Ride the Wave or Hide Away? Kooky Dreams & Candied Ginger

Dreams are the touchstones of our characters.”
― Henry David Thoreau

January 10^th, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPsU7x2tEDY 

In depth dreams kept me crawled up in bed until 10am.  Interesting scenarios of running into a guy, Michael Venedicto, who ripped me off of 100k back in 2005 (lesson learned: a judgment doesn’t mean you get the money and here he was mocking me in my dream), my father & stepmother watching me as I unwrapped a belated Christmas gift – beneath the layers of shiny scarlet paper I uncovered an interestingly shaped pewter platter that I had previously given to them in another dream.   And in my final series of surreal dreams I embarked upon a lovely sailing adventure accompanied by Chef Deborah Scott and an attractive San Diego boy that I’ve always admired, named Jesse (always had a thing for blond & blue).

In this last epic vision, we channeled up a rather quaint creek for a stretch making conversion & well . . making out (Deb drove the boat) until we at last reached the Pacific Ocean.   Rather than drop anchor, we scooted the sailboat onto shore before jumping out into the crisp, blue water for a joyful afternoon swim.  Then out of nowhere a Tsunami rolled up in the form of a horizontal wave traveling parallel to the beach.  It swelled to more than fifteen feet high and while Deb & Jesse had the common sense to make a b-line for the shore, my dumbass opted to attempt tucking under the surmountable wave.  That didn’t work out so good!  I was dragged under and carried off and away into something of a green lagoon.  Eventually, I made it back to the secluded beach without any notable physical scars or injuries (thanks to dream protocol) to enjoy some further affection by the aqua azul eyed chap (Deb had evaporated from the equation).  I didn’t want to wake up, kissing him felt so good . . . but at last, I had to pee.

Dreams are often attributed to offering some insight beyond our consciousness.  Obviously I am no psychologist but I think getting plastered by a massive wave in the midst of romance might have something to do with my late November Aussie affair.   The unwrapped pewter gift just might symbolize my father’s constant support and perhaps present me with the question of what culinary path I am to follow . . what am I to serve up on that platter?  The representation of a past thief most likely triggered by my meeting yesterday with my lawyer over our upcoming Friday the 13^th appointment with the judge – I’d very much like to put my Eden/ChileCo affair to bed and move on with my life.  Who know’s the real answer; I think half the battle is simply trying to make sense out of our dreams as much as we try to make sense of our reality.  There is no right or wrong answers so long as you’re at least attempting to understand any given situation, evaluating your responses and hopefully applying lessons learned to future scenarios.

I’m suiting up for the gym in a few, I think it’s time a got back into the groove and clear my cloistered head.  Too many cobwebs up there!  Something simple of a recipe to nibble on – a recipe for making homemade candied ginger.  A great snack that is full of bite – kind of refreshes your memory of the moment . . .

With Culinary Blessings,

                 Chef Scotty

Recipe: Candied Ginger Matchsticks

A sweet hot treat that is sure to ignite that sex drive or spark some inspiration.  Feel free to make plenty and store in freezer Ziploc bags.

Ingredients

• Nonstick spray
• 1 pound fresh ginger root
• 5 cups water
• Approximately 1 pound granulated sugar

Directions

Spray a cooling rack with nonstick spray and set it in a half sheet pan lined with parchment.

Peel the ginger root and slice into 1/8-inch thick slices using a mandoline. Place into a 4-quart saucepan with the water and set over medium-high heat. Cover and cook for 35 minutes or until the ginger is tender.

Transfer the ginger to a colander to drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Weigh the ginger and measure out an equal amount of sugar. Return the ginger and 1/4 cup water to the pan and add the sugar. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar syrup looks dry, has almost evaporated and begins to recrystallize, approximately 20 minutes. Transfer the ginger immediately to the cooling rack and spread to separate the individual pieces. Once completely cool, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Save the sugar that drops beneath the cooling rack and use to top ginger snaps, sprinkled over ice cream or to sweeten coffee.