Jerusalem is a city of striking contrasts. Continue reading
Servicey
1308 posts
I have watched a lot of movies where Americans visit in a foreign country, run into serious trouble, and inevitably go to the American Embassy for help. Usually these are in war or action movies where people fear for their lives, but even so, such movies have I think, instilled in my imagination an unrealistic picture of what an embassy, and particularly the American Embassy can and can’t do. A recent (actually on going) experience in a foreign country, lets call it Bangladesh Pleasantville, made me realize how truly naive I am about how helpful the embassy would or could be for its citizens (well in my case I am a permanent resident with an American family). Continue reading
Snack-Shaming. It’s now a thing. How would you feel if whenever you went to your company vending machine and made a purchase the vending machine, yes, the vending machine, launched a tweet from its own Twitter account to all your co-workers that said, “Todd just bought a Snickers from the vending machine.”
Would you be angry? Continue reading
Or, the not so humble sandwich. I have here on my plate a sandwich of roast beef, cambozola cheese and arugula, on potato bread. A moment of reverence for this divine combination, please.
In the image you see the Vietnamese classic, a banh mi. Variations abound, but start with a good crusty French roll (Vietnam was colonised by the French for awhile, and has glorious bread). Then you’ll want mayonnaise, soy sauce, sliced meat, sliced cucumber, cilantro and jalapeno slices. Maybe some daikon, pickled vegetables, sliced onion. Leaves of whatever lettuce you have handy. You get the picture. Eat it with a Vietnamese beer – the county was also colonised by the Germans for a period. Continue reading
I’m spoiled in a lot of ways. Not the least of which is that I have family “in the biz.” Well, not that business. No, they’re not actors or in show business at all, but they are in the sugaring business.
And oh, the wonderful maple syrup they give me that’s boiled in that sugaring shack on the hill. This year the cold spring didn’t help the sap flow, and I fully anticipated not getting a bottle of syrup at all. But, sure enough. My mother called me and said the wonderful phrase, “Uncle Fred has a bottle of syrup for you.” Continue reading
I hate cleaning up after cooking. HATE IT. That is why, when I find a recipe that only gets one skillet dirty, I become a huge fan. The original recipe (which I found in the amah-zing Better Homes and Gardens Chicken Dinners magazine) calls for yellow squash, and does not include any onion and garlic, which I believe are a must for 90% of the dishes in my house. I also bought these great shiitake mushrooms at the grocery store and they complemented the other veggies nicely. Continue reading
Hello April! It’s in the 60s and snow is finally disappearing from the roadside and sidewalks.
It’s glorious.
And here’s a little recipe that celebrates the flavors of longer days and warmer nights. Chicken cooked in a dill infused broth is perfect for Passover (look Ma! No chametz!) and the aroma will absolutely drive you wild while it cooks. (Or at least it drove me around the bend. I kept having to “taste test” it for seasoning, even though I hadn’t added anything in the meantime. Taste test, taste test, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm.) Continue reading
I have recently started the process of trying to quit smoking. My doctor has recommended that using the e- cigarette may be an effective way to wean myself off of my 22 year nicotine addiction and cigarette habit. So far, so good. However, I feel a bit awkward about e -cigarette etiquette and where the line of regulation should be drawn. Apparently, several states and cities in the country are starting to feel the same way. Continue reading
Well, now that I’ve got your attention. Continue reading
There is nothing better than a crab cake that is almost all crab. Seems silly to have to make this distinction, but depending on where you go, some crab cakes are about 80% fillers and 20% crab meat. This recipe is mostly lump crab meat, with just enough binders to keep the crab from falling apart during frying. These crab cakes are great on a bed of fresh spinach, and topped with your favorite vinaigrette. Continue reading