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Japanese Curry Rice

Japanese Chicken Curry 
Japanese Curry 
with chicken, onions, carrots, potatoes, corn...over brown ice and topped with pickled ginger

My friend Pam and I are 400 miles apart (she in Berkeley, me in Los Angeles) but we want to "cook" together. I have some very basic cooking skills...I often find myself cooking for one or two and don't throw together a huge feast. Besides, I'm too busy baking! :)

Anyway, I told Pam I would share a few easy recipes with her that she might want to make for her family, including her cute son, Toby. Although I'm not there in her kitchen, I hope these step-by-step photos will help.

A note on authenticity... I'm Japanese American and am sending Pam a box of stuff I use from the Japanese grocery store. However, these recipes aren't a picture of authenticity...they are just what I do with the ingredients and shortcuts. If you want authentic Japanese, there are many cookbooks out there... or visit blogs such as Just Hungry.

Japanese Chicken Curry
Japanese curry is way easy. You grab a box of curry (everyone buys the box), some meat or tofu, and veggies. In about 30 minutes, you have dinner and a yummy lunch for tomorrow (it reheats nicely...just add a bit more water or broth if it is too thick).

Japanese Curry 1
I used an onion, carrot, parsnip, and purple heirloom carrot. I picked up the purple carrot at the farmer's market and planned to use it in a raw slaw or something, but that never happened. So in the curry it goes. Please note, your curry liquid will turn all shades of purple! But the curry roux covers all that up...just be careful when cooking anything with purple carrots.

Japanese Curry 2
One chicken breast is cut up into small pieces and browned with the onions in a bit of oil. You don't have to cook the chicken completely, it is going to simmer for about 30 minutes with the veggies. Add the veggies and cover with water or broth and simmer until the veggies are cooked. For complete instructions (in English), see the side of the box of Japanese curry. I added some frozen Trader Joe's Roasted Corn (soooo good) to the veggie mix too. You can also add peas or green beans too.

Japanese Curry 3
After the veggies cook, break of this block of curry roux and stir until it fully dissolves and thickens the liquid. So freaking easy. I purchase "Medium Hot" because you have to remember this is Japanese curry (not Indian or Thai curry). And the Japanese are weak when it comes to spices. Once, I held up some peppers to the seller at a farmer's market and asked, "Are these really hot?" He surveyed me and said, "Chinese?" I said, "No, Japanese." And he quickly shook his head, clearly telling me with this slight motion, your people can't handle these peppers. So, even though the package says "Medium Hot", it's really not that hot.

There are several brands of Japanese curry such as House and S&B, each with different flavors.

Japanese Chicken Curry
I top my curry with some pickled ginger (you can find it in the Asian grocery story). You can make your curry with any type of meat or tofu and top it with a hard boiled egg, some tempura or anything else. It is a wonderful comfort food and perfect for a chilly night.

To Pam: I sent you a box of Mild and Medium Hot curry! I hope you give it a try soon. - mary the food librarian
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Sunday Morning Coffee S3-Ep9

So you want to laugh? For the 9th episode of the season, we have a special Great American Dumb-Ass, Willy goes off the road to the kitchen? Fritz is back with something on his mind (of course). Only one correct entry in Who's That Artist and we read some viewer mail. We go Hell Bent for Leather in this last, funny show for February! From Gurnee, Illinois

Check Out It's Good to Mock
And Junebug's Musings
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Meyer Lemon Ginger Scones - Lemon Week 2011

Meyer Lemon Ginger Scones - Lemon Week 2011
Meyer Lemon Ginger Scones

Happy Friday! It's the last day of Lemon Week 2011 for justJenn and me. And my friend Mary is going crazy with her lemon week...she's on Day 6! We are all shouting, "Make something lemon this weekend!"

Meyer Lemon Ginger Scones collage 1
I love the scone. So easy to make and such a great morning treat. I've made La Brea Bakery Ginger Scones and Flour Bakery's Lemon Ginger scone, so this time I wanted to try Martha's recipe. It is a variation of her currant scone recipe found in the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook cookbook. I made half the recipe and upped the sugar and zest. I wasn't serving the scones with any butter or jam, so I upped the sugar a bit. And I upped the lemon zest because it is lemon week! I like to make square scones because they are super easy and made 16 small scones with half the recipe (the full recipe says it makes 16 scones...oh dear, those scones must be huge!)

Meyer Lemon Ginger Scones Collage 2
This recipe asks you to freeze the uncooked, cut scones for at least 2 hours or overnight. Perfect if you want to pop them into the oven in the morning. However, I started in the morning and these only had 45 minutes in the freezer, but they still turned out very yummy.

How do all three scone recipes compare? I like all of them! The La Brea Bakery recipe has more ginger and less lemon. That is my go-to recipe for any ginger lover. And the Flour bakery Lemon Ginger scone? That lemon glaze is sooo good. That one is good for someone who likes lemon more than ginger. So this one? Perfect for that person in the middle who likes a hint of lemon and ginger. Both are more subtle in this scone, and yet very pleasing. I hope you get a chance to make all three...and invite me over for tea!

Meyer Lemon Ginger Scones - Lemon Week 2011
Lemon Week 2011:
Meyer Lemon Ginger Muffin, Whole Meyer Lemon Bars, Meyer Lemon Pound Cake Bundt, Avgolemono Soup

Recipe:
Meyer Lemon Ginger Scones
Adapted from the Currant Scones recipe, Lemon-Ginger Scone variation (page 42) in Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook
I got 16 mini scones from this recipe (which is half the original recipe)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar (I increased the sugar from the original recipe)
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 stick butter, cold, cut into small pieces
Zest of 1 lemon (I used Meyer lemon)
2 ounces crystallized ginger, cut into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream, cold
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 egg yolk + 2 T of cream
Sanding sugar or Raw sugar

1. Whisk together in a large bowl: flour, sugar, powder, salt.
2. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or your finger (my choice) until the mixture has pea size butter bits.
3. Combine lemon zest and crystallized ginger in the flour mixture.
4. Pour cream and lemon over the flour mixture. Gently combine with your hands or spatula. Don't overmix.
5. Turn out onto a floured surface and pat into a square, rectangle or circle about 1 inch thick (depending on the size you want to make) and cut to size.
6. Place on parchment paper covered baking sheets. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm. (Martha says at least 2 hours or overnight. I only had 45 minutes to chill and they still turned out).
7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
8. Beat together the egg yolk and 2 T cream. Brush on the scones and sprinkle with sanding sugar or raw sugar.
9. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.
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Avgolemono Lemon Rice Soup - Lemon Week 2011

Avgolemono - Lemon Rice Soup - Lemon Week 2011
Avgolemono Soup

Lemon Week continues! I'm usually baking, but a girl needs to eat. And I love to eat soup!

Last month, we had a Lemon Fest at work. My colleague has a huge lemon tree and brought in baskets and baskets of lemons. We had a potluck of lemon themed foods and one of my colleagues made this Greek lemon rice soup. I couldn't wait to make it at home!

Lemon Week 2011
Just wanted to show you where the lemons are coming from! Here are my folks in front of their Meyer lemon tree.

Lemon Rice Soup Collage
The recipe is from the LA Times Food Section's Culinary "SOS". Here, you find people writing letters begging for recipes from their fav restaurant. Luckily, someone asked for the Avgolemono soup from Taverna Tony in Malibu! (I'm hoping that one day they get the Surfas Cafe Lavender Lemon Bars recipe! :)

Recipe:
Avgolemono soup at Taverna Tony - Los Angeles Times Food Section
My adaptations: I had some leftover rotisserie chicken so I used that instead of poaching chicken in broth. I used long grain white rice and Meyer lemons.

Lemon Week 2011:
Meyer Lemon Ginger Muffin, Whole Meyer Lemon Bars, Meyer Lemon Pound Cake Bundt
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Sunday Morning Coffee Season3 Show 8 Short

This is something new I thought I'd try. This is last weeks show cut down to under 10 minutes. You can find the full version at coffeewithjeff.com. ; Jeff talks baout his long week, tt's comedy at it most mediocre! Willy checks out a

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Kaffevand i Danmark


This post will be in Danish since it specifically concerns water for coffee brewing in the danish context.

Hvis du bare vil have det hurtige svar på hvilket vand du bedst brygger kaffe på derhjemme så kommer det her:

Køb kildevand med (bi-)karbonat indhold under 50 ppm.  Hvis ikke det står angivet som (bi-) karbonat kan det stå som HCO3- eller måske endda bare HCO-. Om der står 50 ppm eller 50 mg/l gør ingen forskel.

Den lidt længere historie kommer så her:

Omkring 98,5% af din kop kaffe er vand. Ligesom Carl Jacobsen vidste hvor vigtig kvaliteten af vandet var for hans øl, er det vigtigt at man som barista ved, hvor vigtigt vandet er, for at få det fulde udbytte af ens kaffebønner.
Generelt er hanevandet i Danmark rent i den forstand, at det kan drikkes direkte fra hanen og sammenlignet med andre steder i verden er der sjældent nogen bismag (med undtagelse af lidt klor nogle steder). Problemet er bare at kalkindholdet er meget højt og at kalk neutraliserer mange af de smags- og aromabærende organiske syrer i fine lys- og mellem ristede kaffer.   
For at få det optimale ud af dine bønner derhjemme, bør du derfor købe kildevand til at brygge på. Specielt hvis du brygger mellem- eller lysristede kaffer. I hanevandet er der mange steder i Danmark et karbonat-indhold på omkring 200 ppm (eller mg/l), mens der i kildevand typisk er fra ca. 100 ppm og ned. For smagen er det dog bedst at komme under 50 ppm. De kildevand som er under denne grænse vil typisk skrive det på deklarationen, mens du godt kan regne med, at hvis ikke der står noget, så er karbonat-indholdet mindst 100 ppm.
Hvad de forskellige vandtyper i grove træk betyder for smagen er skitseret i følgende tabel:
Vandtype
Indhold af karbonat-ioner (ofte anført på flasker som bikarbonat eller HCO3-)
Gode vaskede kaffer smager
Hanevand
200 ppm
Fladt og bittert
Typisk kildevand
100 ppm
Medium livligt og aromatisk
Meget rent kildevand
under 50 ppm
klart, friskt og aromatisk

Alternativt til at bruge kildevand kan man filtrere vandet. Hertil anvendes forskellige typer vandfiltre. Generelt set er alle vandfiltre baseret på en af tre teknologier (eller en kombination af disse) - Kulfiltrering, Ionbytning eller Omvendt Osomose. Jeg vil ikke gå ind i en nærmere beskrivelse af de enkelte typer, men blot holde mig til det der er direkte relevant for kaffens smag. Hvis du overvejer at investere i et filter så find ud af hvilken af disse typer filtre der er tale om og lad dig ikke stoppe ved sælgerens forklaring om "at der er tale om en helt anden og ny type filter!"
Kulfitrering har den primære effekt at tilbageholde store og mindre smags- og aromabærende molekyler, heriblandt klor. Nedenstående princip-skitse illustrerer dette:
Men som det kan ses af skitsen ændrer kulfiltret ikke på indholdet af kalk i vandet! Så det beskytter hverken maskiner eller smag mod kalk!
De mest udbredte vandfiltre til kaffemaskiner er baseret på ionbytning. De fjerner den del af kalken, som kan give problemer i maskinerne. Desværre fjerner disse filtre ikke den del af kalken, som neutraliserer syrerne.
Når kalk opløses i vand, opløses det i kalcium-ioner (Ca2+) og karbonat-ioner (CO32- og HCO3-). Ionbytterfiltre tager som regel kalcium-ioner (Ca2+) ud af vandet og bytter dem med natrium-ioner (Na+). Ionbyttere fjerner altså kun en del af kalken, men ikke karbonat-ionerne. Desværre er det karbonat-ionerne, som neutralisrer syrer i kaffen og dermed dræber livlighed og fine aromaer. Og resultatet er en langt mere flad og bitter kaffe. Nedenstående princip-skitse illustrerer hvordan almidelige ionbytter filtre virker:
 Der er udviklet enkelte ionbyttere som bytter Kalcium-ioner ud med H+ ioner.  Disse H+ ioner kan "neutralisere" karbonat-ionerne. Som illustreret i følgende princip-skitse:  



Da karbonat-ionerne er væk neutraliseres færre af de naturlige organiske syrer og syrlighed og aroma bliver derfor ikke ødelagt på samme måder som ved andre ionbyttere. Det farlige ved denne type ionbytter er at H+ ionerne gør vandet meget surt og det kan ødelægge kaffemaskiner. Specielt espressomaskiner hvor vandet er under tryk bliver hurtigt tærret op af ionbyttere som tilsætter H+ ioner til vandet! Desværre ved vi at disse filtre stadig sælges til espressomaskiner selvom den medfølgende manual eksplicit siger at de ikke må anvendes til espressomaskiner. Så læs manualen grundigt før du vælger dit espressomaskinefilter!
For professionelle baristaer eller mere ambitiøse hjemmebaristaer mener vi, at fremtiden ligger i filtersystemer, som fjerner karbonat-ioner uden at forsure vandet - som eksempelvis Omvendt Osmose baserede anlæg. Man skal dog passe på med hvilket system man bruger, da nogle af disse systemer potentielt kan være dårlige for ens maskine. Hvis vandet er for rent (har et meget lavt mineral indhold - ofte målt som Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)) kan korrosion forekomme specielt i espressomaskiner.
Hvordan omvendt osmose virker kan ses i følgende princip-skitse:



Da det danske vand er relativt rent kan man lave en blanding af omvendt osmose behandlet vand og rent hanevand for at få mineralindholdet lidt op. Hvis man får karbonathårdheden op på ca. 40-50 ppm, vil det beskytte maskinerne bedre mod korrosion. Eventuelt kan man sætte et kulfiter på overløbet så man får fjernet kloren i vandet.
Vil man være helt sikker på ikke at korrodere sin espressomaskine sætter man først et almindeligt ionbytter filter på sin vandtilførsel. Herefter sætter man et omvendt osmose filter med et overløb med kulfilter på.
Vi er igang med et større arbejde for at finde frem til et omvendt osmose baseret filtersystem som både optimerer smag og maskinbeskyttelse. Men vi skal have lavet flere eksperimenter færdige før vi kan præsentere arbejdet nærmere. Indtil videre kan jeg blot løfte sløret for nogle preliminære tests som måske kan være brugbare for dem som gerne vil videre med bedre vand for kaffen allerede nu:
Vi har lavet nogle test af blanding af rent hanevand med omvendt osmose behandlet vand. De har vist at vi finder den bedste smag for almindelig brygning (filter, stempel, aeropress m.m.) ved en blanding med 5-10% hanevand (fra København som har totalhårdhed på ca. 300 ppm og karbonathårdhed på ca. 200ppm, TDS ca. 500 ppm) med 95-90% omvendt osmose behandlet vand (med TDS på 30-35 ppm). TDS i dette optimale vand var: 70-100 ppm og total hårdhed på 30-50 ppm og karbonat hårhed på: 25-40 . Til espressobryging vil vi dog anbefale at man laver en blanding som kommer op på en karbonat hårdhed på ca. 40-50 ppm. Hvilket med vores vandtyper svarer til 10-15% hanevand og 90-85 % omvendt osmose behandlet vand.
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Meyer Lemon Pound Cake Bundt - Lemon Week 2011

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake Bundt
Meyer Lemon Pound Cake Bundt

It's Day 3 of Lemon Week! Hello. My name is Mary and you may have heard...I Like Big Bundts. So, of course we had to have a Bundt cake. But this one is a Meyer Lemon Bundt!

Meyer Lemon Week 2011
Friends Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet and Jenn of JustJenn are celebrating lemons this week.

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake Bundt
I made Martha Stewart's recipe for a pound cake but made 1/2 the recipe. I think I baked it a bit too long or over-mixed the ingredients because it was a bit dry. I'll have to try the recipe again!

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake Bundt
I baked it in the pretty Bavarian bundt pan. I really like this bundt pan...just be sure to spray the heck out of it...them curves? Very sexy but lots of opportunities for stickage.

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake Bundt
Be sure to check out JustJenn and the East Coast Mary recipes too. You don't have an excuse not to make something lemony! :)

Recipe:
Martha Stewart's Meyer Lemon Pound Cake
I made 1/2 the recipe and baked it in 10-cup Bundt cake pan. I baked it for 60 minutes but found it a bit dry so I would check it much earlier next time.
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On The Road with Willy - Deep 6

Willy checks out this local band with a familiar face

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Whole Meyer Lemon Bars - Lemon Week 2011

Whole Meyer Lemon Bars - Lemon Week 2011
Whole Meyer Lemon Bars

It's Day #2 of Lemon Week! justJenn and I are making five days of lemon recipes with my dad's Meyer lemons. I have about 10 minutes to write this post so I'll just say: Crust. Lemon. Done. Yum.

Whole Meyer Lemon Bars - Lemon Week 2011
David Lebovitz created this recipe using one whole lemon. A shortbread crust is topped with a food processor mixture of whole lemon, eggs, corn starch, sugar, and butter. I used a Meyer lemon, but David prefers the regular lemon (I only have Meyers in the house since I get them free from my folk's backyard! :)

Whole Meyer Lemon Bars - Lemon Week 2011
Come back tomorrow for another lemon recipe!

Recipe:
David Lebovitz - Whole Lemon Bars
My adaptations: I used a meyer lemon and I removed most of the pith before putting it into the food processor. I know that runs against the "whole lemon" part of this...but it's just what I did. I also think I should have baked the crust a little longer to get a darker brown like David's.
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Meyer Lemon Ginger Muffins - Lemon Week 2011

Meyer Lemon Ginger Muffins - Lemon Week 2011
Meyer Lemon Ginger Muffins

For the past couple years, I've dropped off a big bag of Meyer Lemons on justJenn's porch...a lemon fairy. justJenn had Lemon Week 2009 and 2010 and this year, I'm celebrating my dad's Meyer lemon tree with a week of lemon recipes too. Sure, I'm losing enamel on my teeth, but Meyer lemons make your kitchen smell fantastic so it's worth it!

Meyer Lemon Week 2011
It's Lemon Week 2011! Check out what justJenn is making, and check out my friend Mary on the East Coast who received a box of lemons from the Lemon Fairy. So far, she's made scones, muffins, and pasta.

Meyer Lemon Ginger Muffins - Lemon Week 2011
This recipe has fresh ginger and lemon zest. You whiz them together with some sugar in a food processor.

Meyer Lemon Ginger Muffin 1
I always use a disher to, well, as the name implies, dish out the batter so they are all relatively the same size. The crown on the muffin is really nice and perky. :)

Meyer Lemon Ginger Muffins 2
After coming out the oven, a lemon/powdered sugar glaze is drizzled on top while the muffins are still a bit warm.

Recipe:
Simply Recipes - Lemon Ginger Muffins
My adaptations: I used Meyer lemons, I rubbed the zest into the sugar before adding it to the butter, and I used sour cream instead of yogurt because that's what I had in my fridge! I made 1/2 the recipe and got 9 muffins...so you might get more than 12 if you make the full recipe.
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Sunday Morning Coffee S3-Ep8

It's been a bad week and let Jeff bore you as he talks about it. It's comedy at it most mediocre! Willy checks out a Rock and Roll band called Deep 6. Also, Dick York learns how to relax and sleep. Of course we have a Who Dat Artist and Tales of The Common Sense Impaired. Coffee with Jeff Might not be Hilarious or even semi-amusing, but it is something to do as you drink your coffee.

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Sumo Citrus - Dekopon has finally arrived

Sumo Citrus - Dekopon Tangerine
The Sumo Citrus. It's long trek to California took years. And it was worth it.

My Thursday morning routine: Get home from a night of clubbing...sorry, I'm just laughing at that one. Okay, my exciting routine is to grab the Los Angeles Times from the driveway and reach for the Food Section. And guess what? As I discovered when buying this lovely piece of citrus, I'm certainly not the only one. Let me take a step back and first tell you a story that includes smuggling, cults, secrets and not drugs...but citrus.

The front page of the LA Times Food Section (Feb 17, 2011) had a beautiful photo of an enormous tangelo-looking citrus and a fantastic story. The Dekopon, developed in the 1970's in Japan, has finally made it to California.

In the first paragraph, author David Karp says, "I've tasted more than 1,000 varieties of citrus, and to me the Dekopon is the most delicious."  

You had me at citrus.

Sumo Citrus - Dekopon Tangerine
You really have to read the article. David has been searching and lusting after this citrus for 12 years. The development includes smuggling, budwoods cleansed of disease by something called the Citrus Clonal Protection Program, more smuggling and a "farming cult". Seriously, does it get any better that that?!

So, I had to get this citrus. I love, love California citrus. My dad's Meyer Lemon. The lovely, lovely Cara Cara orange. Blood orange drinks. Satsuma tangerines. Grapefruit for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I can eat citrus all day.

The Los Angeles Times lists sellers, including several Japanese markets. After taking my dad to the DMV on Friday to get an ID (in case he gets carded ;), we stopped at a Nijiya Market. As you walk through the doors, there is a big old display of the Sumo/Dekopon! They have the LA Times article posted too! $1.69 EACH or $15.99 a box! Savor these babies. They had samples and we met a woman who read the article and came over to find them too! As my dad and I were leaving with our three Sumos, we saw a man walk out carrying two boxes of them. (Who said the newspaper's dead?!)

Sumo Citrus - Dekopon Tangerine
Called the Dekopon in Japan, the California growers are marketing them as Sumo Citrus (with the tagline: enormously good to eat!) The article says they rejected the name Tanzilla. I love that name!

And the taste? DELICIOUS. Very sweet. Firm and yet delicate. The membrane is really thin and doesn't get in the way. They are seedless and easy to peel too. I haven't had 1,000 varieties of citrus like David Karp, but darn, these are delicious. And I'm sure they will get better after their rookie season. Can't wait til next year's crop.

Read the article and find sellers here:
LA Times Food Section article (Feb 17, 2011)
Sumo Citrus (Grower's website)
Hear David Karp on my favorite show KCRW's Good Food where he talks about the Dekopon/Sumo.

P.S. Speaking of my love of citrus, next week justjenn and I are having Lemon Week on our blogs! :) Stop on by!
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Day of Remembrance 2011 - Japanese American Internment

JeromeDayofRemembrance
My dad (middle with snow cap) in Jerome, Arkansas during WWII. 
My father, his sister and two brothers were American citizens born in California.

Usually, I write about baking, eating, baking, eating, my friends, and my cousin's cute dog. However, today's post is a little different.

Look at yourself in the mirror. Oh, ignore any zits, wrinkles or beauty marks. Think about your ancestry. English? German? Korean? Mexican? Italian? A mixture of all of them? Who do you you see?

69 year ago, on February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 which cleared the way for the military to forcible remove anyone of Japanese descent (including American citizens born in the U.S.) from designated areas and incarcerate people like my dad, my friend's grandmother and 120,000 others. The United States government looked at my father and his family and decided they looked like the enemy. 2/3 of the people taken from the West coast were American citizens. My dad and his siblings were all U.S. citizens. They were not the enemy. They were farmers growing lettuce in California, raising their kids and trying to attain the American dream.  My dad was 10 years old and liked reading comics and fishing.

Look around at your house. All your belongings. Your car, your business, and for a child, your collection of toys. Everything was sold for pennies in a few days because you could only take What we you could carry.

Years later, the government apologized for the unjust treatment of the Japanese Americans. My dad framed the letter signed by the President. My father, like the rest of his family, loves this country. My dad and his brother served in the Air Force during the Korean War. And there are many veterans who served in the armed forces during WWII while their families were in camps. Get that? Your family needs to be locked up, but you can fight and die for your country. Read more about the 442nd here.

My dad is 100% American (just ask my mom...she jokes my dad's Japanese language skills are so poor that he wouldn't survive a minute in his parent's homeland); but his face and his bloodline moved his family into a racetrack, Arkansas and Arizona during the war.

So, today, please take a minute to remember this time in United States history. And today, please think about judging people by what you see...their face, their ancestry, their religion. We must all guard against racial profiling and civil rights violations, and make sure what happened to my family never happens again. Thanks for reading this. If you want to read more, here are some links:

1. Day of Remembrance event in Los Angeles, today at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles
2. Story about food memories and the effect of camp on the family dynamic in this NPR/Kitchen Sisters story: Weenie Royale: Food and the Japanese Internment.
3. Photos and Background: Japanese American Relocation Digital Archive (JARDA)
4. For my librarian readers and friends... Clara Breed was a San Diego public librarian who corresponded with her young patrons. Letters at JANM and Joanne Oppenheim wrote this book, Dear Miss Breed.
5. Lesson Plans for teachers and homeschoolers from JARDA, Manzanar National Historic Site, and the Japanese American National Museum
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Pancetta Green Beans - French Fridays with Dorie

Pancetta Green Beans - French Fridays with Dorie
Pancetta Green Beans
This week, the French Fridays with Dorie group made Pancetta Green Beans from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook Around my French Table.

I work on Saturday this week, so I have Friday off. I explored a Friday farmer's market in a neighboring city and picked up some green beans. I'm lucky to live in Los Angeles where there is a farmer's market someplace in the area everyday of the year.


The beans are blanched for a few minutes, then set in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Since I was only making a small side dish, I went to Whole Foods and bought...$.65 worth of pancetta! (One very thin slice, please). Remember, I'm the lady at the seafood stand buying $.50 worth of shrimp for dinner. You cook up the pancetta, add back in the green beans and enjoy!

Pancetta Green Beans - French Fridays with Dorie
My dad has a Meyer lemon tree. Thus, everything has lemon on it lately (in fact, next week is "Lemon Week" on the blog!) I threw some zest on the green beans and it brightened the flavor of this lovely side dish. The pancetta is so warm, salty and satisfying. I need to raid my piggy bank to buy $.65 more! :)

Be sure to check out my fellow French Fridays with Dorie members and see their creations!

Please note: French Fridays with Dorie will not be posting recipes. Please support Dorie and purchase the book or find it at your library.

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Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies - Tuesdays with Dorie

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies - Tuesdays with Dorie
Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Caroline and Claire of Bake With Us chose Chocolate Oatmeal Drops of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. I made these Tuesdays morning but have been super busy and tired so I'm posting a day late.

ChocOatmealCookies
These cookies are easy to make...melt some butter, chocolate, and brown sugar. Throw in some flour and oatmeal (yeah, it's healthy! hee hee) and you have a cookie.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies - Tuesdays with Dorie
Mine turned out flatter than others, but they were like little brownies. Very chocolatey.

Check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers and see their creations!

Recipe:
Caroline and Claire of Bake with Us blog,
or, Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (page 75)
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Apple Snacking Spice Cake - Flour Bakery

Apple Snacking Cake - Flour Bakery
Apple Snacking Spice Cake from Flour Bakery Cookbook

Last week was crazy busy. Day trip to San Diego, sickness and a garbage bag full of baked goods that never made it to their destination (um, don't want to be known as Typhoid Mary), and just the usual 75 degree winter weather of Los Angeles. :)

However, I did manage to make this yummy cake from my latest obsession, the Flour Bakery cookbook. 

AppleSnackingCake_1
When I drank coffee in college (I don't drink much caffeine now...gives me a headache), I would be the person who had a bit of coffee with my milk and sugar. This cake has a bit of batter with lotsa apples, pecans and raisins. The batter is superthick but all comes to together in a yummy cake. You'll need a 10" round cake pan for this delicious snacking cake.

Apple Snacking Cake - Flour Bakery
A sprinkling of powdered sugar is all this cake needs. Another winning recipe from the Flour Bakery cookbook! Yum!

Recipe:
Flour: spectacular recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe by Joanne Chang (page 64 ): Available on Amazon, your local bookstore, or in your library

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Sunday Morning Coffee S3-Ep7

Another comedy show starts out a little old school with a bit of 1940 detective movie look. Once that bit of self-indulgence is over, Jeff tries to sell the show to AOL (Since they bought the Huffington Post. The Answers to last weeks Who's That Artist is reveled as well as a new one. The Great American Dumb-Ass has two entrees and Willy spends all the shows money buying shirts for all the patrons of a local club and Jeff in the only one not laughing,

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The Coffee Collective celebrate 3 years!

Tuesday February 15th

The Coffee Collective roastery and coffee shop on Jægersborggade turns 3 years.


We celebrate with free espressos the entire day and from 17:00 a special coffee drink on the La Esmeralda Special and Mikkeller's Beer Hop Breakfast with TCC coffee on tab.


Come celebrate with us!


The opening day on Jægersborggade. Yes, it's been 3 years now.

Shakerato time!

Last year's birthday party. Kid party style.
The Coffee Collective 2 year anniversay
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On the Road - C-Factor

This week, Willy and his film crew check out a party band called C-Factor.

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The Roving Reporter, Squirrels & The Superbowl

There is a way to pick the Superbowl winner. What you need is an expert in reading squirrel. At least that is what Terry tells me.

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Kieni 2011

Well back from our trip to Kenya it's due time to share a little more of our experiences.

First of all, yes we bought an amazing lot of coffee from the Kieni wet mill.

As we wrote in the last blog post we were really hoping that the quality of their coffee would match last years. For us as a roastery it's not very satisfying to be shopping around for coffees from different farms or coops every year. We know the farmers depend on a good income to be able to produce quality. In Kenya however we've had difficulties relying on one mill, though. Perhaps because the top quality there is so outrageously good that and cupping there is like the best Cup of Excellence. We have really been hoping to build a relationship with the farmers there and this year it's the first time we're buying from the same mill two years in a row.

Casper with Kieni Factory Chairman Charles Musai Ihatu on the left and Factory Manager Geofrey Wanjau in the middle
Charles, Geofrey and Casper at Kieni

On this trip we cupped around 300 different lots of Kenyan coffee. Around 100 of them were AA lots. Of them probably 10-20 was something we'd consider buying. Not to say there weren't some great coffees in the rest, but just not what we're looking for.

Morning cupping

The Kieni had it though. The taste profile was very similar to last year. Heaps of black currant and dark berries but also some lighter citrus and floral notes came through this year. It still has that huge velvety mouthfeel and deep lush acidity. But it seems even sweeter and just more intensely aromatic. It's gonna be so much fun to nail the roast profile and see what we can get out of this coffee.

Klaus and Casper cupping

Naturally it was very interesting for us to find out if Kieni does anything different than the other wet mills in the area. The mill is definitely very well run by Geofrey. He strike us as very serious about the production, keeping things organized and clean. The Kieni factory is not the most impressive or beautiful we've seen in Kenya, but it's situated really well. The area where the drying tables are placed is almost shaped like a bowl, with a small valley at the end. This means the lots of air is coming through the area. The air is also not too warm, allowing for a cooler bean temperature while drying, thus reducing the risk of mold and fermentation processes at that stage.

Drying Tables at Kieni
Drying Tables at Kieni

The factory also has two fermentation tanks. It's common in Kenya to ferment the coffee for 8-16 hours after depulping in the first tank and then do an intermediate washing before fermenting the coffee again for some hours. With two tanks the intermediate washing can be done more carefully and thoroughly. After the first fermentation around 90% of the mucilage is removed. The last 10% is mainly in the middle crack in the bean and is then broken down during the second fermentation part. After that the coffee is washed in the washing channels and then put in soaking tanks in clean water, where they can be left for usually 6-12 hours but as long as 48 hours.

The Wet Mill:
Recieving Station at the top, depulper in middle, the two rows of fermentation tanks under the bottom roof and finally the washing channels.

Kieni Wet Mill

After the washing process the parchment coffee is pumped from the soaking tanks onto the first drying tables for skin drying. The first tables are slanting a lot to let the water run off and the coffee contains around 55% moisture. After skin drying the coffee is moved to the more flat drying tables, where it's dried to 10%. It's important that the drying doesn't happen too fast, and for that reason the coffee is covered to avoid direct sunlight. It's also turned over constantly to allow for even drying and the raised tables of course allow for air to pass underneath and up through the coffee. The drying at Kieni takes around 7 - 10 days.

Kieni Facotry Manager Geofrey Wanjau

After drying the coffee is rested for another 2 weeks in a warehouse to stabilise the humidity inside the individual bean and throughout the entire batch.

One 'lot' on Kieni is typically one week's total harvest. We cupped lots from other weeks as well and they were also extremely good. The best surprise came the day after we had visited the Kieni mill. We had just decided that we were definitely going to buy one particular lot from Kieni, which had really stood out. As we were trying to arrange calls to the farmers, their marketing agent and our colleagues in Denmark to sort it all out, the Chairman and Factory Manager plus one of the board members from Kieni arrived at the Central Kenya Coffee Mill, where we'd been cupping. They were delivering that weeks lot from the factory.

Kieni @ CKCM

It was a great pleasure to make the agreement with them right there and then, but even better was that we were able to cup their coffee together with them and talk more about our relationship with them. They are extremely happy to make direct sales. First off it gives them more money in their hands. This is the most important thing. Secondly, they take great pride in knowing where their coffee goes to. We had brought them a couple of bags of our roast of the Kieni we bought last year, and they had been really happy to show the farmers that this is where their coffee was going. As the chairman, Charles, told me, a lot of the farmers don't realise that their coffee makes it further than the factory. So they were happy and proud to see the factory name on the bag. He encouraged us to bring more bags next year. Will do.

Yes, Casper definitely approves

One last thing that really struck us when we visited some of the farmers around Mugaga, was the incredible biodiversity there. It looks nothing like you see at larger farms. The coffee trees are growing right in the middle of lots of other trees: Bananas, mango, tree tomato and many other fruits all in a big mixture.

This is what a "farm" looks like around Kieni:
This is what a "farm" in Kenya looks like

We also visited a lot of other societies and wet mills around the Nyeri region. Some we have bought from previously and others are cupping great or interesting in another way. Unfortunately we can't buy it all. But everywhere we went people were extremely hospitable and eager to explain what they are doing. Everybody we talked with also spoke very highly about the direct trade system, and they confirmed that is more profitable for them than selling through the auction.

A big thank you to Kieni for showing us around and selling us an awesome lot of their delicious coffee. Thank you to Bridget Carrington from Dorman's for a good time in Nairobi. Also a big thank you to Philip Kamau from C.M.S. for explaining SO much about coffee growing and processing in Kenya to us. And especially thanks to Ernest Njuguna from C.K.C.M. for picking out some awesome coffees for us to cup. He's an amazing cupper and a guy we really respect.

Casper and Ernest
Ernest - the man!

We are now waiting eagerly for the Kieni lot to go through an extra hand-sorting and then get vacuum packed. It will then be carefully packed and the shipped in a container to Copenhagen. Let's hope there's not too many pirates in the water... Meanwhile you can enjoy the full set of pictures on Flickr or drink some of last year's Kieni or Gatina.

Mugaga Society - Kieni Factory

As part of Direct Trade we visit the farmers we buy from each year. You can see pictures and descriptions from each trip in our Flickr Origin Trips Collection.
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