Tonight is my 2nd-last night in Japan. I’m not really sure what to say to this besides “wow.” Not “wow, already,” because the act of returning to Tokyo made it clear to me in advance that the trip was almost over. Also not “wow, finally,” because apart from the odd disappointing destination, things have been pretty good. Anyway, the last two days.

Yesterday I went to Akihabara Electric Town, aptly nicknamed nerdvana by someone I know online. In my last post, I said “I’m under budget, so maybe I can catch up by buying geeky things.” Akihabara had no problem supplying me with enough geeky things, but I restrained myself and didn’t buy some things I saw, for reasons of “I’ll never use/wear this.” If my PS2 could play NTSC-J games, believe me I would have bought the International versions of several Square Enix games. And God Hand. When I get back I’ll probably just buy the NTSC-U/C version.

Also in Akihabara, I found English instructions for the Gundam game I previously mentioned, Kidō Senshi Gundam: Senjō no Kizuna. I forked out some money and played a few rounds, it’s crazy fun 4v4 action in the original Gundam setting. Virtual On’s got nothing on this. I dominated my first couple newbie matches but once I got to players closer to my level I started losing hard. I seem to have always had the high score on my team though. How about that?

I never found any Mega Man figures, but I did get a Mega Man Zero 3 strategy guide, which is written with furigana, so I think I’ll try to translate it in my spare time, develop my language skills. I’ve always learned best by doing. The furigana is important, as trying to decipher kanji I’ve never seen before would be an exercise in inefficiency at best.

On the way back from Akihabara, I stopped at a noodle place within Suidōbashi station for dinner, it was yummy and as often I burned my tongue by trying to eat too fast.

Today I went to check out the Sony building. It wasn’t open when I arrived at Ginza station, so I wandered towards Hibiya Park and the Imperial Palace grounds. Since the Imperial Family resides there, very little of it was accessible to the public but what I saw was all very well kept and pretty. Across the street was a park full of fountains that put on various shows of water, it was nice to sit and watch the waterworks for a while.

Finally I made my way back to the Sony building after a brief arcade stop. It was basically a several floor showroom of Sony products, not really worth the time for me to go since I had no plans to bring a new TV, camera, or PSP back to Canada with me.

So, off to Tokyo Tower. At the base of the tower is a four level building with shops, restaurants, and entertainment. The tower itself has two observatories, both with different and interesting views. It was pretty busy though, and hyperactive kids abounded. Still good times.

For lunch/dinner I had pizza and for dessert, a cool waffle/ice cream combo. Check it out in the photos, it was delicious. I would have gotten another crepe (there was a crepe place nearby) but that waffle bowl just looked too good not to try.

Tomorrow’s my last sightseeing day. What to do?

The “Red Dog” is an old pal from Toronto, who I’ve known for close to 20 years.   He was in town for a trade show and had a few trees to bark up.  I haven’t seen him since my last trip to T.O. , so it was great to have a chance to meet up.  He’s never seen “Jazzy” before, he happened to have some meetings in my neck of the woods, so we decided to brave the torrential downpour and have lunch at Me N Ed’s Pizza. [1121 Austin Avenue, Coquitlam, (604)931-2468]

Ever since “Monk ” and I  moved to Coquitlam last year, we’ve been big fan’s of Me N Ed’s.  During our initial search of restaurants in our neighborhood, Me N Ed’s was one of the few to make it onto our short list.  Years back, “Monk” and I had a good experience at a location in Burnaby, but we’ve probably been to the Coquitlam location at least 6 times in the past year.  During the whole time “Monk” was pregnant, each time we visited Me N Ed’s or even mentioned it verbally,  ”Jazzy” would get overly active and show her approval for the pizza joint.  I can’t wait until she get’s a little older and we can let her try some of the pizza for herself.

I don’t really know the story behind Me N Ed’s.  ”Sales Mix” told me about the history once, something about it starting in Bellingham, but I must not have been paying attention.  I’m sure the story is on the website somewhere, I’ll make sure to check it our after I post this review.  Each time I walk into Me N Ed’s, it reminds me of the pizzerias of my youth and particularly of “Mother’s Pizza” circa late 1970’s Mississauga.  I used to love “Mother’s Pizza” and it was a common place for a late night snack, friend’s birthday parties and dinner after baseball games.   Big mugs of ice-cold root beer and hot tasty pizza were always pleasing.

The Gangster

Me N Ed’s has the same old school charm to it as “Mother’s Pizza” for me.  Food memories and association really does make food or a restaurant that much more enjoyable.  For lunch, we shared a medium “Gangster” cooked well done.  I love my pizza crispy, a little charred and nicely browned on top, thus I usually order pizza well done.  I’m not a big fan of overly saucy, wet  or messy pizza.  The “Gangster” is topped with a spicy tomato sauce,  Italian sausage, cappicolla, salami, pepperoni, mushrooms and onions.   At the table there is a cheese shaker and chili flake shaker, which I always add to my slices of pizza.  We also shared some wings with blue cheese sauce and apart from them being thermal nuclear hot in temperature,  they were fairly pedestrian.  The star is the pizza and it is consistently good.  In the past we’ve had the meat lover’s, the Soprano, BBQ chicken pizza and a few other varieties, but the Gangster and the meat lover’s are my favorite.  Issues and concerns; the pizza toppings are good, but definitely not special in any way plus the rest of the menu items that I’ve tried are only satisfactory.  Stick with the pizza and you’ll do just fine.  There’s a pizza called the Godfather on the menu; gonna have to treat “Godfather” and “The Girl” to some pizza in the near future.

On my chef’s night out scale, Me N Ed’s Pizza receives 3.5/5 SOB (slices of bacon).

I thought Kevin’s twin disappeared because he was onto me, but I saw him the past two days I’ve been at school.  Of course, I have to be ninja and play it cool.

Classwise, we had to present our powerpoints.  I did learn that my ‘rival” in that class is a Visual Animation & Game Programming major – like Marcel.

Anywho, David was excited about Ninja Turtles Forever.  I watched and lived by Ninja turtles as a kid (and transformers with some barbie and GI Joe..haha) but I really do not remember too much from those days.  David though, is still pretty hardcore with it.

SO, during break David wanted Pizza. Why? because it was the turtles choice of food!

Steven and I followed. David lives in the area so knows the spots, and brought us to the Pizza place “Big Mama’s & Papa’s Pizzeria“.

Originally it was Steven and David who were going to get pizza, but Steven told me to get something because I made him feel bad counting his coins. So, I did.

A slice was $4ish, and I thought it was a bit steep…but assumed it probably costs so much because of ingredients + quality.

We waited, and eventually the woman brought over three pizzas, which I thought were normal full-sized-pizza boxes. In my head I was thinking, “I didn’t order a full pizza…” but apparently that is the size of a “slice”.

I saved mine for home because we were already late back to class + it was huge. I waited for the guys to finish their slices though.

^David downing his pizza.
Notice his shirt? It was part of his captain N costume. 10 cool points if you know who that is!

I basically had a pizza bigger than my head!

“Home of the world’s biggest Pizza”

I believe it. My eyes and stomach believe it I am going to hang that box on my wall.

Steven and David are gonna go back next week before class to eat the 36″ Pizza. They said I have to go, but I think I’d only eat a small slice. Those things are huge!

So, next quarter I have no classes with David. I had ONE class with him but he changed that class to another day! bah.  Now I am semi-alone.  I told him to try to get into the “Survey of the Game Industry” class… so hopefully he can get in that.  If not, I will be oh so alones…  I have Marcel for one class next quarter atleast.

David also told me he’s glad I’m his friend, and I told him I’m glad to have him as a friend too. I’m glad to have all the guys as friends tbh.  Girls are just so judgmental most of the time, which if probably why I don’t like hanging out with “normal” girls.  Gaming guy friends are the best…except when they make you feel inferior… but, none of my friends do so

On another note, David also mentioned he thought I was a cutie when we first met haha. Why thank you sir, I’m flattered. 

Greek white pizza!

Preheat your oven as hot as it will go – mine pretends to go up to 500°, but I’ve never seen it hit anything past 475°.

Take your favorite pizza dough – store bought is fine, homemade is better – and make sure you give it time to come up to room temperature if it’s been refrigerated or frozen. This time I used Mollie Katzen’s recipe from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, but I think I prefer Heidi Swanson’s recipe from Cook 1.0. Spread the dough out to the desired shape and size on a pizza pan, cookie sheet, or pizza peel if you plan to cook directly on a pizza stone. You can brush the edge of the dough with olive oil if you want the crust to brown better.

Make a white (er, um, green) sauce. Sauté a tablespoon of minced onions and two cloves of minced garlic in some olive oil and butter until they’re soft and starting to brown a bit. Add some cream (about a 1/2 cup, maybe) and let it come to a boil. Add a few handfuls of frozen spinach and cook until it’s thawed and thoroughly integrated into the sauce. Add a handful or two of Parmesan or mozzarella cheese and cook until the sauce thickens a bit. Remove the sauce from the heat and allow to cool some.

Spread the sauce over the pizza dough, almost to the edge. Sprinkle some chopped sun dried tomatoes over the sauce. Top with a generous layer of feta cheese.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the crust is cooked and the cheese is melted. Let it cool for a few minutes then slice and dig in. Mmm . . .

On Saturday night, I had a craving for pizza and wanted to go with the bf to Fornino. However, unbeknown to me, there was a *surprise* party in the works that we had to be to – so instead we ended up at Co. Since they opened earlier this year I have been curious to try their oven-fired pizza. They did not disappoint, although I would agree with prior reviews: tasty pizza, but not worth the price. We started with the escarole salad – very simple and bright. The croutons added a pleasant crunch and the lemon juice and olive oil vinaigrette perfectly dressed every bite.

For the main course, we opted to share the meatball pizza – the crust was thin and chewy and the veal meatballs were tender and savory. The meal was not large by any means, but left us satisfied.

Co. 230 Ninth Ave., New York, NY 10001
at 24th St.

Well, it’s almost time to leave The Ranch and head home.  Thanksgiving is almost among us, and I’ve got a few days off work.

If the whole country could listen up for a minute: *ahem* Please do not drive anywhere on the interstates tomorrow.  Thank you.

I’m going to pack up the dog and pony show of absurdity that is my life and relax for a few days as my parents nag me.

In other news, I made a pizza today and ate the whole thing.  I didn’t eat anything else though, so I’m still doing alright.  It was basically dough and garlic and cheese and onions (in that order).  And it was faaaaaantastic.  I did have grits in the morning as well.

I’ve decided that I’m going to start taking pictures of everything I eat.  (How many times am I going to say that?)

I’ve also set up my twitter, so when I don’t have time for a long post, I’ll just tweet.  (I hate saying that so much.  I am NOT a bird… I don’t think.)

Calories left today:  130.

Much better than usual.

Prima di fare una video ricetta, la provo e riprovo fino a quando non ottengo consistentemente un buon risultato.

La ricetta per la pizza veloce che ho pubblicato qui in precedenza, e’ la stessa che usavamo nel forno dei macelli di Soziglia ed e’ quella che la Nonna Laura usa tutt’oggi nel ristorante di mia sorella
(Il Nido della Pernice ad Azzano d’Asti [+39] 0141 297115).

L’impasto base e’ molto simile a quello della Focaccia. L’avro’ fatto centinaia di volte nel forno ai Macelli, e dozzine di volte a casa piu’ di recente. Per provare se la ricetta fosse veramente semplice e realizzabile da tutti, l’ho fatta provare ai miei figli Luca di sei anni e Laura di dieci. E’ venuta benissimo!!!

Ecco il video

Adesso non avete piu’ scuse per non provare questa ricetta!!!

Fateci sapere come vi viene!!!

Luca, Laura and Vittorio

Monday, monday!  How was everyone’s weekend?

Today was supposed to be productive.  It really wasn’t.  :)  I did get somethings done – but not nearly enough.  Blech.

Breakfast was pretty filling – Eggs a la Grandpa, some center-cut bacon, orange juice and a piece of toast.

It was a nice treat to have a nice filling breakfast.  After breakfast I had to make a stop at the grocery store for some necessities for the week.   I really enjoy going grocery shopping.  And, i was very good about not getting anything too “dangerous” for the apartment.  Nothing too snacky – only good for you things.  It was a successful trip.

Lunch was another Lean Cuisine.  Mmmmmm.  Not the best, but it worked.

After unsuccessfully searching for an online political science class that I need, it was off to club practice.  Where I almost just walked out right then and there.  Lame.  I’m trying to convince myself that I need to stick around for the kids – which I do.  They need another coach on deck to make sure they’re safe and so someone can work with them.  But, I’m about done with the club as a whole.  At least my choice is a good one.  :)

Dinner was some BBQ chicken pizza with a spinach salad and applesauce.

We put the pizza together with refrigerated pizza dough, two chicken breasts (pre-cooked), BBQ sauce, some mozzarella cheese and sharp cheddar cheese.  Put it all together and cook according to the pizza crust’s directions.  It was simple, fast and yummy.  A perfect combination.

And, to finish it off, some Caramel Praline Crunch yogurt blends.  Yummy!

I scream for ice cream.

Well, the hubby and I have some TV to catch up on – including some Monday night TV.  A slap will be occurring on HIMYM.  Love it!  :)

And, here’s Jackson to say “goodnight”.  :)

Like a Stonewall.... kind of.

So my mother-in-law celebrates Thanksgiving the Sunday before the holiday every year. It’s great because it makes the holiday family flip-flop that comes with marriage, a little easier. This year I was asked to bring desserts. As a rule, we celebrate my father-in-law’s birthday the same day that we celebrate Thanksgiving. This makes the dessert a little more difficult. Not that birthday cake is difficult, but a chocolate cake just doesn’t quite fit in with the usual requirement of pie.

So the menu had to fulfill the need and want of a variety of pies, and fulfill the want of a celebratory dessert that isn’t a pumpkin pie with a candle in it. So here’s what I decided to make. First, the traditional pie, caramel pumpkin pie. Second, the celebration, banana cream pie. Yes, I know that this is not a traditional Thanksgiving dessert, however, it is my father-in-law’s favorite. I also make an Italian apple cake, and sugar cookies for the kiddies. I felt like it was a bit of a hodgepodge combination, but it worked.

Thank goodness for the cookies too, because they were by far the most popular. Here’s the recipe:

SUGAR COOKIES

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
1 cup 10x sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1  In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

2  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

And what to do with all those leftovers? Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m completely over turkey chili. So I came up with this little beauty. It’s a leftover turkey pizza! I’m so excited about it, because it is seriously tasty. When you are doing your shopping, pick up a sack of pizza dough, or some Boboli bread. The day after, when you’ve returned from your black Friday escapades, simply put this pizza together for another simple family feast.

Thanksgiving Leftover Pizza

Pre-heat the oven with a pizza stone or cookie tray in it, to 400 degrees. When the tray comes up to temperature, take out of the oven and spread the dough or lay out the baked crust. Spread with leftover cranberry sauce. Layer with turkey and anything else that you might have remaining. (I would skip the desserts though.) Top with leftover cheese, or treat yourself and top with shredded gruyere. Bake for 15-20 minutes and then garnish with minced parsley, thyme, and sage. If you don’t have these herbs, use what you have, it is leftovers after all. You just don’t want to go back out to the grocery store. Ahem, LEFTOVER PIZZA, thank you.

Whatever your holiday holds, enjoy. It’s that once a year celebration that is all about eating, which is after all, the most important thing.

Always thinking of the next meal

-Katie

I really really like pizza. Like, not-gonna-give-it-up like pizza. Not even on this Paleo Challenge, you hear me pizza gods? So I figured out how to make my own.

The best part? It definitely tastes decadent and delicious, but it doesn’t leave the dreaded carb-bomb-brick in the stomach that traditional pizza tends to leave (I’ll suffer through it for you anyway, Mangia, but only you).

Anyway, Lisa and Georgia both asked for the recipe, so I’m going to make one up for it, since I just sort of threw together some stuff …

Pizza crust:

4 egg whites

1 c. almond meal

1/2 c. pecan meal

1/2 c. cauliflower “rice” (food-processor the cauliflower)

1/4 c. flax meal

1/4 – 1/3 c. olive oil

1 tsp. baking powder

garlic salt to taste

To do: Mix it up in a bowl. If it’s sort of gooey, you’re good to go. You should be able to pour it out of the bowl, but it should not stream easily, you have to scrape, if that gives you any sense of the consistency. If it seems too runny, add more of any of the flours. Don’t add more cauliflower, because I did and I think it makes it too squishy. You can also leave out the cauliflower entirely with great results, but I like to sneak in more veggies wherever possible.

Pour it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. I’m pretty sure the parchment is essential for the crisping, but I’ve never made it without parchment so I can’t be too sure. Anyway, spread it out as thinly as possible, without gaps, on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, right before it starts browning.

Toppings:

Layer, in this order:

1) Raw pumpkin seed cheese from Whole Foods

2) Pizza sauce (canned tomato, garlic salt, liberal amounts of basil, 1/2 as liberal amounts of oregano)

3) Steam-sauteed kale (olive oil in a pan, add chopped kale, put a lid on it. When it turns bright green, it’s steam-sauteed)

4) Ground beef (98% lean Springerhill Ranch is available at Randall’s for $5.79/lb. Dump that in a pan. Salt and pepper. Make it brown, but still pink in the center since you’re cooking it more on the pizza.)

5) Raw cabbage chopped into tiny pieces (erm, chop the cabbage. Not very much of it … like a 2×2x2inch square was all I had left and was a good amount)

Put the pizza back in the oven for 5-10 minutes. The crust will get golden brown edges. Everything else is pretty much cooked, so you just want the flavors to meld together.

Bonus points if you make it, wait 20 minutes for someone to bring over wine, put it back in the warm oven, and THEN think it’s the perfect meld of flavors.

This is one where I was rolling solo while I was at a conference in the ATL (aka hotlanta), but Candace would have LOVED this place too.

Man vs. Food.  I don’t think there is anyone who is more jealous of that guy’s job than I am.  He gets to go around and eat massive amounts of food for free.  And, he barely finishes most of them, and people still love him.  One day, my friends, I will go on a Man Vs. Food tour.

That said, the inspiration for finding this place was from an episode of Man Vs. Food, and it took over an hour to get there in the terrible Atlanta traffic, and we pulled up to what looked like your typical strip mall, and there it was.  By that point, my eyes grew wider as I saw the size of the pies that they were bringing to their customers.  Each slice was bigger than my HEAD.

I ordered the carnivore, which was their specialty, which included every meat that you could possibly think of.  First came incredible cheese sticks/bread that my coworker and I devoured.  Then came the slice.  I am not a lite eater, and I could barely finish it.  The challenge on MvsF was to 2 people to eat 4 slices each.  He didnt do it.

All this to say that it is rare that you find both quantity and quality.  The pizza what your NY style, but because there was so much of it, by the end you started to really taste the meat which wasnt my favorite, but that was probably just because I was getting so full.

Overall, great place.  Here is the website:  http://www.bigpieinthesky.com/

I think this post will begin my challenge to Adam from Man Vs. Food.  I think that there needs to be a showdown.  It begins here.

Man Vs. Food?  More like Man Vs. Lose….

Freeman’s Kindergarden Style Grade:

Taste/Flavor: E (Excellent)
Portions: G (for ginormous)
Experience: M/M (Mas o Minos, they must have loved M vs. F coming, cause they wrote about it everywhere)

É isso ai meus companheiros e companheiras….mais uma falcatrua do Governo Lula que acaba em PIZZA.

I’m happy to say my neck is a lot better today.  At last I feel like normal again and can turn my head without turning the rest of my body

I started this horrible, rainy day with some glorious oats with mashed bananas, chopped dates and honey.  Very yummy and perfectly sweet (just like me )

For work lunch I took a homemade burrito with mixed beans including black beans, kidney beans and sweet corn, also roasted red pepper, cream cheese and chicken.

I’ve been wanting to attempt black bean burgers, so I thought I should make sure I like black beans and I do, so look forward to more appearances of these beans. 

Today’s exercise I chanced doing some swimming, I wasn’t sure how my neck would bare up, but I was ok.  I haven’t been for a while so I really enjoyed.  When I got home I snacked on a banana then did a 30 min Yoga lesson.

For dinner I performed the tricky task of heating up some soup.  Yes it was tinned soup, Baxter’s low salt, split pea soup, I really wasn’t in the mood for making anything else.

Later on M. came round with some DVD’s for me to borrow.  He’s trying to get me into scary movies like “Jeepers Creepers”, “Resident Evil” and anything else with zombies or monsters. I’m the type of person who hides behind a pillow when watching these types of films. (I’m embarrassed to say this but I watched “Jaws” behind a pillow) Do you like scary movies? Anyway in return I’m trying to get him interested in Soaps, he doesn’t mind “Eastenders” but that’s about it.

We ordered a pizza, I had one slice and let him eat the rest (I wasn’t that hungry anyway)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve been asked a few times what sort of camera I use and as photos are an important part of my blog I thought I’d share with you.  I use the Canon EOS 450D digital SLR camera.

This is actually my Dad’s camera he got for his 40th Birthday last year, but as he hardly ever uses it (you know men and their gadgets, the novelty soon wares off) I have “borrowed” if from him indefinitely

I don’t know much about cameras, I do know it’s 12 mega pixels and has a view finder and LCD screen and I love using it.

Taylor

Really short post.

My pic of pizza from my Pizza Heaven review  is on the homepage of FOODBUZZ.COM.

Check it out!

A trip to the Ohio Valley requires, by law, a stop at DiCarlo’s Pizza. Even those of us who didn’t actually grow up in the area have grown to have an affinity for this pizza.

Although this small chain of pizzerias has several locations in Steubenville, many locals directed us to Weirton (downtown, they insisted, not uptown) to get the original. DiCarlo’s is now franchising (with a location in Hilliard, curiously enough) and the best slice is well known to be across the river. One of the customers told us that the sauce varies by location, but this one, the one next to Mario’s Café, was known to be a location where we might actually see “Mr. DiCarlo.” A quick look at the franchiser’s website does not include this location, which leaves one to wonder: which location is the best? We didn’t have time to taste for ourselves, so we went with what the crowd said.

DiCarlo’s does not provide delivery or seating (but does have a pickup window) and isn’t open on Saturdays until 2 p.m. We learned this the hard way and had to venture back into West Virginia later in the day. Oh. And they don’t take credit cards, either. Good pizza does not come easily.

I have to admit that the ordering process – for an outsider – was a little difficult as well. Sorting my way through the pricing chart on the posterboard was useless. The cashier taking my order quickly spouted off prices before I could ask them. I settled on 8 slices, half with pepperoni, two with olives and two with mushrooms, hoping that we had enough cash to cover however much that would cost.

The key to Dicarlo’s is an extreme respect for both the dough and the sweet tomato sauce. The dough of their pizzas is flash-baked in a brick oven; sauce, cheese and toppings are added later, allowing the heat (and steam) from the crust to cook the accessories. The outcome is heavenly. I’m not one to get territorial over food, but I really did want the entire thing for myself.

A trip to the Columbus-area DiCarlo’s is definitely in order, to see if they come close to the pizza that merited two trips to West Virginia. If it’s at least half as good, then maybe, just maybe, I’ll be tempted to share.

The game never stops. They started it again by bashing the wine and beverage ratings. First, it was Robert Parker who was THE problem and now is the rating itself again. The beverage ratings are not an absolute system. They are not supposed to be perfect and scientifically accurate. They represent one way of rating wines and beverages so the consumers have some way of comparing quality and price. The wine industry is no different than most industries. It will cheat, lie and steal every time they can. They do not need an excuse but do need an opportunity. The retail shopping system has too many flaws and will never work even well not to mention perfect. Anything that gets in the way of selling products and puts some limit is better gone than kept in place. Ratings are used to evaluate anything that comes in high numbers and takes time and skill to evaluate. Most people who have to make decisions do not have the time to evaluate things very closely and go by some system. Morningstar rates mutal funds and so do many others. Schwab rates stocks and more as many others do. Robert Parker rates wines and so do many others. The rating systems are not supposed to even work well. They are a subjective way of comparing factors against a set of standards to HELP in making decisions. The consumer has to make decisions and will make mistakes without a doubt unless objective systems, such the better rating systems, are in place. The wine industry knows this and once the ratings are removed or turned into useless systems, such as Wine Enthusiast ratings, the industry will be happy. The ratings are not flexible to allow selling of junk easily.

*This post belongs to this week’s edition of Wine by Cush Magazine blog and published early in World of Cush also.

I read a food blog post about a San Francisco restaurant that was caught not selling iced or hot tea to the guests! The dim-witted waitress had explained that tea drinking guests tend to stay for a long time after the dinner thus tea had been eliminated. Our investigative food writer had not only published this in detail as a blog post, on a major newspaper website, but also contacted the ownership to hear their side. They obviously were innocent and the whole thing was a misunderstanding which always is claimed to be. In real life, they only have to defend themselves because they are being crucified by the local press. Isn’t their menu their business? One the strong points of the San Francisco and many other cities food scenes is that establishments don’t have to follow the norms dictates by whomever. They can start a restaurant with a menu of their choice and what if they won’t serve beef or American wine or hot tea? Will they be attacked in the media? People used to be criticized for not serving American beef. That is no longer valid. They are still being criticized for not serving American wine and this is an ongoing issue! Are they going to be criticized for violating the smallest norms such as not carrying tea or serving bottled water or who-knows-what-is-next? Does not a food editor for a major local paper know that such mention of a restaurant will bring them possible back luck? Does this really qualify as a controversy to publish on Monday morning? I give up.

I have read many reviews by the same food writer in which the restaurant does everything right and loses stars by technicalities such as spoon missing, saltshaker taken or a minute mistake.  I guess when doing a good job all little mistakes count as fatal and if doing a mediocre job, much is forgiven.  I kept the writer anonymous so his career is not ruined (Yeah! It is a joke.  Everyone knows who the jerks are.) and he could have made a post with no restaurant name to make his point but do no harm.  But, no once we get one on a technicality, we have to fry them in public, don’t we?

*This post belongs to this week’s edition of Wine by Cush Magazine blog and published early in World of Cush also.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I actually took this picture yesterday, but I post it because it’s better than any of the ones I took today.

I shall not cheat again. Promise.

There are no complaints when it comes to pizza

this week. i’ve woken up with food in my bed 3 times.

3 TIMES!

day 1–tostitos (no salsa.)

day 2–popcorn (cheddar, butter, AND caramel!)

day 3–pizza (from artichoke–so good. so all over my bed.)

the pizza was definitely a new low.  thank god i have a purple duvet cover! (gayest sentence ever.)  but seriously guys, it’s time i sought some help.  now, i’m trying a new thing: no food in the bedroom.  no exceptions.  not even drunk munchies.  i know, it’s rash, but drastic situations call for drastic measures.  i hope i can count on all of your support during this tough period in my life.

face to face

food. in. my. bed.

friends forever

Thanksgiving is coming soon and everyone can’t seem to wait to stuff themselves with all the Thanksgiving goodness! But what about the day after? The left overs? Not very exciting huh? Well.. here’s a great way to make left overs more fun! How about a day after Thanksgiving pizza! It’s great for everyone and especially the kids!

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp jellied or whole cranberry sauce
• 3 oz cooked turkey, sliced thin
• 1-1/2 oz shredded provolone cheese
• 1-1/2 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tsp fresh chives, chopped fine
• 1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped fine
• 3/4 cup jellied or whole cranberry sauce
• 3/4 lb cooked turkey, sliced thin
• 6 oz shredded provolone cheese
• 6 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 tsp fresh chives, chopped fine
• 4 tsp fresh parsley, chopped fine

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450F. Place the pizza crust on a baking sheet.

Spread the cranberry sauce on top of the crust up to 1/2 inch from its edge. Arrange the sliced turkey on top. Spread the provolone and mozzarella evenly over the top.

Bake the pizza until the cheese is bubbly and just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a cutting board, garnish with chives and parsley, and cut into slices.

This helpful recipes was from Ucook.com

On Saturday’s show, we were excited to have on Nick Strawhecker, the executive chef and owner of Dante Pizzeria Napoletana…opening next month in Legacy (168th & Center)

What Nick is bringing to Omaha is something special and we’re all very excited. Oh, and we almost forgot to mention that Dante Pizzeria will have Omaha’s only indoor bocce court! Talk about authentic Italian.

Anyway, check out the show, and in the meantime check out this article about Dante Pizzeria from the Omaha World Herald.

This one turn out to be really good, inspired by the gourmet pizza recipes in various magazines.

• Spinach (I used baby spinach)
• Roasted Red Pepper (from the olive bar at the store)
• Artichokes (I used canned chopped artichokes)
• Feta Cheese (I used crumbled reduced-fat feta)
• Pizza crust (I used the 8 inch Boboli, but a pita bread or flat bread should work as well).

I first layered on the Spinach, then artichokes, and roasted red pepper (chopped).  Sprinkle on the feta cheese and cooked until the crust is crispy.  It doesn’t take long, 8-10 minutes I think.