Small Thoughts for Small Minds

Kia has a commercial out with rapping hamsters. (I would embed the video but blogsome apparently doesn’t allow that, so check it out here.)

The music, by Black Sheep, is annoyingly repetitive, but catchy enough that it keeps getting stuck in my head.

The animation is pretty good.

The commercial is amusing. (I especially like the expression on the drummer’s face…)

But what message is the commercial sending? Obviously Kia is hoping that we take away the impression that the Soul is hip. (Or whatever the current term is…)

But my impression is that the Soul is better than: (a) a toaster; (b) a cardboard box with cut-out windows; (c) a washing machine.

Excellent. When I am in the position to select a new vehicle, I will be sure to rank the Soul ahead of those alternatives. But still well behind a slew of other vehicles…

I guess I’m just a crusty old man and don’t understand the kids these days. At least that is what my daughter tells me…

And, for no good reason, here are pictures of St. Brigid’s Piper and Barley for comparison:

And, no, we didn’t set out to get a Barley duplicate. Just worked out that way…

A few nights ago, I was watching the Food Network show, "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives". This particular episode, "Kansas City Barbecue Tour, Episode DV0910", certainly caught my attention. (I used to live near KC, and my parents still do; and, as you may have noticed in my previously posted pictures, I enjoy throwing mounds of meat on the smoker…)

One of the segments featured "RJ’s Bob-Be-Que Shack" in Mission, KS. The chef, Bob Palmgren made some pork sausage wrapped in corn husks and smoked those babies for one to three hours.

For quite some time, I’ve been thinking that I wanted to make my own air-cured sausage. I’m not quite ready for that, but this seemed tailor-made for me…

I was already planning to smoke a couple of Boston butts yesterday, so this was a no-brainer!

I trimmed off about one to two pounds from the pork shoulders and put the pieces in the freezer while I got the smoker up and running and the butts smokin’. (This makes it a lot easier to slice, especially with all of that fat…)

I don’t have a meat grinder, so I diced it as small as I could.

I added the following:

• Garlic (a bunch of cloves, finely chopped)
• Cumin seeds (toasted first)
• Black pepper
• Cayenne pepper (not a LOT - just enough to notice)
• Salt

That’s it!

I worked it with my hands so that everything was (kinda) evenly distributed.

I divided the mixture into (roughly) six equal portions.

I had already purchased some corn on the cob (for the same shindig as the Boston butts) so I carefully pulled out some of the tender inner husks. (Not the ones right next to the corn, but the next layer out.)

I formed links about 1" in diameter, rolled them up in the husks and tied them off.

I put them on the smoker for two to three hours. (The Boston butts are on the lower rack…)

A nice hickory-smoked character, a bit of a kick from the cayenne and a healthy dose of garlic. Tight, but not as tight as an air-cured sausage, with plenty of moisture.

Basically a home-made cajun-style Andouille sausage…

I am definitely doing this again!

Now to save up some money for a good quality meat grinder…

For weeks, Kel has been giving me grief about my hair. Too long, too shaggy, too unattractive…

Being the obnoxious guy that I am, I told her that I was going to shave my head. I’ve made this "threat" in the past, but she’s always talked me out of it. But I figure that, given how it is thinning, I should do it now before nature does it for me…

On Friday night, Kel was out with the girls, Keira was at a birthday party, Dyson was spending the night with a friend and Nana was asleep. The timing was perfect…

Of course, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give myself a mohawk. I’ve always wanted to do that…

(Note: I warned Kel & the kids but they didn’t believe that I would really do it…)

When Kel & Keira came home, they (naturally) were disgusted with my new look.

Keira immediately posted on Facebook [sic]: "my dad gave himself one of those little fake mohawk things . & thiss , people ,is why I dont invite any friends overr ." (She thought it was only a real mohawk if it was standing up on end…)

Saturday morning, Kel posted (also on Facebook): "My husband is a nut. I knew that when I married him. He has needed a haircut for months now. I came home last night and he shaved his head all except a long strip of hair in the middle. Yeah, the mohawk look. The good news is that he plans to shave the mohawk off tomorrow. And, the amazing thing is … I still love him."

I was wearing a hat when Dyson got home and he didn’t notice. I told him that I wanted to show him something. I took him down to my (and Kel’s) bathroom and showed him the pile of hair in the sink. It suddenly hit him what I had done. I took off the hat and he started to cry. Poor little guy.

Now for the pictures (with the exception of the one above and the last two, the pictures were taken by Carrie on Sunday. She, Justin, and their boys, were over to hang out while I made some beer)…

(Note: all pictures are linked to their own pages on Flickr, where you can view the original size if you are brave enough…)

What have I done?

It’s okay! I can fix it!!

Just as good before!

I’m sorry dear. Would you like to keep it for a souvenir?

When Carrie was taking these pictures, she said that my bundle of hair looked like a muppet. So I spent the rest of the day singing, "Muhna Muhna", to everyone’s annoyance…

A moment to contemplate my decision…

Was it a foolish idea? Did I risk my marriage? Am I too old for such silliness? (Obviously: "Yes", "Yes, but not really", and "Yes")

Mohawk face!

For some reason, I felt compelled to make this face. I guess I associate mohawks with anger. (And I don’t mean the reaction of people (Kel) when they look at it…)

Oh yeah. It was totally worth it…

It’s just hair - it’ll grow back…

Punk rocker!

I promised Kel that I would only keep the mohawk for the weekend. Before work on Monday I used a crazy amount of hair stuff to get my hair to stick up and then took my own picture. (Kel was sleeping in and I didn’t want to bother her.) After I got a somewhat decent picture (I really struggled with focus and exposure…) I said goodbye to my ‘hawk…

Let the growth return…

For some reason, Kel likes the fully shorn version much better than the mohawk. Matter of fact, she appears to be compelled to rub my head. Not that I’m complaining…

Hopefully it will be a decent length when we go to London & Scotland for our anniversary. I expect we’ll be doing a lot of hiking and I don’t want to burn my pasty white scalp…

P.S. I am still (slowly) uploading pictures of our trip to Puerto Vallarta. When I finish, I’ll post a few here. In the meantime, you can check them out in the Flickr set. (But check back for updates…)

For some reason, Kel is not attracted to my new mohawk.

Weird, huh?

Pictures later…

In the meantime, keep an eye on my Flickr set for pictures of our trip to Puerto Vallarta:

On an entirely different note, I just got a new lens for my camera, a 100 mm macro lens. Here’s an example:

This is the tiny, little flower of the Indian Strawberry. The stuff grows wild all around the house…

A quick entry while we are sitting in the Delta lounge as we await boarding of our flight from Atlanta to Mexico City…

I had part of a pork loin in the fridge that I wanted to use before we left for Mexico. For some reason, I had a hankerin’ to prepare it with lime and decided to go with a Cuban-style preparation.

As such, I decided to consult with the experts: Three Guys from Miami. Okay, okay. But Miami is almost Cuba and they are ORIGINALLY Cuban…

I pretty much followed their recipe for lechón asado (within the constraints of my pantry & fridge), but with a twist. I decided to stuff the pork loin to somewhat mimic a Sandwich Cubano. (I don’t like pickles, so I didn’t use any of those nasty things…) I didn’t have any Swiss cheese, so I used processed pepper jack (whatev…)

Anyway, I started out with a head of garlic (separated and peeled), a teaspoon each of coarse sea salt and black peppercorns, the zest of one lime, and a handful of fresh oregano. I put this in my mortar and attempted to make a paste. I think it would’ve worked better if I had a larger mortar…

I added about half of a large onion (finely diced), 1/4 cup of lime juice, a splash of lemon juice & 3/4 cup of orange juce.

I heated 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil to about 225 and then whisked it into the rest of the marinade, and let it cool. (I wonder why the recipe suggested heating the oil. Any ideas?)

I prepped the pork loin by removing most of the fat and silver skin. Then, to allow maximum penetration by the marinade, I violently assaulted the pork loin with a very sharp knife - stabbing it repeatedly… Plus, I cut a slit lengthwise to convert the column to a tube…

I put the pork loin in a gallon zip bag, poured in the marinade and put it in the fridge overnight.

I took some thinly sliced ham (lunchmeat) and laid out an overlapping sheet. (About ten slices…) I laid out three slices of pepper jack cheese on the ham, folded over the sides (in an attempt to keep the melted cheese from seeping out the ends), and rolled it up. I then inserted Roll A into Slot B.

I put the pork loin in a cake pan, poured the marinade over top. Not all as I wanted it to roast, not braise…

I cooked it until it was 160 degrees F in the center. I let it rest (covered with a foil tent) for about ten minutes, then sliced and served it…

All I can say is, "Wow!" That’s some fine eatin’!!

The pork was as tender and as moist as can be. The lime added a nice brightness.

I would’ve preferred to use a smoked ham lunchmeat instead of the honey ham, but that’s all that I had. I think that the pepper jack was a good choice (better than the cheddar or American that I had in the fridge…). Just a hint of spiciness…

I will definitely do this again…

It’s been entirely too long since I’ve played on this particular stage. I guess keeping my Flickr account updated has been more than I can handle…

Speaking of which, here is my latest flower closeup:

This is Common chicory (Cichorium intybus). Click on the picture for a larger version and more info…

This "weed" grows all along the roads and isn’t terribly visible unless you get a lot of them together. The flowers are small (less than an inch in diameter) and the plant is quite stickly… BUT, I love the crystaline appearance of the stamens. I’m not completely happy with this picture, but it is my best so far.

Oh yeah! That brings up a big difference since my last post - my new camera! For Christmas, Kel, along with my parents, Donna and Kel’s mom (Nana) got me a Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i. It has been a steep learning curve, given that I’ve only ever used a point-n-shoot in the past…

I’m trying to save up some money for a couple of really nice lenses and a few specific flashes. In the mean time, I’ve purchased a cheap ($100) prime lens (Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II) and some extension tubes to hold me over. I’ve been able to get a few decent macro shots, but I’ve got a LONG way to go…

Here’s a nice amount of detail in a macro:

If you click on the picture, you can see an option to view all sizes. This particular picture has good detail even at the pixel (original) level. Plus it is bug porn! Can’t go wrong with this one…

Some of my recent photo sets:

 A couple of days in the Dominican Republic

 Some pictures (on-going) of the deck we are building by the pool

 My collection of critters (mostly bugs & fish) - all newly uploaded pictures are at the top

 Flowers and other cool plants (and algae and funghi)

 Family, friends and random people

Tomorrow night, I am making a Cuban-style pork loin roast. I’ve taken some pictures of the marinade preparation. Maybe I can show the final product tomorrow…

Early Saturday (3 July 2010), we (Kel, the kids, Donna & I) will head out to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. You can be sure that I will have an insane number of pictures from that trip. (Given that, for any nature picture that I upload to Flicker, I take about 100, I will take some time to get them all uploaded…)

Hopefully, I can make a regular practice of blathering on this blog. And maybe I’ll regain the few followers that I once had!

Because everything is better with bacon, right?

[All pictures are hot-linked to the corresponding page on Flickr. If you get a Flickr account and ask me to add you to my "Friends & Family" list, you can see the large/original versions. I had to restrict access to the larger versions due to what I suspect was an unhealthy interest in some of the pictures of Dyson. Sigh…]

The last stuffed pork loin roast was too dry. So, how to fix that? I decided to take a three-pronged approach this time:

1. Less cooking
2. More fat on the inside
3. More fat on the outside

As usual, I removed the thick layer of fat from the outside of the loin (and the "silver" as well). This time I reserved some of the fat, chopped it up and spread it out throughout the inside of the now-flat meat:

Hopefully that will make up (somewhat) for how lean the meat is…

For the stuffing, I decided to go with a bit of a cherry theme. Why? Because I saw the dried cherries on the pantry shelf. Good enough reason?

I chopped up a handful of dried cherries and put them in some red wine (a cheap Australian Shiraz/Cabernet blend) to rehydrate. (Of course, after I took the cherries out of the wine, I drank what was left. A bit odd due to the slight garlic flavor. I had initially tried to use my mini food processor to chop the cherries, but they were too sticky and I ended up doing it by hand. But they had picked up some extra bits from the food processor since I had just used it for the garlic…)

For the rest of the stuffing, I used bread crumbs, a bunch of chopped garlic, sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and (for good measure) a coating of garlic powder and paprika.

Next I rolled it up per usual. The difference this time is that I wanted to wrap it with bacon to provide some additional fat (yes, I know, I went to all the effort to remove the fat that came with it naturally…) and flavor…

Because the diameter of the rolled loin exceeded the length of the bacon slices, I stretched each piece and overlapped them slightly to make a meat sheet.

For a bit of extra flavor (and because I have so much of it), I grabbed a handful of sage and pineapple sage (along with a pineapple sage flower - oh well…), chopped it up and spread it out over the bacon.

I then plopped the rolled-up loin on the bacon and used the side of my Santoku knife to lift the bacon sheet and drape it over the roast.

Since the bacon strips ran in the same direction as the twine I used to hold the stuffing in, I needed something to provide support in the orthogonal direction. So I figured I would use several sprigs of thyme. Why not?

My roast pan is too short, but I managed to cram it in. I couldn’t use the rack though, because the rack has handles…

This time I decided to pay attention to advice on the net and not cook it until the interior temperature was 170 F (like my meat thermometer recommends for pork). Most people now recommend taking it out of the oven at 140 or 145 and letting it continue to rise to 150. (Trichinosis is supposedly killed at 137 F (although I doubt there is a magical single temperature….).)

But I couldn’t quite bring myself to take it out at 145 F and left it in until it reached 160 F.

Here is the cooked version, without the twine and the thyme…

And here it is, sliced and ready to eat!

I really liked the flavor, although I could’ve used about twice the cherries.

This was more moist than the last one, but still not where I want it.

Next pork loin I’m definitely gonna take it out of the oven a bit sooner. (I struggle with the deeply ingrained "pink pork is poison" concept…)

Kel’s mom is getting worse.

Her diabetes, previously requiring only two (I think) shots a day, now requires regular monitoring and shots or snacks (sugar). This came about a couple of months ago when she woke up in the middle of the night and started babbling manically. Since coming home from Carrington Place, she avoids talking whenever possible. She’s embarrassed because she can never say the right words. That night, she talked more than she had the previous year (not that it made ANY sense). When it happened, we didn’t know what was wrong and called 911. Turns out her blood sugar was too low. (And we had another episode like that early Tuesday morning.) As I mentioned, since then we (and I mean Kel, Jerry and Karen*) have to check her blood sugar at least every two hours. Depending on a schedule from the doctor and the blood sugar level, we give her one of two types of insulin or give her something to eat.

The caregivers (Mon-Sat, 10 - 4 p.m.) are NOT nurses. They are not allowed to give shots, so either Kel or Karen has to be home during the day. Kel has a couple of leads for a good job. Once she’s employed, that leaves Karen to handle the shots during working hours. Which means that Karen can’t leave the house for more than about an hour and a half at a time…

We can’t go out for dinner as a family (Kel, myself & the kids) without coordinating with Jerry and Karen (mostly for Haley’s cheerleading practices, tumbling, games, etc.). We can have Haley babysit Keira and Dyson, but not the old folks. Unfortunately, Kel’s brothers are not willing to help out with the shots and potty duty, so the four of us (Kel, Jerry, Karen & I) can’t go out together for dinner and drinks, with or without the kids. (Luckily Ian (Jerry & Karen’s 20-year-old son, who’s currently staying at Mike’s (Kel’s oldest brother) house in Daleville (nearby), and he’s been willing to take care of them, but he’s going back to college in January.)

We’ll have to make a decision soon - hire full-time nurses (instead of part-time caregivers) or put her in a nursing home.

Even though she can’t express herself very well, Nana seems to know that we can’t take care of her at home much longer. And she seems to accept this…

Kel has found a nice place associated with a Catholic church in Roanoke (her parents are Catholic) where they can share a small "apartment".

But Pop, as opposed to Nana, is going to be really pissed when we move him into a nursing home. He isn’t sufficiently aware of his shortcomings to understand the need.

Plus, he’s a bit paranoid - on a number of occasions, he’s told the caregiver that we are stealing his money or similar accusations.

While Nana has given up, and doesn’t even try to communicate, she seems more mentally cognizant than he is.

We can’t let him get his own pills out of the pill caddy any longer because he can’t keep track of which day/time it is.

He used to be able to put away the dishes after the dishwasher finished (although he couldn’t tell the difference between "clean" and "rinsed but not washed"). He can’t remember where to put stuff any more, so that’s out as well.

Pop doesn’t have good control over his, umm, bathroom functions, which leads to the caregivers and Jerry/Karen/Kel** having to clean up messes in his bathroom on a regular basis (sometimes more than once a day). That kind of thing is grinding them (Jerry/Karen/Kel) down.

I used to believe that he’d live to over one hundred. Now that doesn’t seem too likely…

It is hard to watch. I never knew him before his first stroke. Apparently he was a very different person (personality) before.

Sigh…

* Yes, I am a bad son-in-law. I’ll do the testing and shots if I’m the only one in the house, but that’s rare…

** Again, the bad son-in-law. I will NOT wipe Nana or clean up after Pop. Sorry. Just can’t do it. I had serious gag reflexes changing Keira and Dyson’s diapers, but I did do that because they were my own children. I just can’t handle strong odors… At least I do the cooking when I’m in town…

I had to go to Coral Springs for a work-related training course. The course was at the Marriott (which has a convention center AND a golf course).

Every day during the class breaks, I’d go outside (with the smokers) and try to take pictures of the ever-present brown anoles. (I saw a couple of geckos - one even dropped on my hand and I shook it off before I saw what it was - but I couldn’t get a picture…)

Almost all of my pictures are uploaded in their own Flickr set (I still have a few left to identify, manipulate and upload). I won’t put all of them here…

[All pictures are hot-linked to the corresponding page on Flickr. If you get a Flickr account and I add you to my "Friends & Family" list, you can see the large/original versions. I had to restrict access to the larger versions due to what I suspect was an unhealthy interest in some of the pictures of Dyson. Sigh…]

I arrived at the Fort Lauderdale airport just before 8 p.m. After waiting on my luggage, renting a car and driving to Coral Springs, it was getting pretty late. So as to not waste any more precious time, I drove directly to the brewpub instead of checking into the hotel…

Since my US grand-boss is in Miramar, Florida, and I’ve had to go to that particular HQ a couple of times, I had already located the only brewpub in the area, Big Bear Brewing Company.

Their selection isn’t terribly challenging, but it’s good enough. (I like to support small brewers when possible, so I ate there Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday…)

Here are a few of their beers…

And some of their equipment…

After class the first day, I spent some time wandering around one of the many little ponds (and canals) in the golf course. Some flowers, some bugs, some lizards… I was happy…

This is a hairypod cowpea (Vigna luteola). I spent HOURS looking for an identification on this flower. I went down the wrong path initially because I thought it was in the Crotalaria family - see my picture of Crotalaria rotundifolia for comparison. Then, late at night last night, I stumbled across a picture of a flower like this labeled, simply, "cow pea". That didn’t help right away because, apparently, cow pea commonly refers to the cultivated variety of vigna. But I got there eventually and, exhausted, went to bed…

This butterfly is a dun skipper (Euphyes vestris). I am still trying to identify the plant upon which that the butterfly is perched. (Edited to add: I found out what the plant is… It is a firespike (Odontonema strictum). Identification was difficult because the inflorescence was dramatically fasciated.)

Lately, I’ve been obsessing about taking pictures of mushrooms (as you might’ve guessed from the earlier post). (A few really cool mushroom pictures that I took during our trip to Orlando: dog turd fungus, bird’s nest fungus, maybe a Collybia, and an unknown mushroom.)

This one is, I think, a common earthstar (Geastrum saccatum). Perhaps. Mushroom identification ain’t easy…

It was hiding in the mulch under the shrubs around the hotel. (Yes, I was crawling around in the mulch in my business-casual clothes while other employees from my company (but not my particular group) watched in bemusement…)

Here is one of the MANY brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) that I saw. I think I have another five or six pictures in the set. Go there if’n you want to see ‘em…

The little buggers are flighty and FAST. Without a proper zoom, you have to sneak up on them and move sooo slowly they think you’re part of the landscape. I wasn’t terribly successful. (And these are the best of HUNDREDS of pictures…)

On Thursday, the class let out around 2 p.m. I should’ve gone back to my room and done some work. Instead, I went on a (not quite) four hour hike. I walked through the housing development surrounding the golf course to the undeveloped area bordering the Everglades. There was a bit of a gravel road running next to a long, straight canal. I headed north and, after a bit, the houses on my right gave way to a water-filled rock quarry. Overall, it was a pretty good walk. Except for the section populated by biting deerflies, which I walked through in both directions. One deerfly got trapped between my neck and the collar of my t-shirt. It bit me quite a few times before it managed to work its way down to my shoulder (still under my shirt) where I slapped it to its bloody death. (It left a blood stain the size of a quarter. It ALSO left, where it was originally trapped, what looked suspiciously like a hickey on my neck…)

Found some interesting things on the way. For example this desiccated lizard (probably another brown anole) ("Lizards! Get yer lizards! Onna stick!!")

I’m guessin’ that a bird snagged himself some dinner but got a-scared off before he could eat it…

When we were in Orlando, I took a picture of a flower and was never able to identify it. This time, while focused on the ID for the hairy cowpea (above), I stumbled across a picture of a wild bushbean (Macroptilium lathyroides). Yeah for me!

Here’s another one…

While messing around near the water’s edge (taking a picture of a flower that I just got around to uploading), I saw these tiny globes that looked like some type of eggs.

After a bit of on-line research, I’m pretty sure that they are from a Florida apple snail (Pomacea paludosa). (If you click on that link and scroll down the page, you’ll see some very similar eggs.) I found what I am sure is a Florida apple snail shell not so far away…

Could be wrong, but I’m sure it is some type of freshwater snail. (And I don’t think a lot of them lay their eggs out of the water, but I dunno…)

Speaking of freshwater snail shells, here is an abandoned shell (probably goldenhorn marisa, Marisa cornuarietus). Repossessed as a result of an escalating adjustable rate mortgage given to some snail with questionable credit, I’m sure…

I was constantly on the lookout for a gator. Unfortunately the scrub growing along the canal didn’t give me to many opportunities to see the water. Luckily one such opportunity paid out. This is an American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). It was a bit shy and every time I moved closer to the water, it ducked under…

I’m not too sure of the following identification. There are a few factors (click on the picture if you want the details) that don’t seem to fit, but I can’t find a better fit. I think it is a camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris). They were all along the side of the dirt road…

I really liked the look of these "pine cones". It is from an Australian pine (Casuarina equisetifolia), which is not a true pine. According to the web site linked to the name, what appear to be long pine needles are not, in fact, needles but rather long, thin twigs. Huh…

I saw a LOT of green & black dragonflies. Here’s a picture of one of them eating another dragonfly…

They are eastern pondhawks (Erythemis simplicicollis). The eyes are so cool. It really makes me want to get a fancy camera instead of my little pocket camera. Something with an actual zoom lens and manual focus so I don’t have to take a hundred pictures to pick out ONE with almost the correct focal length…

One more flower before I wrap up this post. (Do go up to the Flickr set to see the other pix!)

This is a moonflower (Ipomoea alba). It blooms at night (apparently it unfurls within a couple of minutes) because it is pollinated by moths. The flower bulb is a couple of inches across - gonna be a big flower… The heart-shaped leaf in the background goes with this guy…

After I finished up my hike, I was feeling tired and a bit grubby, so I decided to skip my nightly trip to Big Bear and eat in instead. So I drove over to the Publix (mega grocery store chain) and picked up a few things that caught my eye.

Fine dining at its best! (Well, maybe not - the chorizo was pretty bland. But the plantain chips were plenty salty and garlicky; the pasta salad was tasty; and the Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale was quite nice as was expected…)

Hopefully that was an interesting mix of pix…

Post script:

Here is one of those pictures that I had not yet uploaded when I wrote this post. It is a primrose willow (Ludwigia peruviana). When I got around to picking the best of the bunch for this particular flower, I liked this one so much, I had to add it to this post…

A couple of weeks ago, as I was pulling out some spices for whatever I was cooking for dinner, I noticed a little bag of crystallized ginger. It was left over from a desert that I had made quite some time ago. (Chopped up some toasted almonds and the crystallized ginger and mixed it with some vanilla ice cream, which was served with some pears that were poached with spices in my sweet mead (with a reduction of the mead over top).)

It got me thinking, "What should I do with this stuff?"

I spent a few minutes on the innerweb looking for interesting recipes. I found a couple that seemed like they might be tasty. The first one that I made was chicken crusted with crystallized ginger and pistachios. The second, which I made on Tuesday, was chicken with peaches and crystallized ginger. Very simple, but (despite the simplicity) surprisingly good. (After the chicken was cooked, I took out the chicken, lemons & peaches and reduced the liquid some, adding a bit of corn starch to thicken it…)

To accompany it, I made rice cooked with garlic powder and the remainder of the crystallized ginger. The peach sauce was very good over the rice…

Oh yeah, with some veggies as well. Gotta have the veggies…