Monthly Archives: September 2005

London, England Post 1

I spent the last few months traveling from London to Beijing. Here is a taste of one place we spent time. Follow the links to read about others. September 12th- 16th, 2005 John and I walked down the Thames today in London. We became quite hungry around the Tate Modern and decided to duck into […]

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Joe @ Culinary in the Desert - That focaccia looks to incredible! I so wish I was there to “help” enjoy that!

Randi - Have fun on your adventure. Are you going to Italy? If so, cant wait to see all the great food you’ll eat there.

debs - oh yum, that looks fabulous. i am so jealous of your european adventure, i hope you are having tons of fun. also i am really enjoying the shape of the coffee cup.

Michelle - That looks delicious! Enjoy your adventure!

gemma - It was incredible Joe, though I would have shared!
We are going to Italy Randi. We will be in Venice in late October and we will also hopefully be going to Rome. I am looking forward to it, it will be my first time there.
Hi debs, I was smitten with that mug as well!
Thanks Michele, we are having a great time.

Nancy - HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY GEMMA ELLEN

gemma - Thanks Mom!

calendario 2004 pamela anderson - calendario 2004 pamela anderson

London, England Post 1

Apple, Banana, and Strawberry French Toast

As you read this post I should be arriving in London to begin our journey. Today, Saturday, my mother made a delicious breakfast of french toast using apple bread that is sold at a coffee shop in Woodstock. She also added some bananas to the egg mixture and topped the stacks with fresh strawberries and […]

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tara - What a luscious-looking sendoff! All the best to you both for your travels.

Joe @ Culinary in the Desert - Good luck on your journey – looks like quite the french toast. I can almost taste it from here!

michele - Hi Gemma, what a great send off breakfast, nothing beats french toast. I’m looking forward to reading about your travels!

gemma - Thanks tara, Joe, and michele. Things are going great so far, though I could go for some more of that french toast right about now.

Bruschetta with Impressive Wilted Greens

Our garden has recently produced some beautiful tomatoes. Just before we packed up our kitchen I made John and I some bruschetta using a recipe from a cookbook that my brother edited at Grinnell College. The book, Fantasia of Flavors, was named after the food house my brother lived in last year at school. I […]

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tanvi - Oh I love the use of almonds in bruschetta- I would have never thought of that, but the crunch must be great. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

Don Kasak - I have to ask–when did your brother graduate from Grinnell? My fiancée, Laura, graduated in 2003.

J - hi, what gorgeous looking bruschetta…the combination sounds awesome, thanks for sharing the recipe…

evan petrie - your additions to the recipe sound great! i bet it tasted very good with such fresh ingredients. i really appreciate the farmers market in grinnell, it is such a great source for produce fresh off small local farms.
as to don’s question, i am currently a junior at grinnell and will graduate in 2007, so i probably never met your fiancée, but that is very cool that she is a grinnellian. tell her i say hi!
take care!

gemma - Tanvi, I really liked the addition of almonds to the bruschetta, especially warmed right out of the oven.
Thanks J and thanks Evan. I have to say that I do miss the quality of Iowan farmer’s markets.

Hot Sauce

We are growing several varieties of hot peppers in our garden and they have just started to ripen this past week. John decided we should try to make hot sauce and he did a bit of research on the subject. The method is basically to steep the peppers and a few other ingredients in a […]

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J - wow, your very own hot sauce from your very own peppers…wonderful post, as always…

Melissa - well done! There is nothing better than homemade hot sauce, even better with your own peppers! During my last trip I had a drink made with beer, homemade hot sauce, lime juice and lots of black pepper. Holy smokes! That is exactly what came out of my ears :) I asked the bartender for the recipe and she said they do not measure anything, it is up to them!

michele - Hi Gemma, how satisfying to make hot sauce from your own home grown peppers. I like the recipe, it seems fairly straightforward, I might actually have to give it a try! With store-bought peppers of course. The finished product looks great!

Joe @ Culinary in the Desert - I would of never thought to make our own hot sauce when we grew peppers! Great idea!

kris - Caribbean Hot Sauce
Hot peppers
Garlic cloves
Culantro (sometimes called Recao you can skip this but i love it)
Blend it all with a tiny bit of water and lemon juice.
Bottle.
I keep mind in the refrigerator but most dont.

kris - mine*

gemma - Thanks J!
Melissa, oh my! I read your description of this drink to John and it we decided we will have to try to concoct our own one day, it sounds like a pretty serious beverage!
Thanks Michele. This was my first introduction to making hot sauce and I too was surprised how straight-forward it was. There is so much room for substitutions and additions as well. Good luck and let me know how it works if you try it!
Thanks Joe, maybe you can toss a few seeds in the ground next year if you still have the space, they look so pretty and bright as they ripen. They were a real pleasure to have this year.
Thanks for the recipe kris, I will keep that in mind next time we have a go at it.