The Sea Organ [Visiting Croatia]

Greetings all!

What happens if you combine human ideas and skills and the energy of the sea, waves, tide and flood? You get the Sea Organ in Croatia!

Listen HERE (doesn’t it sound eerie but also meditative?):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n86pF-wQKrw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myV3E9uREuI

Image and description from https://morske-orgulje.business.site/

This is how the website for this unique attraction describes it:

“The organ looks like a series of broad steps leading down into the water, but there's actually very clever engineering hiding under the surface. The lower steps allow water and air to flow in. That water and air is then funneled into resonant chambers under the steps, and pushed out through the channels on the upper stairs, seen here. These cause the undulating, chime-like notes to be produced. Because the sea is always shifting and changing, the sea organ never sounds exactly the same twice. Each sound you hear is completely unique."

Amazing, isn’t it? I would love to listen in person! What did you think? Drop me a line!!

Zuppa Toscana

Greetings all!

As the weather is slowly turning cooler, I am leafing through my soup recipes. One of my favorites is Zuppa Toscana.

Here is my lazy 5-ingredient 5-step version (full recipe below):

1. 1 lb Italian sausage: Chop and brown over medium heat. 
2. [OPTIONAL] Onion and spices (salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes, etc.): Add to the sausage and cook for 3 minutes.
3. 2 large russet baking potatoes (or you can do half potatoes and half cauliflower): Dice, add to the pot, and pour water (or broth) to cover potatoes. Cook until potatoes are ready.
4. 2 cups of chopped kale: Add to the pot and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
5. 1 cup heavy whipping cream: Add to the pot, turn off the heat, and let sit for 10-15 minutes.

Image and recipe from 

https://www.food.com/recipe/olive-garden-copycat-zuppa-toscana-38298

Food.com Recipe Ingredients:

1. 1 lb Italian sausage 
2. 2 large russet baking potatoes, wash, sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices
3. 1 large vidalia onion, chopped
4. 4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
5. 1 teaspoon Accent seasoning (optional)
6. 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
7. 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
8. 1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
9. 2 garlic cloves, minced or 1 tablespoon of minced garlic from jar
10. 2 cups packed in measuring cup kale or 2 cups swiss chard, chopped
11. 2 (8 ounce) cans chicken broth, add 1 envelope of chicken bouillon for extra flavor
12. 1 quart water
13. 2 teaspoons flour or 2 teaspoons cornstarch, mixed with enough water to make a paste
14. 1 cup heavy whipping cream (tempered)

Food.com Recipe Instructions:

1. Chop or slice uncooked sausage into small pieces and cook until browned and meat is ground in bottom of your soup pan over med-high heat.
2. Add onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to Sausage and cook until onions are clear and aromatics of the seasonings blend together.
3. Reduce heat back to medium and place, potatoes, in the pot. and slowly add the Chicken Stock and water and stir. (use Chicken Bouillon envelope for extra flavor if Chicken Stock is weak).
4. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are done and stir occasionally. Once Potatoes are done, Add flour or cornstarch and simmer for another 15 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to lowest setting and sprinkle in your kale and cooked bacon and slowly pour cream while stirring.
6. Check for taste and then serve.

Bon Appetit! Let me know how you like it!

10 Signs You’re Doing WELL IN LIFE

Sometimes we just need a reminder… Oleg Vishnepolsky has a great list:

1. You have a roof over your head

2. You have loyal friends

3. You have food to eat

4. You treat everyone with respect, not just those you need to impress

5. You have running water at home

6. You care about others

7. You strive to do be better

8. You have a dream

9. You are breathing

10. No matter what, you get up, show up, give it all you got – and NEVER give up

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/vishnepolsky_10-signs-youre-doing-well-in-life-1-you-activity-6543885606584373248-lzxY/

P.S. Oleg's posts are fantastic! 

Guinea Pig Ice Cream, Anyone?

Greetings all!

Some of you might remember my “Row, row, row your boat” post in which I talked about grilled guinea pig being a savory delicacy in some countries.

Well, I just read an article that takes the guinea pig cooking to the next gastronomical level – guinea pig ice cream! How about that?! Would you like a scoop?

Images (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) and story from

https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/guinea-pig-ice-cream 

María del Carmen Pilapaña, an ice cream vendor in Ecuador, decided to make a new flavor by cooking down the guinea pig’s meat and making a pate before blending it with milk or cream. She says it is a hit with her customers.

She also offers beetle- and mushroom-flavored ice creams, along with more traditional flavors.

When it comes to food, we all have our likes and dislikes. I often wonder about our food preferences and how preconceived they might be, driven by both personal tastes and cultural norms. But could we really just focus on the taste alone? Delicious is delicious, right? 

So if someone offered you an ice cream and it was amazing and then you learned it was made of a guinea pig, what would your reaction be?

What did you think? Drop me a line!