Microblog

Daily Microblog

Zoji’s Limits

Apr 3, 2022

I love my Zoji, Japan’s leading rice cooker brand. Fuzzy logic and induction heating produce great rice. However, the fuzzy logic doesn’t detect the type of rice and I forgot to change the setting from (short-grain) brown to sushi. It was edible, but rather aggressively cooked.

Settling in One Place for a Month

Apr 2, 2022

Posted Settling in One Place for a Month.

No Special Occasion

Apr 1, 2022

It always seems like a special occasion when we have paella. Made veggie paella for no particular reason. I’m still working on getting a good socarrat (deep fond), but this one tasted pretty good and delaminated from the pan nicely. Recipe.

Feeling Lazy

Mar 31, 2022

Felt the need to be looked after, so we walked two blocks to Maxwell’s for Reubens and beer for dinner. We hope this lovely, well-maintained, old-time bar won’t fall to redevelopment. Our home was built on a former railroad yard, but there are buildings nearby worth preserving.

Hidden Cookies

Mar 30, 2022

Picked up cookies from Rustica (the best) en route to a medical appointment. Back home they mysteriously disappeared from the kitchen counter. Eventually found them in Dwight’s secret hiding place on a high shelf. I expect one cookie will be metered out with a cuppa this evening.

Shut Off Your Phone

Mar 29, 2022

Capped off the day with a short concert by the Minnesota Orchestra. Here, they’re warming up, and the “shut off your cell phone announcement” has yet to be made.

A Hopeful Sign

Mar 28, 2022

Registration for summer activities: a hopeful sign. On my chilly walk to get labs drawn, thoughts of summer sent my mind to a happy place.

The Game Of Travel Planning

Mar 27, 2022

Spent many happy hours putting together a multi-day hike we’ll complete in April. Much of the hike is countryside, but on the last day we cross the Golden Gate Bridge towards San Francisco. The challenge was aligning cheapest days to fly with availability in two isolated inns.

The Tempest

Mar 26, 2022

At the Guthrie tonight, a violent storm was followed by a lesson for our times. In The Tempest desire for revenge became compassion for adversaries.

Growing Food

Mar 25, 2022

It was another warm, sunny day for microgreens in our apartment garden. Outside, it was a different story.

Asian Supermarket

Mar 24, 2022

The things I wish I’d known when I was young; e.g., there’s so much good stuff in Asian supermarkets. On my walk, popped into my favorite Asian supermarket for chicken parts westerners generally eschew, Chinese broccoli, and (an impulse purchase) frozen pork steamed buns.

Ready For Spring

Mar 23, 2022

The things I wish I’d known when I was young; e.g. bike-riding is wonderful. Got my first bike when I was 27 and living in the USA. Today, went down to the basement to get the wheels ready for a quick getaway. Did a joyful loop through the garage to check things out.

Spam Musubi

Mar 22, 2022

The things I wish I’d known when I was young; e.g., Spam musubi is good. Fry Spam slices, coat with shoyu/mirin/brown sugar glaze.Stack in a musubi mold (or Spam can lined with plastic wrap): —Spam slice—Sushi rice mixed with a few drops of vinegar —Optional furikakeWrap with nori.

Mono-Layer Sauté

Mar 21, 2022

The things I wish I’d known when I was young; e.g. sauté mushrooms in a mono-layer, don’t be afraid of heat, and deglaze the pan with wine. And so much still to learn: I’ve yet to master the pan flip; Dwight can do it, but I’m afraid of sending the meal across the kitchen.

Sunday Lunch

Mar 20, 2022

Met at a restaurant for Sunday lunch with family. Our nephews, 13 and 14, devour this stuff and are expert with chopsticks. We’d planned to travel with them to Japan in June, but have had to postpone until next year because the country will still be closed to foreign tourists.

Plants Going Walkabout

Mar 19, 2022

Our houseplants went walkabout while I napped. This cluster now diffuses the setting sun. With the switch to daylight saving time and seasonal changes, the sun was shining straight at Dwight during dinner. Most of our plants are on wheeled racks or this wheeled industrial pallet.