Mussels with Chorizo sausage · Sunday February 18, 2007 by colin newell
This was the sunday meal served with a loaf of Italian bread and 3/4 of a bottle of Pinot Grigio. The mussels were from Thrifty Foods Victoria (via Prince Edward Island…)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 Chorizo sausage, finely chopped
1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon chili flakes
1 cup white wine
2 lbs. fresh mussels, rinsed (see Note)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 chopped roma tomato
Heat the oil in wide-bottomed pot set over medium-high heat. Add the onions and chorizo and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels, cover, and cook just until they open. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, the chopped tomato and the fresh basil. Divide the mussels and cooking liquid among bowls and serve.
Note: Discard any mussels that do not close when tapped before cooking, or do not open after cooking. Both are signs the mussel was dead prior to cooking and should not be eaten.
When life gives you lemons... start baking · Sunday February 18, 2007 by colin newell
True confession. I have been lusting after this one kitchen item for years, for over a decade in fact. My first real kitchen appliance was a Champion Juicer that I bought in 1988 or 1989. It is still running like a top. Just not in my kitchen. In my Mom’s kitchen – she pinched it from me just before I got married and never gave it back. Of course, she says, I can have it back whenever I want it.
Right.
Anyway. I digress.
The KitchenAid Artisan mixer is going to make life a little easier for me. I do 100% of the baking around the house and 50% of the chef work. I am the Chef’s assistant in fact. More of a sous chef. A great stir-person. A dicer. A whisker. That’s me.
Anyway. I make all my own muffins, bars, cookies, biscotti, cakes and (lastly) breads. The breads are most definitely at the end of the list because they are the most labor intensive.
Not anymore. Now that I have the KitchenAid Arnold SchwarzenMixer life is going to be that much easier. The 7 watt hand blender will be relegated to omelette duty and my uber-cool Paderno hand-blender will just keep on doing what its doing.
Anyway. I have my mixer. Yipee. Stay tuned for recipes.
Who wants dinner?
Tickets to Police 2007 Tour in Vancouver? Dream on! · Saturday February 17, 2007 by colin newell
Ok. So it is no big deal… but come on!
Quite a few of us have been sucked into the 2007 Police reunion tour
hype.
And I was one.
For starters, I heard that by signing up for a free newsletter on BestBuy.CA that I would have access to pre-sale tickets.
Yea. Right. Those tickets were long gone within minutes of this promotion first being offered.
Yet they kept the hype up getting thousands to sign up to their retail shill with virtually zero hope of getting tickets for any Police concert anywhere.
So now I have to take the 3 seconds to sign off of the stupid BestBuy newsletter.
Then there is TicketMaster. How I have learned to loathe TicketMaster. Many acts and performers avoid them too.
My story.
Like a good consumer I showed up at the TicketMaster website with plenty of time to queue up for the 10AM sale of Police 2007 tickets.
Right on the money, I clicked in. I requested any ticket at any price… at 10:00:05 AM today. Within about 1 and one/half minutes of waiting the TicketMaster web site spat back there all tickets were gone.
Ok. Fine. So they sold X number of thousands of tickets in 1.5 minutes.
But did they? Did they really?
No. They did not. Let’s count the number of online ticket sales scams that are under way here.
Yesterday (Friday) I could have taken advantage of a Police Fan Club pre-sale for a paltry 120 dollars… 120 bones just to join the fan club and that is prior to actually getting a ticket.
That and all the other pre-sales, corporate sales, and coupons that (I imagine) the uber-wealthy get. And what’s left for the rest of us?
Nothing? Nope. Not quite.
Within minutes of todays TicketMaster sale being complete, a ticket-auction appeared on the TicketMaster website!
Yup. I could bid upwards of 600$+ on a ticket to see the concert.
But I thought there were no tickets left? What is ticketmaster now? Ebay? Well maybe.
I guess it is free enterprise – but for the love of pete, make it a little bit fair and a little more honest.
Thankfully, I only lost about 5 minutes of my life.
I will certainly listen to The Police in a slightly different way in the future.
this just in… a second show has just been added for Vancouver. Tickets go on sale on Feb 27 at 10AM. Of course they do… sign me up…
Comments? [5]
Something with a nutty, coffee twist · Friday February 16, 2007 by colin newell
Disclaimer If you make these cookies do not take them anywhere outside of your home or kitchen. There are so many people that suffer from peanut allergies that it is just not worth the risk of harming someone.
That said – here is my take on the classic peanut butter cookie with a coffee twist. They are very good and the minute amount of instant coffee powder gives them a pleasant twist on the classic flavor.
In one big bowl add:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter (any style) – I like smooth and organic
Cream the butter and peanut butter with electric blender. Make sure that the butter is VERY soft and at room temperature before you proceed.
Add 1/2 cup of demerera sugar – continue to blend
Add 1/2 cup of granulated sugar – continue to blend
Add one egg, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (sub. instant coffee if necessary) – continue to blend
Gradually add 1 and 1/4 cups white flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
Mix by hand when cheap blender is about to explode.
Form into 1.5 tablespoon sized balls and place on parchment paper on ungreased pan.
Bake in 375 degree oven for about 10 – 12 minutes or until lightly brown at base of cookie.
Cool for 5-10 minutes then eat with black coffee.
