Summer-Your Second Year

Park swings and tall summer grass
Starting to recognize the shadows you cast
The water's cold, yet you loved to swim
As you frolicked about in your summer skin

I can't recall a single care
Just greenery, your curls, the result of humid air
Then Labor day came and went
Memories of your second summer spent




You are 16 months old now, a whole year and a third! You are a walking/dancing machine. You aren't saying much, but who's complaining?

You amaze me every day. You understand so much now. When I ask you if you want to eat, you get more excited than Zoie. You love bright colored fruits, blueberries, mango, strawberries and bananas. Actually, you love just about everything and have since you were able to try something other than milk. You've enjoyed goat cheese, sheep cheese, raw parmesan cheese that was older than you! You like to drink from grown up bottles like mommy and daddy. We've been spiking your food and formula with fish oil since you were born so you'll grow up nice and healthy. You wave hello to everyone and are the official greeting committee. You wave goodbye, reluctantly as you hate to see the party end. You have developed your own little language as a form of communication. Aside from obvious pointing and grunting, you tell us "more" with a hand gesture, you want to go swimming and you see birds. You recognize airplanes and have begun to mimic your mom and dad. You love Zoie and get her treats from the cupboard. You want to give her all of them, more, more! You laugh hysterically as you cup them in your hand and she chases you around drooling uncontrollably. It's your new game of cat and mouse.

You do not crawl anymore, you walk everywhere and it still feels surreal. When you tire, you are a little wobbly on your feet, I admire how you fall down and get straight back up again, you don't even acknowledge the fall. You are so cute, yet so durable! You really enjoy being tossed about. You have always been a little angel at bedtime and you sleep through the night since day one in your own room! No one would believe me unless they lived with us, but even the few times you've been up at night, you go right back down. One time I even had to pull your legs in from outside the crib and you didn't even wake. You are super flexible, stay up late, sleep in late, get up early, go down early! You are a well traveled toddler, and started the summer with a trip to Disney on your birthday. You are sometimes shy, but instantly warm to your surroundings.
We love having you with us everywhere we go and seeing your face when you experience new things. There really is no greater joy and there is so much more to come.

I love your zest for life, your hunger for knowledge and your eager little mind that always seems to be processing! I hope I am nurturing all these things and giving you everything you need. I will always try my best to ensure you understand the value you bring to our family whatever path you choose in life.

I guess, what I really want to thank you for, is coming into this world as my little girl, and for brightening my life with your energy. I hope to repay you someday through a wealth of knowledge and cultural experiences that can never be counted in dollars and cents.

First No Boil Beer

This summer has been horrendous for trying to make beer. heat wave after heat wave is not conducive for effectively cooling beer I'm brewing in the garage, nor properly fermenting it in my basement. For the first time since i can remember, the ambient temperature in the basement has been above 75 degrees for weeks. I have my converted freezer, which stores two carboys where i can control the fermentation temps, but then where do I put my conditioning beer? i have my robust porter conditioning now, the one I plan to enter in the homebrew contest, so i really don't want that laying around in the basement at 75+ degrees, so that is occupying space in the fridge with the pumpkin ale I brewed earlier this week when the weather broke. All at 68 degrees. Today I brewed a berliner weisse style beer that actually takes advantage of some natural bacteria in the grain to impart flavor. It's a low gravity beer that I'm actually going to ferment in a carboy inside my mash tun!! I'm going to accomplish this by continuously rotating fresh, cool water into the converted cooler surrounding the beer. it's the only way to get a fermentable temp in the basement lower than 70 degrees until fall. (btw, new heatwave this week, 90+ for at least 6 days). Berliner Weisse is a top-fermented, lightly soured ale that was once synonymous with “wheat beer” in Europe, but now is a living dinosaur of a style. Its grainy Pils- and wheat malt-character is underscored with an gentle, earthy lemonade-like sourness that used to be a common thread in beers of this region.
Characteristics of interest to the craft beer drinker: a very low OG and abv %, extremely low bitterness (achieved through mash hopping), and a dominant but pleasant sourness from secondary fermentation with Lactobacillus; extended aging will bring earthy overtones from Brettanomyces- light, effervescent, tart, and very refreshing. this beer can be enjoyed on its own, or cut with a woodruff flavored simple syrup or dark fruit juice (like they usually do in Germany). Additionally, bottle conditioning can be extended for months, even years to get the most the out of the bacteria/yeast blend.
Basically, it's a no boil, simple single step mash infusion. i used 3.75 gallons to mash in, sprinkled the hop pellets(i oz hersbrucker) right on the top of the grain. My mash temps stabilized at 152, for 60 minutes, I mashed out with 4 gallons 180 degree water into the kettle. I netted a little over 5 gallons of wort, no boil, just cooled the wort with my sanitized chiller and placed into the mash tun (cooler) in the sink in the basement. Once i achieve a 68 degree temp with ice cube infusion..lol..such technology...I'll aerate and pitch the yeast.
This style dates back to the 1600's and in 1809 the Emperor Napoleon and his troops celebrated their Prussian victory with it. The OG is so low, i didn't even bother taking a reading with my hydromenter. I'l keep you posted through the comments on hw this one turns out.

Open Faced Crabbie Melts

This is a great Labor Day recipe and can be served as an appetizer cut in half. Reminds me of the open faced tuna melts I ate so often growing up.

2 medium tomatoes
1 pound fresh crabmeat, picked over for shells
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sour cream
2 scallions, white and light green parts, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 English muffins, split and toasted
Grated Parmesan (1 tablespoon per muffin)


1. Slice the tomatoes about 1/4-inch thick and arrange in one layer on paper towels to get rid of some of the moisture (you can remove the seeds if you're feeling really motivated). Cover with another layer of paper towels, pressing gently, and let them sit while you assemble the rest of the ingredients for the muffins.


2. In a medium bowl, put the crabmeat, mayonnaise, sour cream, scallions and generous pinches of salt and pepper. Ever so gently, using your fingers, toss the ingredients together until just combined (you still want a few lumps of crabmeat when you're finished).


3. Turn on the broiler and position a rack about five inches below the heating element. Toast the muffins then assemble the muffins on a baking sheet: on each toasted English muffin half put one slice of tomato, followed by about a 1/3 cup of crabmeat. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Broil the muffins for 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese turns golden, watching carefully to make sure the edges of the muffins don't burn. Serve immediately.

Does this beer make me look fat?

"Is beer less fattening than wine?" There is new evidence that beer is, in fact, not as fattening as we have been lead to believe -- that it is less fattening than wine and far less fattening than spirits. It claims the beer bellies that abound in the world's pubs are not a result of the beer, but of the beer-drinking lifestyle, which includes a lot of greasy pub food and a lack of physical activity.

Here's a "calories per 100 ml" table they include in the article:

Beer (4.6% alc): 41 calories
Wine (12% alc): 77 calories
Spirits: 250 calories
Milk: 64 calories
Orange juice: 42 calories
Apple juice: 47 calories
By that measure, beer is even less fattening than apple juice.

However, one must consider two things: first, not many people spend three or four nights a week sitting around a bar knocking back two or three pints of apple juice. Secondly, much of the information comes from the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), so it is hardly unbiased!

However, it is an eye-opening read for the moderate drinker. If your better half questions your motives over your one or two "medicinal" beers per evening, you can show her the article and smile -- as long as you stay away from the wings, pizza and things.

What's So Special About Bottle Conditioned Beer?

And why am I so concerned about where my beloved beer winds up once I give it away for friends to try? First we have to take a look into the why beer should be handled a certain way and how that can impact the flavor. I spoke with a gentleman over the weekend who recently came back from a trip to Belgium. Beer heaven, or haven we both agreed, Belgium is a country where visiting beer lovers never seem to have enough time to experience all it has to offer. He explained to me that you'll often see locals sipping the same beer over a one or two hour period and that you can obviously spot a tourist as they down five or six different brews in the same time span before rushing off to the next pub.

So is there a right way to drink beer? Yes and no. For some, drinking beer doesn’t involve plastic, aluminum or a headstand on top of a keg. But for 75% of the beer bought in this country, and for probably the same amount of drinkers, beer is simply an alcohol delivery system in a can. Buy it cheap, serve it cold, and drink it fast – that’s the mantra of the average beer drinker in America. What most people don’t know (or refuse to believe), is that great beer is a beverage that requires care in serving and drinking, and it doesn’t involve aluminum.

First, beer in this country is simply served too cold. Images of ice, snowy mountain ranges, and cold water dominate the mainstream beer ads, giving the impression that beer should be cooled to as low as physically possible before being consumed. In truth, most beer (good beer, anyway), benefits from being served warmer than you’d think, helping to bring out the flavors in the beer. Have you ever held an ice cube to some part of your body to numb it? That’s what ice cold beer does to your taste buds, shutting down any chance of you tasting anything pleasant in the beer. Anywhere from 45 degrees to 55 degrees is perfect, depending on the style. As a good rule of thumb, the higher the alcohol content, the warmer the beer should be served.

Second, beer is all too often served out of the completely incorrect vessel. No, an aluminum can is not appropriate to drink beer out of. I know what you’re saying: “Oh, well, I only drink it out of the bottle – it tastes better that way” – nope, sorry. Drinking beer through a 1 inch glass hole is a horrible way to experience decent beer, and you might as well save yourself a few bucks and drink water. Do yourself a favor – next time you have a beer, pour half of the beer into a glass, and leave the other half in the bottle and see which tastes better. You’ll never go back to the bottle.

So, what should you drink great beer out of? For me, there are four basic glasses that one should have on hand to accommodate most styles: pint glasses, pilsner glasses, brandy snifters, and champagne flutes. Most low alcohol beers, such as pale ales, amber ales, brown ales, stouts, porters and IPAs will be fine in a pint glass. As alcohol increases, such as in Imperial Stouts and Porters, Barleywines, and Strong Ales, a snifter is great. Pilsners (real, true pilsners) work great in the pilsners glasses, along with other like-flavored styles. Lastly, fruited beers and lambics are perfect out of a champagne flute.

If you’re going to drink great beer, make sure to drink it right. Put away the funnels and the solo cups and serve it how the beer wants to be served – from the right glass, at the right temperature. The only caveat is this: if you’re drinking cheap, mass-produced beer, don’t waste your money on glassware – nothing’s going to help!!

Lastly, bottle-conditioned beers contain living yeast, and have a layer of yeast sediment on the bottom of the bottle. This sediment can usually be seen when the bottle is viewed from the bottom. Many believe that only Hefeweizen should contain active yeast, but there are many styles that taste superior after bottle conditioning. In fact, all my beer is bottle conditioned simply because I lack the funds for forced carbonation and really enjoy drinking living beer. A bit of living yeast in the bottle will actively keep beer fresh by eliminating unwanted compounds, consuming harmful oxygen, and producing carbon dioxide. Yeast also absorbs and consumes the healthy antioxidant plant constituents that are derived from barley and hops. If the yeast is removed from the beer, much of the healthy constituents may be removed. Yeast also provides B vitamins, which are removed from your body when alcohol is metabolized. Some people may find beer yeast to be unpalatable. If so, pour the beer slowly as to not disturb the sediment. I often pour about half of my beer out of the bottle and it is extremely clear without filtration or fining agents. True conditioning! I'll enjoy half of the other half as a cloudy beer with a bit of a yeasty finish-this can be quite complex and pleasant, depending on the yeast used to ferment the beer. The final quarter or less of the beer is up to you. Many homebrew enthusiasts choose not to partake. Others give the remaining beer a swirl, a pour and a taste, not wanting any of their hard earned work to go to waste. Unfortunately, it's this same yeast that enjoys stability once the beer is carbonated and conditioning. That doesn't mean sitting it your garage, on the seat of your 90 degree car for four hours while you rune errands, sideways in the produce bin of your refrigerater because that's the only place left in your fridge (otherwise occupied by a 12-pak of Miller Light), in direct sunlight on your counter for three weeks or in a cabinet over your stove. Once fully carbonated, beer loves to be cellared at say 50-55 degrees and mostly consumed right around that temperature or slightly lower, depending on style as mentioned above. If you don't have a cellar, simply refrigerate it, keeping the yeast on the bottom, and let it warm up a bit toward ambient temperature prior to drinking. Prost!

A fall classic

I don't know about anyone else, but I am soooo done with summer. This summer has been particularly bad in term of heat and humidity, it was probably cooler in Florida most of the season. As a prelude to fall and the "other" fall classic, here's a recipe for chili that includes some of my flat tire belgian amber ale.

1 to 2 tablespoon oil (I prefer olive but any other is fine)
1 pound ground meat (I prefer buffalo or grass fed beef)
1 pound sirloin, cubed (stew meat will work but you'll need a bit more time for tenderness)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 Bottle of beer (my choice is my Fat Tire clone)
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups beef stock

1 cup baltic porter (my summer brew), again, drink up!!
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili sauce
1/2 finely chopped chili of choice (i use seeded jalapeno from the garden)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon heaping of cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon heaping of coriander
1 teaspoon salt
2 15 ounce cans kidney beans
1 15 ounce cans white beans
5 large carrots, chopped into thin discs
1. In large dutch oven, heat oil over med. flame and brown meat, sirloin chunks first then ground.

2. When meat is lightly browned, throw on the onions.

3. Take two large sips from the beer.

4. Add remaining beer plus, tomatoes, beef stock, porter and tomato paste.

5. Add the sugar, spices and kidney beans. Reduce flame to low and let simmer for an hour.

6. Add white beans and carrots throw in the over on low heat for another hour or two; longer will be better. Season and/or garnish as needed

Pretty simple recipe, pretty complex tastes, grab some bread and enjoy!

Homebrew is a living breathing organism

I often get questions on

Robiola

I'm going to post about some of my favorite cheeses that I've encountered over the past five years, hopefully at some point I will attempt to create my own version of the cheese I'm describing.
Robiola is one of my favorite soft cheeses, Robiola is an Italian cheese and hails from Piedmont, Italy. It's usually made in the shape of a small square, kind of like a mini Taleggio. Not always though, I have encountered it in other shapes - Robiola is a name that refers to a type of cheese, rather than one specific cheese. For this reason, you'll find many different types of Robiola in cheese shops, although the two sold most often in the US are Robiola Bosina (square shape, with a runny, gooey texture) and Robiola Rocchetta. There is a brand of Robiola that is produced exclusively for Whole Foods Market and we carry it in our cheese shop (Marlton)and it's a cow/sheep blend.

Robiola Rocchetta is made by Caseificio Alta Langa, the same creamery that makes La Tur and Brunet, two cheeses that are very simliar to Robiola Rocchetta. Robiola Rocchetta has a round shape, with a soft bloomy rind and a fluffy, slightly runny texture. It is made with three milk types - cow, sheep and goat- and you taste the influence of all three in its rich texture, and milky, tangy flavor. I love either style of Robiola alone, with a baguette, or with Raincoast Crisp Cranberry Hazelnut crackers-amazing!

Mac and Cheese Potpourri (low fat)

I developed this recipe because I am leaving on vacation in a few days and I want to get rid of some things in my fridge. I have a bunch of cilantro in there too, but I don;t think it's going to work here, maybe I'll make some salsa for the road. Here's what else I have.
1 lb bag of ww pasta shells from the engine 2 promotion
jalapeno pepper from the yard
fontina cheese from Wisconsin that the my team leader at whole foods sampled to me (Roth Kase)
A small piece of parm that is long in the tooth
yukon gold potatoes that are just starting to sprout some eyes
Vermont Butter & Cream cultured butter (sample from whole foods)
some other pieces of cheese in the fridge (fiscalini is one, horseradish cheddar another, not sure if I'll use both), but here goes.
a little less than 1/2 an onion
This recipe calls for significantly less butter and cheese than traditional mac and cheese. Let's see how it turns out.

1 lb. bag ww shells

6 oz. Roth Kase Fontina (shred it)

1 oz. Parm (grate it to the rind)

1 oz Horse radish cheddar (shred or slice thin)

1 oz fiscalini cheddar (grate it)

3 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup milk, 1/4 -1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion, sliced (this was vidalia)

3 medium size Yukon Gold potatoes (going to dice them up)

1 jalapeno pepper (mince it)

salt and pepper, to taste

I may place some bread crumbs on top, I'll see what I have in my freezer that ican tosat up real quick. I also thought about a bit of crushed red peper, I'll re-evaluate after I taste with the Jalapeno.

grate and shred the cheeses.

-in a small pot, add enough water to cover the potatoes by an inch. add salt, and boil the water. add the potatoes, and cook until they are tender when poked with a fork. when finished, remove from heat, drain
-at this same time, in saute pan, melt 2 tblsp butter and cook onions and jalapeno on medium heat, stirring constantly until onions brown. add flour, a 1/2 cup of milk, stir, add potatoes, salt and pepper. You may need a bit of water to thin. set aside.

-preheat oven to 425 degrees.

-boil pasta according to directions on box. drain in a colander.

-in a small dutch oven, add 1 tablesppon olive oil to coat, add cooked pasta. Stir in onion/potato mixture and evenly coat.

-stir in all your cheeses

I actually found some ritz crackers in the cupboard that I had planned to throw out (father in law brought over), so I decided to use these as a topping. Crumbe them up and spread on top.

-bake for 20 minutes or so. I've never used ritz crackers in the over before, so keep an eye not to burn.

-allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve

well, it has a great taste, but it's a little dry as expected. I would not use the ritz crackers next time, made for a nice crisp topping, but it dried it out even more texture wise. All in all, a great dish with a much ower percentage of fat from butte, milk and cheese than the majority of the mac and cheese recipes out there.

Open faced Lasagna

Something to do with lasanga noodles that isn't as time consuming as lasagna or trying to make ravioli out of lasagna noodles.

Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes
8 ounces goat cheese (capricho de caba if feeling wealthy, 365 brand if on a budget)
1/2 pound lasagna noodles
1 bunch sage (loosely or finely chopped, depending on your taste)
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste
1. Bring two pots of water to boil, meanwhile scrub the potatoes and stab them with a knife. Once the water is boiling toss in the potatoes and cook until easily impaled. This should take around 20 minutes.

2. Once the potatoes are done remove them from the heat; for a quick cool down, run cold water over them. Put the lasagna noodles in the other pot of boiling water and set the timer for about 10 minutes.

3. Once the potatoes are cooled, pinch off their skin. Cut them into small pieces and mash them up with the goat cheese. (Note: if you want them creamy heat them up a little while you are doing this). Salt to taste.

4. In a saucepan heat the butter on medium-low. Add the sage and cook until browned, about 4-5 minutes.

5. Drain the lasagna noodles. Place a few noodles on a plate and scoop some of the sweet potato mixture around them. Repeat this until all the noodles and mix are used up.

6. Crack some pepper on top and devour!

Flat Tire Ale

Belgian style pale ale recipe, makes 5.5 gallons

6 lbs belgan pilsner malt
2 lb german Munich 20 ebc
2 lb German dark Munich 40 ebc
1/2 lb victory malt
1/2 lb briess crystal 60
1 oz Perle pellet hops 60 minutes- after hotbreak
1 oz hersbrucker pellet 15 minutes prior to end of boil
wyeast 1762 begian abbey 11

single infusion mash in with 3.5 gallons at 160 degree water, 165 in winter if brewing outside , target temp 149-152, I looove to mash in lower for a malty-er profile.
Mash out at 60-75 minutes with 5.5 gallons 180 degree water
run rate 1 gal per 12 min
boil 60 min with additions above
cool wort to 70-75 degrees
aerate
pitch yeast
I bottled this one after 5 weeks in the primary
simple recipe that yeilds a super tasty copper red ale with a slighty fruity finish

The VerMONSTER

makes 4 burgers

1.5 lb 85-90% Vermont grass fed beef

1/2 cup Vermont pure maple syrup

8 strips Vermont Smoke and Cure Uncured bacon (thick)

1 macintosh apple

Vermont Ayr or vermont cheddar cheese

bulky or whole wheat rolls (for the diet conscious) I used Vermont Bakery 100% Whole wheat burger buns

salt and pepper

4 bottles of my maple ale

cook bacon, pat dry

heat grill

add a little less than the entire 1/2 cup of Vt maple syrup (leave about 1/8 cup) and salt and pepper to beef, mix well

slice and peel apple, add some lemon juice to retain color and place 4 round 1/4 or less inch slices on grill

grill apple 1 minute each side

make 4 even sized patties from mixed ground beef

grill burgers on high heat until charred

move to low heat, drizzle remaining syrup over burgers while cooking

toast buns

assemble burgers when appropriate doneness (is that a word?) first add apple, then bacon then cheese

place on toasted bun

serve with maple beer

I brewed an amazing Belgian Tripel off the yeast cake of a Belgian Patersbier I brewed a few months back. This beer is delicious and stands right up there with 5 different commercial tripels that i recently purchased to compare notes. (tough job, I know) i used a belgian high gravity yeast (wyeast 3787 trappist high gravity) for the patersbier, which a a low alcohol session beer found in some remote towns in Belgium. It's really not a difficult beer to brew, single malt, lightly hopped and low gravity, most of the flavor develops from the yeast. Super light and super citrusy is how it's best described, but enough of that, on to the tripel.

Pilsen malt- Dingemans 12 lbs

Cara pils 1lb

Belgian candi sugar -white 1lb 15 miutes

.75 oz summit 60 minutes-bittering

1 oz saaz @ 5 minutes -aroma

mash in 5 gallons 165 degree water, target mash is 150 or just below. if you come in too low, just extend the mash time in 15 min increments.

I shoot for a lower target with belgian beers because i like to bring out the malty profile.

sparge out with 180 degree water at the rate of 1 gallon into the kettle every 12 minutes.

your pre boil should be close to 7 gallons, i lose a lot in the boil, so i shoot for 7 preboil, nothing wrong with a little extra beer if you finish with more than 5 gallons:)

bring to a boil, when hotbreak settles, add summit and follow boil additions above.

cool, pour cooled wort into existing yeast cake from recently bottled patersbier.

this is a beer i secondary due to the large amount of yeast i'm pouring the beer onto in the primary.

i fermented for 3 weeks, racked to a secondary for 3 weeks and then bottled,

i am 12 weeks in and the beer just keeps getting better and better, i need to keep my hands off of it for a while and let it age.

(White) Chicken Chili with (Pale) Ale

-2 tablespoons grass fed Irish butter (Kerrigold is great)

-1 medium sized onion, diced

-1 yellow bell pepper, diced

• 1-1 1/2 tablespoon Jalapeno chili (depends on how hot you like it) minced (a little over a tablespoon minced is a good start, medium hot)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 15 oz can cream corn
• 1 small can 365 diced mild green chiles
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used rotisserie for convenience)
• 1 cup Whole milk (or lowfat, you’ll jut have to simmer longer to thicken it up)
• 1 cup Irish Red Ale (any beer will do)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cans Navy Beans drained and rinsed
• 1 generous cup of fresh spinach (doesn’t add much flavor, but adds some wonderful green color!)
• Salt and Pepper
• I cup shredded Irish cheddar (any cheddar will work)

Heat butter, onion, garlic, pepper and Jalapeno, stirring often, over medium high heat until onion is limp and translucent. Add cumin, corn, green chiles, milk, ale, and beans. bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally (about 20 minutes) stir in chicken and spinach, season with salt and pepper, simmer an additional 10 minutes That’s it! Serve in a bread bowl with or without shredded cheese--even better the second day when the flavors meld.

Poopie Diapers

Look, I'm going to be honest here, like most first time fathers I had zero previous experience changing a baby’s diaper, and by zero, I mean zero. I have nieces and I have friends with children, but I've ALWAYS managed to avoid the what seems to be the archaic task of changing a baby diaper. Since I had no experience, my imagination was filled with thoughts of diapers full of giant stinky man-sized turds, always mushy, always escaping out the sides, down her legs, up her back and on her clothes. Or something at least as bad as dog poop, which I've often gagged on even when picking up with a shovel. So naturally, changing diapers was at the top of the list of things I dreaded doing (and there were many), and something I planned to avoid as long as possible (although my wife will tell you that I still haven't changed one in over 14 months).
Well much to my surprise baby poop turns out to be nothing like I had feared. It’s hard to even call it poop really. Mainly it's been rock hard marbles that just roll around the half pipe shaped diaper (genius shape for keeping the marbles in check) or large flattened forms of darkish silly putty, that I truly believe capture the imprint of whatever Disney character she happens to be wearing that day (I've seen it myself). Does anyone remember pressing silly putty into the Sunday color comics and capturing an imprint? Bingo with the poopie if it's been in there long enough and given time to flatten out by her bottom. Even the diarrhea she recently encountered (and I swear my wife an I JUST discussed the fact that this kid never had diarrhea since like the first three days of life and whammo on comes the anal faucet) is just some lightly colored mushy stuff with a vaguely unpleasant odor. Seriously, cleaning up after our gerbils growing up brings memories far worse than changing a baby’s diaper. Disclaimer: To date only, I anticipate having her potty trained soon. And in the gerbils case, they pooped and pee'd everywhere. There was no diaper to catch the excrement, and much of it hid and lurked under half chewed paper towel rolls and ceder shaving nests. I don't believe my parents could afford rubber gloves back then, I mean why else would they make me put my bare hands in there knowing of the inevitable "touch". But I digress; back to baby poopie. Fear not, after a while you wont even put down your fruit to change a diaper, you’ll just hold it in your mouth while your hands blast through the deed in seconds. I really am that fast and wonder if there are actual contests I could enter.
Ever see the pit team at the Indianapolis 500 change out the tires on a Formula One car? It’s just a blur. That’s how fast you’ll be after a while, not because it's disgusting, it just becomes second nature.
In fact, it seems that we begin to look forward to poopie diapers. It actually becomes the topic of conversation. When I pick her up from my parents I am given the score of the day. "We changed two poopie diapers or she didn't make poopies today or, only one poopie today", like it's an actual disappointment. My mother-in-law, same thing, no "good morning" as she arrives, she's on a mission to get the poopie lowdown. Sometimes I get the lead in question first knowing that she knows food or drink usually starts the poopie engine. "did she eat this morning?"but it always leads to the poopie diaper question. It's just a simple lead in to the question you know is coming and is on everyone's mind. Most questions are usually followed by a raise and a sniff. If there's a poopie in there, they'll find it, regardless of the baby's temperament. I call it the poop watch. not on my watch they say, so courtesy sniffs at least every hour. Look, if the kid is content and happy, why would I actually seek out a poopie diaper? Oh, but like finding the coveted chocolate egg on easter sunday, they immediately seek the poopie diaper and frown on me for missing it. you'd think they'd be happy, after all, the poopie diaper consumes them. You’ll even get everyone a little worried if she doesn’t poop for couple of days, her poop changes color or order, or it just looks odd. It has nothing to do with the nineteen new foods you've introduced her to in the past 7 days or the dog food she ate right out of the bowl the night before, nope, there's cause for concern and everyone is now on the lookout.
Regular healthy poop is an indication of a healthy regular child. So after a while it becomes not so much of a chore, but more of a systems check. All is well, she made a poopie.
So don’t sweat the diaper stuff, if I can do it anyone can.

Can you spot a poopie diaper?

House Robust Porter

This is a recipe that I have now brewed 3 times to rave reviews. It's pretty complex, with hints of chocolate, toffee and coffee and a distinct alcohol "warming" on the finish. It clocks in from the mid to high 6'sABV, depending on my efficiency. Anyway, here it is:

11 lb standard 2 row
1 lb choc malt
1 lb caramel 40l
4 oz black patent
1 oz roasted barley
8 oz flaked barley
I use 365 brand spring water, the ph is perfect for general brewing although I haven't tested it in a while and I'm sure the sources change.
I mash in with 4.25 gallons at 165 degrees, hoping to reach a temp of 148-152 or 60 minutes.
Sparge out with 5 gallons of 180 degree water. I fly sparge over an hour, about a gallon every 12 minutes into the kettle.
bring to a boil, once hot break recedes, add 1oz northern brewer pellet hops and .5 oz cascade and time for 60 minutes.
with 15 minutes left in the boil, add 8oz maltodextrine or lactose. I prefer malto for this recipe.
Cool wort, aerate with a stone and oxygen if possible, this is a high gravity beer and needs healthy aeration and healthy yeast. You may consider a starter, but that's a post for another time. I don't for this recipe and it finishes out clean, but slow
Pitch Yeast-I used Wyeast European Ale yeast which makes a wonderful beer, but is ultra slooooow. Do not despair id you still have krausen after 4 weeks, it's that slow. Just give the carboy a little shake to hep it drop out. I ferment this beer in the primary only for 5 weeks to really clean it up. I rarely secondary beer, unless it's super high gravity and this was no exception.

Whey-Cation 2010

We made the trip to Shelburne Farms, on the banks of Lake Champlain, for the 2010 Vermont Cheesemakers Festival. It was actually my second trip as I attended the inagural event in August of 2009, but I wanted to ensure my family had the chance to experience, what I believe to be, qiuntessential Vermont in one setting. Coveringover 400 acres of land, this farm consists of a whole lot of green – lawns, woods, gardens, hills, grazing pastures – and not a lot of man-made structures outside of the inn, a working dairy and some barns. After an hour drive from Warren, the last couple of miles on dirt road, this felt like the back of beyond; once on the property, you quickly forget that Burlington, the state’s capital city, is a stones throw away on the the northern shore of Lake Champlain.

Shelburne Farms, created in 1886 as an agricultural estate and summer home, became a working conservatio

n and environmental education estate, a not-for-profit enterprise. The Farm’s mission directs that they “cultivate a conservation ethic…practice rural land uses that are environmentally, economically and culturally sustainable…sustain healthy agricultural practices that maintain fertile soil into the future.” So cliche nowadays, but so Vermont since as far back as I can remember.
Mission statement words become daily practice here: the wooded areas are Green Certified, the dairy cows are grass fed, and a large market garden yields produce for both an Inn kitchen focused on seasonal cuisine and the Farm’s educational programs. The programs themselves are also mission-specific: school field trips, a 4-H program, the Sustainable Schools Project, and Vermont FEED (Food Education Every Day).

The backdrop for all these efforts is not a classroom but one sprawling, gorgeous farm among the many that, strung together, make up the picture book beautiful state of Vermont. Vermont’s hills and mountains are rounded, rolling, grassy, perfect for the cows that dot the sides of the gentle slopes, in fact, perfect for sheep and goats too. The valleys suit the horses, the red barns, their silos, and field after field of fresh produce. The state is beautiful, beyond beautiful – scenic and pastoral.
But behind the beauty lies a great deal of hard work.
Shelburne Farms is every bit the working farm. Between the herd of Brown Swiss cows, the dairy, and the cheese center, the Farm turns out quite a bit of award winning cheddar following the tenets of its own mission statement, in “environmentally, economically and culturally sustainable” ways.

The mission seems to extend beyond the boundaries of Shelburne Farms as well. Responsible dairy farming and artisanal cheesemaking have always been hallmark of Vermont, but now appear to be thriving under a resurgence of the "new normal". The prac

tices seem organic to Vermont’s land in the broadest sense of the word, respect paid back

for the gift of rich soil.

“Vermont has now evolved into the premium artisanal cheese state with the highest number of cheesemakers per capita,” Vermont Cheesemaker Festival organizers (Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery and the Vermont Cheese Council) are proud to point out. People who want to make cheese by

hand in traditional ways have come to Vermont from many other places and many other life paths, looking for community, shared passion and commitment, looking for this good land and its milking animals.
A rich land makes for content cows, goats, sheep, and content animals produce great milk, just ask the California Dairy Industry's Marketing team. Vermont's definition of a happy animal? Animals given respectful treatment, the freedom to roam pastures and rock ledges, good grass to eat, and lots and lots of fresh air.
Much of the cheese we tasted was indeed made from great milk, and delicious as a result. Many o

f the cheesemakers took care to point out the characteristics of their product, and their words and brochures always reference the land. Dancing Cow’s Bourree boasted “the flavor of the pasture just eaten” and Cricket Creek Farm’s taleggio-style Tobasi was “very buttery and smooth with earthy, grassy notes.” Thistle Hill Farm’s Tarentaise was touted as capturing the “soil, geography, climate, and flora” of Pomfret, Vermont in its flavor profile.

With 45 cheesemakers and just as many brewers, vintners, and artisan food producers, and Lake Cahmplain as a backdrop, you can easliy spend the entire day at the event taking it all in with several round trips with realxation in the dell in between. With the synergy of land, animals, humans, and sustenance at work, thi

s was local eating at its best. We can't wait until next year!