Rites of Spring #10 - daydreaming about Hawaii and Blue Horse Kona · Thursday April 29, 2010 by colin newell
We spend one month a year in this beautiful patch of green on our lonely Planet.
Blue Horse Kona farm is like a special tropical home where we have discovered our new second family.
Enjoy.
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Rites of Spring #9 - The most remarkably stupid thing I have ever seen · Wednesday April 21, 2010 by colin newell
I got my first bicycle when I was about 8 or 9 years old.
And learning how to ride it for the very first time – that moment where you are one with space and time – with no support from a sibling or parent – you are riding a bike – gliding along with complete freedom.
It is one of those truly innocent aha moments in life.
It is, next to the first few steps as a toddler, one of those steps in the cycle of life where you are slowly but surely moving from the nest…
into the real World.
My first bike was a Raleigh – at the time an English made set of wheels – a coaster bike – a little too large for me and ever so gently second hand. But I loved it.
And in one small stroke, one giant leap of faith, my World went from our immediate surroundings to a limitless vista of potentially kilometers of cycling in every direction.
One of the first accessories on my single speed bike were flappers. Ostensibly pieces of paper held in place by clothes pins that made a rat-a-snap sound as they slapped the spokes on the front and rear tires. Pretty amusing stuff for a 9 year old kid and again it represented, in small part, that inevitable step toward the ultimate freedom of having a set of wheels with an internal combustion engine attached.
By the time I was 10 years old, I had realized that these pieces of hard paper were slowing me down.
Fast forward some 4 decades and I found myself reading the London Drug flyer – a local Target style super-store and came across this in-car gadget… a thing that you plug into your cigarette lighter that sends an FM signal to your car stereo…
Your car stereo that you turn right up and roll down the windows… so you car can sound like a muscle car.
Picture above: The SoundRacer V8 Transmitter – Converts your modern, boring vehicle into a heart pounding 60’s muscle car…
Say it with me folks. F*ck me.
So. In effect… it is a noise pollution device… I am imaging that it was designed precisely for men in their 20’s to 50’s who never grew out of the phase that I did when I was 10.
Men that need to make noise with this stupid device
I have to tell you folks. This is simply the most ridiculous things I have seen in a long, long time – and I have seen a lot. Makes you wonder. What the heck is next?
Anyway. Piece of advice for some of you testosterone challenged dweebs in K-cars that need to draw attention to your pathetic selves… by blasting your stereo in my hood…
Grow up.
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Rites of Spring #8 - Tasting menu and wine at SIPS James Bay · Saturday April 17, 2010 by colin newell
Going to regret blogging this big time.
Wine tasting and meal… at SIPS in James Bay… once a month.
And dig this: Appetizer, entree and dessert + 7 wines.
For $25.
Not a misprint. Twenty five smackers.
I had the seafood chowder and the baked halibut on a bed of leek infused mashed potatoes. Apple crumble for dessert. Andrea had the cheese plate and the pork belly confit plus the caramel cheesecake for dessert. Friend Alan M. had green salad with smoked salmon and the pork belly with Tiramisu for dessert. Friend Steve P. had chowder, Halibut and crumble. Sharon P. had cheese plate, Halibut and Tiramisu.
The featured wines were from Hillside Estate Winery – Penticton B.C. Canada:
Ottonel – 100% Muscat Ottonel grown on their estate – Only wine of its kind produced in the Okanagan Valley. A very light and fruity white wine.
Gamay Noir Planted in 1984, Gamay Noir vines are some of the oldest in the Okanagan Valley. Barrel aged for 8 months, this wine is made in a Burgundian-style, resulting in a medium bodied, fruit forward wine. Raspberry and cedar notes highlight the aroma with a silky texture on the palate.
Un-oaked Pinot Gris Stainless fermented Pinot Gris shines with fresh fruit, white peach, citrus and melon are backed by a bright core of tree-fruit flavours – bright finish.
Oaked Pinot Gris Made from fruit sourced from the Naramata and Black Sage benches and fermented in both stainless vats and Hungarian oak barrels. Orange blossoms and vanilla mingle with tropical fruit aromas followed by a rich and supple mid-palate.
S. African Pinotage Fruit was sourced from a single family vineyard in Oliver. A deep black currant aroma dusted with sagebrush, toasted nutmeg, and mesquite is echoed on the palate along with Mission fig, racy spice and leather. Aged 9 months.
Syrah From grapes sourced from our Hidden Valley vineyard on the Naramata Bench. The wine is full-bodied, rich and fruity – tasted blackberries and dark spice.
Rosé A blend of Merlot, Syrah and Gamay sourced primarily from their Naramata Bench vineyard. Wild berries and Cherry on the palate + long finish.
We showed up at 6PM and left at 9PM – 3 hours of great conversation, food and drink at an astounding $25/person less healthy tip. It is not often we say yes to a completely different eating event on a couple of days notice but this really worked for us – made a few new friends in the process and hooked up with some fine wines and awesome eats. My buddy Alan’s partner works as a sous chef at SIPS and we were knocked out by the quality of the offerings. I would compare SIPS quite favorably to a local eatery like CAFE BRIO. Yup, that good!
Now listen up readers! I hope to do this again in a month. Seating is limited and you can put yourself down for an e-mail alert on events (and I did) – but I discourage anyone else from doing this or going to this eating/drinking event. We loved it… but we are pretty sure you won’t. :-)
Cheers!
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Rites of Spring #7 - We make shrimp and sausage Jambalaya · Monday April 5, 2010 by colin newell
I have been making double batches of Cajun Jambalaya from a “modified kit” – from Zatarain’s Jambalaya mix and adding some of my own ingredients…
However, the Zatarain’s mix has way too much salt for most normal human beings so we decided to come up with our own scratch Cajun Jambalaya – and here it is!
1 yellow onion chopped
1 cup of celery chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black cracked pepper
saute in 2 tablespoons veg or canola oil until wilted (about 5 minutes)
add 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
add 4 portuguese sausage cut into 1/4” slices
add 2 cups diced tomatoes
add 4 bay leaf
add 2 cups hand-peel shrimp meat
Saute above for 2 minutes
Add 2 cups of rice – saute for 2 minutes
Add 5 cups of chicken broth
Stir til comes to boil
cover, reduce to medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes
stir, remove bay leaf.
This is an awesome Jambalaya and it’s low in salt!
for the record, Zatarain’s has a low-sodium Jambalaya mix
Enjoy!
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