101.1, and I'm Not Talking About Jack FM

WHO REMEMBERS YESTERDAY'S reference to a "cold I've been fighting off all week"? Strike that. It's a fever.

I was supposed to go into work today. Not happening. Instead, my fever (and somehow oddly intact work ethic) earns me the right to... work from home. Which isn't bad--getting paid to take DayQuil is a job that many overlook but remains both fiscally responsible and very light on commute. In truth, I did sit at the computer and attempt to be of some service to the Country Living cause. It was mindless, but it was something to do.

Not helping are the people next door who have decided today is a very good day to renew their commitment to techno (I would specify that said techno was being reaffirmed at a very loud volume, but I find "loud techno" to be redundant). Maybe it's me, or maybe it's just Greenpoint, I dunno, but for the love of Paul Oakenfold, couldn't they pick something with rhythm? When I was living down on S. 4th in Williamsburg, the music there was loud too but, bless their Latino hearts, at least that shit had some soul. This straight eighth-notes crap is pointless.

I'm cranky. I'm hot. I'm cold.

Working Late, Eating Spicy

Bombay Masala
148 W. 49th St.
New York, NY 10019
(212) 302-8150
bombaymasalany.com

WORKING LATE, AGAIN. One of the perks of this Country Living gig, however, is that when such late nights occur, we are all provided dinner. Always a good perk, always appreciated.

I convinced a coworker this evening that she wanted to try Indian food. (This, after I was convinced by a coworker that something spicy would help kick the unwanted cold I've been fighting off all week.) In persuasion, I offered that I'd become enamored with Indian food in Spain, of all places, while dating a girl who was vegan--cheap, filling, remarkably easy to come across, Indian food was a nice vegan/vegitarian/meat-tastic option for everyone--and the richly spiced cuisine had quickly became a "soul food" favorite of mine.

We found on SeamlessWeb.com a few Indian options and chose, quite randomly, Bombay Masala. As an aside, SeamlessWeb is a really weird name for an website offering the ability to order food delivered from nearby restaurants. I'm sure there were plenty of marketing geniuses in the room when they came up with it, so I'm sure they also know that DeliciousInternetFood.com and SweetTastyThings.com are still available in case they change their minds, though the latter may not be the market they're looking to snag.

Bombay Masala was good enough. I had requested my aloo gobi to be spicy, but not "maximum spicy," and the happy medium between those two was, to my amazement, met. My coworker ordered chicken masala and was admittedly concerned when her food arrived glowing red and submurged in quite a bit of oil and sauce. Upon tasting it, she was surprised and quite satisfied. Another convert success story.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: He has a chance to sit down and eat at the restaurant proper. Food is usually better when it's not delivered, with rare exception.

A Blender is Not the Same Thing as a Food Processor

THERE HAVE BEEN no kitchen disasters as of late, at least not since the infamous Exploding Brooklyn Label Ketchup incident of March aught-seven. So, I was due, really. But this story, like most all good stories, requires a little history.

In a recent Menu posting I offered a glimpse from the window of the thirty-second floor of 300 Eighth Avenue, a.k.a. The Hearst Tower. This is where for the past two weeks I have been working to help re-launch (on May 23) the Country Living website. That's correct: Country Living. The gig is a little bit of copy writing, an awful lot of data entry, and one hell of a view. I love it.

While assembling a collection of recipes from the CL October 2006 issue, I came across one for White Spiced Coffee. As I enjoy spices, milk, and coffee, I didn't see how I could lose. So, this morning, I smashed one cup of coffee beans with the bottom of a heavy pan and put them in a sauce pan with three to four cups soy milk (you can use whatever kind you like) and brought this combo to a simmer. I promptly turned off the heat and let the milk and coffee beans steep for fifteen minutes.

So far, so good

At this point, the recipe calls for straining the crushed beans from the milk and transferring the warm, coffee-infused liquid to a blender. I strained the beans from the milk and then transferred the warm, coffee-infused liquid to a food processor. In retrospect, I assure you, there is a difference. Nevertheless, at this point none the wiser, I added a couple sticks of cinnamon, a few pods of cardamom, and some honey to the milk, closed the lid tight (ha!) and pushed "blend."

Alright, that seems reasonable

Now, Mint and I do not keep extra rolls of paper towels stored in our apartment. It's just not a product we use so frequently that a stockpile set in reserve is something we worry about. We normally purchase them with a specific need in mind like, say, the windows need cleaning, Phyllis' cage needs cleaning, basically--something needs a cleaning, but for some unknown reason I purchased yesterday a roll of paper towels, cleaning purpose unknown. Omen? You be the judge:

Sigh...

All was not lost, loyal reader. I had divided the milk into two batches of milk to-be-blended, so with my arms and shirt (and a noticeably large part of the kitchen) dripping with milk and honey, I simply poured the half-blended, half-unblended milk mixtures back into a saucepan to reheat. I re-added a few pods of cardamom and sticks of cinnamon to impart whatever spice they could during the reheating.

Saved?

Remarkably, this turned out pretty okay (see top). You would normally strain your White Spiced Coffee after the blender finishes its job, before reheating, but I was forced to reheat and strain before pouring into a mug. Even with its limited time spent in my food processor, however, a good portion of the soy milk had churned up light and frothy--I imagine with proper blending time allotted this entire drink would be light and frothy. Worth a second chance, certainly. Of course, only after I buy a blender.