Food for the body; Food for thought.
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  • Transport Modes

     Every vacation trip requires transport: getting there and getting around. For our trip to France, getting there involved two modes of transport: air and rail. We elected to get around by car and on foot. Bicycling is also a possibility. The Flight We flew nonstop from LAX to Paris Charles de ...
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  • The Bulls of Arles

     The first of our destinations is Arles, a UNESCO world heritage site. We are here for four nights, staying in a lovely VRBO apartment just outside of the vieille ville (old town). We will put up a few posts about our experiences here, not necessarily in chronological order. Today's post is just a ...
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  • Grilled pork and peaches

    Grilled Pork and Peaches

     Grilled pork and grilled peaches are just about perfect together. The technique of first brining the meat and then cooking it with the residual heat built up in a heavy cast iron or aluminum griddle preheated on a charcoal or gas grill, which I also described in an earlier recipe post, is a ...
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  • Open the pod bay doors

    Hey Siri! Open the pod bay door, please

     I had hoped that Siri would get the movie reference to 2001: A Space Odyssey and come back with a witty reply, especially since I can’t believe that I am the first geek to name my garage door the “pod bay door” in Apple’s Home app. I envisioned an exchange something like this: Me: "Hey ...
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  • Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Carrots with Garlic, Rosemary and Pancetta

     Brussels sprouts and carrots are abundant at the farmers market these days, as is fresh garlic; and the rosemary in a pot on our patio flourishes in the southern California climate. Hence this dish. I've made a similar dish of brussels sprouts without the carrots and pancetta, but carrots are so ...
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  • Homekit and Google Nest (Geekish)

     I have been playing around with Apple’s Homekit home automation framework. (If you have deep religious feelings about some other brand of home automation, I suggest you stop reading now. This is about Apple’s stuff because that is what I have.) I set up our Apple TV as a homekit hub and I ...
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  • Letting the market guide the menu

     Of course, I mean the farmers' market, not the financial or stock markets. One of the joys of living in Southern California is the year-round farmers' markets. It is possible to fairly routinely prepare meals from what is market-fresh, in season and locally grown. There are farmers' markets in most ...
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  • Grilled Eggplant

     Adapted from "Melanzane in Graticola" found in Marcella Hazan's Marcella's Italian Kitchen. This is best with small-to-medium eggplants, up to about 3" in diameter or so. Don't be afraid to be generous with the oil and garlic. The eggplants will soak it up, which only adds to the flavor of the ...
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  • Garlic and Ginger Shrimp Stir-Fry with Snow Peas

     This recipe is based on one I found in the NY Times Cooking section. It is quick and easy and very tasty. We typically serve it over brown rice, but the dish is also excellent with jasmine rice or just plain white rice. If you prefer less sauce, simply halve all of the ingredients except the ...
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  • Two Months in Provence – Recommendations?

     My wife used to run a boutique tour company, taking groups of a dozen or so travelers to France and Italy and Turkey. I helped out with her last tour, to Provence in 2013. Provence was magical, and we vowed to return, just the two of us. Beginning in September, will be in Provence and the Côte ...
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