I think it’s cooled now…and Amy just got home from work with dinner and some ice cream to go with it   My first attempt at a lattice (could have used one more strip in the one direction) and my first apple…hope it’s good!  Sure smelled good!

The solar lights mentioned in my last post have gone from bad to worse…only the two I repaired are now working.  The others are in my office letting their batteries drain.  Though about half of those seem like it may be bad batteries and not just overcharging.  I’ll give them a few more weeks of darkness before putting them back out.

The backyard grass continues to grow and I continue to watch it.  Still not quite grown in well enough for me to post photos…but a HUGE improvement over the bare earth and gravel that was there when we moved in.  I think one more bag of fertalizer and one more bag of seed for the remaining bare spots and it will be looking good enough for photos.  And hopefully by October or so when the weather finally breaks it will be ready for backyard party season!  I’m already getting the itch to start making more pizzas remembering how great the last two experimental “grilled pizzas” came out.

And while I’m bound and determined not to let this disintegrate into a “Coffee blog” that is the reason for the title and what has again inspired me to put my lazy fingers to the keys and bang out an update.  The corpse in question is our local Linens N Things which is one of the stores they’re closing to try and save their hides in the tumbling economy.  Since I am as always about 180 degrees out of sync with the rest of the world bad economy for everyone else means time for me to score some great deals, kind of like we did with our house!

Amy and I were quick to check out the clerance sale at LnT as soon as it started, but at the time the store was still pretty much stocked like normal and the deals weren’t all that great.  Yeah 20% off the entire store was nice…but not outstanding.  We picked up a few odds and ends and I got myself a Bialetti Moka Express stovetop “espresso” pot.

I’d heard good things about these little Italian devices and figured for <$20 it couldn’t be any worse than the steam pressure espresso machine my dad had sent me.  Sure enough it brewed up a drink just as tasty, but which I found somewhat more enjoyable to make.  It was less fussy than the little electric steam machine, easier to clean, and well…more authenticaly Italian.  Plus it works on any heat source, so I can even take it camping.  It’s not really espresso but then again neither was the steam machine.  But it still made for a good strong brew.

Then a few weeks ago we went back once the discounts reached 30% off or more on the entire store.  This time I couldn’t resist buying something a little more extravagent.  It still won’t win much approval from real espresso purists but it does have a 15bar pump, a good heavy solid portafilter and group head, and actually brews something a lot closer to real espresso – a Krups XP4030.  It was the nicest machine they had other than a Breville that was twice as much and didn’t really have anything more going for it – and with the store closing discount I got it for just barely over $100 which was the price I had set for “Might as well try it”.

Please excuse the 4oz glasses on top…they were the smallest glasses left at LnT and for $3 for the two of them at least a double shot doesn’t look super silly in them like it does in a normal coffee cup!  I’ll have some proper demitasse cups sooner or later.

Overall I’m very happy with this little machine.  Yes it does have a pressurized basket which creates fake crema and probably harms real crema production…but apparenly you can pop in the basket from a much more expensive machine and the pump and temperature controls on this little creature are up to the task of making real espresso at that point.  But even with the pressurized basket I’m quite happy with it and it’s a good step up from the steam machine and moka pot.  In fact I sold the steam machine to one of Amy’s co-workers a week after getting this.

Unlike the steam machine the steam wand on this one actually makes enough steam to really froth milk…I haven’t had much luck making proper microfoam yet, but I’ve only tried once or twice.  I’m not really big on milk in my coffee.  Amy will probably use the steam wand for milk chocolate more than I’ll use it for anything.  It’s easy to clean and does what I ask of it just fine – which is my one cup a day of freshly roasted and ground coffee…now a 2oz double shot of espresso instead of a 12oz mug from the french press or moka pot.

And today I tried a new experiment with it.  I ordered some ESE pods from Pod Merchant after an exhaustive search of every store in town failed to provide me with a local source.  (Well, I didn’t try the big new starbucks…but it’s not like they’d have much selection anyway.)  I didn’t expect much from the pods…but since they’re individually sealed I figured they’d be a nice “emergency” stash to have on hand for when I forget to roast up fresh beans.  Since they arrived today I had to pop one of the Illy medium roast pods in immediately.  I was actually quite impressed.  I’ve had quite a hard time getting a “proper” shot with my own coffee – usually despite the pressurized basket I end up with closer to 3-4 oz. in 20 seconds rather than the 2oz I should get in 25-30 seconds.  I’ve tried tamping harder and grinding finer…but I suspect my blade grinder is the limiting factor here.  With the pod it took a full 28 seconds to pull 1oz, and had a decent bit of creama (though that’s probably mostly due to the pressurized basket again.)  So the pods were not at all a dissapointment – but are not about to become my regular source of coffee joy.  They do have me starting to dream about a nicer burr grinder even more though.

Back off the coffee topic I’ll update to say I haven’t had much time to get my chops back with the cornet…but the other day Amy did comment that my attempt to make it through the first section of one of my old solo pieces was “much improved” and almost sounding musical again   Were our backroom not unbearably hot right now and me to cheap to turn on the A/C back there I’m sure I’d be progressing quicker.  Perhaps once the weather cools down again the horn will make more apperances in the blog.

And speaking of A/C I discovered a bit of an issue with ours.  The house has been surprisingly humid as was my office.  I had a friend who is learning A/C repair take a look at it and while he was able to clean out the house unit and get it running more efficiently – he defered to his boss, our friend Mark, for the full diagnosis.  My office unit I discovered on my own that the previous owner of the house had blocked off the condensate drain!  Once I removed that plug and it was able to start draining it’s condensate the humidity in my office went down considerably.  I still need to fix the angle of the A/C a bit better to help it drain the rest of the way but it’s a big improvement.

And Mark took one look at the drain on our house unit and determined that it has a similar issue.  The drain is not draining properly and that’s contribuiting to the humidity in our house.  He further suggested some changes to the thermostat settings as well as a change to the main air register which will further improve the efficiency…and come winter we will likely be running some new ducts and extending the main unit to the addition as well as improving airflow in the living room and kitchen.  Of course I’ll try and blog about those when they happen as well!

We’ve also been working on painting the living room again…well finishing painting it as well as repainting it.  The last of the salmon color from the previous owner has finally be eradicated from the living room and hallway.  The bright red wall has been redone in a more neutral tan, and the green wall behind the TV has been painted to match the blue wall behind the TV.  Once we finalize our color choices for the trim and get it repainted one last time I’ll post some photos.  But given how long it took us to pick up the brushes and start painting last time it could be awhile yet before we’re done!

So yeah, guess I have had a lot to update about.  I need to get better about lots of little updates instead of one big one every now and then like this.  I’d say that I’m going to try and aim for at least a post a week…but I know myself and know that if I said that I’d never pull it off.  So instead let’s just hope that I can start posting more often.  And that maybe next time Amy posts a comment she’ll make sure I’m logged out first so it doesn’t look like I’m replying to myself

So I figured I should take a few minutes to slip in a little text only update.  Mainly work has just had me swamped.  I’ve been working on a couple of big projects that are gobbling up every spare minute they can.  I did manage to make a few new food treats lately, and food is something I’ve really been wanting to bring into the blog.  So let’s talk about those.

First, and most exciting for me, I made homemade marshmallows.  I always just kind of assumed that marshamallows were some chemical concoction that was beyond the capability of a mere home kitchen.  At least any home kitchen that has more pans than Erlenmeyer flasks, and all 6 of mine aren’t even in the kitchen right now (They’re in storage until I restart my yeast bank, which will probably be happening sooner rather than later – unless we stop brewing for the summer.)  I’m a HUGE Alton Brown fan so even though I don’t have cable I still check the food network site and Good Eats Fan Page (Crashes Firefox, IE only) to stay up to date on what I’m missing out on.  When I saw I had missed a show on making marshmallows I had to dig up the transcript and recipe ASAP and give it a try.  It turned out to be remarkably easy (thanks to my Kitchen Aid!) and the resulting marshmallow squares were pretty good.

Except neither Amy nor I are big on marshmallows for marshmallows sake.  Unless of course they’re roasted over a fire.  So as soon as they were ready for eating Amy and I fired up the fire pit and with graham crackers and chocolate in tow as well we gave them a try.  Amy being a fan of the well burnt marshmallow was somewhat disappointed to find that these will melt long before they will burn.  Me being a fan of the melty but not burned found that to be quite the bonus on the other hand!   We both agreed that they made wonderful smores and are looking forward to another batch so I can try making rice crispy treats with them.   I also melted down some chocolate and dipped a few – which was very enjoyable!

At the same time I cranked out 3 loaves of Challa – the first of which I posted but spent all my time talking about photography instead of the bread!  This is one of my favorite egg breads and just screams Easter to me.  So 1 loaf for us, one for brew night and a 3rd that Amy took up to Mesa to share with her Cousin Anne and her family.  All three were a big hit.  I also found a recipe for Italian “Grissini” bread sticks in Amy’s Bread cookbook  – several batches of those later they’re now going to be a regular in our kitchen.  Quick, easy and super delicious with or without sesame seeds.

With Amy out of town visiting Anne last weekend I tried to catch up on work … and spent a little bit more time in the kitchen whipping up a batch of my famous 4 chip cookies.  The cookies themselves are nothing special – standard Toll House recipe – it’s the mix of milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, butterscotch and peanutbutter chips in just the right proportions … and a family secret in the dough seasoning that makes them special.  This time though I went a little crazy and modified my long perfected chip mix.  I was inspired by a bag of pre-crumbled Andes mints, and had to try them.  I was worried that I may have been adding too many flavors – but my neighbor Rich  supported the idea saying “They’re cookies, you can’t put too much good stuff in them!”  I think he was right.  Though maybe melting down more milk chocolate and pouring ribbons of it over some of the cookies was going a bit too far   They were delicious … but I couldn’t give them away fast enough and ate way too many!

And finally to end my food experiments on Sunday I got a new kitchen toy that I’ve been wanting for awhile.  A new ice cream maker.  I have one of the old school ones that needs ice and rock salt … but hate it.  Too loud, too messy, too slow…and the ice cream never comes out that good.  I’ve wanted one with the gell filled base that you freeze for a few days first for a long time, but they’ve always been too expensive.  But last Sunday I spotted one at Walmart for just under $30 and couldn’t pass it up.  I whipped up a batch of mint chocolate chip (using the rest of the andes pieces for the chips) sunday night – and by monday evening the base and mix were cold enough so I churned it on.  After a few hours in the freezer to harden the results are outstanding!  Hands down the best ice cream I’ve ever made.

Tonight I’m going to whip up a watermelon sorbet  for a little healthier frozen treat.  Though the watermelon we picked up looks almost too good to not just eat outright instead.  And on the other hand of the spectrum I’ve finally given in and decided to start experimenting with Coffee.

I’ve never been a coffee fan.  Only even sipped it a few times since the smell is usually enough to give me a sour stomach.  When I had a cubical next to the coffee machine for a few years I used to hate going to work – I’d pop Tums before going in just to offset the way I’d react to the smell that would permeate my work space.   Tea I love, hot or cold – green or black and everything in between.  But Coffee while intriguing to me was just never something I could get into.  I liked coffee ice cream and other coffee flavored things…but the beverage itself just didn’t appeal to me.  But lately I keep getting pulled to it.  I keep coming across info on how to roast your own green beans and with the sheer number of variables that the home roaster/grinder/brewer can now control in a cup of coffee I figured maybe there’s a way to find a cup I can enjoy.

Well, tonight I gave in.  I picked up a cheap french press and grinder – and Amy and I picked out a medium roast fairly mild breakfast blend.  I gave the beans a fairly fine grind and went with the water right from our instant hot water dispenser (right about 200 degrees F) I only gave it about a 2 minute brew due to the fine grind and both of us wanting to keep it mild.  The results I must say have me thinking I just may be able to enjoy this stuff after all.  Amy still isn’t big on it even after cream and sugar were added in large amounts – but I find myself wishing I had given it an extra minute or two in the press as the flavor is quite enjoyable but perhaps just a little thin.  For a first attempt though I’m quite happy and am looking forward to more experimentation in the future.  Maybe I will convert our old hot air popper into a roaster and order up some green beans to really try and hone in on a perfect cup.  It appeals to my lust for gadgets, cravings for caffeine, and love of experimentation.

So that’s quick update on the latest culinary experiments going on around here.  I have photos of some of the breads and will try to get them up sometime.  But for now I need to get a few big projects done so I can get the tax man off my back and still afford to put food on the table next month!

Besides my first mug of coffee is now empty so my excuse for an update is gone and windows full of code are calling me back for a few final hours of work while Amy prepares a tasty Pad Thai for us inside.  Hope the smell wafts back here to my office soon!