• the gigapxl project. and i thought our camera took some nice photos. this thing is insane. check out the gallery and see how crazy the resolution and detail is. i assume the goverment is using these to spy on me.
• the norcent DP-220 Divx DVD player. It lets you play all sorts of video formats without conversion, and it costs less than $50. We’re now finally able to watch movies in our bedroom thanks to this cheap puppy.
• dinner with robert, my main man from formaggio, and his girlfriend on friday night. and my first ever fileting of a fish was 1005 successful. A beautiful red snapper and striped bass from super 88 were the unwitting victims of my butchery.
• is there anything better than a saturday summer afternoon at jon and carolyn’s pool? i don’t think so. I spent plenty of time working on my splash-free dives, playing pool basketball, re-learning how to toss a football like a man, a little frisbee, and a little grilling, and a whole lot of relaxing. and i didn’t get a sunburn, which is always a nice bonus.
• i made my best ever grilled pizza on saturday night. i’ve been making grilled pizza for about 5 years now, but i think it’s taken me almost as long to get it to where i want it. thin, but not too thin. crispy, but still with some chew. slightly charred, but not burned. and just the right amount of toppings so that they cook completely and evenly by the time the crust is done. and it’s all about heat control. use that indirect heat to your advantage.
• an unexpected visit to the bank of america championship at nashautuk country club in concord. what used to be the senior tour is now called the “champions tour”. basically, the golfers that were big back in the early 90’s are now playing on this tour along with some guys who look like your grandfather. except they can still hit the ball a mile. our landlord gave us free tickets along with passes to the Michelob Ultra Hospitality Tent, meaning free food and drink all day. Well, with the ridiculous heat and humidity, you can imagine where we spent most of the day. Still, we walked the course a little bit and got to see some golf. We also saw Arnold Palmer, who, in that heat, I was expecting to keel over at any moment. They should really let those old guys wear shorts.
• finally, experiencing the Chef’s Whim at Craigie Street Bistrot with Gordon and Karen as our sort of good-bye dinner with them before they move to London. A pretty much perfect night with some amazing food and great company. The chef’s whim is something that craigie street does every sunday and wednesday after 9:00pm, but since they were closing for summer vacation today, last night it was all chef’s whim all night. Basically, for $35/person, you get 4 courses of whatever the chef comes up with. Be ready to eat some unusual things and be ready to eat some amazingly creative and delicious food. As you watch the food coming out of the tiny kitchen, you realize that you don’t see the same thing coming out to any table. Yes, pretty much every table is getting something different. Just incredible. And let’s talk about the food. Course One: house cured anchovies with preserved lemon and black olive vinaigrette, baby arugula and arugula flowers. Course Two: buckwheat polenta, sauteed forest mushrooms, farm fresh egg, and spruce shoot broth. Course Three: Slow Braised Fresh Bacon, vidalia onion puree, creamed greens, and spelt. Course Four: Dessert: sour milk pannacotta with local strawberries and strawberry coulis. warm sweet white corn grits, demerera brulée, and honey roasted figs. Local strawberry and peach cobbler with fresh mint ice cream. Holy crap. Everything was just utterly delicious and completely unexpected. Flavors and ingredients that I’ve never heard of or seen before, and we were just blown away. The highlight for me was the fresh bacon. Meltingly tender, flavorful, and not all all fatty-tasting. I’ve read a lot in the last year how so many places are starting to serve this and it’s the “hot” dish right now, but I’d never experienced it before. It’s definitely not for the diet-conscious, but if given the chance, definitely check it out. I’m still thinking about it now. i have a lot to say about craigie street, about the owner and chef, about their philosophy, about the atmosphere, food, and service, but to put it simply, it’s pretty much my idea of a perfect neighborhood restaurant. I wish there were more like it.
• try watching this for 20 seconds on a monday morning without yawning.

• after a 3rd attempt, i’ve finally mastered the art of sushi making. or at least have figured out how to not completely mangle the rolls or overload them with rice.
• the upside of anger
• recently added to my streaming radio station faves: KCRW. i’m sure my company is happy to know that their bandwidth is being put to good use.
• a visit to verrill farm. it’s strawberry time! coincidentally, we went there almost the exact same time last year. us, creatures of habit? nah.
• 4 of 5 attempts after i first tried, including turning the grill into a giant ball of flames, i finally managed to successfully execute chicken under-a-brick. and speaking of which, this guy used to be my camp counselor.
• remember the $7 toaster that we bought about a month ago? yeah, it doesn’t work. Dead-on-arrival. I returned it, and apparently, it was already known to be defective and was marked as such. So we splurged and bought a $10 one. this one has cool sides so we don’t kill ourselves.
• trying to pass along the madness to the rest of our family, we got susanne’s dad an ice cream maker for father’s day. i doubt it will cause the same type of craziness as it did to us, but i’m sure he’ll have some fun with it. speaking of which, this week’s flavors are peach, blackberry-chip, and chcocolate. yes, it’s true that we’ve made every batch of our own ice cream for the past 7 months.
• i’m still leading my fantasy baseball league, but my lead is slipping…
• i don’t care if they’re for chicks. luna bars are damn tasty. i hope i don’t grow boobs or something.
• from morgan spurlock, the creator of super size me, comes the FX series, 30 days. what an ourstanding show. much like the original SSM movie, he puts himself or others in life-changing situations for 30 days. in the first episode, he and his fiancee live on minimum wage for 30 days. eye opening, funny, and completely fascinating.
• in a frightening examination of our monthly magazine subscriptions, we realize that we subscribe to the following: gq, esquire, rolling stone, wired, gourmet, bon appetit, pizza today, us weekly, vanity fair, vogue, in style, lucky, real simple, and boston magazine. and i may be leaving out one or two. and yes, we manage to read them all. although i don’t read in style or lucky. but you can bet your ass that i read US weekly.

• i had another 3 day weekend this past week. i personally think that all weekends during the summer (or in this case, any month when it’s warm) should be 3 day weekends. mix it up by having friday off one week and monday off another, but wouldn’t everyone be so much happier when they always have 3 day weekends to look forward to? when i’m president, i’ll make this happen. that, and the rule that every restaurant is required by law to have tasty, wrapped mints at the door for when you leave.
• we finally saw episode 3 this weekend. and i gotta say, it was great. i had almost given up on the star wars franchise after episode 1, but after all the hype, i decided that i needed to see this. and now, of course, i need to see the original trilogy again. immediately.
• for the first time ever, i grilled pork this weekend. yes, there is actually something that i’d never cooked before. but i recently saw an cook’s illustrated article about grilling thick, bone-in pork chops, and it just sounded too good not to try. so grill them we did. brined for an hour and coated with a sweet and spicy spice rub, they turned out perfectly. i guess i’m on the pork bandwagon now. pig is good.
• for the second time in the last 3 weeks, a carpenter has made an appearance in the boston globe. check out the latest edition of the globe magazine and find the article about fresh pond. the lovely lady pictured in front of fresh pond seafood is the lovely susanne!
• in a desperate attempt to find entertainment on a day that i left my ipod at work, i went looking for streaming radio stations. i stumbled upon my new favorite radio station, and of course, it’s british. BBC 6 is commercial free, eclectic, fun, and full of great tunes. also up there on my favorite streaming stations is philly’s WXPN.
• is there anything better on a steamy afternoon than sitting by the pool, eating a burger, and being able to listen to any song in the world? thanks to jon’s new sonos system, that is now possible. so cool. it streams all of your music wirelessly around he house, integrates with Rhapsody, had all of these fun streaming radio stations that you can actually scroll through and fast forward through, and is pretty much just music overload.i enjoy the cubano station for an afternoon by the pool.
• i’m wearing khakis today. i haven’t worn khakis in probably a year.
• i went on my first run ever with jon. he’s turned into quite the runner. i give him 6 months until he decides he wants to run a marathon. it happens to all of us eventually.

• over the next few weeks, there will be some big changes coming to this site. prepare to be dazzled. and yes, i know i’ve been saying this for months now. but now the work is actually underway.
• a 3 day workweek last week was a nice thing. i’m getting too used to these short weeks. with another one this week, maybe i’ll just take every friday off this summer.
• yes, it was a bittersweet night with fooled by april’s last show ever. i know i mention them all the time, and for good reason. They’re a bunch of great guys who have followed their dream for the past 4 years trying to make it big in the music biz. I’ve seen them play dozens of times over the years, and through lineup changes, musical changes, hard times, and good times, they’ve continually made great music, played incredibly entertaining live shows, gained a failthful local following, and stayed true to who they are. They’re moving on to bigger and better things in their lives, and I know this won’t be the last we hear from them. best of luck to all them. and of course, they went out on top. headlining the paradise, at the top of their form, playing all the hits that the kids love. no hijinx, no special guests, no shmaltzy moments. just a lot of rock and a lot of love. they will be missed
• usually when i go to see shows, the opening bands sort of blow. but saturday night, i was really impressed with the redwalls. they looked like a bunch of 16 year olds dressed up like the strokes, but they sure could play. a lot of fun to see live, and from the stuff they have streaming on their website, their new album should be an interesting one to check out.
• gramps’ 85th birthday celebration at the lyceum. a good time had by all. the man is still styling, and he can still charm the ladies. go gramps!
• my car is no longer making bad noises. but now i think the window is messed up. anyone want to buy my car? i need one that doesn’t break and doesn’t cost an arm and two legs to repair. on the bright side, i was able to do the four and a half mile run to my mechanic without much pain.
• sunday lunch with dave and lisa. they’re wicked smart people.
• i watched a lot of tv shows on my computer this weekend thanks to tivo togo. it was actually the first time i used it for real as i was doing work on the new site and watching episodes of deadliest catch, a completely fascinating new series about alaskan king crab fisherman.
• also new on the tivo this week is hell’s kitchen, the new fox reality show featuring my favorite ruthless brit chef, gordon ramsay. i just don’t think americans will get him, unfortunately. he’s just too mean for sensitive midwesterners.
• we’re ready for after watching episode 1 and 2 last week. man, episode 2 sucked.

Why are people so afraid of risotto? It’s one of those dishes that people love to order at a restaurant, but would never consider trying to make at home. “Oh, it takes too long.” “I have to sit over the pot for hours stirring constantly.” “It’s too complicated.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Risotto can be made from start to finish in about 30 minutes, only requires a few ingredients, and contrary to popular belief probably started by some Italian grandmothers who wanted their ungrateful children to appreciate their toiling in the kitchen for hours, doesn’t require constant stirring. Best of all, it makes a creamy, warm, flavorful meal that will impress guests or just make a very nice meal for you.

Once the basic technique is mastered, you can make endless variations with whatever you have on hand or whatever is seasonal. Fresh peas, mint, and lemon in the spring, roasted butternut squash and sage in the winter, or sprimp and cherry tomatoes in the summer.

Probably the most important ingredient is the rice. Short grained arborio rice is what is you’ll need. It’s a short, fat rice grown mainly in the Lombardy and Piedmont regions of Italy, and its high starch content is what makes risotto so creamy. Most supermarkets carry it nowadays, often in the health or gourmet sections. Can you make risotto without arborio? Well, I’ve never tried it. My guess is that you would never get the creamy consistency that you’re looking for with another type of rice. Plus, I don’t think Mama would approve.

Risotto with Lemon, Mint, and Fresh Ricotta
Serves 4

2 medium yellow or white onions, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 rib celery, finely diced
2 cup white wine
2 cups arborio rice
8 cups chicken stock
3 oz. parmigiano-reggiano cheese
small handfull of mint, finely chopped
small handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 lemon, zested
1/4 lb. fresh Ricotta
2 Tsp olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Heat the chicken stock in a small saucepan to the side. You don’t want to add cold stock to a hot dish, so keep it over a low flame to keep it warm.
2. In a large saucepan or stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat, and add the onions, garlic, and celery and season with salt and pepper. Saute until slightly soft, being careful not to brown them.
3. Add the rice. Stir the rice, coating it completely in the oil and vegetables. You want the flavor to penetrate the rice, so this is a good way to get things started right. Saute for about 2-3 minutes or until the rice starts going slighly opaque. At this point, add the wine and keep stirring. When the smell of alcohol disappears, it’s time to start adding the stock.
4. One ladleful at a time, add the stock. Wait until the liquid has been mostly absorbed by the rice before adding the next ladle. It’s ok to add a little more as long as the rice isn’t completely covered. Stir it occassionally to make sure that the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan and to encourage the starch to come out of the rice. The rice should take about 15-20 minutes to fully cook, so check often for doneness. The rice should be coooked through but with a little bite. Remove from the heat.
5. At this point, the rice is done, but it’s time to add the flavor. Now is when you can take the risotto in any direction that you want. For this one, add the parmesan, the herbs, and the lemon juice. Stir through and then cover the pan and let it sit undisturbed for three minutes. This is when the risotto really gets creamy. After three minutes, check for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Divide between four plates, top with the grated lemon zest, a few dallops of the ricoota, a drizzle with a little of your best olive oil and an extra sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan and have at it.

Photo Courtesy of Cuisinart.com

Ok, I’ll admit it. I have a problem. It started innocently enough.
Watching the TV one night, my wife mentions that we should get a ice
cream maker. This is a pretty normal occurrence in our house, as I’m
pretty sure we’re certifiably crazy at this point. it’s not unusual to
hear at 6:00am while getting out of the shower “so, any idea what you
might want for dinner tomorrow night? Because if we want to make pizza,
I’ll start working on the dough right now.” Of course, I’d put on a
towel before starting the mixing.

We eat a considerable amount of ice cream, frozen yogurt,
sorbet, gelato, and anything else that you can scoop into a cone, and I
knew that bringing an ice cream maker into our house would be a bad
idea. You could say that I have a bit of a perfectionist streak in me,
and I knew that once we started down this slippery slope, it would not
end until we had devised the perfect recipe and technique for making
all of our icy treats. I dismissed my wife’s idea saying that it would
be just one more gadget that we’d use twice, stuff into our pantry, and
then never use again.

A few weeks pass, and the holiday season is upon us. What to
buy for my wife for Christmas? I was very satisfied with theTivo that I
bought (cough, cough) for her last year, so how could I top that this
year? A Cartier watch? A new car? I know! An ice cream maker! And I
might, you know, help her out with it a little. I go with the Cuisinart
ICE-20 Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream, and Sorbet Maker, featuring a free
second freezer bowl, bring it home, wrap it up, and put it under the
tree (this year featuring a star of David tree topper in deference to
my Jewish background), and there it sits, just waiting to be unwrapped
and take over our lives.

The big day comes, she opens the gift, and happiness ensues!
We must rush out to buy the ingredients and begin making ice cream and
frozen yogurt immediately. But what to buy? We being the health
conscious people that we are, we partake of frozen yogurt more than we
do ice cream. Will it be possible to make both delicious and sort-of
healthy treats? Our favorite store-bought brand says that it’s
possible, but will we be able to duplicate it at home?

Maybe instead of whole milk, we’ll try 1%. And we’ll buy that
organic natural plain yogurt that all the hippies are eating these
days. And heavy cream. You just can’t mess with that. We also scoop up
a bottle of high quality vanilla extract (we’re not quite ready to
invest in the expensive vanilla beans, yet) and a smaller bottle of
peppermint extract. We are ready to begin! It being the holiday season,
there is no shortage of candy canes lying around the house. The first
batch will be that favorite from our childhood, peppermint stick. I
proceed to crush up the canes using my trusty mortar and pestle; we mix
the first batch using the yogurt and 1% milk, pour it into the bowl,
and watch it start to churn away. Within a few minutes, it begins to
thicken, and the overpowering smell of mint and yogurt wafts into our
faces. A few minutes before it’s completed, I add in the crushed candy
canes. The product takes on a fanciful pink color and we’re on our way.
Mixing complete, we empty the bowl into one of the thousands of plastic
deli containers from our cupboard and inspect our first batch. It looks
temptingly creamy and delicious. we hope for success. We take our first
tastes. We look at each other, don’t say anything, and look back at the
batch. “It’s, um, pretty good.” “Mmm. Not bad.” it was bad. Overly
tangy from the organic yogurt, overly minty from too much peppermint
extract, and a little crunchy from grinding up the candy canes too
fine.

Not bad for a first try, but not even close to where we want
to be. We must try again. luckily, our model came with an extra freezer
bowl so that you can make two batches before having to wait the six
hours for the bowls to refreeze. This time we will make a
chocolate-chocolate chip. I have some milk chocolate chips in the
pantry, so we can use those. I try bashing those up in the mortar and
pestle but just end up with a big mashed clump of flattened chips. Aha,
I’ll put them in the freezer and then try it. Still no luck. Well, I
guess we can just put them in whole. Fine. We mix up another batch,
this time using just the milk and yogurt, completely leaving out the
cream. Again, we watch the magic unfold and produce a luscious looking
creamy result. We taste. Ew. Worse than the first. The yogurt is
completely overpowering. Back to the drawing board.

Is it a problem with the machine? Is it a problem with the
ingredients? Are we completely incapable of making a decent batch of
ice cream or frozen yogurt? We need a baseline. A standard. A simple,
real vanilla ice cream. Just whole milk, heavy cream, sugar, and
vanilla. No playing around with the healthy stuff. We need the real
deal. We mix up a batch, once again pour it into the machine, and let
it rip. 25 minutes later, we’ve finally done it. We’ve created the
creamiest, freshest, light-as-air vanilla ice cream we’ve ever had. Ok,
maybe we’re a little biased, but this stuff was good. A few hours in
the freezer would harden it up to the proper scooping consistency, and
we were ready to move on.

Another look at the ingredient list of our favorite frozen
yogurt lists the following as the first three ingredients: “whole milk,
heavy cream, cultured skim milk.” again, we attempt to make a frozen
yogurt, but this time use whole milk, and half heavy cream and half low
fat vanilla yogurt. The yogurt is a mass commercial brand, and thus is
sweeter, less tangy and less “yogurty” than the organic varieties. We
wait the requisite 25 minutes and keep our fingers crossed. Have we
finally cracked the code? Will this be the magic combination to our
joy? We dip our spoons into the mixture and take a taste, and we just
look at each other and smile. We had done it! It tasted just as rich
and creamy as the ice cream, and just as good as our commercial brand.
With this formula, we would be able to make any flavor that we could
imagine. The floodgates have opened. We’ve got some frogurt to make.

Where to begin? We begin rummaging through the pantry and
freezer. Some frozen thin mint cookies supplied by our friendly
neighborhood girl scouts? Bash them up and mix them into the vanilla
frozen yogurt during the last few minutes. Thin mint frogurt! A piece
of vahlrona milk (or dark) chocolate? Chop it up and mix it into mint
flavored yogurt for a high end mint chocolate chip. Some pistachios?
Chop them up and add them to vanilla for a sweet and salty treat. I
start going though the grocery store looking for anything that could be
made into an ice cream? Hmmm, shrimp? I bet I could make that into an
ice cream! Crimini mushrooms? Sure, why not? Ok, I was getting a little
bit carried away, but it was almost too easy to make such delicious
treats, and it was getting hard to stop. Banana-toasted walnut.
Raspberry-chocolate chip. Blood orange sorbet. Mango sorbet. On and on
we went. We couldn’t stop. But we had to stop. We started dreaming
about ice cream. But, oh, what wonderful dreams.