by Sam Tackeff | Nov 18, 2014 | Uncategorized
Last night I waved a coworker off wishing her a great weekend. On a Monday. It’s safe to say that this week is already feeling long. The temperature has dipped to almost freezing, and every time I come back to the house, I’m reluctant to leave again. Life would be better in some form of hibernation over the winter, and while I’m not a bear, I’m doing my best to replicate the cozy cave thing here on my couch. Tonight I’ve been curled up, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket, drinking the Trader Joe’s Harvest Blend Herbal Tea (thank you, Alexann!) in the brand new mug that Devon gave me.
Can we speak about this mug for a moment? When I came home from my race, it was waiting for me – not only is it one of my favorite colors, but the Frenchie looks suspiciously like our RunKeeper office dog @frenchiedijon. Yes, we’ve become those people. Totally lusting after the dogs of coworkers and friends. Dijon’s mom already knows that if he goes missing she should probably call me.
The mug was part of a two part wonderfully thoughtful gift – the second box was filled with two special bags of coffee from Blue Bottle, which means that my mornings for the next week or two are going to be stellar.
So about this gift giving business. I’m notoriously bad at it. But because I’ve resigned myself to the holiday season being here, I’ve been putting together a Pinterest board of food gifts so I don’t forget about all the things that I’d like to acquire. (Mostly for myself.) I’ll be adding to it over the next few weeks. Take a look!
Follow Sam’s board Foodie Gift Guide on Pinterest.
What’s on your wish list?
by Sam Tackeff | Nov 17, 2014 | Travel
Happy Monday to you! After blogging non stop in Savannah on vacation last week, I realized how much I love organizing my travel photos (and how rarely I actually do this.) So I spent this weekend flipping through my pictures from my Labor Day Trip to Texas, celebrating my best friend Caroline’s birthday. Here are some of my favorites!
Some of the highlights of the trip:
Central Market. Hatch chile season. Fresh lime juice in a bottle, no, really fresh!
Grocery shopping with Gail – Brunch for 10, Dinner for 12.
Lunch at Ouisie’s – a Texas Crab Cobb Salad. They have a great bread basket!
Sonoma Wine Bar (drinking: Idlewild Rosé, eating: the charcuterie plate)
Meeting: Cory! Brad, Jill, Andie. Justin. Austin! (Finally!)
Teacher errands. Beyoncé Chicken at Mo Ranch. Caroline’s Classroom.
Barnaby’s for the Chile burger on a salad.
Getting to hang with Sadie and Priscilla. Having two cute dogs underfoot is bliss.
Dower reunion: Caroline, Heather, Sam and Jean.
Second lunch at Taco Cabana. Just because. Queso! Tacos! Fresh tortillas!
Topwater. We were going to take the boat, but it was bad weather. Shrimp. Sinkers. Bobbers.
Caroline’s birthday brunch. Cantaloupe soup. Sausage on sticks. Breakfast tacos. Amazing large tiffin.
Coffee from Starbucks. (Did you know that you need to order the carafes in advance?)
Tempesta, our worthy ship. Weather. Dolphins. DOLPHINS, YOU GUYS.
Gail + Mike’s Guestbook in Kemah
Spending time with Erin + Thomas, Julia + Hector in the flesh.
Swimming.
NASA! Mission control. Orion in 2030 – seems so far away.
Plasma rockets exist? But they can’t get them to stop yet.
*TCYC, remembering Tom Hutcheson, neighbors and friends here for decades.
Mike’s Birthday Dinner Party (the stories…). Salmon tartar. Avocado soup with citrus, red pepper and shrimp. Salad with watermelon, basil, cucumber and tomato, ricotta salata and a balsamic vinaigrette. Fish. Crab sauce with cream and mushrooms. Cake. Amarula and Limoncello shots.
Spending as much time on the boat as humanly possible.
Breakfast at Classics. Eggs Benedict on a biscuit. With grits.
Driving the boat! Navigating between red and green poles.
More swimming.
Dinner at WiFi-less Cedar Creek. (Minus Hector, who had to select his draft picks.)
Farmers market chocolate and cheese samples, cheerful bands.
Kolaches with Jean: ham egg and cheese, and poppyseed.
Cold brew coffee tasting (Chameleon and Cafin, didn’t really love either?)
Tortillas. I took home two dozen in my suitcase.
Dear Texas, I hope to come back soon.
–– Sam
by Sam Tackeff | Nov 16, 2014 | Meat
Tonight I cooked bratwurst from the freezer. I flipped through some of my cookbooks for inspiration, but ended up loosely following Olga’s recipe for bratwurst, cabbage, and sauerkraut on Sassy Radish. I always really love her writing, and her recipes are always on point. I had most of the ingredients for this late fall dinner. I used the last of my sauerkraut, and ended up drinking the little cup of brine as an aperitif. I could have put a little vodka in there, and it would have been an excellent cocktail.
bratwurst, cabbage, and sauerkraut
serves 2
bratwurst, 4 medium sized
olive oil
onion, 1 cup, chopped
paprika, 1 teaspoon
mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon
cabbage, 1/2 head of green cabbage, sliced
sauerkraut, about a cup, two if you have it
tart apple, 1, peeled, cored, and sliced
stock, beef or chicken, 2 cups
Brown the (fully cooked) bratwurst in the skillet in some olive oil. Add the chopped onion, and cook until softened, and just slightly brown. You want the onion to get a little color to help flavor the cabbage. Add the spices, cabbage, sauerkraut, and apple, and stir. Pop the sausages on top, so they are sitting on the cabbage. Pour over the stock, and cook on medium heat, partially covered, for about 45 minutes, until the cabbage is soft, stirring every so often to help wilt the cabbage down.
