Squidbits

The many influences of my mom

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't remember my mom in some sort of way, whether it's the perfume of a co-worker, a look Erik gives me, or Kat's love of Chapstick. She's always here. One thing my mom influenced me most on was cooking. I started cooking at a really young age, and I'm sure it's because I wanted to be like her. I thought it was fun to compare how my parents cooked things differently, one of those being eggs. My dad was really good at soft boiled eggs and omlets, but I really did (do) not like the way he makes scrambled eggs. He uses the method of putting the eggs in a bowl, whisking them together, and then cooking. They were always a little too runny for me.

But my mom on the otherhand made the best scrambled eggs, and I use her method. I don't think she ever showed me how to make scrambled eggs - I just figured it out I guess. What made them so wonderful was that she allowed the egg whites to cook so that you got to taste the two distinct flavors of an egg: the white and the yolk.

So once again I thought of my mom today as I made scrambled eggs:

Crack the eggs in really hot pan

Allow the whites to bubble and cook:

Mix up the yolks and the whites together:

And voila! Delicious scrambled eggs with the perfect white and yellow color and taste combo of the whites and the yolks:

The Omnivore's Hundred

I was forwarded this from my mother-in-law, Marilyn Mason.  The Ominvore' Hundred is a list of 100 items that Andrew Wheeler, co-author of the British food blog Very Good Taste, thinks every omnivore should try at least once in their life.

Wheeler offered this list as the starting point for a game, along the following rules:
1. Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2. Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3. Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4. Optional extra: post a comment on Very Good Taste, linking to your results.

My list is below; I am missing 21 items. After going through the list I think I could give a few of the items on the list another try, and probably could start expanding my cullinary horizons even more.

 1. Venison (Cooked it myself from venison a friend killed - delicious)
 2. Nettle tea
 3. Huevos rancheros (So many amazing places to eat this in Texas)
 4. Steak tartare
 5. Crocodile (I've had fried alligator though)
 6. Black pudding (Charlie's favorite was in a pub in KL)
 7. Cheese fondue (Not a fan of fondue)
 8. Carp
 9. Borscht (I had it in Astana, Kazakhstan)
 10. Baba ghanoush (Love it)
 11. Calamari
 12. Phở (Love it, but I like Bun better)
 13. PB&J sandwich (When I was a kid I liked to put Doritos on it as well - added a cheesy crunch)
 14. Aloo gobi
 15. Hot dog from a street cart
 16. Epoisses (I'm putting no on this, but it's quite possible I have had it in France)
 17. Black truffle
 18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
 19. Steamed pork buns
 20. Pistachio ice cream
 21. Heirloom tomatoes
 22. Fresh wild berries (My brother, Rob, and I used to pick blackberries near the duck pond in Kingwood every year)
 23. Foie Grais (I tried it once before I really knew how it was "made".  Since then I can't bring myself to eat it.  Charlie loves it.)
 24. Rice and beans
 25. Brawn, or head cheese
 26. Raw Scotch Bonnet Pepper
 27. Dulce de leche (I adore this drink.)
 28. Oysters
 29. Baklava
 30. Bagna cauda
 31. Wasabi peas
 32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
 33. Salted lassi (I don't like salted lassi)
 34. Sauerkraut
 35. Root beer float 
 36. Cognac with a fat cigar (I've had both, but not together.  Hated them both, too.)
 37. Clotted cream tea
 38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O (Jell-O shots!)
 39. Gumbo
 40. Oxtail (in soup)
 41. Curried goat
 42. Whole insects (Grasshoppers in Thailand and worms/grubs in China)
 43. Phaal (I may have, but I'm going to put a no just in case)
 44. Goat’s milk
 45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/€80/$120 or more (I hate whisky, scotch, and everything related)
 46. Fugu (Too risky)
 47. Chicken tikka masala
 48. Eel
 49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
 50. Sea urchin (It tastes like you're licking the inside of a fish tank.  I don't like it, but would probalby try it again.)
 51. Prickly pear
 52. Umeboshi (Same as Phaal - I may have tried it and not known it :-)
 53. Abalone
 54. Paneer
 55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
 56. Spaetzle
 57. Dirty gin martini (Blech)
 58. Beer above 8% ABV
 59. Poutine (OMG - this is so devine)
 60. Carob chips (Kind of gross, though)
 61. S’mores
 62. Sweetbreads (I didn't like it, but it may have been my mind playing tricks on me.  I need to give it another go.)
 63. Kaolin (I have to click yes here as I've tried kaolinite.  I mean, come on...I'm a geologist!!) 64. Currywurst
 65. Durian (I had the ice cream and that was close enough. The smell is revolting.)
 66. Frogs’ legs
 67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
 68. Haggis
 69. Fried plantain
 70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
 71. Gazpacho
 72. Caviar and blini
 73. Louche absinthe
 74. Gjetost, or brunost
 75. Roadkill (Just gross)
 76. Baijiu
 77. Hostess Fruit Pie
 78. Snail (And not just the smothered in butter and garlic snails....ones cooked in broth in Morocco.)
 79. Lapsang souchong* (I love anything smoked, and tea is no exception)
 80. Bellini
 81. Tom yum
 82. Eggs Benedict
 83. Pocky
 84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant*
 85. Kobe beef
 86. Hare (As in rabbit.)
 87. Goulash
 88. Flowers
 89. Horse (Had it my first night in Kazakhstan.  It was ok for awhile, but then I started thinking about it......)
 90. Criollo chocolate
 91. Spam (Nothing like a Spam "sushi" roll before hiking 6 miles in Kauai!)
 92. Soft shell crab
 93. Rose harissa (Charlie made harissa, but not rose.)
 94. Catfish
 95. Mole poblano (I am on a personal quest to find the best mole poblano in the world. I haven't been to Oaxaca yet, though!)
 96. Bagel and lox
 97. Lobster Thermidor
 98. Polenta
 99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
 100. Snake

The downward spiral to caffeine addiction begins

I am 34 years old (at least today I am), and up until this point in my life I have avoided the pitfall of caffeine addiction that has plagued so many of my friends and family.  I don't need caffeine to get me going in the morning or to keep me going during the day.

In comes the coffeehouse.  I like coffee, and not sissy coffee - I love espresso and the darkest of the darks.  Since about a week ago I love coffee.  I take pleasure in the experience of a cafe, drinking coffee with friends, and passing hours in a little dive of a coffeeshop whose walls are adorned with various flavors of local artwork and the guy or gal behind the counter has a PhD in Java.

I didn't grow up in the north where kids huddle in coffeeshops over their favorite brew to keep warm and to socialize.  So, when I went to D.C. this past Christmas I decided I'd missed out on so many good cups of joe that I drank more coffee in those 6 days than I have in the last 6 months.

The coffee craze followed me home, and last Thursday I had my second trip to Catlina Coffee in Houston.  I had an experience.  I am *still* thinking about the coffee I drank:  Cubana Breve.  I am always trying to find the right mix of coffee, foam, and sweet, and this was the jackpot.

While searching for some info on the little coffeeshop, I found a cool blog of a guy who wrote about it and also has some cool photos.  Check it out:  http://blog.jeremey.com/jeremeys_weblog/2007/11/catalina-coffee.html  Take Jeremey's advice and send some business to Catalina!