoring method @ Parker's )

Jason

Noche De Cubano

I fell in love with Cuban sandwiches at a small Cuban restaurant in Yorba Linda that closed down a few years ago (apparently there are too many Olive Garden-Chilis-Mimis-lovers in Yorba Linda to keep a good foreign restaurant in business). The best is the media noche, which you can still find at Felix's in Orange, although not as good as the one that's long gone.

Tonight, I made my own, along with fried bananas and black beans. The store was out of the right bread, so I used French rolls...so-so.

Here's how it's done:

Media Noche
bread
Pork
deli ham
provolone cheese
pickles

Slice the pork into thin slabs about 1/4 inch thick, and 3"x4". Heat small amount of oil in pan and fry pork over moderate heat. Salt, pepper and garlic, then turn and season again. Make sure the pork is cooked, but not dried out. Meanwhile, butter the inside of the bread and fry it until it's crispy (in another pan). Once the pork is cooked and the bread is fried on the inside, arrange the pork as if making a sandwich, add one or two slices of deli ham, provolone cheese and some sliced pickles. Close the sandwhich and heat it in the bread pan until slightly crisp on top and bottom and heated thoroughly.

Fried Bananas

(Use bananas rather than plantains, because they are softer and stay moist.)

Slice bananas about 1/4 inch thick. Use one per person. Meanwhile, heat fully slathered pan of oil on moderate heat. Add bananas, then shake sugar and cinnamon above. Fry until brown, then turn. These will really start to soften up and will stick, so keep them seperate and handle them one piece at a time. Fry the other side, drain in slotted spoon above the pan and transfer to plate (don't try to drain on a paper towel - they stick).

Black Beans

Buy a can of your favorite black beans. Fry up about half of a handful of thinly sliced pork strips; season with salt, pepper and garlic. Add beans and half diced tomatoe. Season with Thyme and a bit more garlic. Add a few pieces of sliced Anaheim chili. Simmer over low heat at least 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

~ Brock

Dain Wines: An Interview With David Dain Smith, Part One

PICTURES LEFT TO RIGHT: (“The Mad Scientist at Work” or “Behind every successful Man, there is a Strong Woman, rolling her eyes”) His words. The picture is from last year's crush at CrushPad. David Dain is taking sugar readings and Cathy is writing them down. PICTURE TWO: Proud Father! David Dain holding a bottle of "American Beauty", Amber Ridge Pinot Noir, right of the bottling line. (CLICK PICTURE TO ENLARGE)

I first encountered David Dain Smith while posting on the famous Mark Squires’ Wine Bulletin Board. I noticed we had many similar tastes in the variety of styles, particularly Pinot Noir, that we enjoyed. It was also nice to see that he was a person that always had something nice to say to people. Knowing his first vintage was about to be released and the unique situation of not living in “wine country”, I thought it would be fun to introduce you all to this artisan. As you read, remember that David Dain purchases grapes and does not own the vineyards…at least not yet. This is a very common practice, particularly with Pinot Noir.

I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I do. I think David Dain has much to offer not only in the world of wine but also in life in general. He and his wife Cathy are working to make this world a better place in so many ways. God Bless them and their family.

• Where are you from and where are you now?

Currently Cathy (my wife) and I live in Springfield, Missouri. A lovely small city, deep in the Ozark Mountains. Really nothing too close to this ‘city’ but farms and forest and Lakes. We were both born here, we were (are) high school sweethearts. We have three nearly grown children. We have lived in Philadelphia, Denver, Kansas City and St. Louis before moving back to the Ozarks. My day job requires a large amount of travel so I am bicoastal, even while living in the Midwest. Cathy has projects in Nicaragua, Central America, so we travel a bit. She participates in Medical Mission trips as often as she can.

Since we are used to a lot of travel, it is an easy thing to commute to the winery in San Francisco.

To answer the question of where we are now, I should elaborate regarding our winery. We use the custom crush facility at CrushPad in San Francisco.

We are able to contract with top flight vineyards, consult with great winemakers, design our own ‘wine-making plan’ and make what I consider, great small-lot pinot noir and syrah!

• What do you prefer to be called? David, Dain or Reggie?

My friends call me David Dain, so I hope you will too. It is kind of a southern thing really. David or Dain is fine. I use Dain as a handle for business purposes usually. Hence, Dain Wines.

• What are you drinking right now? If not now later?

Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast 2002. Very nice pinot from some very nice folks. I am partial to Sonoma and Russian River Valley fruit. I drink a fair amount of wine from Anderson Valley and love wines from the Central Coast of California. I am a fan of burgundy but am still just learning all of the appellations and producers of that area.

• Career? How did you get where you are now?

I am now, and have been for some time, a marketing executive for a large pharmaceutical company. Prior to that, I was a microbiologist. I have always had an interest in Better Living through Chemistry. My current career has been a source of satisfaction for me for quite a while but I am preparing to move into a different phase of my life. Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life….unless you make wine, which is work everyday. :-)

• What is the story of wanting to make wine? Have you been making wine at your home? So called garage wine?

Actually that is exactly how I got started. Cathy indulged me some time ago and allowed the construction of a ‘wine studio’ in the back section of our garage. I began with some purchased St. Vincent grapes. St. Vincent is a hybrid of Pinot Noir and Chambourcin, available only in Missouri. It was the closest thing to pinot I could get for starters. I was hooked immediately. Still, I wanted to work with California fruit hence our move to CrushPad. In my humble opinion, California is the source of the best fruit for wine in the world. This coming from a HUGE fan of burgundy BTW.
(Scrutiny Note: Pinot Noir is the red grape of Burgundy, in France. Many would consider Burgundy the king of Pinot Noir. In part two we will discuss the general differences between Burgundy Pinot Noir and California Pinot Noir)

• What are the financial goals? Break even? Make a little? Buy a Rolls?

I have heard it said, "if you want to make a small fortune in the wine business, start with a large fortune." We have no illusions about making any kind of fortune but our goal is to concentrate on small lot single vineyard Pinot Noir and Syrah. We believe our business model will afford us a modest profit if we can get to somewhere in the neighborhood of 1200 to 2000 cases.

• Is it your goal to be a full time winemaker or full time in the wine business?

It is my long term goal for winemaking to be my sole profession. I desire to leave the so-called corporate world and manage our wine label as our only business, even though this will take some time. I love having purple hands (and a purple tongue) :-) .

• Do you think winemaking should be left to certain people (professionals), or can anyone try it?

I would encourage everyone to try it. Kits are available for the novice and CrushPad can enable a group of friends to share a barrel! When I am there I usually pitch in to help with whatever wine needs something done. It is a great environment and plenty of non-professionals are making wine a barrel at a time.

• How would you define success as a winemaker?

Happened just a few nights ago. I was at a wine dinner and a very nice young lady came back to a bottle of our Sojourn Syrah, poured herself a nice pour, smiled and said “I really like this!” I believe wine is a convivial beverage. Wine is best paired with friends. Of course friends with food is great too. Enjoyment of wine is about the joy of the moment and the memories created. If our wines help bring enjoyment to the lives of our customers, I am a successful winemaker.

• Do you have any favorite wine makers?

Heavens yes! Brian Loring is one of my favorite people period and I love his wines. I don’t know Sean Thackrey or Manfred Krankl but I love Thackrey wines and Sine Que Non wines. Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to find these wines so it is a good thing I have many favorites that are a bit more obtainable. I mentioned Loring wines, you can actually find them. Adam Lee at Siduri, and Wells Guthrie at Copain all make really good wine you can actually find. Rene Engel (RIP) was a favorite in burgundy. Denis Mortet is great too. Mortet makes a Bourgogne rouge that is cheap and good!

(Click Here to see The Scrutiny Review of one of Brian Loring's wines)

• Is your own wine one of your favorites? I know so many of my favorite food dishes are prepared by me and I crave them. Can you say the same about your wine?

One of my goals is to make wine I enjoy drinking. So far I have been pretty successful in doing that. So I can say yes, my wine is one of my favorites. I have lots of favorites in addition to my wines of course.

• How did your passion for wine begin? Was there a single wine that started it all for you?
  

My father introduced me to wine about 30 years ago. We shared a simple meal with a simple bottle and my memory of the event is so strong as for it to have been yesterday. I remember thinking ‘what a wonderful way to live’ enjoying simple pleasures.

• How many cases will you produce? How does that compare to a company like Beringer or BV?

Hopefully soon, we will make somewhere between 1200 and 2000. Most likely the number is closer to 1200. We intend to focus on small lot, single vineyard premium Pinot Noir and Syrah. Typically about 8-12 barrel lots will be our target level for any individual vineyard. We are not even a gnat flying around the head of a giant like Beringer or BV.

• How do you market your wines? Where are they sold?

Our wines are sold via mailing list. Information is available at http://www.dainwines.com/. We hope that someday our production will reach a point where we can offer some to retail outlets, maybe later this year. Our only real marketing is pouring at wine festivals and word of mouth. That will have to do for now, we can’t afford an ad in the Wine Spectator. :-)

• What is your favorite wine/food movie?

“Year of the Comet” a comedy about the 1811 Lafite Rothschild. I am not particularly a fan of “Sideways” FWIW.

• So will you drink Merlot?

Gosh yes! One of the best wines I have ever tasted was 100% Merlot. The 1975 Petrus was perhaps the best wine of my life. But this question is not about Petrus (hell, who can drink that more than once a decade?) but rather do I enjoy Merlot. I find that I drink less and less cabernet and or merlot based wines. I still have many bottles of Bordeaux in my cellar but I will probably sell it. I love Pinot soooooo much, it’s what I drink. If you want a really great merlot for a reasonable price; 2001 Havens Reserve Merlot ($35)…my favorite and terrific!!

Stay tuned for part two of the interview with David Dain where we will look deeper into the man as well as discuss grape "clones" and the differences between Burgundy and California Pinot Noir.

In the meantime, please post any questions you may have for David Dain as well as drop by his web-site and sign up for his mailing list. And if you are so inclined, order a few bottles and see, smell and taste what this artisan has created. Be sure to tell him The Scrutiny sent you.

Check back soon for Part Two!

Cheers,

Jason

Cookbooks We Need

It seems like there's a cookbook from pretty much anything...one-pot cooking, Asian, French, 30 minute cooking, healthy cooking, etc., etc. What I haven't seen is a cookbook that is based around certain spices or one that breaks down regions of food by primary spices used. When you want to experiment with a type of food, you're left with seeing what spices are typical to other types of dishes in that region. Know what I mean?

I want to be able to look up Lime, for example, and find that it's common in this country, that country, etc. Or, I want to look up Coriander and find the same thing. That way, if I have a chicken breast and feel like making something Brazilian, I would know what spices to test out.

Wish in one hand...

~ Brock

U BUNG

In Taiwan, they call it "u bung." In China, they call it "yo fan." In America, we call it something like salty-sticky rice. I just made some, so I thought I'd share a picture. As you may notice, I didn't use shrimp this time, and the squid is curled. I only had 20 minutes to make dinner the other night, so I didn't have time to soak the squid long enough. I tried to soak it in boiling water without thinking, which basically cooked it in a dried state = very nasty. Make sure you soak the squid long enough before using it.

My turkey day post has the recipe.

~ Brock

Turkey Day Was A Hit

Thanksgiving ain't just for the turkey. Besides, turkey is pretty damn boring. But I'm one lucky American, because every Thanksgiving, I get the a little bit of Taiwan, America, and sometimes Russia. It's awesome.

My wife's family is Taiwanese, so holiday meals are always loaded with more than the basic selection. This year, we had all the staples - turkey, ham, stuffing, corn, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, green beens, homemade cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. But the spark to the meal is always a few Chinese dishes and yours truly is responsible for one of them every year.

The first is a sticky rice dish pronounced "u-bung." Sounds nasty, but don't think like a dirty minded scroundel and read on...it's made with Japanese sticky rice, shittake mushrooms, dried squid, dried shrimp, pork, shallots, soy sauce and oil. Here's how it's done: soak the mushrooms (if you're using dried ones), dried squid and dried shrimp until each are tender. Once that happens (30minutes - 1 hour), slice the squid and mushrooms into thin strips about 1 inch long by 1/4 inch wide. Also cut the pork into same size strips and set aside. Use copious amounts of oil and fry the mushrooms, squid and shrimp for about three minutes. Add pork. Add a few tablespoons of soy sauce (or more if you like it salty). Add dried shallots (about 2 tbsp). Fry this mixture up until the pork is cooked, then set it aside. Meanwhile, cook the sweet rice 1 cup water to 1 cup rice. Use a rice cooker. When it's done, mix the rice with the other stuff and that's it. I also make my fried chicken roll (see my September post). There was something else, but I can't remember what it was. Oh well.

Now, sometimes I go to my aunt's, and since she's Russian, we often get a hint of that as well. Usually it's lamb, either a roast or kabob-type rendering (pronounced "shashlick" - yeah, I know, hahaha). I'll tell you sometime how to make it, because it's simple and great.

That's it.

~ Brock

TURKEY BOWLING

TURKEY BOWL(ING)

For a sad yet inspirational story, check out a brief history of the Turkey Bowl.

~”J”

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll tell you all about my Chinese Thanksgiving later this week.

~ Brock

Wine Labels Sell Wine

If you know me or follow my posts, you know that I'm not a wine dork. I can't tell you what years were good in what region of what state (or country, for that matter). When I drink a good bottle, I know if I like it. If I do, I try to describe it. If I don't like it, then who the hell cares. But my posting about the Penfolds wine got me thinking...if you've never heard of a particular wine, what makes you buy it? With music, you can listen first. With books, you can scan the inside. With wine you can what? Yeah, I tried smelling the bottle, but that didn't help. So, you're left with the label. That's it. That's all.

I notice that I like a few labels: Caymus, Far Niente and Cakebread Cellars.

And some I don't: Rodney Strong, Beaulieu, and Atlas Peak.

There are, of course, many, many others that I like and don't like (and the label doesn't usually correspond to a good wine, does it?).

So, I wonder, is there a direct link between the "coolness" of a wine's label and sales for that wine?

~ Brock

Wine Tasting: Penfolds Cab/Shiraz

I think I've had mabye two or three Penfolds wines in my life. The other two weren't awesome enough to remember, but I've always thought of them as producing good wines because they have cool labels. Yes, I like their labels - clean, simple, but striking red on white. (Did I just admit that I know nothing about wine? Probably.)

Anyway, my wife and I had some friends over for burgers the other night, and they brought a 2002 Penfolds Cabernet-Shiraz. Here's a nice breakdown of the wine too. I was pleased with this wine, so let me tell you about it.

First, my burgers. Ground beef patties seasoned with copious amounts of cracked pepper, sea salt, garlic and paprika. Toast the buns with olive oil and cracked pepper. Top the burger with this Gorgonzola mix:

3 Tbsp Gorgonzola
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsph Tapatio or other vinegary hot sauce

Mix well and top on your burgers while still on the grill.

Now for the wine:

Color was a deep purple with hints of brown edges in the right light. Nothing that would turn you off, but man was it deep. I was nursing a cold, so I couldn't quite get the aroma, which appeared to be "thick" - that's the only way I could describe it. On the palate, dried fruit...maybe apricot, prune...not in the candied sense you're ready for, but more of the muted introduction, along with a hint of citric something and salt. That suprised me - salt.

So, this wine with a good slab of beef? Good choice.

~ Brock

More Mushrooms, More Cream

Jason posted a recipe a while back, then I posted a variation of it. Now, I'm back to tell you a little secret about this awesome bowtie pasta based on Jason's original recipe - You'll want it over and over again.

Bowtie pasta cooked according to instructions.

1 mediumPortobella mushroom, chopped
3/4 Cup white wine
3/4 Cup whipping cream
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 tbsp butter
Olive oil

Add butter to hot pan and melt. Add mushroom and saute for about 2 minutes. Add a bit of olive oil, then add the garlic (lots of it...all of it...more if you like). Fry mushrooms and garlic for another minute or so, until garlic turns just brown - DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC. Then, add a good amount of fresh cracked pepper. Don't be shy. By now, this pan should be smelling good!

Add white wine and stir, scraping up bits. Do this for about one minute, then add cream. Let this mixture stir on high for about a minute, then reduce heat. Stir regularly for about 20 - 25 minutes until reduced. Add some more cracked pepper right at the end, with a bit of sea salt.

Put the bowtie pasta on two plates, pour enough sauce to cover well. You'll notice the sweet and earthy mushroom taste, surrounded by a not-too-overwhelming garlic. The pepper adds the necessary spice to finish it off. Top with toasted pine nuts and garnish with fresh parsley or basil.

~ Brock

Light Pasta Great For Lunch

Need a quick meal? That's one good thing about so many pasta dishes...they're quick, easy and good. Here's one:

Enough capellini for two (cook according to instructions - set aside in two bowls)

shrimp (boil 2 minutes and set aside)
pine nuts (about two tbsp. dry pan fry for about 1-2 minutes - don't burn)
1 roma tomatoe, finely diced
a few pieces of fire roasted peppers (I used a jar from Trader Joes)
A few pieces of artichoke heart (I used some from a bag you buy at Trader Joes...they're frozen. Thaw them by dropping them in your pasta water - before you add the pasta - and removing them with a slotted spoon)
Olive oil

Heat olive oil, then add tomatoes. Cook 1 minute, then add peppers and artichoke hearts. Add generous amounts of fresh cracked pepper and salt. Cook together 1-2 minutes. Have pasta waiting in bowls and top with mixture, add shrimp and pine nuts to top.

This is a very earthy taste and not spice dependent.

~ Brock

Spyware Publishers Get Kicked In The...

Spyware sucks. That goes without saying. And the law is a bit too slow in fighting it well enough. But, a court in Chicago just set the stage for a showdown that might lead to a flood of litigation that will actually accomplish something.

In Sotelo v. DirectRevenue, the plaintiff filed suit against a number of defendants claiming trespass to chattels (among other things) for spyware that was placed on the plaintiff's computer without permission and which depleted and interfered with the computer's resources and bandwith. The claim of trespass to chattels relates to the interference with personal property (i.e., parking your neighbor's tractor in your garage and locking it in might constitute a trespass to chattel).

The defendants filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit prior to trial. The court sustained the motion (disagreed with it), stating that although trespass to chattels historically involved the taking of personal property, "interference" with another's personal property could be sufficient.

Now understand that the plaintiff hasn't won the case; this was just a pre-trial motion to have the case dismissed. What it does create, though, is the reality that the court will probably find the defendants liable for trespass at trial. And, if this court finds the defendants liable, other courts will naturally follow. If they do, a new claim against spyware publishers will be born. If the courts disagree, the supreme court may take up the disagreement (in a few years, of course) and resolve it.

This is another case to follow that impacts all computer users.

~ Brock

Don't Miss This Show

Many friends will be playing this night. Be there or be a rhombus.

Afterfall (or whatever name they're going by) Take Me There (Click Here)

Gadget Car Pan Dulce (Click Here)

LTA

See you there!

LINK

Jason

Nice Rebuttal to Typical New World Bashing

Tom Wark of Fermentations has a great article about the criticisms wine makers and grape growers from places like California receive from many Europeans. Make sure to link over to the article by Jancis Robinson.

This problem goes far beyond the wine world. Being an American, I often find that I can’t win when it comes to dealing with some Europeans. It is sad that when someone does something better than them, they must slip into vicious, baseless attacks.

LINK

Jason

Open 24/7

Yeah, I'm talking about my mind. I have an open mind. That's why I wasted my money and went to eat dinner at Olive Garden tonight. I know, I know. Don't get me started. I just got done bagging on the place, then I go eat there. Well, that's the way I work.

Dinner for two. Pasta overcooked. Sauce had too much salt. Salad might as well be soup (although the salad is the reason I went). Breadsticks might as well be cardboardsticks. Broken water glass. Not-the-sharpest-tool...waitress. Waited 15 minutes to get seated when the restaurant was half empty. Total bill: $17.58. Total waste.

I should have followed my own advice and bought a bag of salad, a bag of pasta, a can of sauce and a loaf of garlic bread. Total cost: $7.00. What was I thinking?

~ Brock

Japanese Seafood Dinner

Why does everyone settle for crap food, night after night. And then, "oh, I made this great dinner. I bought a can of sauce, a bag of pasta, some pre-made garlic bread, a bag of salad, and a bottle of two-buck chuck. Awesome!" Where is your brain? That meal is an excuse for someone that has no creativity or idea what a good meal is. It reminds me of a girl on an old run of The Bachelor with Andrew Firestone. He asked her what her favorite restaurant was. Her answer, "Olive Garden." Holy Crap! What is this world coming to?

Anyway, forget the pasta tonight. This one is easy and better than anything you could order at Olive Garden.

Teriyaki Salmon

2 Salmon filets (at least 1" thick each)
1/4 cup Japanese soy sauce
1/3 cup sake
1 tsp sugar

Marinate salmon filets for at least 1 hour. Bring out to countertop prior to cooking (leave in marinade) for at least 20 minutes. Broil until cooked - about 12 minutes.

Crab

You can buy a nice sized previously cooked crab for this meal, or you can boil your own.

Edamame

Follow instructions on bag. You can pick up a bag of these at Trader Joe's or most other Asian markets.

Dipping Sauces

Spicy Soy Dip - 1tbsp chopped garlic, 1/2 thinly sliced jalapeno chile, 2 pinches of fresh cut green onion, 1/3 cup soy sauce.

Horseradish-Soy Dip - 1tsp horseradish, 1/3 cup soy sauce.

Vinegar-Ginger-Soy Dip - 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1 tbsp vinegar, 1tbsp fresh grated ginger.

Teriyaki Dip - Drain pan from teriyaki salmon, add 1tbsp chopped green onions.

Easy and damn good. Why make pasta every night when you can have variety.

Enjoy!

~ Brock

Political Stupidity

Is the point of politics to force everyone around you to take your view? Me, I don't push my political views on anyone. In fact, I could care less if someone shares my political views. I rarely mention politics in conversation, and avoid the topic as much as possible when it comes up. Why? Because I don't give a crap what you think about politics and I doubt you really care what I think, either.

Here are a few annoying examples:

1. I haven't voted on a local, state or federal level for at least 10 years. Why? It's none of your damn business. But, to all of you freaks that push your liberal, freedom-fighting, whatever- you-call-it political views on me, here is my response: why is it that you push everyone to "fight for your rights," but when it comes to me not voting, "oh, that's not a right, it's a responsibility." Why do I have to exercise my right or responsibility when you tell me to? I don't. That's the point of having a right.

2. Why does everyone act like they have the inside track on political motivations? Like with hurricane Katrina, "oh, it's Bush's fault." Or, "oh, the state government knew it was going to happen but did nothing." Or, the best yet, "oh, actually, 'they' knew the city would flood years ago, but they didn't tell anyone." Like you know anything. Just because you listen to NPR or read US News, or whatever your "cool" source of "inside" news is, you only know what they tell you to know. You don't have the inside track to anything other than your radio or news stand (along with the millions of other robots just like you).

3. And, last, but not least, why is it that Christian politics involve so much hate, judgment, condemnation, hypocrisy and self-righteousness? Now, before you jump on the bandwagon (or stand in offense) know this - I am a Christian and have been nearly all my life. I believe in Jesus. I believe every word of the bible. But, what does that have to do with it? I'm not taking up the cause against Christianity or Christian politics, and I'm not saying that just because someone is a Christian, all of their political views and methods are correct. I'm simply pointing out a fact. The world believes Christians are hateful, judgmental, condemning, hypocritical, and self-righteous. Sometimes Christian politics send that message. That's all.

Just some late evening ramblings.

~ Brock

A Gravy For All Seasons

I grew up on bisquits and gravy. My mom had a recipe passed down from her parents and it was the highlight of many, many Saturday mornings. Anyway, here's a version of it, along with a recipe for steak gravy.

Breakfast Gravy

6 links sausage or bacon strips
two table spoons flour
1/4 - 1/2 fresh cracked black pepper
salt
whole milk

Cook the sausage or bacon in a heavy pan. When finished, leave the oil in the pan and the fire on. Remove the meat. Crack the pepper into the pan and fry for a few seconds, then toss in the flour, whisking it until brown. Start adding milk, a little at time. The amount of milk you add will depend on how you like the consistency of your gravy (less = dry, more = wet). Don't stop whisking once you've taken the bacon or sausage out. Once it's mixed well, lower the heat, and break up at least one sausage or bacon and add it to the gravy.

The above recipe is great with over-easy eggs, bisquits, hashbrowns, and bacon/sausage. Great for large family gatherings.

Black Pepper Steak Gravy

I discovered this type of gravy at a Chinese restaurant in Irvine. It's simple to make and adds a variation to steak for those of us who don't care for A1 or Heinz 57.

2 tbsp butter
1/4 - 1/2 tbsp cracked black pepper
salt
2 tbsp flour
beef broth

In a heavy pan, melt the butter on high med-high heat. Add the pepper and fry a few seconds. Add the flour and whisk until brown. Pour in beef broth slowly, whisking constantly until desired consistency is reached. Keep warm.

This gravy works well with medium-well steak and over-easy egg.

Enjoy!

~ Brock

More On Pre-Event Eating

If you've followed my posts, you know that my eating habits haven't changed one bit since my first Pre-Event eating post back in August. To add to the impact of my wonderful diet, I've been plagued by bronchitis for almost three weeks now, so I haven't exercised in two. I practically pass out just going up the stairs in my house. Oh well! Anyway, my race is in two weeks (October 9), so I'll have to hit the pool and road pretty hard this week to be able to taper by the following week. Maybe I shouldn't be thinking about tapering? I'll tell you what I am thinking about...I'm thinking about that pulled pork sandwich I had yesterday in Lake Forest.

Keep on truckin'

~ Brock

Curry Chicken Salad

Seeing many of J's recipes makes me hungry. I don't always have the ingredients his recipes call for, so I improvise. Well, I can't say that I improvise, because I don't replace one ingredient for another. Actually, I make something entirely different. Well, the idea is similar. Oh well.

1 head romaine lettuce
1 can chunk chicken (drained)
curry powder
toasted pine nuts
1/2 red onion
1/2 cup grape/cherry tomatoes
crumbled gorgonzola

dressing:
1/2 cup balsalmic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp mustard
ground pepper
ground garlic

Pull the romaine apart into edible-sized pieces; arrange on plates
thinly slice red onions, top the lettuce
drop tomatoes on top
Place chicken in bowl and add generous portion of curry powder. Mix well, then add chunks on top of salad
drop gorgonzola on top, followed by pine nuts
Add dressing

Enjoy!

~ Brock

Kafta Kabobs and Yogurt Dip

Some foods are clearly intended for eating and not for appearance. I would say that Kafta type kabobs fall into that category. This recipe is a variation of a Lebanese ground meat kabob. It's simple to make, but tastes great.

1 lb ground beef (I prefer a slighly higher fat conent - 15%)
2 eggs
1/2 finely chopped onion
1 tbsp crushed coriander
1 tbsp crushed cumin
salt
pepper
ground garlic

In a large bowl, scramble the eggs. Then, add the beef and onion. Mix by hand. Add generous portions of salt, pepper and garlic (I believe you should always add to preference, not to recipe - experiment), and coriander/cumin. Mix by hand again. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make your yogurt dip:

1 small pack of plain yogurt, drained lightly
1/2 lime
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cucumber, skinned and finely chopped/drained
ground garlic (approximately 1 tbsp)

Mix well and place in fridge until ready to eat.

Then, chop remaining onion into large chunks for eating with kabob. Also, quarter 1 lemon for drizzle.

Once the meat is cooled nicely, get out metal skewers. Roll the meat into 1 inch thick, 8 - 10 long pieces (as many as you can get from the mix; probably 4 - 5). Slide the skewers through the meat, lengthwise. Carry out to grill (which should be heated to high).

Be careful placing the kebabs on the grill, because the meat will fall right off the skewers. Deliver them by hand, gently. Once they're on, brush generously with olive oil and drip lime juice over. Roll these puppies to each side about 1 minute. They should cook sufficiently within 4 - 5 minutes. Each time you roll them, baste with olive oil and lime juice. Be careful removing them from the grill. The longer you cook them, the dryer they become.

Eat kebabs with raw onion, lemon wedges and yogurt dip.

~ Brock

Bring On The Fried Chicken....Roll

Ok, so it doesn't have chicken, but who cares, it's still called the fried chicken roll. This is a great Chinese dish. It's easy to make, great taste and hearty.

1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb finely chopped fish cake (you can use fish paste, but I prefer the chopped cake. Pick this up at an Asian supermarket like 99 You can try different brands/types, it's up to you.)
1 small carrot, diced finely
1 small onion, diced finely
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cooking wine
1tsp sesame oil
1/3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine everything in a large bowl and mix thoroughly by hand. Then, get large seaweed and/or large dry tofu sheets (if you use tofu sheets, you will need to cover them with a wet towel for a few minutes until the soften up enough to roll without breaking).

Place a fair amount of mix into the sheet and roll (like you are rolling a cigar). Make sure to tuck in the ends, or the mix will explode out the side when it's cooked.

Once you have all the rolls ready to...roll, add some oil to a heavy pan and heat to medium. When it's hot, place the rolls in and fry for about 4 minutes on medium, then turn up the heat to high and fry another minute or two. roll them continuously so they don't overcook one side. When they're crispy, they're done.

Take them out of the pan and slice. Serve with Ketchup.

~ Brock

No Panda Crap Here

The best fried rice comes from a home kitchen. Here is a simple recipe for damn good Chinese fried rice:

2 cups rice (I use a rice cooker, so I add 1.5 cups of water for each cup of rice - it turns out perfect every time. It's been a while since I cooked rice stovetop, so read a bag before you do it that way). Let the rice cook.

Meanwhile, add oil to a large frying pan and...

Scramble two eggs and fry, with salt and pepper. Set aside. (keep the oil in the pan)

Slice 1/2 onion in lengthwise slivers. Fry with oil until fragrant, but not limp. Set aside. (keep the oil)

Slice Chinese sweet sausage into small chunks. Fry with oil until cooked (about 2 minutes). Set aside. (keep the oil)

Slice Chinese fishcake (whichever kind you like) into small chunks. Fry with oil for about 1 or 2 minutes (don't overcook, or it will dry out). Set aside. (keep oil)

Fry about 1/2 cup corn. Set aside.

You should have well-flavored oil remaining in the pan. This will work with your rice once it's done. When rice is finished cooking, cool it. For a fast cool, set the pot in a large bowl (or sink) of ice water. Otherwise, put it in the fridge for a while.

Once rice is cooled sufficiently (not cold - closer to room temperate is best), turn the fire up high and once it's hot (make sure you have at least a solid 2 tbsp of oil existing. If not, add some), drop the rice in. Fry the rice for a minute or two, trying to crisp it up.

Then, add Chinese Oyster Sauce. You can buy this in a bottle at any Chinese supermarket. Add about 1/4 cup, speading throughout the rice. Add about 2 tbsp soy sauce, lightly salt and pepper. Some ground garlic will work fine too.

Fry this mixture up for another minute, then add all the pre-cooked ingredients. Mix well, frying throughout. Once it's heated throughout, it's done.

This rice works well with Chinese XO chile sauce. Otherwise, use your favorite Asian chile sauce as a compliment.

~ Brock

Wine Review: Vina Alarba Calatayud

I'm not a wine snob, so I'll try just about anything at least once (except for white wine, because I'm a red wine snob). That led me to a trip to Wine Exchange in Orange, looking to buy three bottles for under $25 - total. Here's a review of the first:

This is an excellent wine for the price (I think it was $7.99). 2003 Vina Alarba Old Vines Grenache (Spain). It has a great ruby color, and was as good on the first day as it was on the third. Very earthy, not fruity or complex. Tastes of pepper, coffee and earth. Smooth, with no aftershock, and medium bodied to bring it all together.

This wine worked well with a turkey burger, and I suppose it would be great with beef, chicken and maybe even a spicy dish.

Try it (anyway, what's the big deal to spend under $8)!

91 Points.

~ Brock

Ask These Guys If It Has Done A Damn Thing

KURO BUSTED!

Following up on recent posts found HERE , HERE , HERE & HERE , is a new ruling in Taiwan. As I have stated, my issue is with the guys making the money with these crimanal activities. B has stated it won't do a damn thing but maybe he should go talk to these fellows who may be spending a few years in a Taiwanese prison. I think they may learn what "file" sharing really is. :-)

Don't drop the soap boys!

"J"

While You Were Jacking Copyrights, Kazaa Was Jacking You

A recent article stated,

"Kazaa's software has been downloaded 317 million times since and its users download three billion files a year. In contrast, the most successful legitimate music download service, iTunes, had racked up 500,000 paid-for song downloads by July, two years after it opened."

The numbers are unbelievable. Now I'm no math wizard, but I think that means 1 legal download for every 10,000 illegal ones. Still, it's hard to believe that only 500,000 legal downloads have occurred. Does anyone know if this number is accurate?

Going on, the same article also stated,

"But as impressive as the numbers are, Kazaa stopped being relevant as a major file-sharing force a couple of years ago when music downloaders began to find themselves swamped with the unwanted adware and spyware that was bundled into Kazaa software downloads."

I have read many times about the problem with spyware/adware, but had no idea Kazaa ever "stopped being relevant." This can only mean one of two things: 1) the author just made that up; or 2) if Kazaa is irrelevant, then iTunes is...what's less thank nonexistent? It hasn't made a dent. It is like a salt crystal in the world ocean.

And finally,

"Nothing comes for free, even unauthorised file downloads. Kazaa's owner since 2002, Sharman Networks, has pushed the Kazaa desktop as "the gateway to an online audience of millions" for advertisers."

I guess what it all boils down to is Kazaa was out to screw you (the copyright owner) and you (the copyright downloader) from day one. This was always about advertising dollars and never about fighting the "man" (copyright law).

~ Brock

Wine and Art Go Hand In Hand

York Chang is a genius.

Check The Pantry and Experiment

Here's an easy recipe when you don't have much in the fridge or pantry. It requires only a few ingredients.

A couple of chicken breasts (skinless)
1/2 cup flour
salt & pepper (fresh cracked)

1 cup chopped tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes - small like cherry tomatoes, except elongated)
white wine
garlic or shallots
Olive oil
butter

Butter your frying pan and fry the garlic or shallots (chopped finely) about 3 minutes.

Add tomotoes and a bit of olive oil, fry on high heat a minute or two.

Add wine, enough to cover tomatoes, but not make soup. Boil, then reduce heat. Let simmer for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken breasts, then hit with the back of a knife to soften and blend. Then, take the chicken breasts and drag in flour to cover. Once your chicken is ready, heat oil in a heavy pan, then add chicken. Fry each side until brown - about 3 minutes each side. Don't overcook your chicken.

When the chicken is done, lay it out on a plate, drop the tomatoe sauce on it and bammo! Easy, quick and few ingredients.

It's A Real Fight....more on Kazaa

So Jason and I seem to be at odds over this topic.

To bring you up to speed, J posted an article discussing an Australian court's ruling against Kazaa for copyright infringement. I, in turn, posted a comment on an artilce discussing the fact that the US Supreme Court's ruling in Grokster (and taking into account the Kazaa case) have made no difference. Then the accusations flew and I think it's time for a thorough comment.

Beginning with Napster, the major copyright infringement cases related to music piracy have not reduced piracy. All reports indicate that piracy has increased. Nevertheless, there have been a number of domestic and international court rulings that have hit a significant number of people and companies hard. The fact is that the cases have effected those defendants, not the millions of others.

Now J points out that these cases, "leave the door open for prosecution." The door has never been closed. Copyright law has mostly expanded over the years, increasing and expanding rights for authors/owners, not limiting them. This many years after the DMCA was implemented, only now are domestic courts finally rendering decisions that demonstrate that it was not intended to create "new" copyrights; only to clarify existing rights. Copyright owners have the same rights they have had for many years. That being said, it's a bit off topic.

My point in referencing the article stating that the cases have had no impact was to merely make a point, not to take a stance. But now that I've been pressed, here is my stance: the entertainment industry spends its money on prosecution over incentive. Prosecution hits defendants, not the public. Incentives hit the public, not defendants. So, if you can hit 20,000 people (defendants in entertainment industry lawsuits) or 200,000,000 people (masses involved in downloading [illegal or no]), which group would you choose? These numbers are, of course, made up, but the point is that the approach taken by the entertainment industry is backwards.

Let's take a lesson from Apple. The iPod changed the world. From boom boxes, to Walkmans, to portable CD players, to computers strapped in the back of cars for MP3 files, to...the iPod. Together with iTunes and the iTunes music store, Apple has changed the face of digital music. It has given incentive for consumers to buy, not steal. Sure, I'm certain there are a large number of people still illegally downloading music to their iPod, but my point is that Apple created an incentive to buy.

What has the music industry done to provide incentive? Nothing that I am aware of (other than licensing its content to Apple, but that doesn't count because it's not perceived as the music industry, and perception is everything).

To the public, the entertainment industry is a multi-billion dollar industry crying foul. It sues people, it attempts to manipulate (like those stupid DVD commercials that show a guy snatching a purse..."you wouldn't steal a purse? why music?"), and it experiments with useless technology, i.e., digital locks, which can be cracked the minute they are created. Everything it does is reactive, not proactive.

Where is the incentive to purchase music? This is my point.

So, I'm accused of being drunk, immoral, etc., etc., simply because I quote a fact. I'm accused of supporting the other side of the argument, because I quote the other side. I play the devil's advocate. Well, I'll play along...I'll question the entertainment industry's tactics. I think they suck. I'm not saying that it should stop suing. After all, I am a lawyer ;). I'm just making the point that suing doesn't stop the masses, it stops defendants. And, lawsuits tend to provide incentive for pirates to develop craftier methods of piracy (Napster was centralized and is shut down. Up pops Grokster. Decentralized, but it provides software that is used for piracy. It's shut down. Up pop so-called "Darknets" - private networks for sharing content. Decentralized. Not public. Up pop this, up pop that. Technology will get better and better as the cases shut down each predecessor.)

So, here's my challenge. Why doesn't the entertainment industry provide incentive to stop piracy?

Another Blow To Kazaa!

I am sure these bastards will figure out more ways to rip people off but at least they have taken another hit.

Jason

LINK

Silence

My Friend Dan Wilt writes some important thoughts about Katrina on his blog.

www.danwilt.com

Jason

Variations On Favorites

I was thinking back to Jason's recipe for pasta with sausage and mushroom cream (August 8 post) and wanted to try it tonight. But, I felt like shrimp instead of sausage, and wanted to try Portobello mushrooms instead of criminis.

I've never made a mushroom cream sauce, but this had to be one of the best cream pastas I've ever made. Everything went perfect. I pan fried the shrimp in butter and olive oil first, then removed it. I then fried the mushrooms for a few minutes, then added the shallots. Fried some more for about 2 minutes, then added white wine and whipping cream (equal portions). Boiled, then simmered that sauce for about 20 minutes, until it thickened up nicely. Meanwhile, the rigatoni was done and waiting. Once the sauce was finished, I added the pasta and shrimp and stirred. Oh yeah, I added sea salt and cracked pepper in there somewhere.

Excellent meal!!

~ Brock

TKO

I love salmon. I think I've perfected a certain rendition of it here.

two salmon fillets (I have been using them with skin off, but it's your call).

slather fillets with olive oil, wait five minutes, then drip plenty of fresh squeezed lime. Wait a few minutes, then turn to make sure they're covered. Next, salt (fresh ground sea salt) and pepper (fresh cracked is the best) to taste. Cover generously with Dill. Finish off with a nice dose of ground garlic. Let these fillets sit out for about 20 minutes (slightly above room temp), turning them often to spead the flavor. Turn the grill on high.

Meanwhile, slice Romaine lettuce, thin slivers of green bell pepper, and thick slivers of mango. Organize on plate, then top with thin sliced red onion, small tomatoes and gorgonzola (also use toasted pine nuts if you have them). Grind fresh pepper on top. Place in the fridge to cool.

Meanwhile, bake two large potatoes in the microwave for about 8 - 10 minutes (make sure to poke holes in them, and turn them once at about 7 minutes). Take them out, slice them in half lengthwise. Take a small spoon, and remove the inner part of the potatoe, leaving just the skin intact. Place all the insides in a large bowl. Add a tablespoon of butter, a 1/2 cup grated cheese, sliced green onions, salt, pepper and garlic, and mash, mash, mash. Spoon the stuff back into the potatoe skins. Arrange the potatoes in a baking dish (you should coat the dish with butter or olive oil first), then grate cheese on top of the concoction. Turn the oven on broil and put the potatoes in.

Now, the fish should be ready to hit the grill. I like a hot grill, which burns the fish a bit, but not too much. Lay them down and close the lid. Time for about 3 minutes. Come back out, flip and time another 2-3 minutes. Note that timing is key with fish. Too long and it will burn and dry. Too short and it will be sushi. You will probably need to experiment, but 5-6 minutes is usually good for a 1 1/2 inch thick salmon fillet. Overcooked fish sucks, so leave it a bit moist and colored inside. Take the fish from the grill and arrange on two plates.

Bring inside. Top the salmon with thin sliced red onions, my pinot-blueberry glaze, then gorgonzola. Add two halves of the potatoe (which should be browned by now).

Serve the salad and fish at the same time. Enjoy!

~ Brock

Don't Waste My Wine

As you know, Jason and I recently cracked open a (actually two bottles) Kali Hart Pinot. We were both impressed with it. Well, my wife doesn't drink wine, so when I open a bottle, it usually takes a couple of days to finish it off. By the fourth day, my Kali Hart was dead, but I didn't want to waste it. Hmmmmm? What to do? I know, I'll use it to top grilled salmon!

This was an experiment, of course, but a great one. I made a Pinot-Blueberry-Shallot sauce to top my salmon and here's how I did it.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter in a small pot. Once the butter sizzles, add the thinly sliced shallots (about two teaspoons). Fry up until light brown.

Add 1/4 cup of fresh (or frozen) blueberries. Fry up until soft, then mash with fork.

Add 1 - 2 cups Kali Hart Pinot. Bring to a boil, then reduce. Simmer until reduced to about 1/2 or less. It will start to thicken (I let my concoction simmer for about 40 minutes).

Your done! Serve it warm.

I think this sauce works well with red onions and gorgonzola cheese (see following post).

Don't be afraid to use your leftover wine for something interesting. My next experiment will be dessert related.

~ Brock

Sharon Osbourne...The Real Iron Maiden?

Classic stuff from America's family.

Jason

Can I Laugh At This?

My friend at LTA posted this article.
TheHomeTownChannel

Picking Fruits

Some fruits are easy to pick. They look good, smell good, and seem ripe to the touch. Others, such as melons, are a little more difficult. Since I love melons, here are a few tips I picked up for picking good ones:

1. Look at the yellow or brown spot where it was on the ground. Assuming it's not completely flat, a nice, large yellow spot indicates that the melon has been on the vine for some time and is probably more ripe than a melon without a yellow patch or with a white or pale patch.

2. look where the vine connected to the melon. If it's green and fresh at the break, the melon may have been harvested prematurely. If it's completely dried out and shriveled, that may indicate an overripe melon. Look for one that is slightly dried, but not dead dried.

3. Look for melons that seem heavy for their size. This is often an indication of good liquid retention, rendering a jucier melon.

4. Look for firm melons (haha). If it's spongy, it's not good.

Happy hunting.

~ Brock

Eating Out Versus Eating In

I want to cook at home more often than I do, but convenience usually gets the best of me. I crave a meal, I find I have the ingredients to make it, then I get lazy. I opt for my default: Chinese. Each time I make the decision, I consider the cost.

For me, an average meal costs about $16.00 - $30.00 (excluding spices) to prepare. Here's an example: Salmon fillets $10.00; two limes $1.00; red onion $.80; gorgonzola cheese $2.50; shrimp (bag) $9.00. Yes, I'll have some leftover ingredients, but that's the basic cost for a basic meal = $23.00+. Or, here's a cheaper one: rigatoni $2.00; heavy cream $1.50; butter $1.00; white wine $6.00; chicken breasts $5.00. Now that's much better = $15.50. Either way, making meals at home is not cheap.

Then I consider eating Chinese in Rowland Heights. Noodles $4.00; onion pancake $2.50; rice dish $5.00. Total = $11.50. Or, here's another: dumplings $3.50; two cold dishes $3.00. Total = $6.50. Big difference.

By the way, the numbers don't line up when you consider an American meal like Claim Jumper or CPK. There, the prices are usually higher. Italian is ALWAYS higher.

So that's why I don't always cook at home. I'm not one of those people that goes out to eat and orders high priced plates, soda and wine, salad and appetizer. I share meals with my wife. We never order soda or wine. We never order appetizers. Our bill is rarely over $16.00. It's not because I can't, but because I won't.

Cooking must be a joy, because it's not a convenience, and it's not - contrary to popular belief - always cheap!

~ Brock

Pre-Event Eating

I'm not big on diets. I'm not big on "cutting out ____" (insert drug of choice, i.e., sugar, chocolate, etc.). I like to eat and I like to eat a lot.

I'm training for a triathlon on October 9. I swim, run and/or bike almost every day. I also drink boba 3 or 5 times a week, eat chocolate, fried foods and drink wine quite often.

Is it possible to do both? I'll keep you posted as the race gets closer. Will I drop weight? Will I gain weight? Will I do well or suck on race day? I'll let you know.

~ Brock

Sometimes Meals Suck

I wasn't sure whether a post like this would serve a purpose, but I think it will. Sometimes we experiment in cooking, combining various ingredients and elements in hopes of creating a dish worth eating. Recently, I tried and failed.

I love noodles. And, there is a particular dish that I truly enjoy that is a dark, dry Chinese noodle (something like Ja Ja Mien). It has cooked soup noodles, some type of brown sauce with dried tofu and pork. I've had it many times at many different restaurants, but never as a home cooked meal. I thought I would give it a try.

First mistake - I bought Vietnamese thin rice noodles. These are about 24 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide and paper thin. I don't think they're made for such a dish, but I didn't know.

Second mistate - I thought the brown sauce might be a soybean sauce. I first tried a small portion of the noodles with straight, store-bought bean sauce. That was like eating a can of salt with beans. Wrong.

Next, I tried thinning the brown sauce with chicken broth. Got closer, but still not quite.

Then, I took 4 pork cutlets and chopped them until they were practically ground. I fried this up with small chunks of baked tofu, using a small amount of Sesame oil.

Once that was cooked, I added a small amount of the thinned sauce, mixed it, then poured it over the cold noodles. I then added thin slices of cucumber and fresh jalapeno pepper.

My wife almost gagged. My brother-in-law smiled and took it down. Me, well, I probably won't make that one again, although it did give me some ideas for other dishes.

Happy Cooking!

~ Brock

Wine Review

2003 Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon (South Africa)

Here is a young, new world Cabernet Sauvignon to look out for. I paid 7 bucks for this South African wine and I was impressed. It’s a “drink now” wine. Despite my general opinion that Cabs, even lower end early drinkers, are not very food friendly, this wine would match up with tons of dishes. In fact, I had half the bottle the next day, with a pasta in a sauce of white wine and serrano chiles (lots of chiles). The wine still tasted great.

The Excelsior 2003 Cab comes fit with a synthetic cork so no need to even lay it down if you are doing some short term cellaring. Its color was a dark plummy purple. Complex grapey aromas mixed with blueberry cream and a slight touch of petroleum jelly. Almost Shiraz like. The flavors showed a lot of dark fruit with just a touch of oak. So many cabs in this price range are slathered in oak.

I had this over two nights. On the second night, the fruit was toned down and the wine was delicious but slightly flabby in that the acids and tannin were gone.

90 Points! and an A+ for QPR (Quality to Price Ratio)

www.excelsior.co.za

Enjoy,

Jason

Where's The Wonderbread?

In one of the first Scrutiny posts, I mentioned a sandwich shop in Westwood that was awesome...combining various asian dishes on french bread, these are a must eat!! I forgot the name and location, but here it is. Don't go to LA without stopping by East West Sandwich!

Indie Labels Sell Out?

The above link is to an LA Times article about Indie Labels and their relationship with the Majors. Short but interesting. Typical Indie Label bullshit about how they care about the artists. Oh well, that’s what people want to believe. Why not tell the truth and talk about being an avenue to get to the Majors. In that respect, they are a shinning light.

Jason

P.S. You may have to register at the site.

Snobs Of Lido Island

On this tiny part of Newport Beach, California, lies an area known as Lido Island. Filled with yatchs, multi-million dollar homes, silicon and other expensive crap, is a "secret" restaurant known as the Sabatino's Sausage Company. I heard of it through some close friends who had heard about it through some family members who are apparently notorious for finding hidden eating gems. My wife, son and I joined our friends with great anticipation.

True, it's quite hidden. In fact, it's in the middle of what appears to be a professional office complex. I had mostly outdoor seating, and there were at least 50 or so people waiting to get it. The aroma of sausage filled the air. "Yummy," I thought.

The first sign of something wrong was the waitress. She smiled and blinked repeatedly through those Botox-filled areas of her face, while I ordered water. "Water? That's all." She said. A quick frown, then a generous smile to our friends, who were drinking wine and needed more.

The charade continued shortly, then went to all out rudeness, since we apparently didn't order enough. She semi-rolled her eyes with each request - which, of course, she ignored.

Then the food came. Now, understand that I love sausage. And, Sabatino's sausage was good! BUT, and this is a big BUT, everything else was horrible. My pasta had at least 2 cups of oil (it was more like an oil soup with pasta in it). My friend ordered Oso Buco, which was 80% bone, 15% fat, and 5% meat. The meals were bland, overpriced and not worth it.

So, next time you think you've found a gem, simply because people don't know about it, consider two things: 1) if it's in Lido Island, it probably isn't a gem; and 2) if you pay $10.00 for soup, it's probably crap.

And, if you're going to ignore my advice and try it anyway, don't forget your Sperry Topsiders, khaki shorts and Tommy Bahama's silk shirt - otherwise, you'll feel out of place ;).

~ Brock

Kung Fu Hustle Wins

Kung Fu Hustle is a must see. It's entertaining, funny, actors do well, characters are done well, action, everything. Yes, it's somewhat predicatable and yes, it conveys stereotypes, but it's worth enduring all that.

~ Brock

Bride & Prejudice Loses

I admit, I've never read or watched any other variation of Pride and Prejudice. So, when I rented Bride & Prejudice, the rendition of it set in India (mostly) and with Indian characters (mostly), I figured it would be interesting. This was particularly true since more than a few people told me it was great and, as an limited-release film junkie, I had high expectations.

Bride & Prejudice sucked. The stroy was choppy and weak, the acters were so-so, the signing and dancing was annoying, not funny, and it was predicitable.

Foregoing the value of The Scrutiny movie breakdown - No need to rent it.

~ Brock