The Case of the Screaming Monkey

We are an extreme bunch of coffee loving people at work.

In a limited kitchen space, we've managed to cram a high class coffee maker and grinder onto a tiny little shelf wedged in between the fridge, microwave and water cooler.

There's pretty much only four of us who are really into the coffee, but we're serious about it. So if it's your turn to be out and about for more coffee, you had better pay more attention than simply grabbing the first brand off the shelf.

To save time, I thought I would stop off at the local Fry's for all my groceries combined with work's coffee needs (Sugar in the Raw, cream and coffee).

Once reaching the coffee aisle, I remember that it can't be just any coffee:

1. Coffee must be Fair Trade
2. Coffee should be organic
3. Coffee should be whole bean

A wall 14 feet long of Starbuck's, Peet's, Tully's and Dunkin' offered no such option.

So, 10 minutes later pondering whether it would be worse to have organic, but ground or non organic and whole bean - I have a variety of packages laid out in front of me (bear in mind, I haven't even mentioned roast preferences yet). With a cramp in my back, I stretch around and THERE is the teeny, tiny shelf of chai and coffees.

Sadly, no whole bean. But fair trade, dark roast and organic!

Bearing the name "Screaming Monkey!"

It was the most expensive coffee in the store and I bought it anyways.

Happy Hour at the Yard House

So, a funny thing happened on the way to the Yard House.

I got hungry.

Really hungry.

Just realized that I ended up so busy today that I forgot to eat lunch hungry.

Poor, poor timing to go into Happy Hour.

My friend was in the same boat, so our carefully crafted plan to order a couple of half off appetizers plates went really wrong. We ended up with four. And due to our indecisiveness, one not on the half off deal (mmm...Asian short ribs).

The service was that really great blend of friendly, not intrusive and honestly seeming to want to help you out. The food was pretty good. Only so many interesting things can occur with calamari and hot wings, but the Thai chicken pizza and short ribs were really tasty.

And after our beers and plethora of appetizers (including the full price option)? Still under $40...

Where to go...

It's been a busy couple of months...enought that I've been neglecting this site hugely.

In terms of new discoveries - I'm a firm believer in Happy Hours now. Remember the $40 dinner for two challenge? The bemoanings of a date that this whole dining out thing was all too expensive? With restaurants such as Eddie V's, Sassi and Flemings aboard the Happy Hour bandwagon, no individual has any excuse for missing out on brilliantly prepared food and drinks.

Tonight, it will probably be a simple night at the YardHouse. I've been drawn in by the convenient location to a friend, large number of Happy Hour menu items and nearby large corporate bookstore.

I'll report back later...

Holiday Baking...

My mom loathes baking. I think it's from years of forced holiday cookies, breads, pies, etc.

I'm the opposite and love the holiday baking season. It's all the puttering...just makes me happy.

Admittedly, amongst the shopping, wrapping, decorating and eating, not everyone may have the time for mass cookie production. Here's the easiest cookie recipe ever that has never failed to impress a single soul who's benefited from their buttery goodness...

Whipped Shortbread

1 cup room temperature salted butter
1.5 cups all purpose flour
0.5 cups icing sugar/confectioners sugar
0.5 tsp vanilla
maraschino cherries

Cream your butter into a bowl. Mix vanilla in.
In separate bowl, whisk your flour and sugar together.
Add dry mixture into the butter in 0.5 cup batches and cream all together.
When mostly mixed, use hand mixer on low to whip.
Keep whipping. Keep on whipping for about 5 minutes (trust me...really).
Drop by the teaspoon onto a cookie sheet and top with a 1/4 of a cherry for color.

Bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes until lightly browned.

Easy!

Happy holidays all!

Getting the Most of your Local Produce

There were a couple of great articles on AZ Central this morning. The first was a quick article with Chef Payton Curry of Caffe Boa on how to best navigate a Farmer's Market and shop for fresh produce.

http://www.azcentral.com/style/hfe/food/articles/2009/11/02/20091102shopchef.html

The other was a very convenient listing of all our local markets and their hours.

http://www.azcentral.com/style/hfe/food/articles/2009/11/02/20091102shopcheflist.html

This may bode well for still coming up with a last minute rhubarb pie.

The Brilliance of Dessert on a Stick

If it's on a stick, it's got to be good right? (Deep fried, even better).

The experimental apple pie pops resulted from the great rhubarb crisis of October '09. I've never made an apple pie and experimenting with a lollipop form seemed to be a great way to cover up that deficiency. The end result was proclaimed as brilliant at work (though I felt my filling was a bit too sweet).

The fast and easy version: makes about 20 pops.

1 package pie crust (two sheets)
pie filling of your choice
1 egg white
20 cookie sticks

Preheat oven to 375
Cut out circles in your pie dough (I used a 2 inch glass)
Place circles on parchment papered cookie sheet
Add sticks to each circle (more than 1/2 way up)
Add about a teaspoon of filling to each circle over stick
Press top circle onto each (I used a spare stick to make cool crimpy lines)
Brush all with egg white for shiny texture

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until tops are browned.

Let cool and enjoy.

If I were a more technologically advanced person, I would have had photos for you all.

Happy munchings!

What happened to all the rhubarb?

My little personal monthly challenge is continuing well, though I don't think I've ever spent so much on chicken before. Rosy is certainly a pricey bird. And I'm enjoying my more frequent excursions to Whole Foods and Sprouts where it is much easier to find grass fed, cage free, etc.

To add to my grocery challenges of this month, I have a double birthday to contend with. And one is not so much into the birthday cake thing. In fact, his favorite thing is rhubarb pie. (Really, it might be gooseberry, but there's a snowballs chance in hell of finding one of those in Arizona.).

Have you tried to find fresh rhubarb lately? I remember seeing it everywhere last Fall. This year, produce managers everywhere are whimpering about some California happenstance wiping out the early and mid season rhubarb harvest.

Where does that leave my pie adventures? I can always go with a nice solid apple, for who doesn't like apple? I can go high end with pears and cranberries. Or the iffy cream pie route with a key lime (for some reason, dozens of those suddenly made themselves available).

So, what's the pie equivalent of a straight up rhubarb?