I made it, you will eat it and I don't care how bad it tastes!

02 March 2009

Power Tool

After a long time of wanting one and having seen them at work in friends' places, we finally have one of our own: a Bread Machine. We got it from friends because there was a little piece broken and although it has been fixed and was working again they decided to buy a new one. So we got to adopt one that came without the notice, because these people trow out systematically the notice and guaranty papers. Luckily we found a new user guide on the French website: mesnotices.fr And have been making bread at an average rate of 1 and a half bread a day ever since. We bought all kind of ready mixes that turn out just fine.
I bought also mixes that are not really ready-to -bake mixes, you have to add everything except the flour. What a fake! Still a lot of recipes to try and to discover.
The great thing is i can bring my favorite lunch: peanutbutter sandwiches made of chewy big bread slices.
Instead of wondering what to eat today i wonder what kind of bread to make. It's a different feeling. I feel more complete now we have this machine. Maybe because i take care now of our daily bread instead of buying it someplace where you have to consider opening times and days and where there's just an exchange of money and no physical action involved. I did make bread by hand sometimes. It's not that much work but you have these waiting times and you have to have a good place to leave the dough rising. That's way easier in summer than in wintertime when i have a hard time keeping my house warm! With t he machine just put the ingredients in, program and after about 3 hours you have your house smelling like a bakery.The only trouble is getting the bread out and you'll end up with 2 big holes in your bread. But we have found out that if you take the mixers out before the baking process starts, the bread comes out easier and the holes are smaller. I want to try a pain aux epices with figs, and try to make a cumin bread like I recently had from the Jewish baker over at Rue des Rosiers in Paris. I wonder if they use some rye flower?

If you have a machine too let's share experiences and recipes!

Next thing on my want list is an expresso machine....

31 January 2009

delicious bacon explosion

Let me warn you upfront: look at it, prepare it, eat it, enjoy it at your own risk. Only looking at it adds 2 kilos permanently to my hips and waistband.
But OMG isn't it worth it? It looks like to die for and you probably will. This treat gives you definitely a dangerous peak in your cholesterol levels. And it's not really kosher so you'll burn in hell for having eaten a life time supply of bacon in one meal.
But dang it looks so good! The images are burned in my brain forever and writing about it makes me drool like Homer Simpson.
enjoy!
http://www.bbqaddicts.com/bacon-explosion.html

30 January 2009

Regional Cola Rebellion

L'auvergne se rebelle et a crée son propre soda au goût de cola. L'Auvergnat Cola Mmm ça va être bon avec la truffade!

Mais les auvergnats ne sont pas les seuls à se "rebeller". Les corses aussi on "leur" Corsica Cola à part de forme de la bouteille l'étiquette ressemble tellement au grand concurrent, que on dirait presque un design à l'honneur de CC (Light). Où est la rébellion dans tout ça? On a mal digéré que Orangina a été racheté?
Ça ne sera pas plus facile de ne plus boire du cola et boire à la place des sodas anciens comme la limonade? Avant il n'y a plus de petites producteurs locaux. Soutenons les avant que'ils se font racheter par des grands groupes notés sur Wallstreet!

A Tweet from lamaincourante brought to my attention the site of Auvergnat Cola. As the site states it's born as an act of rebellion to produce a cola in the Auvergnat region. Sure they have great volcanic springwater, but do you have to drink it with tons of sugar and a secret mixture of more or less tasty ingredients? Would they serve this cola rather than the soda from the "evil empire" with an authentic Truffade?

But the Auvergnats are not the only ones to rebel with their own regional cola, the Corsicans did it too. The Corsica Cola bottle is different shaped but the label looks like a free meal for copyright lawyers to me!
Where's the rebellion in being a look-a-like ? Did you people haven't digested the Orangina take-over yet?
What about not drinking cola anymore and drink original old fashioned lemonade instead ? Although there are just a couple of survivors from the many local producers from way back when, it is still produced and the producers are struggling for market-share. It would be way more sustainable and rebellious then any cola spin-off.