Vegas Day One

Ah, culture shock. On my flight out from SFO, I finished Terry Theise's galley. I'll write more about it in another post, but, suffice it to say I was immersed in thoughts of riesling and terroir and the Mosel. Stepping off the plane at the Vegas airport, with its lights and slot machines and smoking was a change.

Our original agenda had included Amy picking me up at the airport and later heading to dinner at Lotus of Siam. Turns out neither of those things happened. Traffic was bad and I ended up beating Amy to town by several hours. I took a cab to the hotel, checked in, and, wisely, napped. After Amy arrived, we headed into the bowels of the Grand Arena to meet with her ACM insider who gave us our tickets to the show Sunday, wristbands for access to shows Friday and Saturday nights and mentioned that we might be able to see some rehearsals that very night.

So rather than heading across town to Lotus we ended up at Craftsteak, essentially across the hall from the arena in the MGM. The food was better than I expected and service was quite good. I started with a Manhattan, which if lacking the flavor of my homemade brandied cherries, was excellent. Amy perhaps wisely went for prosecco. Having not eaten since a pork bun at SFO, I ate a few too many of the warm parkerhouse rolls with butter. To start we shared the fried zucchini blossoms which were served attached to the young squash. We then both went for the surf & turf entree: filet mignon with in my case lobster and in her case scallops. I had a glass of Cep Syrah and she had more prosecco. My filet was perfectly cooked and although the lobster suffered by comparison to the recently discussed Neptune Oyster version, it was still sweet and tender. Like a lot of food in Vegas, it was both enjoyable and over priced.

By the time we finished our entrees it was time to head over for rehearsals. The arena was set up for the swards, with an elaborate stage and multiple cameras. When we arrived Reba McEntire was on stage. Reba is one of my daughters favorites as she is a redhead and sang on one of K's favorite songs: Cowgirls Don't Cry. Reba will host the ceremony. We heard just a little bit of her before she disappeared off behind stage to be replaced by a stand-in. She was followed by Carrie Underwood, who 3 times performed her new song Temporary Home. Finally Rascal Flatts played Unstoppable three times as well. To an outsider, all three performers seemed focused and hardworking, interacting little with the 100 or so of us in the audience.

After rehearsals and a margarita we headed out to walk the strip. I've never been to Vegas before so it was interesting to see that it really is a sort of adult Disneyland or perhaps a larger, gaudier version of the French Quarter. But that may be my response to the open containers. Finally, we headed back to the hotel, too tired to see one last show.

On tap for today, more rehearsals: Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Toby Keith followed by a Miranda Lambert concert. Hoping to fit in dinner at Lotus of Siam as well. More later.

Rhone Rangers

The day after Rhone Rangers I was asked to write up some thoughts on the event. They have ended up here: http://palatepress.com/2010/04/rhone-rangers-distinctive-california-wines-from-old-world-varieties/
Note that this article was written almost entirely on my trip to Disneyland. That explains quite a bit.

April Can Jam: Herbs

I must admit that I was disappointed when herbs was announced as the focus of the April Can Jam. Not that I do not love herbs, but here in the Bay Area the markets are full of rhubarb and strawberries. That, and I am down to my last jar of strawberry jam.
However, we forged ahead with our usual decision to engage in several projects on canning day. Lisa's parents were in town and her father worked on a pepper relish that looked and smelled wonderful. For our can jam item, Lisa and I made two kinds of pickled beets: yellow with herbs and red with herbs and red wine and the recipe I will describe below: Kumquats with Mint.

Kumquats aresmall, oval citrus fruits. They are usually between one to two inches long and have leathery orange or yellow skin. The fruit has a sweet outer skin and a tart inner flesh. The fruit can be eaten whole or some people prefer eating only the skin.
Our recipe was based on one from the classic Ball Home Preserving book.
Makes six 8 oz jars and in our case several jars of syrup which we did not process but did refrigerate.

3 lbs kumquats, stems removed
2 2 tbsp baking soda
Boiling water
1 cup mint leaves (we tied them into a cheesecloth bundle)
6 cups granulated sugar

In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine kumquats and baking soda. Add boiling water to cover and set aside for 5 minutes. Transfer to a colander over a sink and drain thoroughly, rinsing 3 times. Prick each kumquat twice with a toothpick to prevent bursting. (We used a fork).

In a clean stainless steel saucepan, combine kumquats, mint, and 8 cups water.Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and heat gently for 7 minutes. Add sugar and cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly but gently until sugar has dissolved and liquid has almost returned to a boil. Discard mint.

Pack kumquats loosely in jars to within a generous 1/2 of top. Add one mint leaf to each jar. Ladle hot syrup into jar leaving 1/2 inch head space. Wipe rim and screw lid until it is fingertip tight.

Process for for 30 minutes.

In spring a Girl's Mind

turns to baseball. My love of baseball often surprises those who do not know me well. They think of me as a basketball fan, as a short woman who still plays when she can. Of someone who longtime friends know had a Chris Mullin scrapbook in junior high. But, baseball was my first sports love.

The story begins long before I was born. I have a childhood memory of a story, possibly untrue, that my maternal grandfather once tried out to play major league baseball. In those days, baseball did not pay as it does now, and in the story, he turned his back on the game because with 17 children in his family they needed a stable and steady income. Even today I have no idea if the story was true, but it made an impact.

My father is from Brooklyn, born and raised. In fact, he met my mother when they both worked for the Brooklyn Public Library system. My older brother and the rest of my Dad's immediate family were all born in Brooklyn. Growing up, my father was a devoted Dodgers fan. He attended games, listened on the radio and followed the Dodgers we have all read about--Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, etc. He raised my brother and I on these stories. In the stories, his heart was broken year after year as his team was invariably the second best in baseball. As soon as I was old enough I read The Boys of Summer, which confirmed both my father's stories and the romance of the Dodgers.

Unlike my brother, I was born in Connecticut. By that point my parents had left Brooklyn to raise their family and settled in a small town west of Hartford. This is crucial, as geography in Ct apparently has a strong influence on baseball loyalties : http://news.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/08/18/do-you-live-in-a-yankees-town-or-red-sox-one/ We were on the Red Sox side of the line. I tend to think, that even had we been on the other side, we would have been Red Sox fans. Given my father's childhood loyalties, there was really no chance he could ever be a Yankees fan.

Many of my early childhood memories involve hearing baseball on the radio in the neighborhood as we played outside on long summer nights. We collected baseball cards, despairing over ever having a complete set of Red Sox. We traded cards, always excited to find a fan of a different team who might be willing to part with a much needed card. As we got a little bit older my father started taking us to games at Fenway. In those days, one could go to games at Fenway without spending hours online to buy tickets. He would pile my brother and I in the car, generally with our across the street neighbor Sean and later assorted other friends and buy tickets for the whole group in the bleachers. We were taught to keep score, following the game with pencils in hand. I still have memories of a program from one season with the cover "HOT" for the pitchers Hurst, Ojeda and Tudor. We cried in 1978 and although Tom and Sean would probably not admit it, in 1986 as well. We were, much like my Dad's beloved Dodgers, often the second best team in baseball.

Of course, we had favorite players. As my brother was the oldest, he had first choice and opted for Fred Lynn. I'm assuming that Sean and I flipped a coin as he went next and selected Dwight Evans. For those who remember the Red Sox outfield of theose years my player is obvious: Jim Rice. Rice was an unlikely favorite player for a young girl, famous for being sullen with the press and lacking the glamour of Lynn. But, I was loyal. His card was the one I searched for most. I tracked his at bats with the kind of devotion that in later years is generally only found in those who participate in fantasy sports leagues. Rice, for those who do not know, was a power hitter. Before Bonds, McGuire and the constant talk of drugs in baseball, he was a player that could make the stadium stop for an at bat. Would he come through with a home run or would it be the dreaded double play? Those moments stay with me, the silence that comes over the stadium as all eyes focus on one thing alone. Jim Rice ended up playing his entire career with the Red Sox. Wikipedia tells me that his career spanned 1974-1989, essentially my entire childhood. In 2009, when he was at long last elected to the Hall of Fame, my entire family called me within a 10 minute window.

I went to college in Baltimore where, pre Camden Yards, one could decide at the last minute to attend a game. Memorial Stadium was a relatively short walk from campus and we went to many games on the spur of the moment. Of course, once they built Camden Yards that all changed and tickets became both too scarce and too pricey for students. Cal Ripken aside, the Orioles were not my team. But, they had Jon Miller, one of, if not the best radio announcers in the game and listening to him was a joy, even when the games were not.

When I moved to the Bay Area, rooting for the A's was not an option. As a Red Sox fan, there was no chance for another American League team. So, the Giants became my local team. Soon they had there very own new stadium in Pac Bell and even brought in Jon Miller to do play by play. I won't go into the Barry Bonds drug situation, but will say that the games I attended during his home run quests were electric.

Today, of course, we hear about Red Sox Nation. My daughter knows the Red Sox as winners rather than the heartbreak of my childhood. Her first live baseball game was a Red Sox victory over the A's in Oakland where it seemed that most of the fans were rooting for the away team. I relaxed my rules about non-traditional colors and bought her a pink Red Sox hat. She doesn't yet love baseball as I did. But, as I was driving home from work yesterday, listening to Jon Miller on the radio, I thought that this might be the year that she can learn to keep score, pencil and all.

Fava Blossoms

Fava flowers from my garden. These are gorgeous, but I am looking forward to beans. Though, I have heard the leaves are tasty?

Easter Eggs

The colors we are starting with this year.

Easter week re-post. This year we seem to have mainly green and brown eggs onhand and I am very curious to see how the colors come out.

 For several years now I have meant t experiment with so-called natural dyes for Easter Eggs. Thekitchn and Martha Stewart have published gorgeous photos of eggs dyed with vegetables, teas, and vinegar. This year, having just gotten back from Disneyland last night, I convinced my daughter to give it a try.
We started with a head of purple cabbage, both yellow and red onion skin and beets. We chopped the cabbage roughly and put in a large pot with water to cover. The beets were shredded and put in their own pot while the skins were peeled off the onions and placed in individual pots as well. I brought all pots to a boil and then simmered. I then drained the liquid into glass containers, added 3 tablespoons white vinegar and left to cool while I hard boiled two dozen eggs.

After allowing time for the eggs and liquids to cool, and for our guests to arrive we placed the eggs in liquids and refrigerated. The results are below. Can you guess which vegetables led to which colors?

Disneyland

So many blog posts have been written about visiting Disneyland. This post will make no attempt at all to be complete. I spent 2.5 days there this past week with my daughter (almost 8), my childhood best friend and her daughter (almost 6). Both girls have birthdays the first week of April so this was a bit of a birthday trip for both of them.

Katie and I flew down to LAX mid day on Wednesday and took a shuttle down to our hotel, The Grand Californian. Located steps from a private entrance into Disney's California Adventure, this is the newest of the Disney hotels. Unlike many of their properties, it is not filled with character images. In fact, the only Disney image at all in our room was Bambi on the forest scene shower curtain. Instead, the hotel is designed in an arts and crafts style, with exposed beams and multiple fireplaces. Our room featured one queen size bed and a bunk bed, as when informed of the possibility the kids wanted to try one. Although this hotel is often expensive, with the park pass and hotel fees it turned out to be very little more than a less convenient off-site property.

Just a few thoughts on rides:
My favorite was the Grizzly River Run in CA Adventure. Strapped into round "rafts" you cruise through the rapids and down several small and one large drop. We rode it at least five times. Other hits at CA Adventure were Soarin' Over CA, the large ferris wheel and the Muppets in 3D show.
At Disney itself, the favorites were Small World, the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Jungle Cruise and the Spinning TeaCups. The more adventurous almost 6-year-old loved the Matterhorn, Splash Mountain and Space Mountain. Katie avoided those.

The park was crowded as it was school vacation week, so we found it best to start early in the day at the parks and head back to the hotel for a swim before returning to the parks in the evening. Foodwise, well, it is Disney. I had a mediocre yet edible breakfast burrito in Disneyland one morning, a not great not bad club sandwich from room service, surprisingly good nachos at White Water Snacks in our hotel, a buffet with decent sliced beef and roasted asparagus also at out hotel at Storytellers Cafe. Drinkwise, the wine list was over priced and not inspiring. My friend had brought a couple of bottles and it was easier to just open them in the room. I did have a not-bad manhattan at Storytellers.

Other things of note: Great excitement to discover an I-Carly bear at Build a Bear in Downtown Disney. Also, Katie has discovered the joy of pin trading. The search for Hidden Mickey pins provided more fun than I would have imagined.