tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-128766792008-10-06T09:51:36.526-04:00Scattered thoughts on food and life from a guy who works in Boston and lives in a 300 year old house.mh30libertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17967073826320650549noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12876679.post-87711688844517643472008-09-23T21:33:00.009-04:002008-10-06T09:51:05.058-04:00

Ok, so last night after reading the "Power of Now" I could not sleep and then thoughts started coming to me - so I grabbed a journal beside the bed and wrote this. I have done some editing, it's close to where I want it. L. Hull 9/22/08 No time like the present. My new mantra, "have fun now," coined by my daughter is tightly-coupled with that old time sentiment. This past spring while taking

mh30libertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17967073826320650549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12876679.post-77231403075214269512008-05-12T11:12:00.003-04:002008-05-14T11:10:21.529-04:00

Say hello to the newest family member. She is still unnamed [UPDATE: Her name is Katie!] and living with her family in Canada, but will be arriving in early June.

mh30libertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17967073826320650549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12876679.post-56580643027101600622008-04-08T11:27:00.005-04:002008-04-08T11:44:36.249-04:00

Dice-k. Detroit Tigers. World Series Ring Ceremony. Me. What do these things all have in common? They are all at Fenway Park today for the opening day game of the 2008 season. Dice-K is pitching, the Tigers are looking to break their beaten streak (doubtful), the rings are being handed out before the game, and I'll be there to catch all the action. Tradition dictates sushi for lunch. What a

mh30libertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17967073826320650549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12876679.post-90795118955565955952008-03-25T09:33:00.004-04:002008-03-25T11:48:22.003-04:00

Its a beautiful day here in Japan. Ok, not in Japan. Boston. And its not exactly beautiful, it's really cold. Spring. Opening day. I just can't help thinking that when the games come back to Fenway it will be really cold. As I write the Sox are up 6-4 in the top of the tenth. Hoping for an Okajima save to win this one and put it in the books (so I can get back to work). Keeping track of the game

mh30libertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17967073826320650549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12876679.post-75730040416542139262008-03-05T16:20:00.003-05:002008-03-05T16:26:30.033-05:00

In the Dining & Wine section of the The New York Times is a good column about the history and uses of MSG. Author Julia Moskin goes into how MSG got a bad rap, how it is still being used in most Asian cuisines, and how forms of glutamate are used in lots of common items that most American consumers would probably not realize. I found this very enlightening, since all I ever knew about MSG was

mh30libertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17967073826320650549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12876679.post-29153477718508675542008-03-04T19:26:00.003-05:002008-03-04T19:48:59.159-05:00

There's a good review of American wines over at Food & Wine Magazine. Essentially a plonk review, they looked at over 300 wines under $20 and narrowed the list to 67 to buy and try in a bunch of categories. If you're like me, you're always looking for good every day type wines that won't break the bank. This should offer a good guide of American choices. I still have trouble overcoming the

mh30libertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17967073826320650549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12876679.post-21490068650943855362008-03-02T19:15:00.007-05:002008-03-02T20:32:55.798-05:00

I almost never cook cabbage. My grandmother did. A lot. She was Polish. I like to make Corned Beef and Cabbage every St. Patty's day, but that's its limited run in my house. There was a period when my wife (girlfriend at the time) went on that awful cabbage diet. At our annual Pig Roast, my mother-in-law makes cole slaw. Otherwise, cabbage is pretty non-existent. So tonight, I had a cabbage in

mh30libertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17967073826320650549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12876679.post-82742170546018899222008-02-19T14:51:00.007-05:002008-02-21T13:39:12.679-05:00

Does the expression, "you are what you eat" really make any sense? Sure, I acknowledge that whatever we ingest becomes a part of us, but most food nicknames for people have negative connotations. If you are not that smart or are plain stupid you're called Meathead - not because you like sweetbreads. If you are inactive or actually can't move or think you're a Vegetable - not because you had a

mh30libertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17967073826320650549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12876679.post-88243380707585754512008-02-12T11:12:00.000-05:002008-02-12T11:26:31.213-05:00

I haven't talked much about the house, but I should. It was built in 1727 and deserves some respect. We love it, it has the style and charm of an old house, but has been so well maintained that non-do-it-ourselfers (which we are) can handle it. Now that's not to say that there's not stuff we need to do or to get done. Here's a fun one: This is the time of year when I get to start worrying about

mh30libertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17967073826320650549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12876679.post-43439224220704675312008-02-06T09:14:00.001-05:002008-02-06T09:31:29.237-05:00

The fish fry went well so I wanted to share the basics of the batter. [Needs to be a photo here - working on it] 4 Tilapia fillets - or whatever fish you want - I also used scallops, though a deep fryer would have made them better 1/2 cup flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 egg 2/3 cup beer - in this case Guinness Stout which made for a nice creamy flavored finish Whisk the wet into the dry

mh30libertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17967073826320650549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12876679.post-25263954513625223942008-02-05T08:57:00.000-05:002008-02-06T09:33:04.198-05:00

I'm not in denial over what happened Sunday, but I'm not going to talk about it (or read about it, discuss it, watch it). So instead I'll go over the food, which was a huge success. I thoroughly enjoyed the fish fry. (We took pictures and I'll post when I get around to it). Here's the menu: Shrimp (ok, so I boiled the shrimp, I'm easing into the whole fry thing);Mussels steamed in butter and

mh30libertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17967073826320650549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12876679.post-47209754082859000082008-01-30T13:56:00.000-05:002008-02-02T14:49:15.831-05:00

I am no further in my planning for Super Bowl Sunday fare today than I was last week. All I can say for sure is there will be Guinness. Guinness played an important part of the playoff run and Super Bowl back in 2001-02 when the Pats beat the Rams. It was what I was drinking during the snow bowl. It helped me through the 4th quarter. So I am sure to feature it again this year. Knowing that, and

mh30libertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17967073826320650549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12876679.post-42098842705421853992008-01-28T09:49:00.000-05:002008-01-29T14:25:01.540-05:00

As the Super Bowl approaches I find myself in the same dilemma as every year. Where to go? Whom to watch it with? What to eat? I've been lucky in that as a life-long Pats fan I've been enjoying the fruits of their labors this past decade. (And I remember being pissed off as a kid when home games weren't on TV cause the game wasn't sold out so I REALLY appreciate this team.) So naturally as the

mh30libertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17967073826320650549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12876679.post-12919524834087128332008-01-25T13:02:00.001-05:002008-01-29T14:26:47.404-05:00

Lunch today in Chinatown. Suishaya. Great sushi and Korean fare. Really enjoyed it even though all this mercury talk kept me from ordering tuna. Gah. So despite the title of this entry, I didn't get shrimp. But on the way there I had a "plate of shrimp" moment. Yesterday I was randomly thinking of co-workers whose weddings I had attended at various points in my life. (This is actually a fun

mh30libertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17967073826320650549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12876679.post-60652940446727524212008-01-24T13:48:00.000-05:002008-01-25T08:17:17.093-05:00

I recently read a review on Boston.com for a burrito place right near where I work. Then I looked it up on yelp.com and really liked that site (I had never been there before). So I thought I should post some comments on yelp and then said to myself, "heck, why not blog it." And since I rarely have used my blog, I decided this is a good idea. So the burrito place is Burrito Express on Bedford St.

mh30libertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17967073826320650549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12876679.post-66737150251225756752007-09-21T11:01:00.000-04:002008-01-24T14:09:39.315-05:00

from NY Times Casa Cadaval Portugal Ribatejano , $8.99, *** Padre Pedro 2002 Smoke, earth, cherry and spice flavors in a well-structured Old World wine Domaine de l’Ameillaud France , $9, ** ½ Vin de Pays de Vaucluse 2005 Mild tannins with attractive, lingering flavors of berry, cassis and olive Viña Gormaz Spain Ribera del Duero , $9, ** Tempranillo 2005 Fresh and juicy with a

mh30libertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17967073826320650549noreply@blogger.com