Great Lakes Grassroots

When Foodgoat first opened a bottle of the new Great Lakes Grassroots ale, he took one sip, then handed it to me saying, "I think you'd like this." Which, I think, was an insult.

Yes, it's light and mild and not too alcoholic and it does have that hint of chamomile ... okay, yes, it is kind of a girly beer. But it was refreshing and tasteful and sweet and perfect, I think, for Memorial Day weekends when it's hot outside and you're finally putting those tomato and pepper seedlings in the garden.

New Toy

One day, our oven died. It just didn't work anymore.

For five months, we couldn't bake anything. No brownies, no roasted Brussels sprouts.

And then one day Foodgoat couldn't take it anymore. He had to make a pizza.

So we bought a new stove.

And we couldn't be happier. This GE is much nicer than the old Maytag that the house came with - a central oval burner! A griddle! Continuous grates! Power boil! A broiler at the top of the oven instead of underneath it!

Even Sabbath mode, which I'm pretty sure we will never ever use!

Most importantly, we have already made pizza twice.

What a difference a good appliance makes.

The First Lesson in Making Dumplings

Wrong Date but the Right Bottle of Wine

Foodgoat and I were halfway through a bottle of sparkling wine tonight when we were informed by Foodgoat's mother that actually, our wedding anniversary is next week.

It's bad enough when one spouse gets the anniversary date wrong, but both? At least we both remembered it was around Memorial Day weekend.

At least we got to discover Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut, which was smooth, fresh, and an entirely enjoyable sparkling wine. Approximately 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, it was not too sweet, but quite nicely flavored, and went well with the crepes (or supper pancakes, as he grew up calling them) Foodgoat made for dinner.

We may have to open up another bottle next week.

Sourdough Pancakes

Just about the time we ran out of the 25 pounds of flour that we ordered around the holidays (somehow I thought it would last much longer), King Arthur Flour had another free shipping deal and we got to order not only another 25 pounds, but other cooking products to try from one of our favorite stores. So far a big hit has been the Schokinag Extreme Dark Bittersweet Chocolate Chips, which is 75% chocolate liquor.

At first we enjoyed just popping the delicious, deep flavored chocolate chips in our mouth, but then Foodgoat added them to something he's been making Sunday mornings often these days, sourdough pancakes.

Thus was born bittersweet chocolate chip sourdough pancakes, which are really quite delicious. Despite the chocolate chips, it's not a kid's pancake: it wasn't sweet at all, just warm, subtle sourness with intense, rich chocolate. Just a drizzle of maple syrup for a touch of sweetness, although it really didn't need it.

The recipe is a modified version of one in the Good Home cookbook, which lately has been my go-to cookbook for classic recipes.

Sourdough Pancakes

1 large egg, separated
1/2 cup mixture of sour cream and milk (because it's what we had on hand, you can also use evaporated milk only)
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sourdough starter
bittersweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat griddle or skillets on medium high.
2. In a small bowl, beat egg white until stiff but not dry.
3. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolk, sour cream/milk, oil, sugar, baking soda, and salt until blended. As quickly as possible mix in the starter with a spoon. Gently fold in the egg white.
4. Grease the griddle, ladle about 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake. Add a couple of chocolate chips. Let cook 2-4 minutes, flip, cook a few more minutes. Keep going! Keep warm and serve immediately.