Steve's Notebook

After reading Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson several times to my 3½ year old daughter at bedtime this past week, she began taking an interest in the “honey cakes” that Gopher baked for Bear in the story.  She started saying, “I want some honey cakes too!”.  It was an interesting proposition, so I agreed to bake her some honey cakes this weekend.

I did some research.  ”Honey cakes” can refer to many things.  Are they Jewish “lekach” honey cakes traditionally eaten for Rosh Hashanah?  Could they be German “honigkuchen” traditionally baked as a Christmas treat?  Or perhaps the book refers to the fictitious “honey-cakes” baked by Beorn the shape-shifter in The Hobbit (this one actually makes some sense because Beorn could assume the appearance of a bear)?  Whatever recipe I decided on, I had one major requirement:  the honey cakes had to be “the same one, like Bear eat”.

In the end, this is what I came up with:

Looks like I got the shape and texture right, but I should have sprinkled some raisins on top before putting them in the oven.  My daughter loved it though, and that’s all that matters.  Here’s my recipe:

ingredients:

1 cup sprouted wheat flour

0.25 tsp salt

1.25 tsp baking powder

0.33 cup raisins

4 tbsp butter, melted

0.5 cup honey

large egg, beaten

dash ground cinnamon

dash ground ginger

dash ground cloves

directions:

Preheat oven 350°F.  Mix all ingredients together well.  Dollop big spoonfuls of mix onto a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.   Bake 15 minutes.

Special thanks to these recipes I found online for inspiration and guidance:  Munchy Honey Cakes, Honey Cake, Honey and Spice Loaf Cake, and Just-as-sweet-as-honey Cake

As 2012 winds to a close, it’s time to reflect on some of the highlights of the year.  Here are some of my favorite discoveries of 2012, in no particular order:

Nightwish Imaginaerum

Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band.  Their latest album Imaginaerum is one of those few albums where almost every song could be a hit single.  Robust with a wide range of different styles of songs, I’ve been listening to this album for almost a year and it still hasn’t gotten old.

The 4-Hour Chef, by Timothy Ferriss

Okay, I have to admit that I’m a total Tim Ferriss fanboy, but seriously, each one of his books packs enough information to change your life several times over.

Green Mountain Special Reserve Colombia Geisha K-cups

I’ve had truly great coffee before, but never of the Geisha variety.  Geisha coffees are the most sought-after variety by coffee connoisseurs.  If you ever get to try it, taste it black with no cream or sugar at first.  Chances are, the coffee itself would be so pleasant that you wouldn’t want to add anything to it.

Samuel Adams Norse Legend

This is not the type of beer I normally prefer, as I tend to like really dark stouts, but this Sahti beer is really growing on me.  In fact, I already drank about 5 bottles of the stuff (and I’m someone who rarely buys the same beer twice).

Evernote

This is the one program that can digitize all of your paper.  It works with PC and Mac, iPhone and Android, and others.  All your information is stored on a cloud so it can be accessible from anywhere and from almost any device.

Phil’s Bar and Grille, in Saugatuck, Michigan

We were still talking about how good the Broasted Chicken was even weeks after our vacation to Michigan.  And this is also a good place to try the famed Michigan Lake Perch if you’re a visiting tourist.

Jude’s Chuck Roast recipe

A recipe from The 4-Hour Chef (featured above), this is so simple and foolproof to cook, and so delicious.  Here’s the shorthand recipe exactly as from the book:  ”350F 2½-3 hr:  Cook 2½lb chuck, 1 can beef broth, 1 can French onion soup, 1 can consommé”.

The Path Cabernet Sauvignon

I think this brand of wine is made exclusively for Wegman’s grocery stores by Don & Sons winery.  It’s cheap ($6), but I love it.

Disney Dream cruise to the Bahamas

My first cruise ever, and a whole lot of fun.  We brought the kids (ages 6 months and 2), and it turned out to be a life-changing experience for the 2-year-old.

Wegman’s Sweet Pu-erh tea

These are small individually wrapped sweet pu-erh tea bricks.  The tea is very drinkable and aromatic.  Adding some Chrysanthemum flowers to the pot enhances the taste.

Breville Control Grip Immersion Blender

So simple to use and easy to clean that I blend things a whole lot more in the kitchen now.  It sure beats the Cuisinart food processor we have that is so hard to clean and so unwieldy to use that we never use it.  Blending food is fun again.

I bought a pork tenderloin last week and really had no idea how to cook it.  As usual, the simplest solution comes from the South.  I found this recipe in Mama Dip’s Kitchen.

Basically, I sliced the tenderloin, breaded it in flour, then fried it in a skillet.  Mama Dip then recommended letting it sit covered in half a cup of hot water to soften it all up.

Trappist monks make some of the best beer in the world, and Westmalle is my favorite Trappist ale so far (I think I have tried beer from 5 of the 7 Trappist monasteries that brew beer commercially)

Young Nolan Ryan on a 2011 baseball card.  Maybe they should have used a more current picture, like this one:

Now if I could just find the time to finish opening my 2011 cards…

Both Eric Hosmer and Brandon Belt debuted last season.  Both are big left-handed first basemen.  I’m not sure what else they have in common to make them a “Diamond Duo”.  They don’t even play in the same league.

On a side note, Brandon Belt has a very intimidating nickname.  It’s “Baby Giraffe”.

They call this card a “Cognac Diamond Anniversary Short Print”…

…and they wonder why regular people don’t collect baseball cards anymore.

So did steroids help him get the MVP award last season, or is it all just a big misunderstanding?

Combined, these two guys made almost $50 million last year.  They are truly treated like royalty in New York.

I have here C.J. Wilson’s 2002 rookie card, back when he was a minor leaguer.  He’s been making headlines recently after pitching in the World Series in October (and losing), then signing a 5-year $77.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last week.

Sumatra Mandheling

Lexington Coffee Roasters

This cup has sort of a burnt orange peel taste to it.  Very juicy and pleasing to drink.  This would make a great breakfast coffee or go well with some light pastries in the afternoon.  8/10

Bali Kintamani

Lexington Coffee Roasters

Very sweet strawberry aroma with the sourness of red wine.  Very light and subtle.  I made the mistake of adding cream and sugar, which completely drowned out the coffee flavors.  7/10

Espresso Giusto

Lexington Coffee

A well-balanced cup with syrupy body and chocolate notes.  It hasn’t been roasted to oblivion, so you can still taste hints of berry.  Pretty good, 8/10.

Ethiopia Sidamo Guji

Lexington Coffee Roasters

This coffee got a very high 94 points on Coffee Review, and it was well-deserved.  It’s one of the few coffees that I enjoy black more than when dressed up with cream and sugar.  These beans were dried in-fruit and roasted lightly, giving it a very herbal and fruity aroma that is very heavy on the blueberry.  And it was roasted right here in Virginia!

This one gets 10/10, as one of the best coffees I’ve tried all year.

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of Topps baseball cards, Topps produced all these really sparkly “diamond” cards.

Here’s a new gimmick that’s been popular over the past few years.  It’s a piece of leather embroidered with “Ryan #34″ embedded into the card, to make it look as if it were a piece of Nolan Ryan’s glove.  However, Nolan Ryan himself has never been anywhere near this patch of leather.  Most likely, the card was manufactured in China and packed by immigrants in the US before coming into my hands.

The secondary gimmick is that only 99 of these cards were made.  This one is serial numbered 80/99.

Taylor Teagarden?  Isn’t he one of those fringe players who is too good for the minor leagues but not quite good enough for the major leagues?  So what’s so special about this card?  Well this is a very rare “Topps Black” card.  Only 60 of these cards were made, and this particular card is serial numbered 51 of 60.

Hey look what I found in a pack of baseball cards this week.  It’s a patch of Joba Chamberlain’s sweaty workout pants stuck to a piece of cardboard!

Certified autograph card of Buster Posey!

Posey won the 2010 National League Rookie of the Year Award, but missed most of the 2011 season after he got his leg mangled in a home plate collision early in the season.

Special Reserve La Union Mexico

Green Mountain Coffee

Whole Bean, brewed on Cuisinart Grind’n'Brew

Deep aroma of berries. Complex pomegranate, berries in the mouth, light smokey flavors on the finish. I don’t taste the citrus that is touted on the packaging. 9/10

Tanzanian Gombe Reserve

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters

Whole bean, medium roast, single origin Tanzania, brewed on autodrip

From the packaging: “Floral aroma, hints of tropical fruit, and a milk chocolate body”

I’d have to agree with the packaging, and I’ll rate this a 7/10.

Sumatran Lake Tawar

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters

Dark roast, ground, Sumatra, brewed with Cuisinart Grind’n'Brew

Very smokey burnt flavors with faint hints of caramel. 7/10

Summer Safari Blend

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters

Medium Roast, Ground, Summer Seasonal, Blend, Brewed on Cuisinart Grind’n'Brew autodrip

Slight coffee cherry aroma. Some astringency and berry notes, followed by a robust roasted flavor on the aftertaste. 7/10

Allegro Vienna Roast

Whole bean, medium roast, prepared with Cuisinart Grind’n'Brew

Faint burnt aroma, smooth in the mouth, followed by a burnt aftertaste.  Very flat with not much complexity.  If you like using flavored creamers, this coffee should be ideal.  4/10

Peg Leg Imperial Stout

Clipper City Brewing Company, Baltimore, MD

Fruity aroma, very drinkable, liqour aftertaste, but seems a bit weak for an imperial stout. 6/10

Aooni

Yoho Brewing Company, Nagano, Japan

India Pale Ale

For the record, I have to admit my bias against India Pale Ales.  It’s my least favorite style of beer.  Aooni does nothing to make me change my mind.  While it’s unbelievably smooth and frothy in the mouth, it leaves a harsh hoppy aftertaste that stays in the back of your throat until you cleanse your palate with something else.  Do not like…  3/10

Last week, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued its eight millionth patent.  That means eight million distinct inventions published with no duplicates… it’s quite an amazing feat.  the official USPTO site has the full story, but here’s a quick summary:

1911

1,000,000 Vehicle-Tire

1935

2,000,000 Vehicle Wheel Construction

1961

3,000,000 Automatic Reading System

1976

4,000,000 Process for Recycling Asphalt-Aggregate Compositions

1991

5,000,000 Ethanol Production by Escherichia Coli Strains Co-Expressing Zymomonas PDC and ADH Genes

1999

6,000,000 Extendible Method and Apparatus for Synchronizing multiple files on two different computer systems

2006

7,000,000 Polysaccharide Fibers

2011

8,000,000 Visual Prosthesis

It’s interesting to note the acceleration in how fast each milestone was reached and also the shift in the types of inventions made.  The last million patents were issued in just the last 5 years!  You can also see the shift from mechanical inventions to genetic to computing to chemical to prosthesis.  Will we see the 9 millionth invention in 2015?  What sort of invention will number 9,000,000 be?

Tokyo Black

Yoho Brewing Company, Nagano, Japan

Porter

I’ve never had a porter in a can, so I just had to try this when I saw it at the local Whole Foods Market.  It has a sweet molasses aroma and tastes silky and foamy in the mouth.  Very little flavor while in the mouth, but the rich chocolaty malt flavors hit you on the aftertaste after you swallow.  Much like a Guinness, but smoother and not as bitter.  7/10