Going To The Living Green Expo June 5, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Gratitude, Happiness, Humor, Sustainable Living.comments closed
I’ll be off-line for most of the day. I’m stepping away from the keyboard to explore The Tampa Living Green Expo in St. Pete:
The Tampa Bay Living Green Expo provides real solutions for people to live better, healthier lives with less impact on the environment.
The Expo connects people who are interested in making a positive difference in both their lives and in their communities.
While I’m gone, make yourselves at home . . .
Kick back
Relax
Take a Chill Pill
Meditate on the meaning of life
Dive In
Explore
Enjoy new adventures
Open your mind and your heart
Speak up
Share your thoughts
Dare to be free
Dance like no one’s watching
Make your own kind of music
Smile, laugh, repeat
Just remember the Rules of the House.
See ya later, alligator!
Related posts: The ABC’s of Happiness * Spiritual Milestones * Way of the Peaceful Warrior
The Cheese Stands Alone: Raclette! June 5, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Travel & Leisure, Vegetarian Recipes.comments closed
My dad traveled the world on business, visiting foreign ports of call with the predictability of clockwork ~ a combination of Swiss timepiece precision and the German ingenuity found in Cuckoo Clocks from the Black Forest.
Our favorite ~ his twice yearly trips to Geneva Switzerland.
Or, to be more precise, his returns from Switzerland ~ when, in with his luggage, would be fascinating Swiss Army Knives and boxes of miniature Swiss Chocolates for each of us.
Mmm . . .
Wikipedia ~ Switzerland, Cheese Fondue (in Public Domain)
Dad’s travels included opportunities for him to sample local cuisines throughout Asia, Europe, Australia, South America, Africa, and North America. After his trips, my mother, an avid gourmet, re-created his favorite foreign dishes for us to try, with varying degrees of success:
* We enjoyed being introduced to Cheese Fondue ~ dipping and swirling chunks of hearty bread through melted Gruyère, Emmentaler, and Appenzeller cheeses infused with fragrant wine, Kirsch, garlic, and nutmeg.
* We loved the curries of India, the pastas of Italy, and the flavorful Mediterranean fare from Greece.
* We balked at smoked octopus, frog’s legs, escargot, and fish eyes (which dad had gamely eaten, once, as guest of honor at a dinner in Korea).
Enough about our less palatable culinary adventures, and on to our favorite Swiss dish . . . Raclette.
Like fondue, Raclette involves melted cheese. There the similarity ends.
Instead of melting two or three cheese varietals into simmering wine, with guests swirling bread through the mixture, Raclette stands alone . . . almost.
A block of Raclette (from the French racler ~ to scrape) is melted in front of a roaring fire and scraped onto individual serving plates.
Guests pass potatoes, gherkins, and pickled onions to partner with the melted Raclette while, fireside, the cheese continues to melt ~ indulging diners in second (and third) portions of gooey deliciousness.
Local peasants and cow herders figure in the history of this delectable dish:
Raclette was mentioned in medieval writings as a particularly nutritious meal consumed by peasants in mountainous Switzerland. It was then known in the German-speaking part of Switzerland as Bratchäs, or “roasted cheese.” Traditionally, the Swiss cow herders used to take the cheese with them when they were moving cows to or from the pastures up in the mountains. In the evenings around the campfire, they would place the cheese next to the fire and, when it had reached the perfect softness, scrape it on top of some bread.
Served inside, or under the stars, Raclette stands alone ~ a King among peasant cheeses!
Bon Appetit!
Related posts: Bruschetta * Yummy Hummus * A Trip To The Farmer’s Market * Ten Ways to Fiber Up Your Diet * Bon Appetit! * Cry Baby!
Spirit Lights The Way 