E-Harmony - a Quest to Consider? Up & Away, Key Lime-Ginger Dressing

“Say what you have to say, not what you ought. Any truth is better than make-believe.”
― Henry David Thoreau

February 15^th, 2012

Song: What you think of that – The Makings of a Man by Jaheim

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AvmeLwKxPI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

It's the day after valentines and my belly is still churning from the sadistic amounts of food that I plumaged into my mouth all washed down with some five dollar pinot grigio that was hidden away in my Mother’s fridge.  She and my Step-father took off for Key Largo yesterday, leaving me and her curly, snow shovel colored Bichon to our own demise.  With the gathering of condo-retirees below, Frank Sinatra pulsing through the semi-tropical air, I continued my gregarious consumption of the remaining chunks of cherry bundt cake and set forth on a task to conquer the likes of these online dating services.  Laugh as you will, I refrained from sinking below certain desperation by omitting my credit card numerals . . I simply perused through their questionnaires, filling out page after page whilst intoxicating my memories with more cheap p.g.  I must say, the E-harmony questions are so politically correct as such I’ve made a few modifications of my own:

Q: How often do you date?

When is the last time you’ve been laid?

Q: Define how important sexual relations are with your partner?

How often do you masturbate?  How many sex toys do you own?  Do you consider porn a hobby or an obsession?

Q: What are the four qualities that your friends would best describe you as?

Pick the top two best qualities and bottom two negative traits of your mother & father – that’s you!

Q: Do you believe in monogamy?

How many partners have you cheated on and how many times did you get caught?

Q: Please describe your physique?

You don’t have a swimmer’s build let’s be honest.  Just get a colonic, starve yourself for 3-days and snap a full body photo (less the genitalia).  Note: if you nail a date I suggest you choose your clothes wisely!

Ok, that might be a little too blunt, perhaps a bit too cynical but honesty will present itself eventually.  If you want to entertain some fairytale for a few dates before breaking the genies grip, that’s all on you!  For me, things are looking up so far as the career development, the lawsuit advances, the money tree sprouting, my faith in humanity . . . and why shouldn’t things grow in my field of fortune?    Oops,  that reminds me, I need to take a brief Buddhist break > forgot to chant < 

Refreshing to keep that routine going as it boost’s my compassion level.  Today, I thought I’d try and take a bit more humorous approach to my outlook on relationships (the last few entries having a serious undertone, uprising against futility and pitted perspective of my reality).  I do believe I am more than ready to broaden the scope of conversation to more conventional topics such as our ecological conundrum, the purpose of toes, the deception of college, apricots and the mind-boggling varietals of wolf/fox descendants aka: dogs. March is approaching and with it the budding potential for plenty of green.   

So, how about one of my favorite dressings that captures the confliction of oil & vinegar, sour & sweet and the undisclosed element of candied ginger . . . the level of spice depending on its origin – if I had to rate my level, I’d likely come in at 8.3 out of 10. That damn cherry bundt cake taking me down a full point as I successful earned a gluttonous ring around the belly in less than two days – thank the calendar we’ve got another 354 days before Valentine’s Day surfaces to inflict it’s arrows! (be they arrows of marshmallow melodies or nitrous inflamated steel shafts).  So, many percentages with all of those dating surveys . . . how could I resist delivering your recipe in the same format!

With Culinary Blessings,

                     Chef Scotty

	Candied Ginger Key Lime Dressing
	Organic Safflower Oil	14.40%
	Organic Key Lime Juice Concentrate	14.40%
	Sesame Oil	5.76%
	Rice Vinegar	23.56%
	Candied Ginger	23.82%
	Agave Nectar	5.50%
	Onion, chopped	3.93%
	Sea Salt	1.83%
	Cilantro	5.76%
	White Peppercorn, ground	0.11%
	Citric Acid	0.73%
	Cayenne	0.11%
	Allspice Berry	0.11%
		100.00%

Basically, throw it all in a blender and let go for 5 minutes.  Don’t forget to hold the lid.  This dressing is spunky, uber refreshing and on point as your this Jeremy Lin of the New York Knick’s.

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.