Circa 1987. Those kids were on to something..

Pizza no knead style

Looks good, right?
My version of the Jim Lahey no knead pizza -

500 grams AP
1 1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp active dry
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt.

Mix it all up in one bowl, dump it into another that's been greased and will allow for it to double in size over the next 24 hours. Leave it on the counter covered with plastic wrap.

Pull the dough out the following day, work it on a floured board just enough to shape it into a not-sticky oblong lump. Chop into about 4 balls, shape with some of the flour on the board.

Crank the oven up all the way with a pizza stone on the lowest rack - or floor if you have a gas range that will allow it. Shape the first piece into a thin disk on peal or something similar that was sprinkled with semolina and top as you want.

The below was topped with a few crushed san marzano canned tomatoes, some sliced mozzarella and basil (at the end). Bake till it looks like that around the edges.

BTW, you can get a case of the tomatoes from amazon really cheap.
"Carmelina 'e San Marzano Italian Peeled Tomatoes"


So what to do with dough that you don't plan on using - rather than shaping it, put it in the fridge in a greased ziploc bag and take it out a couple hours before you're going to want to use it.  Shape it when it's room temp on a floured board.
The flavor gets even better over the next couple days in the fridge.  ALSO, you can make really nice mini loaves buy pressing the dough into like like rectangles maybe 3/4 inch at their thickest, poking it down with your fingers.
Rub with a little olive oil and some salt before baking.  Leave thicker for ... thicker loaves.

Lighten up, Francis

Pope Francis, that is. Not that I'm counting on that happening. Or any of the church hierarchy for that matter. Of all the things that the church doles out in the form of advice or rules, the strangest has to be in the area of "personal matters" - putting it lightly. I do get their stance on abortion (though I disagree) and that's likely not going to change any time soon, or ever. But.. So here are a bunch of old men, none of whom (supposedly) have been involved in an intimate relationship, telling married couples what to do in the bedroom. And telling the gays to stay the hell OUT of the bedroom. Unless they're alone. Don't touch that and don't think about that, either!

No knead for bread flour

But you can if you like..
Try the "no-knead" french bread recipe.  Damn, it's good.  I've made it several times and it always comes out great.

I started with the white recipe below as a guide, but changed the flour to 100 grams of wheat and 300 grams of AP.  I did not use any honey and I let the bread rise for "as long as it takes".

If you don't have a kitchen scale, get one.  They can be had at Target cheap.  Don't ever bake by measuring your flour in cup again.  Every recipe will be more consistent.


http://www.breadtopia.com/cooks-illustrated-almost-no-knead/

Happy Holidays

I hope everyone has had a great 2012 and I wish the best for 2013.

Here are some highlights in photos from fun stuff we did.
Peace!

Chris Robinson Brotherhood and below that, Greyboy Allstars, both at the Belly Up, Solana Beach
I'll tell you what, we saw some great shows this year.  Saw Phish in Long Beach, Gov't Mule at the HOB downtown and several others.  So much great music, so little time!

This is a subway station.  Sez Capt. Obvious.
Took this one in NYC in April 2012 when we were there for an extended weekend with friends.  Awesome time as usual!

This is Waimea Canyon on the island of Kauai.  I've certainly not been everywhere, but based on my travels, I'd be happy if Kauai was voted the most beautiful place on earth.

Lake Tahoe.  High in the running for most beautiful as well.

Top o' the "mountain" in San Diego.  Mission Trails Park.

On the way up to the top of Cuyamaca Peak in Cuyamaca State Park.

Here's looking forward to more music and travels in 2012!

Sandy, FEMA and our fellow humans

There are a lot of differing opinions on where our two candidates differ here and where they stand on "big government".
What should become abundantly clear to just about anyone with working grey matter is that as we mature as a nation, we are clearly MORE connected, not less (even though we stare at smartphones rather than talk to each other in public) and doing things for the collective good - like having the best infrastructure possible - is more important than ever.
Yes, that means that some of MY federal tax dollars might go to pump water out of the subway system in NY or help clear a neighborhood in NJ of fallen trees. 
But my fellow Americans in one of the most densely populated places in the USA are part of a larger community - we all are members.

So if you are riding around in your medicare scooter or driving your car on a public road and bitching about "big government" - STFU.

Hiking Cuyamaca State Park

The crazy, it hurts!

It's like some of us are not privy to some big joke going on..

Limbaugh:
He wasn’t down with the struggle. He doesn’t have slave blood. You know all that.

GOP Rep Bartlett:
“You could. There are more people in our, in America today of German ancestry than any other … The Holocaust that occurred in Germany — how in the heck could that happen? And when you start down the wrong road, it can be a very slippery slope.”

 Wait, what?

And who could forget Hank Jr?  Our favorite (fired) Monday Night Football friend racist.
Obama hates cowboys and loves teh gays, doncha know.

Lovely summer days round Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe is one of my favorite places in the world.
Well, just about anywhere in the Sierra Nevada's.  We spent a couple nights and three days up there the first week of July and it was lovely.  First shot was sunset the first evening.
The little lake photos were from a hike we did that first morning just to the west of Donner.  It's about 8 miles round trip from the road to lower, middle and upper Loch(s) Leven.
The Lake Tahoe shots were from the Rubicon Trail, which is AMAZING.
It runs from Emerald Bay to the beach at DL Bliss state park.  My recommendation is to park at the latter, then do a "there and back" trip along the trail.  It's 99 percent simple walking, very little up and down or hilly.  That will be about 10 miles, though.  Just bring water and some snacks.  You can make it extra longer by adding Eagle Falls to the hike.  If you did it one way, you could just have someone come pick you up, or use two cars.

Last shot - the Transcontinental Railroad.  You cross this going to the little lakes mentioned above.

Here's a big gallery that I made

Some quick Vegas views from last week.

Around town in recent weeks.

This was downtown, on the side of an old garage/mechanic building around 1st and Ash, I think.

During a recent ballgame.

Rudford's is the diner you love, or wish you had in your town.  Best to go here late at night on a weekend when there are more Blvd characters coming and going.  I believe since 1949, they've only closed once.

Clearly express tacos.

Also on the Blvd.  One of those places that has always been there.

Not really around town, but the poster wall at the Belly Up in Solana Beach.

The King.  On the Blvd close to 15.

Orchid - Ball

Orchid, a photo by michaelav on Flickr.

These guys need to be in handcuffs soon

Check this out over at Rolling Stone -

Documents Show How Goldman et al Engaged in 'Naked Short Selling'

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/accidentally-released-and-incredibly-embarrassing-documents-show-how-goldman-et-al-engaged-in-naked-short-selling-20120515#ixzz1v3CeznAI

NYC photos.

Some pictures from our trip. We had a great time as usual and ate WAY too much.

Here's one of the ever-present flower stands in New York. This one is in Hells Kitchen, somewhere along 10th Ave.

I took this one while we were walking along the High Line Park. It now runs all the way from Gansevoort street up to 34th. It's a wonderful walking path that is very popular with locals and tourists alike.

Brussels sprouts and pancetta pizza from Motorino on the lower east side. It's one of the best pies I've ever had. The one below this also from the same place and also delicious.

Self-explanatory.

Inside the Hayden Planetarium.

Little bike still tied up on the LES.

LES buildings.