Jedi Kitchen Tricks

I mean, I thought something for the apartment...maybe a new clock, or a cool phone, or a great art book, or something...but a blender? I mean, what is this? 1958? Give the little wife a blender?! - Father of the Bride - 1991

I have acquired a lot of kitchen equipment over the years (Some twice.)  I am picky about the devices I choose. I was schooled by the Frug and in most cases could pass the Alton Brown unitasker test. I could get by without some of them, but they make life easier.

There is only one I wish had come into my life earlier and that’s the stick blender. Invented in Switzerland in 1950, it didn't start working it's way into our kitchens in the mid 80's. I would have been saved a couple of messes if I had gotten one earlier. That’s what happens when you ignore trustworthy advice and use a standard blender for hot stuff without venting and covering with a towel. That aside, it isn’t easy to get food out of completely. It also can be a pain to clean and keep track of the parts.

That Thing They Du and a Gift of Baijiu

 Never eat Chinese food in Oklahoma - Bryan Miller

This is the story of how I found out you can get good Chinese food in Buffalo.

In the immortal words of my Prof. (later Dean) Phil Closius: stay with me people! This will wander a bit, but I think you enjoy the journey.

When you mention the 1983 movie A Christmas Story, most people’s minds point to Flick getting his tongue stuck to the flagpole, or to Ralphie dropping the F-bomb and getting his mouth washed out with soap. Not to me. To me that quintessential scene is the family dining in a Chinese restaurant after their turkey is devoured by the neighbor’s dog. It proved to all that I hadn’t been lying about what my family did for Christmas.