Make your own Ginger Ale

This is really awesome. This guy gives detailed instructions on how to make your own ginger ale, using backyard fruit, water, sugar and dried ginger. The idea is similar to making sourdough bread from scratch, something that I have *tried* a couple of times in the past. Most of the time my roommates would just throw out the starter after they smelled it and saw a bubbling mass of goop in the fridge. But this, this is awesome.

I don’t have any fruit in my backyard right now, but I bet organic grapes or something at the supermarket would work fine. It sounds like something that would take a while to try, but if it worked it would probably be worth it. If anybody tries this, let me know how it turns out. I may try it myself if I find the time.

Eating at work

Each day I am presented with a quandary – what do I eat for lunch at work? The frugal miser in me says, “Eat soup and vegetables. They are cheap. You aren’t a big shot, so save some money.” Good point miser, it is good to save. Excellent, Excellent. Yet, the culinary Christopher Columbus in me says, “Break out of the monotony. Go eat curry at the Thai place. Eat sushi. Go beg for food on the side of the road. Viva la lunchbreak!” My Columbus, what zest for life you have. How inspiring.

Actually, it usually boils down to whether or not I remember to bring my lunch every morning. I am kind of a Forgetful Jones (throwback to all of you Sesame Street watchers of the past). This morning I was on my way out the door, and barely remembered. So today, it was soup, vegetables and the lovely leftover crusts of the volcanic Sundried Tomato bread. And I must say, it was lovely.

Unbleached Flour

I despise bleached flour, as it is a clever way to hide CLOROX or GASOLINE in your bread. Yes, the chemical compounds of the bleach that they use in preparing bleached flour are the same as that of clorox or gas. Think about that the next time you are biting into one of those fluffy hot dog buns.

However, this is not to say that all white flours are equally nutrient averse. While most white flours are seriously devoid of vitamins, fiber or any other good-for-you substance, UN-bleached white flour does not have the extra toxicity that bleached flour does.

Sundried Tomato Bread

I am a veritable black hole for bread cookbooks. It seems that ever since I got a reputation for being the “guy who makes bread…from scratch,” that bread books find their way into my kitchen. Sometimes they just show up, unannounced and with no explanation. So, I take them in being the kind soul that I am.

The other day I tried to make an olive loaf from one of the mystery books. Seemed simple enough – 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1 Tbs olive oil, 1/2 t salt, 1 pkg yeast, 1 cup lukewarm water, and 1 cup olives. Mix, let rise, punch down, let rise, bake. Bam, its done.

The only thing is, I didn’t have olives, so I just thought that I would substitute sun dried tomatoes. Good idea right? Well not really. Because what they don’t tell you on the sun dried tomato package is that once you bake those suckers, the ones on the outside of the loaf turn into volcanic ash.

You would think that I would say, “man this is going in the garbage” and throw it away. Yet, somehow the anti-waste Nazi in me keeps on eating the bread. In fact, I ate some for breakfast this morning on the way to work.

The moral of the story – watch those sneaky cookbooks who look so innocent, but don’t warn you that to stray from their precious ingredients is to eat volcanic ash.

Garlic – The Stinking Rose

This page exists to simply extol the various health (not to mention social) qualities of garlic. While more exhaustive sources exist, this should whet your appetite.