Tuesday, September 7, 2010

So much ahead


You know what is exciting? Holding an unread novel in your hands and knowing that you have an adventure awaiting you. That is finally what I am recognizing after several long months of living through some heavy stuff. 

I am not publishing a novel, but I have been living like I am reading from a script written by someone else. I'm  making amends with this passed year- a passed script that was written for me and am eagerly awaiting the new author of 2011. Fortunately I was given the first chapter to review and I like what I am reading.

It's been five months since my dad passed away and I feel like an entirely different person. It's not just because he isn't in my life any more and the pain that comes with that, it's in addition to everything else that has happened this year. Moving, new job, new job, new job. I realize that the job doesn't make the person, but what happens when you make the job? What happens then? Who makes the person then?

A little bit of inspiration is in order.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Moving on

Been on the road catering with the Skillet crew for a couple days. Tons of projects in the works and it feels great to be in a creative space. Tons of stories to share, including new characters that I have met along the way. I think it could be a couple days before I am back on the blog as I am working on opening up an event space with Elsom Cellars and volunteering for the International Food Bloggers Conference this weekend. I was also recently asked to be on the board of Slow Food Seattle, and I am pretty tickled pink about it all.

More soon...

Monday, August 16, 2010

Slicing Pineapple- Sometimes it's just nice to have a visual

Months ago I got my hands on a perfectly ripe pineapple. You could walk in the kitchen and inhale its candy sweet perfume. While traveling in Thailand, I gorged myself on fresh pineapple. Street vendors would use unnecessarily large knives to split the pineapple into perfect columns and sell three chilly columns in a sandwich bag for fifty cents. I tried to write down everything we ate while on our four-month S.E. Asia adventure back in 2003, and according to my notes, I  must have eaten a half a pineapple a day. 

I almost feel guilty when I buy pineapple in Seattle. It has traveled such a great distance to get to me. Though I can't always buy local and organic produce, I do try my best to stay local. So pineapple is considered a treat to me or super guilty pleasure- is there a difference? We grilled it and put it in a Thai Beef Salad (recipe post on that soon), I made a salsa out of it and of course we ate it raw.

Slicing into a pineapple can be damn intimidating. Not only does it have a sexy, skin-tight, reptile outfit on, pineapples also wear an obnoxious leafy hat! So instead of writing descriptive details on how to easily slice a pineapple, I've demonstrated through photos.
After ripping off the leafy-green top, I like to use a bread knife or the equivalent to slice off the outer skin. The main trick that is hard to master when slicing pineapple, is to remove as much of the peeling as possible without sacrificing fruit. I'm still working on mastering that. 
 
After discarding the leafy top, next slice off the top and bottom. Then, like slicing melon, you work your knife gently around the pineapple until it's clean. You can then make pineapple rounds (which will still contain a core) or you can split the pineapple in quarters and slice off the fibrous core from each quarter.
There are many ways to slice pineapple- since I was using it in multiple dishes, I kept it simple. For true inspiration for slicing pineapple, look up Thai fruit carving- it will blow your mind. Pineapple sliced into butterflies? Of course!