That's right, it's Bacon Love!
This, and more fine art prints (of meat), are available though http://mikegeno.com/index.html
... and even though just the thought of bacon warms my heart, it's still cold here.
14 February 2009
13 February 2009
Friday the 13th…
Is it because it’s Friday the 13th, or is it because of something stupid I did on Monday the 9th?
I’m not sure but, whatever the case may be; I am paying for it now.
German homes are constructed very well, and are pretty weather tight. Many (and mine in particular) have no bathroom fan. Of course, this will result in te formation of mold if the moisture from the shower is not dealt with. One popular method, and the one I use, is to open the bathroom windows for about 10-20 minutes after showering. This practice lets the steam out and allows the humidity to normalize.
Monday I was going out of town for the week, and was a little rushed in the morning. Today, Friday (the 13th) upon returning home, I realized that it was a bit cold inside the house. I turned up the radiators. However, I soon realized that they were not getting warm. Not eve tepid.
I turned on the hot water in the kitchen sink and it ran cold. I let it run for a couple of minutes and it remained cold.
I knew I had a problem, so I called my landlord. She called the heater guy, who was over to the house within 30 minutes. He said the system was low on water and didn’t have enough pressure in it. At least that was what I got out of it (he speaks very little English, and I speak even less German). He put some water into the system, and tried to restart it.
Nothing.
There was a valve that was stuck or something. All I got out of him was, “This is kaput!” It was too late to get the part today. He ordered it, and will come and install it the morning.
I am flying to Italy in the morning.
I’ve been gone all week, and still need to pack for this trip. I need to get some other things done around the house, and would very much enjoy being able to sleep in my own bed for at least one night . Only there is no heat in the house.
It is Friday night, and it is cold outside, and it is almost as cold inside. See, this is not the kind of cold that comes from not having heat in a house for 5 days. No sir. this is the type of cold that comes from some moron leaving the window open on Monday morning before he left.
So not only am I sleeping in a house with no heat, I am sleeping in a house that has had no heat for an unknown number of days. I am sleeping in a house that has had a window open for the past 5 days. In a town where the temperature has been hovering around freezing for at least two weeks.
So I’m not sure if I can blame it on Friday the 13th, Monday the 9th, global warming, or my own stupidity. What I do know; is that it is getting late, I will need to shower at the office tomorrow morning, and I can see my breath as I type this.
The brandy helps a little bit, but I need to get under some covers.
I’m not sure but, whatever the case may be; I am paying for it now.
German homes are constructed very well, and are pretty weather tight. Many (and mine in particular) have no bathroom fan. Of course, this will result in te formation of mold if the moisture from the shower is not dealt with. One popular method, and the one I use, is to open the bathroom windows for about 10-20 minutes after showering. This practice lets the steam out and allows the humidity to normalize.
Monday I was going out of town for the week, and was a little rushed in the morning. Today, Friday (the 13th) upon returning home, I realized that it was a bit cold inside the house. I turned up the radiators. However, I soon realized that they were not getting warm. Not eve tepid.
I turned on the hot water in the kitchen sink and it ran cold. I let it run for a couple of minutes and it remained cold.
I knew I had a problem, so I called my landlord. She called the heater guy, who was over to the house within 30 minutes. He said the system was low on water and didn’t have enough pressure in it. At least that was what I got out of it (he speaks very little English, and I speak even less German). He put some water into the system, and tried to restart it.
Nothing.
There was a valve that was stuck or something. All I got out of him was, “This is kaput!” It was too late to get the part today. He ordered it, and will come and install it the morning.
I am flying to Italy in the morning.
I’ve been gone all week, and still need to pack for this trip. I need to get some other things done around the house, and would very much enjoy being able to sleep in my own bed for at least one night . Only there is no heat in the house.
It is Friday night, and it is cold outside, and it is almost as cold inside. See, this is not the kind of cold that comes from not having heat in a house for 5 days. No sir. this is the type of cold that comes from some moron leaving the window open on Monday morning before he left.
So not only am I sleeping in a house with no heat, I am sleeping in a house that has had no heat for an unknown number of days. I am sleeping in a house that has had a window open for the past 5 days. In a town where the temperature has been hovering around freezing for at least two weeks.
So I’m not sure if I can blame it on Friday the 13th, Monday the 9th, global warming, or my own stupidity. What I do know; is that it is getting late, I will need to shower at the office tomorrow morning, and I can see my breath as I type this.
The brandy helps a little bit, but I need to get under some covers.
I hope it’s not this cold in Bologna!
p.s. At least the kimchi didn't explode in my refigerator while I was gone. And at least the cold seems to have dampened the smell (a bit).
08 February 2009
A Couple of Projects...
I’ve been playing around with pizza making for the last month or so.
I’m working on my crust method and recipe, because this summer I, and a number of others, may build a cob oven in my backyard. Now, having a wood burning pizza oven in one’s back yard would require the occasional pizza party. In fact it would hardly be worth it to get the temperature up to bake one or two pies.
Naturally I’m not going to allow just any monkey to come over with some English muffins and tomato paste. So I need to get a repeatable (and foolproof) method of making the dough and the sauce for this endeavor.
I’m also trying to figure out which dough will work best for my needs. I’ve got easy access to Italian “00” flour and have had good results with it. I bought some bread flour the other day ad will try that out in a week or two.
I’m pretty happy with a simple uncooked sauce that I got from a book called American Pie . I am also playing around with some toppings.
I’ve used Spanish Chorizo…
Which is very good if you use the right chorizo (this particular one is not the correct chorizo – but it was OK anyway)
A Blutwurst Pizza …
Any semi-regular reader of this blog knew that this was bound to happen. Just as any one who has ever tried Blutwurst knows that this is not something that needs to be repeated. It wasn't horrible, but the texture is weird, and the flavor is not strong enough to compete with the sauce.
I also made a “breakfast pizza”, including an egg…
and underneath the egg and cheese there also lurked …
That’s right boys and girls, it’s SPAM!
Not just Spam, but Tabasco Spam! Nobody else was interested in trying that one, so I had to eat it myself. I am a lucky man!
Overall, I’d have to say that the chorizo pizza was a keeper. The Spam and Blutwurst pizzas? Not so much.
This week I decided to make something that I had been thinking about for a long time, but for some reason or other never got around to actually doing. Friday I gathered the ingredients together (and had to go to three stores to do so).
Saturday, was a bleak and rainy day in the Rheingau. The perfect day to make a batch of Kimchi!
I started off with a head of Napa cabbage and cut it into quarters. Salted it and placed it in brine. It was weighted down by two water-filled wine bottles.
After about 4-½ hours it was sufficiently wilted and looked like this.
I took it out of the brine, rinsed it and let it drain. Meanwhile I had mixed up this unholy concoction of onion, radish, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, and lots of red pepper into a paste-like substance.
The paste was then spread between each leaf of the wilted cabbage quarters.
The pasted quarters were then folded over and unceremoniously stuffed into a plastic container that once held peanut butter filled pretzels.
Although the original purpose of this container was a noble one, it now has a new lease on life. And its new purpose is a sacred one.
I want to wait about a week or so for the Kimchi to ferment before trying it. This will not be a problem as I will be out of town next week for work. And then, I’m taking a four day weekend in Bologna, Italy.
When I get back I should be in Kimchi Heaven!
…and yes entire apartment stinks!
I’m working on my crust method and recipe, because this summer I, and a number of others, may build a cob oven in my backyard. Now, having a wood burning pizza oven in one’s back yard would require the occasional pizza party. In fact it would hardly be worth it to get the temperature up to bake one or two pies.
Naturally I’m not going to allow just any monkey to come over with some English muffins and tomato paste. So I need to get a repeatable (and foolproof) method of making the dough and the sauce for this endeavor.
I’ve been playing around with a no-knead pizza dough recipe, and things have been promising. With no-knead dough, you mix the ingredients and then allow them to sit for a minimum of 12 hours at room temperature. I’ve tried mixing the dough and allowing it to rise in the refrigerator for 24 – 36 hours. I’ve even left that same dough in the refrigerator for a week, and have had good results.
I’m also trying to figure out which dough will work best for my needs. I’ve got easy access to Italian “00” flour and have had good results with it. I bought some bread flour the other day ad will try that out in a week or two.
I’m pretty happy with a simple uncooked sauce that I got from a book called American Pie . I am also playing around with some toppings.
I’ve used Spanish Chorizo…
Which is very good if you use the right chorizo (this particular one is not the correct chorizo – but it was OK anyway)
A Blutwurst Pizza …
Any semi-regular reader of this blog knew that this was bound to happen. Just as any one who has ever tried Blutwurst knows that this is not something that needs to be repeated. It wasn't horrible, but the texture is weird, and the flavor is not strong enough to compete with the sauce.
I also made a “breakfast pizza”, including an egg…
and underneath the egg and cheese there also lurked …
That’s right boys and girls, it’s SPAM!
Not just Spam, but Tabasco Spam! Nobody else was interested in trying that one, so I had to eat it myself. I am a lucky man!
Overall, I’d have to say that the chorizo pizza was a keeper. The Spam and Blutwurst pizzas? Not so much.
This week I decided to make something that I had been thinking about for a long time, but for some reason or other never got around to actually doing. Friday I gathered the ingredients together (and had to go to three stores to do so).
Saturday, was a bleak and rainy day in the Rheingau. The perfect day to make a batch of Kimchi!
I started off with a head of Napa cabbage and cut it into quarters. Salted it and placed it in brine. It was weighted down by two water-filled wine bottles.
After about 4-½ hours it was sufficiently wilted and looked like this.
I took it out of the brine, rinsed it and let it drain. Meanwhile I had mixed up this unholy concoction of onion, radish, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, and lots of red pepper into a paste-like substance.
The paste was then spread between each leaf of the wilted cabbage quarters.
The pasted quarters were then folded over and unceremoniously stuffed into a plastic container that once held peanut butter filled pretzels.
Although the original purpose of this container was a noble one, it now has a new lease on life. And its new purpose is a sacred one.
I want to wait about a week or so for the Kimchi to ferment before trying it. This will not be a problem as I will be out of town next week for work. And then, I’m taking a four day weekend in Bologna, Italy.
When I get back I should be in Kimchi Heaven!
…and yes entire apartment stinks!
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