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Address Pillar

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This has been on my house 'to do' list since the end of construction in late 2013.  It was a simple concept for an address (house number) pillar to be located at the bottom of the driveway, based on the original house aesthetic (see exterior cladding detail on right photo).  However, for some reason, it kept going down the priority list for almost 5 years, including the 2+ years that I worked and lived in Canada.  It took a casual conversation over lunch after gym that I had with my good friend, Brad, that finally moved this project from 'to do' to 'done'!  And one thing about Brad - when he gets his mind on something, it gets done!  It wasn't a few hours after we talked that I get a text later that day that Brad had already gone to Home Depot and purchased all the materials we needed to build this thing.  Drawings sketched on loose graphing paper were approved and now formed the specs for this espresso-stained, cedar-clad, double-post framed pillar, legs set in concrete 36" below ground, that would display my Richard Neutra-designed modern house numbers.

And so, over a period of 7 days the week before Easter, with Brad's help (and thus, the reason for this), my concept for an address pillar that is basically a "mini me" of the house, became reality.  Immediately upon completion and just after the stain has barely dried, this year's infamous April Fool's snow that came on Easter evening gave it a late winter snowfall makeover that bestowed the thing a surprisingly ethereal and established look.  This past weekend, I finally had some more time to do a bit of landscaping around it - Kar Foerster feather reed grass, a dwarf Western red cedar, some wooly thyme and blue star creeper for ground cover, and a couple of really heavy rocks gathered from around the property.  I'm still looking to add some landscaping pebbles around the base and the plants, and that may come later in the summer, once that ground cover takes better shape.

Enjoy below a photo gallery of this project, from start to finish.

Sous Vide Tomahawk Ribeye for Dinner

I owe a good friend of mine a promised homemade dinner for helping me on a recent house project (which I still need to write about). I've been wanting to get my hands on a tomahawk ribeye and I thought this was the perfect opportunity. A dry-aged, 2.25-lb (about 1 kg) prime tomahawk ribeye from Whole Foods was the best I could find around. After a generous sprinkling of Kosher sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper, the FoodSaver was put to work for the "vacuum-and-seal" step of the preparation.

I set the bluetooth- and iOS app- enabled Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker for medium-rare (129-deg F), and it was an hour and a half wait after that. It was during this time that I roasted some red potatoes in fresh rosemary and balsamic vinegar and sautéed some veggies in EVOO (but who wants to see pictures of that, right?!?).

Finishing the steak on the grill followed next. Another generous sprinkling of salt and pepper, and proud to say, the perfectly seared, medium-rare ribeye was one of the best I've ever done. The Anova sous vide cooker really made it easy, guaranteeing an accurate 'doneness' level every time, but the meat quality was excellent to begin with.

Next time, I'm going to try cooking a tomahawk with a long and slow smoke in the Big Green Egg. This summer promises to be another exciting outdoor cooking season!

Making My Favorite Ice Cream

First really warm weekend this season and finding some perfectly ripe avocados at Whole Foods, of course I have to make some avocado ice cream.  With the KitchenAid ice cream-making bowl in the freezer always ready, it was a snap.

In case you were interested in the recipe, here it is:

  • 2 ripe avocados, mashed with ¼ cup of sugar
  • ¾ cup of whole milk
  • ⅔ cup of sugar
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

That's it!  Mix it all together, pour into the ice cream maker, and run on low for 20 minutes.  Transfer to a freezer-safe container and keep it in the freezer for a few hours before enjoying.  But it would be irresponsible of me to not send out this heads-up - even though avocado is a healthy food, this ice cream is not exactly fat- or carb-free.  Consume moderately, enjoy immensely.  Fair warning!

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Colorado Adventures

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It's always an adventure when you fly out for a 4-night, 5-day long weekend holiday with only the first night's hotel room booked.  Plus, several grumblings already made about going to places and sights outside of the original itinerary (or, what poses as one).  But such is reality with the two knuckleheads I was traveling with.  Ed and Lito flew out of JFK and met me at Denver airport on Thursday night, April 12th, with an already rented 4WD Toyota Highlander (so much for the Camry reserved ahead), pumped for the long weekend bro-cation.

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Friday, the (April) 13th

First day started with a hearty breakfast at Four Friends Kitchen in Denver and an expectation that the next full meal will be dinner wherever the day took us.

First stop: Colorado Springs where we planned to visit Garden of the Gods and then drive up to Pikes Peak.  As with anything Colorado, both places were spectacular and great for the photo enthusiast.

Unfortunately, only 13 of the 19 miles leading up to Pikes Peak summit was open due to snow and weather.  Nevertheless, the drive up was still quite exhilarating, notwithstanding the 12-degree temperature drop from mile 1 to 13.

Next, we left behind the cold and snowy environs of Pikes Peak and began heading south towards the dry and desert-like landscape of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve which couldn't stand in starker contrast to Pikes Peak.  We reached the dunes at the golden hour and witnessed one of the most breathtaking sunsets in the most desolate of locations in the Colorado wilderness.  Our packed day ended in Alamosa, deservedly with a fat and juicy steak dinner.  Total distance driven: ~300 miles.

Saturday, April 14th

Happy Birthday to me!  The day started with another hearty breakfast courtesy of the Holiday Inn Express in Alamosa.  Our modified itinerary took us first through the Rio Grande National Forest where we were held up in over an hour of stopped traffic due to an overturned RV trailer that completely blocked Highway 160 just before Bayfield.  Past that, it's straight to Durango and the San Juan National Forest before reaching the quaint old mining town of Silverton where we started our trek on Colorado's Million Dollar Highway (Highway 550), which, despite its spectacular and breathtaking "million dollar" views, was one of the scariest roads I've ever driven on.  It was a bit of a relief when we finally reached the charming town of Ouray (the Switzerland of Colorado) which marked the end of the highway and where we stopped for burgers and fries.

Alamosa to Durango, via San Juan National Forest and Rio Grande National Forest

We left Ouray full and refreshed for the long drive back to the Denver metro area.  Heading east on Highway 50, we passed through Gunnison National Park and Forest on the way to Buena Vista via the Brown Canyon Wilderness Area, where we stopped for prime rib dinner.  Then it's off on Highway 285 all the way to Denver, passing through Boulder and on to our final destination for the day, Longmont, where we planned to stay the night before heading up the next day to Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain National Park.  Total distance driven: ~600 miles.

Sunday, April 15th

Have you ever looked around and gasped in wonder at the incomparable beauty around you? Yeah, Rocky Mountain National Park.  RMNP is truly one of Colorado's most beautiful places in a state chock full of beautiful places.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

As has become the norm of this trip, we started the day with a breakfast of lox and bagels at Einstein Bros. Bagels just across the street from our hotel in Longmont.  Then it's back on the road to Estes Park with a stop at the Stanley Hotel, famous as Jack Nicholson's favorite haunting grounds in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.

We arrived at Rocky Mountain National Park at its eastern entrance in Fall River and was immediately enthralled with the park's natural beauty.  However, the entire western half was still closed to visitors due to snow (the park's fully open only from June to October).  Nevertheless, what we saw at various stops and lookouts was enough to impress upon us the majestic beauty of this amazing collage of natural wonders.

Leaving the park through its other eastern entrance at Beaver Meadow led us back down to Estes Park where we stopped for lunch before heading down to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, famous for its big name summer concert series.  This was our last destination for the day, in fact, for the entire trip, before heading back to downtown Denver for a relaxed final dinner of Korean barbecue.  Total distance driven: ~150 miles.

Monday, April 16th

We stayed at a Staybridge Hotel and Suites at Denver airport the night before our flights back home but weather in the east coast brought us considerable flight delays.  Finally landing back in Columbus almost 3 hours later than scheduled, I was hit with the realization that the magical Colorado adventure was over, and that I have to be back at work early the next day.  Making a quick stop for Chinese takeout, I was gifted with a heartwarming message from a fortune cookie:

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Zingerman’s Delicatessen Named Finalist for James Beard Award

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My favorite deli, Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, has been nominated this year as finalist for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Service.  It's great that this beloved U of M off-campus destination is being recognized for its consistently high standards of food service and hospitality.

I've had a long, enduring affection for Zingerman's ever since I moved away from Ann Arbor in 1996.  When I lived there and went to Michigan as an engineering student, I rarely ate there because I could hardly afford the gourmet prices on my meager poor student budget.  But as I started working, I kept coming back and appreciated it more, even ordering off its online catalog and having my favorite goodies shipped to Columbus regularly.

I still do stop by at Zingerman's every time I'm anywhere within a 40-mile radius of Ann Arbor, mostly on supplier visits to the Metro Detroit area.  I never fail to pick up my favorite Reuben on rye, or the Cuban sandwich, or the heavenly brownies (Black Magic is my favorite), as well as the perfect breads, lustrous olive oils and balsamic vinegars, and decadent Italian and Spanish meats and cheeses.

Zingerman's Delicatessen, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Zingerman's Delicatessen, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Here are a few photos from among many visits in the past decade:

Needless to say, I strongly recommend it to any foodie looking for the best in hard-to-find and award-winning deli fare.  Many consider it the best deli outside of New York City, and definitely, the best in the Midwest.

Look it up at www.zingermans.com.