Kitchen/Cooking Must-haves

So I've been thinking about my ever growing collection of cooking gear. I made a pilgrimage to my favorite Restaurant Supply store in NYC a few months ago (CHEF Restaurant Supply on the corner of Bowery and Houston). I picked up one of my new favorite utensils that I can't stop using. It's a slotted fish spatula.



And I really love it. I don't just use it on fish. It has a thin blade and is flexible yet strong to hold items. It just makes me happy.

Everyone should also have a great knife. There are a lot of brands out there. I'm currently using Henckel's. German, trusty. I desperately need to get a sharpening stone for a couple of my knifes, but the edges have really held up nice. Global is also a good brand. A good chef's knife must feel good in your hand (I like heavier knives), and the sharper the better. I also don't technically have a chef's knife in my arsenal. I think that has to change. The Santoku is a good knife but it doesn't quite rock the right way on my cutting board. So to julienne and chiffonade are a little cumbersome. Maybe I'll rectify that this weekend.

Tongs are another absolute must. A good heavy cutting board too. Good towels also help in so many ways. So I use these along with my standard pots and pans all the time. The rest is gravy. Although I do enjoy the fun ones (i.e., the Mandoline or knuckle slicer).

More Photoshopping

The Cliffs of Moher


Cwikla at the castle in Dublin.

Photoshopping

Jenn And Martyn in the Metro

This was one of my favorite memories of Ireland.

Early AM Fire

So Saturday morning our building was awoken to the fire alarm. And let me just say the fire alarm is an old school bell and it took me a while to figure out what the noise was at 6:45 AM. Apparently it was just a little smoke or something. But being sick and tired, it wasn't pleasant. My friends in the building, Karen and Dan, didn't hear the alarm. I'm going to have to check on them from now on.

Phillies Spring Training

I'm not very good at remembering to take pictures on vacation. Here are some from last week's jaunt to Clearwater Florida.


This is where the Phillies play. Brighthouse Field in Clearwater Florida. The view from the outfield.


This is a sunset from the house we stayed at in New Port Richey.


Another Sunset (or the same one?).


In the Mini-van.

A view from our seats at the St. Pat's day game. Yes they are great seats and that is the beauty of Spring Training. I could have hit the guys in the dugout with my beer if I really wanted (and wanted to get kicked out).


My Dad and his friend Jerry. I played golf with Jerry twice.


That's Kyle Kendrick (recently sent to the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs) warming up before the last game.

Obama and the National Academy of Sciences

Obama gave my organization a shout out of sorts today. Look at the 35 second mark when he's talking about Lincoln.

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Recent Reading

Saturday night I watched as 2 am became 3am, in the blink of an eye. Well in my case it was a quick recheck of my cell phone clock as I made my way home on the hour EST became EDT. Nevermind what I was doing at that hour (hanging out with a friend if you must know and not even at the bars). Anyway, I've decided recently to read more at night in order to get to sleep faster and to also enjoy the silence and inner reflection before I go to sleep. Saturday night at about 3:15 am, after the removal of contacts and brushing of teeth, I picked up a small book my Mom gave me called The Last Lecture. I began to read and before I knew it, it was 4:15. So I finally put the book down and drifted off to sleep.

I awoke the next morning and finished reading the book before ever getting out of bed. Don't get me wrong the book is short and quite quick to read. It was pretty moving for me. I think there are some good lessons about living your life and finding your own way. I was deeply saddened at some points, especially when Dr. Randy Pausch spoke of his children's future. I guess I thought of my friend who had lost her mother too early. I thought of another friend who's mother is battling similar cancer to the Pausch. I thought of all those people who left their children too early. I thought a lot. I hope for my friend who has to continue to grieve the loss of her mother. I hope for my friend who has to support her mother's battle. I hope for a humanity that cherishes both their parents and their children. I hope for my mother. Because she is doing well now, I hope that endures. I hope.

So I hope to read more. To experience other people's words through their words. To experience other worlds through the creativity of others. To experience the joys of life and the crushing lows as well.

Now I'm reading a much lighter book about golf stories. I picked it up for 50 cents at a work fundraiser. It has kept me up a lot longer the last 2 nights than I wanted or anticipated. That is the joy of reading though. You never know what you'll pick up next and what experience your mind will be thrust into.