Cooking with Gas

I decided to treat myself to an early birthday present - a gas range. Seems a shame that as much as I cook, and enjoy cooking, that I have been using an electric range. My current range is a nice one - smooth ceramic top, convection oven, with all the bells and whistles, and only 7 years old. But... it just does not cook like gas. Really looking forward to the precise control that comes with gas cooking. Also, using a wok works so much better over a gas flame.

On the cycling front, last Sunday came the favorite holiday of cyclists in the USA - the start of daylight savings time! Had plans for seven days of training over an eight day period, but got stuck late at the office two days. Still managed to get in a little over 200 miles over the week; a decent base to build upon. By the end of the week, the heart rate was responding nicely to increases and decreases in power output; a sign that a little bit of fitness is beginning to creep back in. And most importantly, the unseasonably warm late winter weather allowed for the establishment of...... tan lines! A busy stretch on the bike coming up the next three weekends, three metrics in a row; 3/26 is the Lexington Medical Center Colon Cancer Challenge ride in Irmo, 4/3 is the After the Bridge Run ride down in Charleston, then 4/9 is the tough early season Assault on the Carolinas up in Brevard, NC. The Assault includes about 6,000 feet of climbing, including the ascent of Caesar's Head (a 7.1 mile, ~8% climb with 2,000+ feet of vertical gain.) Caesar's Head is a nice climb, but the fact that it comes at mile 45 of the 67 mile ride makes it a little tougher this early in the season.

The Cooking Sloth?

Well... weather and other events kept me off the bike this weekend, so I guess I have become (temporarily) The Cooking Sloth. Next weekend marks the beginning of Daylight Savings Time, so my cycling activity will ramp up significantly.

This past weekend's culinary adventures included a visit to Cantina 76 on Friday evening. This place does a really nice job with simple and inventive tacos with fresh ingredients, at a ridiculously reasonable price for a casual dining establishment. At our table of four, we had several varieties of tacos, all on soft tortilla shells, including fish, several variations of shrimp, chicken, and alligator. All nice and light with very fresh toppings. The guacamole was very good, too.

Saturday evening, I made a beef and broccoli stir fry for seven friends and family. A simple recipe from Cooking Light magazine. Some really good ingredients in the sauce to ensure good depth of flavor; Sherry, soy, Hoisin sauce, Sririacha chili sauce, garlic, and ginger. Nice sushi appetizer and berries in puff pastry with Romanov sauce provided by guests. Some nice wines with dinner, including an unoaked Chardonnay from Kim Crawford with the appetizers, a couple of nice bottles with dinner - a Washington State Riesling from Château St. Michelle and an Alsatian blend - the Gentil from Hugel. After dinner we opened a Moscato d'Oro, a nice, light, slightly sweet and slightly frizzante dessert wine.

Looking forward to cooking for friends again next weekend - working on the menu now - think I have it figured out.

This past week sadly included the passing of Dorothy Whichard. Dorothy was the best mother-in-law a man could ever hope for. Prayers to Vicki and her family. May Dorothy rest in peace, having been reunited with her loving husband after being apart for 14 years.

The Case of the Purple Gravy

I usually write about positive culinary adventures. This past weekend, we had an... interesting... one. Julie came upon some purple carrots at Whole Foods, and knowing the adage about the more intense a food's (natural) color is, generally, the more healthy it is, she picked them up, thinking they'd be a fine addition to the pork loin and potatoes we were going to put in the crock pot while we were out having fun. As I was peeling the purple carrots, I deduced (but have not confirmed) that they are a cross-breed of beets and carrots. At that point, I should have realized what might happen if they were to be cooked in liquid with other items...  So we put the potatoes, purple carrots, and a nice pork loin rubbed with Herbs de Provence in the crock pot along with some water and chicken broth, set it on low, and let it cook for about three hours. As I was taking the roast, etc. out, and preparing to reduce the liquids to make gravy, I noticed the color. It was purple; the color of a really jammy Zinfandel, or a 1970's rock band. The taste was fine, but the eyes were so confused, it was tough to get past the odd color. I did, however, gladly gobble up the leftovers this evening...

My First Blog

So, I have entered the world of blogging. This blog, if I actually ever actually blog, will be mostly for my own self-indulgence. It will contain occasional entries about my culinary adventures, either in my own kitchen, the kitchens of friends, or (emanating from) the professional kitchens of restaurants that I visit. It will also contain entries about one of my other passions in life; bicycling. So, be prepared to waste a few minutes of your life. Consider yourself warned.