Archive for August, 2009

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Muffins – Round Three

August 31st, 2009, posted in Food & Drink

OK, took another stab at recreating those cottage cheese muffins. Got closer, but still not quite there.

I was missing a tang, and there were some dark chewy bits on the edges that I haven’t yet captured so I made some adjustments. I also thought they needed a hint of sweetness so thought I’d pop a bit of sugar in there to take the savoury edge off. I was going to sour milk with lemon juice, only to discover I was out of milk, so I went with what I had on hand. So this is where I ended up yesterday.

1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp cottage cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp softened butter
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
~ 2-3 Tbsp grated aged cheddar cheese
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

mix dry stuff in one bowl, wet stuff in another, mix together until just moistened through. Pile into 6 greased muffin cups.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes

Results?

Better. Nice and chewy, moist, I got those chewy bits (cheddar) and they tasted a bit more rounded in flavour (sugar and vanilla). But the lemon rind (although very very tasty) didn’t belong. While it is very yummy in there, it didn’t match with the bakery muffins.

Next Steps?

I still am not quite capturing the same tang as in the originals. So I might drop the buttermilk from the equation and try yogurt. I make my own at home and it has a nice tang. A bit of lemon juice might help it along but the lemon rind has to go. Otherwise, I think I’ll leave everything the same for the next attempt.

Note

I went to a different Solly’s bakery this week to grab muffins to taste my own against and discovered something….. not all Solly’s cottage cheese muffins are created equal. The one’s from the 8th and Yukon bakery were much better than the ones from the Broadway bakery, definitely more moist and flavourful. Perhaps it was just luck of the day and the ones I bought on Friday were baked my a newbie. Not sure…but the first muffins were definitely better than these last ones. So, obviously I’ll have to buy some more and see where the real pattern lies….

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Privacy Issues

August 28th, 2009, posted in Critical Thinking, Random Musings

In an interesting news story this past week, Trash-talking anonymous bloggers should take heed of recent case or face suit, a blogger was identified by Google as the person behind the online defamation of a Canadian model.

Privacy is a funny thing, we all want it (well at least the vast majority do), but we do very different things with it, and some people really do abuse it. Anonymity can bring out some very undesirable character traits. It’s like the pack mentality in a riot, people who would normally not participate in certain acts, do so because of a feeling of anonymity within the crowd.

Likewise, the semblance of anonymity online allows people to do and say things they normally would not. That’s not always a negative thing, whistle blowers and watch dogs could become political (or worse) targets for those being brought to justice.

But anonymity in daily blogs and such, well, to me it’s a case of… if you wouldn’t say it out loud to people you know…perhaps it’s best left unsaid.

The internet is a vast collection of information that never goes away. Case in point: I wrote a letter to the North Shore News many years ago when we were battling a street closure that severely impacted our condo unit. That letter was published in the paper and after a long and nasty battle with District, the block was partially removed and life went back to almost normal. But that letter is still out there, I can find it with a relatively simple search. Even if you write something and then delete it… or if someone else writes something and deletes it…. there is still a cache out there somewhere and you can still find it.

I’m all for privacy, but there are certain aspects of my life that are forever out there. Because I have published in scientific journals and written for a couple of government bodies, teach online courses for UBC, volunteer for several groups etc… a quick Google search of my name brings up all sorts of things.

So what’s the big deal about privacy? Everything you do every day leaves a trail. If it’s something you don’t want the general population to know about you, keep your mouth shut and your fingers to yourself and off the keyboard.

That said… for some stupid reason I have an issue with getting a Nexxus pass to cross the border more easily. Why? Because it involves being finger printed. I have no reasonable reason to not be printed… it just bothers me to have my finger prints on a database somewhere….

Do I agree with the ruling that forced Google to identify the blogger? You bet I do! If you write a letter to the editor and hope to have it published, you need to identify yourself. If you verbally defame someone, you are liable. I think the internet has made it too simple for people to make unjustified attacks and get away with them. Anonymity allows people to carry out written vindictive assaults without accountability. To me it is another indication of the general trend towards lack of personal responsibility. We are all responsible for our actions and should be held accountable for the manner in which we present our views. By all means, do present your views, but do it in a socially acceptable and reasonable manner.

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The Aye-Aye and I

August 28th, 2009, posted in Books

I had never heard of Gerald Durrell (the little brother of Lawrence Durrell) until a friend introduced me to his writing just before we went off to the Ionian this past Spring. He was British and was hauled off to Corfu as a child where he became interested in the natural world. Later in life he founded the Jersey Zoo (The Island of Jersey in the UK).

I have to admit that I don’t have a fuzzy feeling for zoos. Here in Vancouver we have the most pathetic excuse for a game farm that many feel does more harm than good. But I also recognize that without wildlife preservation societies, there are many species that would likely have gone extinct by now.

While the Aye-Aye and I is a cute read, it also highlights the efforts that some people have gone to in order to gain access to severely threatened animals in an attempt to preserve the species.

It’s a funny read, but also a good reminder that zoos have their place.

If you haven’t read a Gerald Durrell book before, don’t start with this one though, start with My Family and Other Animals, it will give you some history and definitely bring a lot of laughter.

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Walk in the Woods

August 27th, 2009, posted in The Environment

I love living in North Vancouver. Partly because I need to be near the ocean, partly because…. it’s not quite Vancouver … I am separated from Vancouver by the water and a large forest (Stanley Park). But also partly because I am so close to the real forest. North Vancouver is sandwiched between the mountains and the ocean and dissected by many, many rivers and creeks. I love that all I have to do is take pretty much any road in North Vancouver and head up…and eventually the road will end…and the bush will start…and invariably there is some kind of a trail that leads into the depths of the rainforest.

I think some people lose the respect for the forest (if they ever had it to begin with) that should inherently be in all of us. Yes, it is close to the city and is therefore accessible to all…. but it has it’s dangers too.

The North Shore Mountains are home to all sorts of creatures, from squirrels and skunks and raccoons and coyotes…to the more dangerous (not that I’m saying those four don’t come with their own dangers) many black bears and mountain lions that reside close by.

I needed to get out of the condo yesterday and took a drive out to Deep Cove. But it was crawling with tourists and I was seeking some solitude. As I drove back down Mount Seymour Parkway I realized I had never driven up Berkley beyond Belloc (where my Uncle used to live) and turned the corner on a whim.

I drove up and up and, what a shocker..eventually the road ended and there was not one…. but three trails to choose from. I wandered into the cool forest and was instantly enveloped by the kind of quiet one only encounters when they stuff earplugs in their earls. I could hear a Stellar’s Jay a ways off and eventually it flew out of range. There were no other birds in the area, or if they were they were having a siesta. There was no breeze, so not a rustle was heard in the tall cedars. I love cedar forests for the floor, it is dense and would put most sound recording rooms to shame with it’s ability to muffle any noise. Walking heavily produces a dull thud at best…. and silence usually.

I didn’t go very far as I only had my flip flops on. But it was enough to just stand in the shadow of the massive cedars and breathe in the peace.It felt like the forest was tired. The greens were dark and full, that late summer green that generally foretells of the impending fall just around the corner. The sunlight barely trickled through the tight canopy.

Eventually a jogger came through the woods and my solitude was broken, but the short peace had been a welcome reprieve, and enough to reassert the hold this place has on my being.

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Gas or Charcoal …..?

August 26th, 2009, posted in Food & Drink

That age old debate. OK, well maybe not “Age old”…. but it’s been going for a long time…. since the invention of the gas BBQ anyway. People have a love of the grill, and the debates and competitions rage unabated.

To barbecue means to slow-cook meat at a low temperature for a long time over wood or charcoal, such a long history charcoal has as a fuel, it’s use as such has been dated back as far as 5,500 BC. But wood is bulky, and charcoal only slightly less so.

Enter the briquette! In 1897, a patent was filed for the modern day charcoal briquette. There are stories circulating that Henry Ford invented the very first briquette in 1920 with the help of Thomas Edison. However, the 1897 patent obviously predates this and Ford and Edison both knew Zwoyer. However, Ford did create a briquette from the wood scraps and sawdust from his car factory. E.G. Kingsford bought Ford’s briquette and placed it into commercial production.

The first charcoal barbecue was introduced into North America in the 1950′s and it has evolved since then. What started as a coal filled pit with a spit to turn the meat placed over is now the modern barbecue we see in our local home improvement stores. Of course there have been several major advances in the charcoal barbecue over the years. The first was the introduction of lighter fluid. This made it easier to get the fire started and along with charcoal briquettes brought barbecuing into mainstream American culture.

Gas BBQ’s arrived on the scene around the late 1960′s – early 1970′s and the great debate began. Gas or charcoal? And it’s never ended. I’ve always gone both ways…so to speak. We had a gas grill at the house and I always loved to light it….. close the lid, turn on the gas….wait a moment or two, open and toss in a match from a few feet back and hear that satisfying whooomph that always drew a bellow from my father as it rattled the windows. Safe? Of course not! Fun? Always!! But at the cabin we had a Hibachi.

In the taste tests…hands down charcoal won every time. You just don’t get that rich, smokey flavour from gas. And those indoor electric things? Who’s idea was that? Dad wanted to buy us one a few times and we steadfastly refused every time. The whole point of BBQing is to be outside! When I lived in PG we BBQ’d year round! 40 below…absolutely! Light ‘er up!

When Kirk and I moved to Vancouver we started with a Hibachi, but living in a small apartment with a teensy balcony, we eventually bought a small portable BBQ and a 5lb propane tank. We used it a fair bit until we moved to north vancouver and had a larger outdoor space with an area that did not have a roof overhang…perfect location to make the transformation back to charcoal and return to that lost flavour sensation. We gave our little gas BBQ to a friend and bought a wonderful Weber Bar-B-Kettle and have never looked back. Heck, he’s even done the Christmas turkey on the rotisserie over charcoal!

The only significant change we made to our grilling was a shift away from briquettes and the associated health issues with cooking over little black pucks held together with nasty glues that make their way into the food above. We took a BBQ course at DuBrulle’s Culinary Insititute and they introduced us to Royal Oak Lump Charcoal (available at Canadian Tire) No chemicals, no glues, starts quickly without lighter fluid (shove a piece of paper and light it like a real fire…it IS real wood afterall). It burns hotter than briquettes, and snaps and crackles in the most satisfying manner…because it is a real fire!

When we bought the boat, we hunted around and bought a small charcoal boat BBQ by Force 10. And it has been wonderful, although it takes a bit more to get going… and is a bit smokey…. and here is where the life altering event occurred….

We bought a new, large, Dickinson gas Sea-B-Cue for the boat….. shocking, I know! But we have smoked out people too often… and although we will miss the superior taste of charcoal on the boat… we now no longer have to store a big bag of lump charcoal somewhere… no, now we will join the ranks of boaters who forget to bring the propane along…. but we will have dinner earlier than before… and we won’t draw the fireboat over….

But we will never give up charcoal at home!!! Long Live the Weber!

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