Pooks Canyon

After my old theater-style popcorn maker went kaput, I mourned for a while and then started the search for a smaller footprint popcorn maker. As it turned out the device was already in my kitchen... a wok!  I know I can make popcorn in a pot, but that involves so much shaking and (often) burning. With the wok, since only a small area in the lowest part of the pan is directly heated, it makes a great popcorn maker.  The heavier un-popped kernels stay near the heat source while the fluffy popped pieces spring away.  My wok is electric which makes it easy to dial-in the heat but you could do this with a regular wok on a small burner as well. To make the Wok-Corn happen, I had to study how popcorn pops. A few facts: Popcorn pops at about 350 degrees F (180 C) Before it pops the inner starches, fats, and water need to make a gel. The gel is how popcorn becomes fluffy. Once it reaches 135 psi the hull breaches.  By then, if you have a hull filled with a soft...

Great coffee does not have to cost a fortune.  As much as I want a Nespresso, or, heck, an Italian espresso machine that costs as much as a car and a live-in barista to run the thing, in the end we do the French Press thing here. While the French Press is widely lauded as a simple and inexpensive way of making superb coffee at home, often the coffee we make tastes bitter or just does not have the kick of, say, a small cup of Starbucks brewed coffee.  I find myself venturing outside the home when I really want to get pepped up. The set up. Today I resolved to stop cheating on my French Press, so I set out searching the web for the best French Press methods.  Here is what I learned: 1.) Use good beans- duh.  I bought the Pike Place whole beans from Starbucks for this project. They are similar in price to the Peets' Major Dickinson beans we previously used but give me the peace of mind that I am really replicating that jittery Starbucks brew I love so much. ...

Dang. The Niners lost. The hopeful fans. At halftime we were feeling good. Dang dang dang. Go Broncos beat those seachickens!!!!  In other news, our neighbor Natalia turned eight this weekend and Axel and I got to go to her birthday bowling extravaganza. Thanks Julie and Chris for inviting us! Axel and the birthday princess (her tiara was hurting so she took it off).  Axel gets the spare.

Not just playoffs. Division championships. Gameday preparations are underway across SF, Seattle, Denver, New England and even lil ole Chico (though there has yet to be an Aaron Rodgers sighting up here). Tonight I am getting ready for having friends over on Sunday so I am making my old standby- Pooks' Pulled Pork. It's easy: 1) Put a pork roast (shoulder aka 'butt' roast is best) in a crockpot over a bed of sliced onion. Turn on low and wait 8-10 hours (overnight works). If the roast doesn't all fit cut it into pieces and make it fit. Extra credit for browning the meat first. 2) Take the cooked roast out and pull the meat away from the bone and fat, shredding it with your fingers. Cover meat in your favorite BBQ sauce. Do whatever you want with the liquid and onions- they're not needed. 3) Reheat and serve on hamburger buns with cole slaw as a side. Hint on the slaw: a bag of pre-chopped cabbage is your friend. Dressing is just mayo with some vin...

Ham shanks were on sale at the butcher today and, since it is soup season in the Baker household, split pea soup was a natural choice. I might add that soup season made a lot more sense in Boulder, where I may be wandering in from snow shoveling or pickaxing an ice shelf. Here in Chico my only reason to keep the tradition is sheer exhaustion from fancy holiday cooking and baking.  So the soup was a new recipe from the winner of Pacifica's Fog Festival Pea Soup contest. Usually I do the boring puréed soup so this was a real departure. The big takeaways were: use carrots to sweeten the stock then remove them, add some fresh peas right at the end and make a kick ass crostini to go with it. The full recipe is here: http://blog.webicurean.com/2012/09/30/award-winning-split-pea-soup-with-gouda-crostini/ In other news, the soup took so long to make that Axel and I did not get in our afternoon disc golf round. Jon made up for it by taking me glow golfing under the full moon tonight. In the...

Tonight, for the first time ever, one of my made-up recipes was good enough for both Axel and Jon to recommend I write it down.  What better way to record it than in a blog post that may remain at the top of my blog for the next two years (see previous blog post). With no further ado, I give you Creamy Chicken and Kale Soup.  Unless you have been naughty in which case, "No soup for you!" Creamy Chicken Kale Soup • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 2 chicken breasts • 3 – 4 cups shredded kale (they sell this conveniently pre-shredded nowadays) • 32 ounces chicken stock • 2 cups half and half or milk • 1 stick of butter • ½ cup flour • ¼ cup vermouth (you could use white wine, too) • 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning • 1  teaspoon onion powder • 1 tablespoon white truffle oil (optional) Salt and pepper chicken breasts on both sides.  In a large heavy bottomed soup pot, sauté the chicken in the olive oil over medium high heat.  Brown on both si...