Sand Magic

If youre like me, you must think, "Dust Storm", awesome.  Movies show them taking down planes, burying hapless travelers, and rolling in like a wall on the horizon.  Also, dont they sometimes have mummy faces?

I planned to answer these questions and more when I learned that certain activities were to be cancelled due to an imminent sand storm on the morrow.  So there I was, thinking about life in my tent, knowing that we were being blocked in by walls of sand as i spoke.  Exciting, no?  The answer turns out to be no.

Luckily, Army wanted me to be an expert on sand storms so they made us work in one!  There I was standing outside, being blasted by wind, thinking how much of a let down this was.  No walls, no downed aircraft, and no mummies.  Just wind and dirt.  Its hazy, like someone is burning underbrush, thick enough to block your sight 20 feet in front of you like fog and its gusting winds.  I do mean gusting.  Constant winds of 15 MPH keep the air full of brown gold, and then at 25 MPH wind blasts fresh dirt into your eyes and mouth.

I was not amused.

Point is, I have yet again let a child hood dream ruin my adult day.  If I had just thought it would be miserable, I wouldnt have been disappointed.  Lots of eye drops, new uniforms, another shower and I still never found a magical city OR any of Saddam's gold.  One week down, 37 to go.

Kuwait or Bust

I like this page of mine and even though Ive been a poor writer these past few... mumble mumble... I still enjoyed the existence of my dear Beer, Food, and philosophy.  I have decided Ill use this as my public platform to keep you all informed about my whereabouts (a highly desired bit of knowledge to be sure)

I have recently deployed to the fine country of Kuwait.  Kuwait, as Im sure you all know is a small country smack dab in the CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION!  I know, youre all very excited.  Read a bible sometime, Moses could have lived here.  I dont know, Im no scholar.

So I got the PRIVILEGE to fly here on my day, the one day that facebook overflows with notifications and I am the coolest kid in town.  Thats right, the Army decided my birthday was a fitting departure date.  Army gives the worst presents.  Combine that with a delayed flight and 15 hours of flying and you have yourself a dream birthday indeed.

Kuwait has laid out the red carpet, for sure.  It made sure to show off its high temperature with a ballsy 120 degree day.  Impressive.  They have agreed to let us see this and temperatures like it for the foreseeable future.  What good pals.  My room is a comfortable loft style tent big enough for me and 49 of my closest friends.  I have the top bunk.

The base here may not be my ideal situation but it is now home for the next 9 months, so no need to complain.  The food is not bad, at least.  The portions are large and the options are many.  They even serve food at midnight.  Thats right, midnight chow, I have truly brought this cash cow in and quickly got punished for my poor use of cows.  Oh wait, wrong religion.  Im not paid for my joking prowess.

So there you have it.  Day 2 is almost at an end and if this country offers something to write about, I will make sure to record the memory here.

The silver lining...

I have fallen on interesting times. It seems to me that from a young age we are all told that we will leave high school, attend college, get a job, and start a family. Its such a simple progression. I believed it. I didn't excel in high school because I didn't try. why would I? I was going to college one way or the other, and I did. In college I took little advantage of my extracurriculars and made my way through with as much fun as effort and although I have graduated, I still am missing something.

You see, like many people, and unlike just as many find myself bouncing from job to job.

The economy sucks! There are no jobs! Ive tried but this is the best I can do!

Ive said these things as many have and looking back I realize how badly I was crutching myself. My whole life I thought there was this master plan and now that its fallen apart, I see that there was no plan at all, and blaming things like the economics of our nation is taking my legs out from under me. These thoughts put the blame on a system that is not at fault.

What is the truth then? The truth is that there ARE jobs out there and many people are finding great pay at rewarding experiences and the best candidates are the ones getting them. That's an interesting thought. I realize only after months of wandering that the problem isn't the system, the problem is me.

Now don't jump to insult or console me, I am not writing this to look for a cookie, I'm writing this to let people like me know that there is hope. It is possible to make yourself more desirable. There are many people out there that are just under trained. Go back to school, get certified, take a class, it is possible to get trained in your desired field without being hired. In fact, it will make you more desirable.

I for one am tired of sending out the same resume and wondering what the problem is. In four years, I plan to look back on this recession and smile because I knew that when the going got tough, I got tougher and took my goals and my dreams back. My ambition is too great to be stuck here waiting to see the news man tell me its ok to go out and start applying.

I challenge everyone who is not in the situation they wish to be in to do something about it. I for one have a plan, and I wont stop until I'm living my dreams.

Talking turkey...

Thanksgiving is at an end, the family has returned home, football has been played, and its time to clean. We all go through the routine, we all get to do sit ups for weeks to pay for our bounty. But if the experience is the same, the why isn't the dinner? We all know what we love about thanksgiving, but what don't we know? I am taking the time now to look back on what I consider to be the three most underrated food items which may or may not be at your thanksgiving feast. You may agree with me, but be warned, by not agreeing, you only strengthen my case.

3. Fruit Salad. Lets face it. Thanksgiving is a holiday for feast and good times, health should not be a consideration. But that does not mean that our taste buds must suffer. The author of The Physiology of Taste, Brillat-Savarin points out the distinction between hunger and appetite. He states that your appetite, ability to eat, is entirely separate from your hunger, your need to eat. This explains how you can eat a food item until you are full, but upon arrival of dessert you are renewed in your desire to feast. This is the point of a sweet and tart fruit salad. Have it in a bowl on the side, use it to cleanse your palate. This will give your tongue a break and keep the meal satisfying. Not to mention a few vitamins for your trouble.

2. Cranberry Sauce. Bring 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water (simple syrup) to a boil. when sugar dissolves, add one bag (16 oz) whole cranberries. stir until cranberries pop and fall apart. Let cool. total effort? 15 minutes. Why do we bog ourselves down with a muddles canned product from the store when less effort than mashed potatoes will give you such a delight. A sweet jelly which rouses the spirits. It makes turkey sing, stuffing pop, and even lets your kids color the veggies as they enjoy. Cranberries are packed with vitamins and the smell is fresh enough to keep you in a good mood. Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, mushrooms, blah blah blah. that is a plate of grey and white. throw some bright red on there and look like you know what you are doing.

1. The number one most underrated item at your thanksgiving dinner is... Stuffing. I know, I just lost some readers because all of you know stuffing and use it often, but you don't understand stuffing, so it is extremely underrated. First of all, it is only stuffing if it is cooked inside the bird, otherwise it is "dressing". Now stuffing is delicious, we all know, but it is also dangerous. That's right, stuffing is the leading culprit in a failed thanksgiving. did you know that? Stuffing packs the bird, thus giving more mass within the turkey. This means that more cook time is required to raise the internal temperature to the proper level of food safety. Fully cooked stuffing usually means dry turkey, since the proper internal temperature makes for a greater outer temperature. You can go ahead and make your turkey juicy and delicious, but now the stuffing is not at a safe temperature. I'm sure you will be fine, but Salmonella could lurk within. I recommend dressing in the future, instead, fill the turkey with citrus and aromatics, discard after, enjoy the meal.

So you see, some things need a second look, and others need a harder look. don't change grandmas recipe, just give a little respect to your food. Happy Thanksgiving.

The Magical Fruit...

There are few foods in the world as complex and as beneficial as the small bean. It is representation of human history and is a basis in many cultures diet. Beans are as complex a carbohydrate as you can find and packs enough protein to substitute meat at proper amounts. Beans will be around longer than you and I. Its about time we all take this little friend for what it truly is, delicious.


In a previous post I already discussed the merits of adding beans to rice, but what if you just wanted beans and you wanted them in the most delicious fashion possible? Well I think I have that covered for you. Start with one bag (16 oz) or pinto beans. empty the contents into a pot of cool water and let sit at least 12 hours before you plan to cook. The newly soaked beans are swollen and ready.

Now this next step is up to you, but I think I have found the best option. You need some serious flavor. You want to add to the beans a bone, preferably with meat. Pork is the best option for this as it is salty and flavorful. Go to you local butcher and for a few dollars you can walk home with either a Ham Hock or a Ham End. Both have a ton of flavor, a good deal of meat, a lot of fat and will make your beans sing.

I chose the Ham End and your butcher would probably agree with me. Put these pieces into the beans fill with enough water to cover a few inches above beans. You want enough water that after a long boil you still have a soupy mixture. Add maybe a tea spoon of salt and put the pot to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and let it sit for one hour.

After the boil, remove the ham end and cut as much meat as you can from the bone, dice that meat up and return to the pot. Discard the bones and fat. Return to boil, then simmer for twenty minutes.

Here is your choice. You can use a slotted spoon and remove your new treasures or you can use a ladle and get the broth as well. I choose the latter. A splash of tabasco sauce, or spicy white vinegar will make the flavor sing. Enjoy it, as I'm sure this will quickly become a family favorite.

Its Alive...

When you take the remains of something to build something else, does it have to be a monster? Is it possible, or even probable that things are changing for the better or even for the good? I think that reusing is as close to good as you can get and I'm not just talking about your plastic bottles.

I'm talking about soup. Not just any soup. I mean my soup. A creation that I saw coming together and made it happen and it did not start with soup, it didn't even start with broth, no this sordid story begins with grandparents and change of plans. Id like to tell you about how a plan can come together.

Grandparents on both sides were coming over for dinner. We bought two giant (I can eat my beef, but these were mammoth) cuts of beef. If I had to guess I would say 48 oz a piece. We were going to grill them up and give meat to everyone for two days. Two short phone calls later, the guests are all skipping and we have a lot of food; Apples. My solution? Applesauce.

I mean that figuratively. The crock pot was assembled, the meat seared, a sauce made. The sauce was tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire, Cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper, a dash of soy and half a bottle rose wine. I know, sounds good. 24 hours later we are making tacos with some serious flavored meat. When that was all gone, we had about 4 cups of some serious flavored gravy.

After some soul searching (calling my chef cousin) I had a plan, I had the ingredients, I was going to make this sauce better, tastier, more flavorful than it was before. I was going to make soup. Into a pot went some olive oil, garlic, and the parts of mirapoi (Carrots, Celery, Onion) that I'm allowed to use (onion is forbidden in my house, don't complain, I already feel the loss). When that cooked up, I added the super beef sauce, a large can of chicken stock, water, bouillon to compensate the water, salt, pepper, some chicken breast(raw), and a few dash spices (I don't remember exactly). When the chicken was cooked, I removed, chopped and returned it. I then added egg noodles and peas, let this simmer until noodles cooked, then I feasted.

There you have it. A flavor explosion of a soup that is hearty, warm, perfect for these cold days. I have half the batch frozen for later consumption and the other half was eaten within days of it being done. Sometimes in life your going to have a lot of little when your looking for something big. Its up to you to make a plan, stick to it, get help when you need it, and make something big for yourself.

Fire of Life...

I took a trip last week. This was no ordinary trip, I was traveling out to the expansive mid-west for an opportunity to see new additions to my family and spend some much needed time relaxing and taking my time to enjoy a new area. By relaxing, I mean I was working in the rain moving large rocks from the woods to a flower bed so that other people can marvel at how beautiful nature is. I needed a reward.

I found this reward in the heart of the magnificent Greek district located in downtown Chicago. For those of you think of only greasy thick pizza when asked about the fine cuisine of the windy city, I dare say you are doing that town an injustice. Chicago is also home to some of the best hot dogs in the nation (even if I get a cross look when I request ketchup) and lesser known except for the locals who pride themselves of the fact, a fantastic Greek district.

The time was 7:30, the place was the Parthenon. When you enter, you are greeted by a boisterous woman who says hello to every new face and leads you to a table which is very close to the surrounding tables, a bad sign? I might have thought so at first. As the night went on, you realized that they were going to fill their walls and the group was to feast together at the sights and sounds presented.

We began with a delicious salad made with feta cheese and anchovies and a crusty bread. This led to a group of eight sharing three bowls of soup, we all tasted the Lentil, the Egg Lemon, and my favorite, the Navy Bean. We made our order, received our wine and little did we know what we had started.

Quick additions were made immediately. A traditional Greek appetizer was brought to us, cheese wrapped in filo dough and lit on fire to the crowds amazement and shouts of "OOPA!". I still don't know what that means. Then the food came. The meals were put in place then immediately moved, portions passed, flavors tested, wine drank, laughter echoed. I had half my meal still on my plate when my body told me, "no mas". Put a fork in me, I was done.

I am not Greek. Not even a little, but for two and a half hours, I was laughing, shouting, drinking the wine, and enjoying the flavors. I drank bitter Greek coffee and tried to read my fortune in the mud (I saw only mud - a bad sign?) I had more cheese than my digestion cared for and still I look back and see that as a high point of the trip. There were many Asians, Indians, Whites, Blacks, and of course the Greeks. They were all enjoying a culture other than their owns. They were all opening their eyes to another world. That's the beauty of life, some people don't have to move rocks for a relative but there heads are still hidden beneath one. See the light. Get out there and learn what someone else has to offer.