Wow. I really need to start updating this more frequently. Between life, work, trying to write a book and freelancing, the food blog has just fallen way down on the list of priorities. So, what has Maggie been up to? That's a good question.
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| Kombucha Brooklyn home brew kit |
For Christmas, I asked for (and received - thanks, mom!) a Kombucha starter kit from Kombucha Brooklyn. I made quick work of getting started, but the stuff takes a long time to brew. For the first batch, I followed the directions on the box. That was good enough to get me going, but I wanted to experiment with flavorings. Enter my favorite Paleo cookbook author, Diane Sanfilippo. Her guide to home brewing is super easy to follow, and it takes the intimidation right out of home-brewing. I just love the way she breaks it down in plain-speak. Plus, she provides a lot of different sourcing options in her post, which I appreciate.
Yesterday, I polished off the last of Booch Batch #1 and flavored and canned Booch Batches #2 and #3. They'll live in the pantry for five to seven days, then they'll be ready for consumption. I learned a lesson with Batch #1 - properly puree fruits before adding to the booch...unless you just like fermented chunks of fruit to chew while you drink your morning beverage (I kind of don't, it turns out). With that first batch, I used my little food processor, and the flavorings came out more like minced fruit, which I then had to mash and push through a small sifter. What a pain! Doing that also threw off the balance of probiotics/fizziness in some of the jars, as I did the mashing after the flavorings had been sitting for a week.
So, I wised up yesterday and used my stick blender on the fruit chunks. I'm happy to report that it made a world of difference! I also got a little more experimental with flavorings. The first time around, I went with the basics: cherry, blackberry, blueberry, mango and raspberry. This time, I had almost double the number of jars to work with. I stuck with a couple basics - blackberry (because it's just that good), plum (two jars of that, because I accidentally pureed too much), and apricot. Then I thought, "hey, I have a lot of booch on my hands. This is the perfect opportunity to try different flavor combinations." So, lavender-apricot, ginger-orange and orange-chamomile are all in process, too.
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| Boochy goodness! (Soap Shark does the best photo-bombs) |
So, other than boochin' it up, things have been kind of a mixed bag. I had to put my dog Gordo down, because his neck tumor had invaded his lymph nodes and swollen to the size of a grapefruit. He couldn't eat, swallow, or breathe well. It was Super Sad Times, but Yeeman and I got the chance to make his last day The Best Day Ever, checking off almost every item Buzzy's Bucket List. If we're friends on Facebook, you no doubt got bombarded with updates and dog pics, so I'll spare you here. But I will share one of my favorite pics from that day:
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| Such a happy boy! |
Four days after Buzzy's Best Day Ever, I turned 35. If you know me at all, you know how much I genuinely dislike birthdays, especially now that I've had so many of them. I tried to make the most of it by going to a concert I was really excited about, but that was ultimately disappointing. The next night made up for it, though. I had dinner with my lady pals at one of my favorite places in Dallas, Komali. Amazing food, amazing margaritas, amazing friends. I'm usually not a fan of flan, and even less of one when it's choco-flan, but those chefs make a fine one.
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| Birthday Chocoflan! |
Of course, no 35th birthday would be complete without dragging it out for a month. So, the lady pals and I are off to Austin this weekend for an epic weekend of food, food and more food. On tap are the Austin Farmers Market, food trucks (really looking forward to Gordough's so I can pay tribute to Gordo properly), Salt Lick and Uchiko (yessssss!)...plus lots and lots more. I'm hoping to squeeze in a little Amy's at some point. Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze myself into my pants come Monday.
What else? Oh. The day before we leave for Austin, a lady from Take Me Home Pet Rescue is coming to the house to do a site visit. I met a puppy this weekend, and I think he would be a great little pal. We'll see how the visit goes. I guess I'm being overly cautious because a) I still really miss Gordo, and b) I'm not sure it's the right time to adopt another dog. Having a buddy around really is nice, though. Mostly when I'm cooking and dropping things on the kitchen floor. It's nice to drop a carrot and say, "uh oh!", and then have your own personal mop come and clean it up for you. I mean, dogs are great for a million other reasons, too. I just don't want to make the mistake of adopting the wrong dog, or adopting at the wrong time.
Anyhoo, what's on tap for 2013? That's a good question. Maybe a new dog. Hopefully a new job and improved health. Definitely more frequent updates. Maybe a book, if I can get my genius to show up and do his part. Mostly, I'm just hoping for all good things, making good memories with good people, and eating good food. I think that's all I really need.
