The Fiddlehead's Return

Amy Nawrocki reading "The Fiddlehead's Return" at Best Video's Poetry Round Robin.

Poetry Round Robin at Best Video

Had a great time at the Poetry Round Robin at Best Video last night. It's really a great way of getting a taste of many styles, and staying engaged with the words. I'll be posting a video soon. In the meantime, here are some of the luminaries who participated.

Best Video founder and visionary Hank Paper introduces the poets.

Pulitzer Prize nominated Franz Douskey reads his clever, biting poems.

Award winning poet Amy Nawrocki reads her poetry, even though she had a bad cold.

Afoot in Connecticut 50 - Wallace Stevens

Slapjacks

Frying up corn slapjacks on a cold morning. Though I expected them to be gritty and less palatable than wheat flour pancakes, they are surprisingly good, especially with a nice smear of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Afoot in Connecticut 49 - Noah Webster House

Smoked Duck Nachos

A plate of smoked duck nachos at ZINC in New Haven. When they first opened back in the day, I thought their prices too high and their food just okay (they are right next to where I worked at Kaplan Test Prep). Now, they have cutting edge local/global cuisine, with great drinks and creative fusion dishes. Check them out!

Fondue for Dinner

Either my Swiss heritage or a simple love of cheese draws me back time and time again to the joys of fondue. However, here we have some beef tips simmering, to be dipped into a Chinese five-spice sauce while they are oily hot. Delicious. Do you due the due, too?

Black Pudding on Toast

Black pudding (blood pudding) on toast with butter. Yum. Get the blood sausage, cook/fry it on a pan until nice and crispy, then spread it on the buttered toast. A wonderful iron umami.

Haggis with Whisky Cream Sauce

Here's a little dish we whipped up, after finding haggis at the UK Gourmet in Newtown. A little whisky cream sauce, courtesy of the internet, and a haggis warmed through in simmering water. I can't say it was as good as some of the haggis we had while in Scotland last summer. But it wasn't bad at all. Alba gu bragh!

Practical Talk Time Week 2 - Winemaking in Connecticut Today

Interview on Practical Talk Time

Here's a video of Amy and I being interviewed by Sandra Wrobel on Practical Talk Time, Channel 23 in the Danbury area. Enjoy!

A Plate of Oysters

Above is a plate of Wellfleet Oysters at the Squealing Pig in Provincetown, Massachusetts. I had tried oysters before I met Amy, but together we really became fans of these ugly little slurpers. We enjoy them straight, or maybe with a little lemon or vinegar. A properly shucked oyster is a beautiful thing. If you've never tried one raw, work up to it by eating them fried, or in other dishes, and then slurp one down with a nice glass of beer or a white wine. Riesling is my preferred choice.

Time for Hiking Again

As the semester winds down, it's time to get out the backpack and start hiking the winter forests, searching for tracks. Of course, my cats are not happy with me being gone so often during the semester, and here Django is trying to accompany me on a hike, while Maple looks worried.

I need to recharge my batteries, and a walk through the forests of Connecticut always does the trick.

Duk Bokki - Korean Rice Cakes

Duk Bokki (Korean Rice Cakes) at home, with a spicy oyster sauce and fresh green onions. Yum.

The trick is to get them to the proper softness, a matter of practice. The first couple times we tried this comfort food were not successful - the cakes were too hard, or had hard areas in them. But when they work well, they are simply fantastic. If you want them without the hassle, Midori in Hamden makes some great ones. However, they are worth practicing with and getting right at home.