Inspiration

Posted on July 23, 2010 by FinnKidd

This evening I went to the groom’s dinner for my Cousin and her fiance. It was quite hot out this evening. So I say hi to my grandma and aunt and then head out over to talk with my Cousin Jason. At this moment I start noticing little details around the coolers. No one seems to have labels on their beers. The beer in the cooler just have colored caps. Above the cooler is a sign reading along the lines of; The green caps need more time to carbonate if you don’t like it you can grab a bud light. Before my cousin could say it, I said to him, “You starting homebrewing.”

“Yes.” He said. He had been thinking about doing it for a while. Then he went to my wedding the previous summer and he tasted all of my homebrews. At that point he decided that he would wait no longer. He started in October and these three beers were what he presented to the party. He was proud of his Scotch ale, giving it the best recommendation. It was definitely the best of the three. The other two were good but could use some fine tuning. That is fine. No brewer makes an excellent beer the first try. Although I long for my first batch the most some evenings. It could be nostalgia or undefined palate.

I guess that I am honored to be the one to finally push someone into homebrewing. I can blame or thank my roommate Uttie. He had the original idea. I just pulled the trigger.

Thanks for the reading. And congrats to my cousin Alison and Steve on getting married today. -FinnKidd

Doing a sparge on an oatmeal Stout for the wedding

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Our First Table

Posted on July 22, 2010 by FinnKidd


When my wife and I moved into our first place together. It was pretty small. We had an entertainment center, two computer desks, a love seat, coffee table, and cutting board all within our little living room. It was a pretty tight fit. So when we would cook meals we would sit on the love seat and use the coffee table as our table. Its quite hard to have company over if your guests have to balance their plates of red sauce on their laps or hunch over the coffee table to eat. Not an optimal experience. So we got rid of the entertainment center and the tv along with it. We managed to move the desks into our bedroom. That left a nice space for the IKEA table above.

So tonight we assembled this extendable table. It’s nothing too grand but it will work great in our small space. It will allow us to start having people over for dinner or maybe a small poker night. We are beyond excited for it. It will really make our small apartment feel like home. Many people that live in smaller apartment setup end up doing what we were doing for dinner. They are missing a place meet and actually talk to one another about the day. Many studies show that this keeps families close.

I know growing up that we always ate dinner at the table in the kitchen. We didn’t have another one somewhere else except for the picnic table outside during the summer. The conversations were never really all that heavy but it kept everyone informed on the little details of life. The kind of things that keep family members friends and not just people that you are related to.

I look forward to lots of memories around this table. Lots of laughs and maybe a few holidays. So call us up for dinner soon. We have a place to actually sit down now.

-FinnKidd

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Basically the Same, but Totally Different

Posted on July 21, 2010 by FinnKidd

In the world of alcohol beverages there is a lot ado about how they are different from each other. When it comes down to it, all alcoholic beverage start with these three basic things. A fermentable, A yeast, and water.

A fermentable is anything that contains a sugar that can be changed into alcohol. This defines what the beverage is called.

The yeast is a micro-organism that loves to eat sugar and turn it into CO2, alcohol, and several other flavoring compounds. There are currently about 1500 identified yeast strains out there. Most alcoholic beverages are made from Saccharomyces. There are several hundred strains within the Saccharomyces family. Each with unique characteristics.

Most fermentables are diluted by water to make them useable for fermentation. The region in which the water comes from can contribute many/most of the characteristics that you can taste in the finished product. The water in the area can explain how certain fruits taste in a region. Water is important in how the beverage tastes.

Water and yeast can and have had books written about them. I wanted to cover something fun. The fermentables. Everyone can understand where they come from. So here we go.

Beer – Malted Grains (Barley, Wheat, Rye, Oats)
Usually just malted Barley but there are endless combinations of grains. Ale or Lager can have the same grains in them.

Bourbon – Corn plus other grains.
First fermented then distilled. Required by law to be 51% corn based.

Brandy – Grapes
Fermented then distilled.

Canadian Whisky – usually Rye plus other grains
Although not required by law to contain rye, it is pretty ubiquitous in production. Fermented then distilled.

Cider – Apples

Cognac – Grapes
It’s just Brandy from the Cognac region of France

Gin – Is also distilled grains. On the second distill the addition of juniper berries or other botanicals are added to flavor them.

Irish Whiskey – usually 100% malted Barley
Fermented then distilled.

Liqueurs- Is a catch all category. It can be based on any number of alcohols plus other spices. May or may not be distilled.

Mead – Honey

Perry – Pears

Scotch Whiskey – Peated Malt plus other grains
Fermented then distilled.

Tequila – Agave Nectar
Fermented then distilled.

Vodka- The best are made various grains that have been distilled to a high level of alcohol and then back diluted. Potatoes are commonly used as well.

Wine – Primarily Grapes but other fruits can be used.
Wine is basically any fruit that has been fermented. Wine grapes have some of the highest concentrations of sugar in them. They don’t need additional sugar to make a suitable wine. This is not true with most fruits.

So that is a very very basic run down of the alcoholic beverage world. Wine, beer, mead, cider, and perry can all be made at home legally in the US. Home distillation is currently illegal in the US and will most likely stay that way. I hope to bring more practical blog entries in the future. Thanks for reading.

-FinnKidd

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Acapulco Taco Night

Posted on July 20, 2010 by FinnKidd

I will try and cover all of the places that I’ve been eating out at, good, bad and in between. I failed on my first one because I did forget my camera. So my writing skills will just have to dazzle your interest this time.

We used to spend many Monday evenings at the Acapulco Restaurante in Woodbury. They ran a pretty nice special. 50¢ Taco Night. 50¢ for one hard or soft, beef or chicken taco. They are now 75¢ taco but still tasty. One of the things I love about Acapulco is that they are a locally based chain. Seven locations now. They are still owned and operated by the Leon Family. Whenever you meet one of them they are very happy to speak with you and are just plain friendly.

When you arrive, there is usually a wait list if you come before 7pm. We used to try and get a seat around 6:30 and have the first person to get there get us on the list. With our party of 6-12 it would sometimes take 1-2hrs to get a table. That was half the fun of taco night was the sitting and waiting for a table. We wised up eventually and started showing up at 8pm and sitting down almost immediately.

Upon sitting at your table you are presented with freshly made salsa and chips. If you run out of either, they bring you more. The best part of it all is that they are free. No minimum purchase or anything like that. We usually get a cheese dip to go with the chips. All new members of “Taco Night” are required to eat a chip with the table’s hot sauce. No one seems to object.

While munching on chips, they take our drink order. There are three choices in my mind while at Acapulco. One, a margarita, the natural choice. They offer lime or strawberry varieties made with a generous amount of Corozon silver tequila. A very smooth flavor at a great price. Two, Beer. They have all of your Mexican flavors but the real treat is on tap. They have your Bud, Michelob, Dos Equis, Linnie’s, and Summit on tap. I know not really impressive but they do offer a 34oz size for $3.50-$4. Probably the best value in beer I’ve seen. It really helps to lube conversations. I usually get myself whatever seasonal they have on or sunset wheat. It just pairs so well with the Tacos. And three, Cherry Pepsi. They don’t keep Cherry Pepsi on their pop gun, just Pepsi. Meaning that use grenadine with Pepsi to make Cherry Pepsi, and ample amounts. Some days I do prefer it to beer. Now that’s saying something.

Usually on Monday nights the servers will walk up to take your order and ask, “Is everyone just getting tacos this evening?” Our answer is always yes. I don’t know why you wouldn’t. Everyone rarely switches it up from their normal order. Mine, three soft shell beef. Mel’s, 2 hard shell chicken. Rarely do people get one of each, beef/chicken, soft/hard shell. Although there should be a name for getting all four combinations. The Round Table maybe? Well everyone places their orders and it seems like in 5-10 minutes everyone has their order. The waiters walk up to your tables carrying all 6 of your orders and don’t look shaky at all. It’s impressive.

At some point everyone gets way more taco’s than they can handle. On my first trip, I order 8 tacos because how big could 50¢ tacos be. Well bigger than you imagine. Three will do most in. There’s alway doggy bags if you get too much.

I’m always happy with the bill at the end of the evening. Usually about $12 for my wife and I pre-tip. One giant beer, margarita, 5 tacos, and a contribution to the cheese dip for ~$12. Steal of a deal. Usually we tip heavy because of the special prices. Many times I’ve had a tip larger than my portion of the bill.

My only complaint with the place is that their patio permits smoking. On a nice day I would like to be outside enjoying the sun and enjoying my food. It makes it difficult if all the tables around you are puffing away.

Overall a great establishment. I will continue to go there for years to come. My strongest memories of the place are the long talks after we’ve eaten, waiting for me to finish my 34oz beer. The conversations never seemed to hit a dead spot while eating at Acapulco. And that I love.

I may add some photos in the future. Just need to make more time for Monday night Tacos.

-FinnKidd

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First Anniversary Picnic

Posted on July 19, 2010 by FinnKidd


Today we decided was a great day for a picnic. We had received a picnic basket for a wedding gift but hadn’t had a chance to use it yet. The location was a nice park in Stillwater away from most of the touristy attractions. We grabbed some fresh fruit and veggies in the morning. Grapes, Strawberries, and Red Pepper. The night before made a Thai Peanut Pasta Salad based on a recipe supplied by Lunds and Byerlys. Get the recipe here. Our version used 100% whole grain pasta and added snow peas. The recipe called for some added sugar. Next time I’m going to use brown sugar instead of white sugar. It should add some extra depth in flavor and compliment the soy sauce nicely.

We quenched our thirst on this warm Sunday afternoon with SanPellegrino Limonata. Although not homemade a delicious treat. It’s all natural and slightly carbonated. We purchased the cans out of economy but you can get cute little bottles with half the beverage and pry off tops for the same price. This drink really tastes of Lemon, making it a bit tart for some. It got better the more you had.
After consuming most of the food we’d brought, we decided to take a nap on the nice long grass.

Our nap reenergized us to continue our trip through Stillwater. We shopped at The Chef’s Gallery, a pretty cool locally owned cooking supply store. Then we saw it.

Luna Rossa Gelato. Ice cream seemed like the next logical choice. We stopped in and pondered over the favor choices. The mixed berry looked and tasted the best but they were nearly out of it by the time we walked in. In the end we went with a small Strawberry and Melon.

The mini spoons they give you with the gelato make it seem to go further. It’s a good thing because it was a bit pricey. I picked the melon because I’d never had anything quite like that. It tasted just like a cantaloupe. So it was quite refreshing for the day’s temp. The strawberry was light in texture and subtle in flavor. A great dessert to complete the day’s picnic day tour through Stillwater. (We did sit down by the river for a while, as you must do in Stillwater)

-FinnKidd

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The original idea

Posted on July 18, 2010 by FinnKidd

My original idea to start this blog was to go do something similar to the premise of Julie and Julia movie partially based on the blog The Julie/Julia Project. In that blog the author cooks her way through the entire Mastering the Art of French Cooking book and blogging about each recipe. Well, that book has been done, so I was going to do the Joy of Cooking. In my research I discovered that Jessica is doing The Joy of the Joy of Cooking, taking on the crazy project of making all 4500 recipes. I thought of a couple of other books I could do including Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, The Bread Bible, The Food Lovers Companion, and another pretty cook book I can’t seem to find the name of right now. In the end I decided that I’m not quite that structured and sometimes I wouldn’t get to cooking things for a while during the week. I decided to do more of what I know.

What I perceive in the food world. I will do many recipes from the books I listed, but that won’t be the only thing I do. Talking about meals, gadgets, and just random food related things.

Well it’s my one year Anniversary today so I’m going to go be with my lovely wife now.

-FinnKidd

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Starting Out

Posted on July 18, 2010 by FinnKidd

This is the start of yet another blog. I’ve never really kept them up but I’ve had fun doing them. I’ve decided to focus on something this time that I really enjoy. Food. Who doesn’t love food? Everyone has to love food. My wife Mel has a creative blog that involves design, knitting, and cooking. Check it out here

I’m not really all that creative but I do love cooking and learning about food in general. I tend to get hungry about every 2-3 hours so I’m always looking for a snack. This blog will have items on things I’ve made, things I’m thinking of making, cool ingredients, and a little bit of brewing. That’s where my interest in food really stems from. I could go on and on about brewing; I plan to but that’s another post. Maybe even my next. Well until next time. Happy reading.
P.S. Hopefully I don’t have the default theme up too long. I have some ideas for a great skin.

-Ari (FinnKidd)

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