Memorial Day 2004

At times like this, the sacrifices made by soldiers in service to our country is certainly felt more deeply than during times of peace. Protecting our freedom and civil liberties is (supposed to be) one of the key reasons our nation puts its soldiers at risk. Well, as this photo demonstrates, freedom of expression …

As we first approached the island of Maui I was reminded of what a lush, luxuriously green paradise we were about to visit. In some ways, returning to Maui feels a little like returning home after a long absence.

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Here’s another aerial view, this time looking south, …

We’re leaving for Maui in the morning, so posting will be sparse for the next few days. I do hope to have some images to share in the near future; I’ve already scouted out possible wifi hotspots!

Worth noting is that the Best Western Grosvenor hotel, very close to SFO, provides a great park …

Having extra buttermilk on hand and being in the mood to bake, I quickly found a suitable recipe and got started. The resulting sesame seed rolls turned out great; they were very light and had a unique tang from the buttermilk and honey.

Honey Buttermilk Bread

2 tsp yeast
3 C bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 …

After we received our Penzey’s order we realized we had ordered a bit too much of both cinnamon and poppy seeds. A quick google search presented the following recipe, which we found to be quite delicious.

Cinnamon Poppy Seed Cake

Recipe By : Bon Appetit
Serving Size : 12

2 C …

My lovely wife Sheryl made this very scrumptious dish today. The recipe is largely based on Rachael Ray’s recipe with the same name. Very highly recommended!

Pasta al Forno

1 pound rigatoni
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 stalk celery, diced
1 (15-ounce) can, crushed or pureed tomatoes
1/2 cup heavy …

Thanks to a recent posting by Accordion Guy, I had the great fortune to read what has quickly become one of my favorite short stories.

The Door in the Wall is a very engaging read. Written in 1911 by H.G. Wells, the style reflects and is evocative of a more genteel time, though …