The second page includes a chart of scoop/disher sizes. Ice cream scoops come in many sizes for a variety of applications. Who knew? Alton Brown recommends using a #20 disher to scoop his cookie dough onto the cookie sheets. I researched what that meant and gathered the info to share with you all.

Theresa’s Decadent Chocolate Cookies

I’ve got a couple of articles in the hopper, though.  Summer’s here and the produce is starting to look good. In addition, I’ve finally got around to writing up articles about some of those local eateries, and have been doing more wine exploration.

Today’s a rare day that I’ve got mostly to myself.  So, it’s off with the wife to find some fresh pick-your-own strawberries.  Updates forthcoming.

There was a wedding (congrats, Brian), I had to keep the house from burning down in an electrical fire, and work and the holidays started sneaking up.

Hopefully, however, I’ll be able to get a little bit more back on track.

Update: No reason to freak out, I just had a bit of a short in an electrical box for the bathroom lighting.  But, like any home repair project in an old house, it takes an inordinate amount of time.  Had to install new junction boxes, remove damaged wiring, run new wiring, and splice it safely back into the original circuit.  All in the attic.  With armored cabling.

A package was waiting for me today from Upton Teas, containing 20 individual samples of teas to be tasted.  I’ve got a bunch of Darjeelings and Assams, along with a couple Chinese Keemun.  Two of my favorite Darjeelings and Assams aren’t available anymore, and I’m seeking their replacement.  Most people aren’t familiar with the varieties of Chinese black teas, so the Keemun should be interesting.

By the way, let me just take a chance here to plug Upton.  They’ve got a great catalog, and sell nearly everything in it in 10-15g samples, most for $1 per.  Their staff is pleasant and knowledgeable, and can help you choose teas depending on your tastes.  They’re based in Massachusetts, and delivery normally takes 2 days to Baltimore via standard cheap USPS.

The fall crops are coming in and we’ll be seeing more cool weather squashes and brassicas (cabbages, cauliflowers, etc.).  Fall’s also traditional game and pork season, and I’ll be trying to dig up some goodies there as well.

Update: First tea is a miss for me.  The wine’s pretty darned tasty, though.

I had a good dinner on Sunday for our wedding anniversary, but lately I just haven’t been feeling the food love.  Case in point: dinner last night – tuna salad sandwiches.  Dinner Monday?  Canned soup.  Dinner tonight?  Leftover tuna salad.

I haven’t fully changed seasonal gears yet, which is part of the problem.  Summer goodies are becoming more scarce, but so far I have not really managed to get the fall goodness under my skin.

That being said, it is starting to be apple season.  I need to get up to the orchards and find myself some Stayman Winesap apples.  If you haven’t tried these, do so.  They’re an heirloom variety – no super-sweet hybrid, this.  It was developed in the mid-1800s and is a beautiful apple for cooking as well as an unusual treat to eat out of hand.  It’s not a pretty fruit – dull red with a brownish bloom.  The flavor, though, is intensely sweet-tart and winy.  Many orchards grow them to add depth to their pressed cider.

For those that’re familiar with it – the old purple-silver Neon was towed off to the junkyard last week.  In its place now resides a nice, shiny, new dark-blue ‘09 VW Jetta.  Which, by the way, is an absolute blast to drive.

Upcoming articles:

Two bargains in European wine.

Preparing for fall – goodbye summer produce.

A glimpse into the state of Maryland wine.

The first installment of Tea Tales – sampling the teas of the world.

ABC News: Orthorexia: Obsessing Over Health Food.

This is the reason that I get a little testy when people start speaking in absolutes about diet.  You know: carbs are always bad, sugar is evil, non-organic is poison, blah… blah…

The American diet is, on average, pretty awful from a health standpoint.  However, when diet and a quest for good food transitions from a general concern about, and responsibility for, one’s health to an obsessive quest for bodily purity and “perfect eating”, I get a little skeeved out.

To clarify my position – I primarily seek out good foods, fruits, and vegetables mostly because I like to eat, and good food tastes better than processed crap.  As a secondary benefit, good food is generally healthier and I can control what I’m consuming if I’m making it myself.  But when you’re killing yourself at 30 from malnutrition in order to avoid cancer at 70, there’s something very wrong.

Diet is a balance, and “everything in moderation” is a mantra by which most people can live good, healthy lives that don’t involve worrying and obsessing about every last bite they eat.  So, eat that fruit, but don’t overgorge on calories.  Eat those potatoes and parsnips, but not too many.  Have that pork chop, but eat your vegetables and leafy greens too.  Cook those carrots – sure some nutrients leach into the water and some are lost, but cooking makes plant nutrients generally easier to absorb by our omnivore digestive systems.

And stop worrying.

All I can say is that I’m in the process of shopping for a new vehicle, and most of my computer time outside of work has consisted of reading lots of vehicle spec sheets and reviews on web sites.  The time I’ve had which hasn’t consisted of doing online research has been spent ensuring that I’ve got finances lined up to make the car purchase and not break the bank with upcoming winter heating bills.  And then there’s the time spent test driving cars and talking to car salesmen.  I’m not an impulse purchaser when it comes to automobiles, so this stuff takes up a lot of time.

Which leaves me little time to actually write any new articles, take the pictures, gather graphics, etc.

The good news is that everything should be squared away by the end of the week.  Bye-bye 14-year-old Plymouth Neon – it’s to the scrapyard for you.  Until I get the backlog cleared, I’ll be posting a couple of links to some other material.

See you all in a few days.

Notables from this week:

• It’s berry season – we went out and picked a couple pints of blueberries and almost a gallon of ripe blackberries yesterday.  Fruit betties – slightly sweetened fruit baked with a breadcrumb topping – are not bad dessert choices.
• Long derided by the more snobbish wine drinkers, Italian Pinot Grigio, especially from the Valdadige DOC, is a great summer wine.  Somewhere between the mineral austerity of Sauvignon Blanc and the rich fruit of Chardonnay, it’s a wonderful picnic wine and does an admirable job accompanying light summer foods.
• It is possible to put together an incredible and satisfying high-end meal with considerable portions and still come in at under 800 calories.  You’ve seen part of this already with the Caprese salad.  More to come.

Link it up:

• Butler’s Orchard – Farm market, pick-your-own berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries), cherries, peas, pumpkins, and apples.  Just south of Damascus, MD.

“Eat Free or Die” will be dedicated to a subject about which I have been passionate for some time.  Eating well, eating affordably, and making meals simple enough that they’re feasible in today’s hectic world.

Update:

I was going to hold off until I had completed all the design elements and modified the theme templates before I started putting content up.  However, I realized several things:

1)  I hate “under construction” notices.

2) I had done a disservice by removing (permanently) the previous content.  I had been hoping, at one point, to convert select articles from the old system and re-write them.  I finally got to the point where I was making no progress.  Frustrated with my entire web presence, which had become fragmented and neglected, I dumped everything into the bit-bucket for a fresh start.

The bad thing about that is that a good deal of serviceable information just “went away.”  However, a new take on how to manage the site, and plenty ideas for content based around a theme will give me plenty to draw from as things grow.

Enjoy.