I have invented THE summertime beverage of 2009: The Shiny

equal parts good white rum and fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 parts juice of lime and juice of lemon
splash of Monin vanilla syrup to taste

Serve in a punch bowl with lots of ice and fresh strawberries to garnish.

I’m really enjoying working in an office setting. It’s been almost four years since Jed and I left Clemson University, which means it’s been four years since I’ve gotten to be a nerd for a living; since I’ve had a desk with dual monitors and a chair adjusted just so; since I could feel slightly under the weather and not have to call in sick because I can’t run or talk for eight straight hours; since I could wear whatever the hell I want (not a uniform) on the weekdays; since I didn’t look at the clock every hour and wish time would pass faster; since I felt like I wasn’t under constant scrutiny to sell, to be fast, to always be “on”. Oh, and since I could drink coffee and work at the same time.

Life is good.

After spending the last week or so at my sister’s place (a couple days of which I was on my tush battling a case of the Clemson crud) I have found a new appreciation for watching pretty people make pretty food on television. I’m talking about Food Network. Oh yeah. You know you’ve watched it. All the cool people are baking now, you know.

I’ve come to realize that the holidays are to bakers what the summer is to surfers. It’s their TIME. Secretly they wring their hands in anticipation of the opportunity to strut their cakepan stuff for their friends, family, and coworkers. Sure, Suzie Officemate may say she only brought in that perfectly presented tin of homemade gingerbread cookies because she “had extra”. But, Suzie’s just being humble. She wants us to tingle from head to toe when we put those confections in our mouths.

And food is an AMAZING option for hostess gifts, office Secret Santa, or that person who’s got everything. Watching Food Network has shown me that it’s really easy to make a tasty treat that looks as good as it eats. So, in these tough times when our pockets are a bit shallow, how about grab some ingredients from the grocery store and gift someone a snack with a handwritten card taped to it? They’ll LOVE it because you made it. For reals.

For you, a homemade link to the fun. Happy making!

I have forsaken the fork.

You read that right–No more forks for Nyco. As of the beginning of this month, it’s a spoon or chopsticks. The knife comes out during food preparation only, or to spread condiments on sandwiches. And I can still use my fingers for appropriate fare. Just no stabbing, shredding, or twisting. No cheating with sporks, either, awesome though they are.

Eating is too easy when a fork is involved–Just load that puppy up and shove the food in. When using chopsticks I consume more slowly, take smaller bites, and get to know the textures and aromas of the food as I’m choosing the pieces to separate and grasp. Also, I’m more likely to converse with the people at the table because I’m not constantly chewing and swallowing and stuffing forkfuls in. While I manipulate the morsels on the plate I talk, and because the bits that go in are smaller I can chew them more thoroughly in a shorter span of time. That way, the momentum of the conversation isn’t broken. With chopsticks, a meal is truly a meal; not simply eating.

There are health benefits worth mentioning: Increasing the time between bites means giving your body an opportunity to gauge fullness more accurately. The risk of becoming overfull is reduced, and eating less means potential for weight loss (or at least stabilization). Smaller bites mean more thorough chewing, which aides digestion. And, personally, I’m more likely to sip fluids, which helps me meet my hydration goals. Aside from looking a bit strange sometimes, there are absolutely no downfalls to using chopsticks, in my opinion.

I’m going to see if I can make it all the way through 2009 fork free. So far, December has been a piece of cake (as long as I remember to bring my own set of chopsticks with me). Chunky stew, mac ‘n’ cheese, fish fillets, mashed potatoes–all normally forkable foods haven’t been any trouble at all. Mostly, the challenge lies in my manual dexterity and hand strength, which is naturally improving. And I have to admit that figuring out how to eat the halved potatoes in Jed’s stew was an exercise in creativity. How often do you celebrate actually getting a bite of food up to your lips without dropping it? Yeah.

It’s no secret that my man can cook. He has this little recipe book that he keeps notes in; Jed’s that serious about his fixin’. So, I had to ask special permission to peek into his sacred tome and publish this delicious stew recipe, which we’ve been enjoying for the past two nights…

It’s a fantastic holiday dish, and serves a small dinner party of 4-6 people. Also, stew makes great leftovers because the ingredients “get to know each other” more the longer they sit together.

Stew (Meat + Potato Version)

Prepare this recipe in a dutch oven (we use cast iron). During preheating, put a shallow roasting pan on the bottom rack to catch inevitable drips. The total baking time is 2 hours, though the longer it goes the more tender the beef becomes.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
S+P (that’s his shorthand for salt and pepper)
6 potatoes (2 thinly sliced to help thicken stew, 4 halved to add soft bite)
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp Worcestershire
8 medium carrots (sliced diagonally, not too thinly)
1/4 cup pearly Barley (aka pearl barley)
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 lbs cubed stew beef

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F
2. On stove top, melt butter in Dutch Oven.
3. Add onions. Soften but do not brown.
4. Stir in meat, thyme, S+P to taste. Once mixed, continue to next step.
5. Add in 2 potatoes (sliced thin), chicken stock and Worcestershire. Stir, then go on.
6. Add 4 halved potatoes (for soft bite), cover, and bake for 1 hour.
7. Stir in carrots, barley, and cream.
8. Bake until tender; about 1 more hour (can go longer).
9. Serve with hearty bread.

Enjoy! If you want to see other Herzog creations, just visit the Photos page.

Please comment with questions and I’ll ask Jed for the answers.