Kopi Jahe

I've got a long night of homework tonight and I need some fuel.  I was reading Saveur earlier today, and ran across this description of an Indonesian coffee drink called Kopi Jahe.  Saveur described it this way: "In Indonesia, coffee drinkers partake in a heady infusion of fresh ginger, cloves, and other spices brewed with sugar and ground coffee to produce kopi jahe. The warm, stimulating combination both soothes and invigorates."

I was intrigued.  Not only do I love fresh ginger, cloves and other spices; but with a 3-inch thick calculus textbook staring me in the face, I could use some soothing and invigorating.  I did some web research and decided to tweak a couple of methods based upon what I had on hand.

I started with a 3-inch piece of ginger root, about five cloves, a cinnamon stick, two tablespoons of brown sugar and a 1/4 cup of coarse-ground coffee.  Some versions I found called for a piece of lemongrass and some pandanus leaves (whatever those are) as well as palm sugar; I didn't have that stuff, so I adapted.  One recipe called for broiling the piece of ginger until it was dark brown.  I thought that sounded kind of cool so I popped it into my toaster oven and set it to broil; after 10 minutes, nothing much had happened in terms of browning, so I pulled it out and continued.  Basically, the toaster oven heated it up; I have no idea if it had any impact.  In any case, I peeled it, smashed it with my hand, and tossed it into a saucepan with the sugar, cloves and cinnamon and a generous two cups of water.

I heated this to boiling and then let it simmer for about seven minutes, at which point I poured the mixture (spices and all) into my French press coffeepot, which contained the coffee.  I gave it a good stir and let it steep for about five minutes.  

Press, pour, add a little milk and taste.  The verdict?  Deliciously warm and spicy, with a nice, gingery kick.  It was a little sweet for my taste, and next time I'd add more coffee.  But immensely satisfying.  A bowl of salty popcorn is all the accompaniment this thing needs.  (Uh huh.) 

Bring on the calculus.

Carrie's version of Kopi Jahe

(or at least the way she will make it next time)

6 Tablespoons - good quality coarse-ground coffee

1 Tablespoon - brown sugar

1 - 3-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and smashed

6 - cloves

1 - cinnamon stick

2 cups - water

Place coffee in French press and set aside.  Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for seven minutes.  Pour over coffee, stir once, and steep for five minutes.  Press, pour and prepare to be soothed and invigorated.

Land of Bliss

Sigh.  Tunie was right when she explained why there haven't been many posts lately.  Struggling to stay afloat in a sea of deadlines and spreadsheets and an overstuffed inbox and piles of homework and altogether too many commitments leaves a person without much left in terms of resources.  I think I'll revisit California tonight for therapy, if nothing else.

I was on the West Coast for business so I wasn't exactly in documentary mode, but when in the land of sunshine and open-air patios and 75-degree weather, one tends to enjoy oneself nonetheless.  The work I do causes me to spend a lot of my travel time comfortably ensconced in middle America's idea of suburban paradise, and it's funny, from the vantage point of one of these pinnacles of shopping-mall achievement that seem to blanket the country now, America really looks the same, from one end to the other.  Starbucks here, H&M there, Apple, Gap, P.F. Chang's and Barnes & Noble somewhere in the middle; it matters not whether you're in Kansas, San Fran or the Big Apple itself, never fear, you'll feel right at home.  I suppose on some level it brings a measure of comfort; sure, I'm thousands of miles from home, but it looks exactly like the Saint Johns Town Center, so I'll get by just fine.  Don't get me wrong, these open-air shopping megaplexes the size of small towns are the epitome of luxury and consumption, but they do get a bit...well...boring.

The nice thing about being so far from home, though, is a few fun little twists do find their way into the mix.  For instance, I found True Food Kitchen, your typical slick mall-food emporium, but with a California twist.  Diners feast on organic, locally (ish) grown seasonal produce in a dining room slash open air patio, surrounded by artistically arranged pots of fresh herbs and flowers and waited on by servers in yoga pants and green aprons.  Oh, and the kale-aid was delicious.

 San Diego was so beautiful.  I fell in love.  Wandering the streets of the Gaslamp District, strolling across the railroad tracks, exploring the convention center and the symphony shell and soaking up the salt evening air at the Embarcadero wasn't a half-bad way to spend an evening or two.  Sure, the burger at Jimmy Love's was hardly worth the calories, but the live music that accompanied it helped not a little.

I found pho in Rancho Cucamonga.  I've wanted to try Vietnam's ubiquitous soup for awhile now, and a nondescript restaurant located in a less than glamorous strip mall seemed like as good a place as any to make its acquaintance.  The fact that I was one of two Caucasians in the place also seemed like a good sign.  After taking my order, my server brought out a huge bowl of steaming broth containing noodles, thinly sliced beef and vegetables, topped with fresh cilantro and sliced onion.  Along with this came a plate containing sliced chiles, fresh bean sprouts, lime wedges and a whole sprig of Thai basil.  My server took pity on me (I think I provided considerable amusement to the proprietors) and explained that the correct way to eat pho is to gather these various accompaniments and add them to the soup according to one's taste.  There was something so fun about picking basil leaves off of my sprig and tossing them into my soup.  The end result was good; it had potential.  Tune and I could make a dynamite version, I bet.  The cool thing was the accompaniments, though.  Oh, and the drink.  I think they called it Thai sweet tea.  I stayed until it was gone, it was that good.  Super strong brewed tea, sweet with condensed milk, it was one of the more delicious beverages I've had the pleasure of consuming.

My last day, I had a red-eye to catch and some time to kill, so I found the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica (thanks to the recommendation of my boss).  I fully intended to park with my laptop at a corner table in Starbucks and go at the mountain of work that is my faithful friend, but upon arriving, I decided to throw caution to the wind, ditch the to-do list, and explore.  I discovered the Market, a fabulously cool shopping center devoted to all things gustatory, including food purveyors, kitchen supply shops, and huge spaces devoted to cooking classes - pure heaven.  I ate a delicious banh mi (a Vietnamese sandwich consisting of a soft roll filled with pork or chicken cutlets, pickled vegetables and fresh cilantro, topped with chile mayo) and a kale, watermelon, cucumber and feta salad, washed down with extra-dry ginger ale.  Most items on the menu were sourced from right within the Market; as I ate, I'd watch the staff walk from stall to stall, gathering ingredients for the restaurant.  After lunch, I did investigate the chocolatier, but settled on a piece of cherry-almond pie instead.  I ducked into the old movie theater and caught the afternoon showing of The Butler (a fantastic movie - I haven't had that good a cry in a long time).  When I came blinking into the sunshine, the day had waned and the temperatures had dropped; I strolled along the promenade, enjoying the breeze and the street performers that seemed to materialize out of nowhere (I still regret that I didn't go back to the poet - "pick a topic and get a poem, written while you wait").  I finally did find that corner table and sat for awhile under the stars, reading Khaled Hosseini's latest and watching the crowds go by.

Soon enough, the time for departure arrived, and I traded my days of fresh air, cool breezes and working outside at a patio table, latte in hand, for the hubbub of rental car returns and airport security and layovers and sleeping wedged between two gentlemen (one large), and, then...home, with its deadlines and chaos and business.  But the people that I love are here, and they are the most important of all, so though I remember that week of sunshine with a fond nostalgia (gosh, it was only two weeks ago...), home is where I remain.  Ah, I know!  I'll go see Kate in Atlanta next weekend!

Life is good.

December 2008 6 Course Dinner

This was probably our hardest dinner (up to this point), and possibly our easiest and smoothest. The key to a dinner of 6 courses, is planning and being super, super organized. Usually 2 to 3 weeks before a dinner like this, I will sit down with my cookbooks and spend 2-3 hours paging through and looking and thinking. We consider color and taste; texture and temperature. When I have a rough idea, I'll call Care and we"ll hash over the ideas. Sometimes she likes what I've come up with, but more than likely, something gets axed. Then I sit down and rethink, or quite often, she'll have an idea of something to take the place of the exiled dish. Once the menu is settled, I will sit down again and comb through every recipe and make a grocery list. We serve 10 at the table, and 4-6 servers, so this has been tricky at times. You don't want to find out at eleven at night, that you don't have enough cream, and have to abort the cooking because you are utterly too exhausted to run to town. Not good. So I do my best and hope I've calculated correctly. Once I have that settled, I begin at the top again and make a plan for the acual cooking. This takes more hours. Many more hours. I now have 2 stoves, but at the time, we were working with one stove and a grill (which was great as long as it didn't rain...). So really, the only way to pull this dinner off, was complete control over every dish. Sometimes my schedule would begin a week out. We would make chicken broth, or pasta, or items we could freeze. Then the schedule would focus on the days, listing everything we needed to accomplish 3 days out; then 2 days out. The day of, the prep work would be scheduled by hours, and then minutes. When plates needed to go to the freezer to be cold in time. When a dish needed to be pulled out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature in time. When the oven needed to be turned on, and what was being cooked. How long a dish cooked for. How long something simmered for. When a pan of water needed to be put on the stove to come to a boil in time. Every minute throughout the evening. Every detail. Care and I sat at the table with each course, so we had to have a plan. And this was our first dinner of printing menus! So nice! Our guests were able to see the description of what they were eating, and what was yet to come.

1

SALMON TARTARE WITH SWEET RED ONION CREME FRAICHE

a cornet filled with smoked salmon and creamy red onion

2

CREAM OF PARSNIP AND PUMPKIN SOUP WITH PARSNIP CHIPS

a soup of contrasts where the velvety, silky quality of the pumpkin

works well with the subtle spiciness of the parsnips

3

SAUTEED WHITE ASPARAGUS IN PARMESAN TUILE WITH SUMMER GREENS

a parmesan cookie cradling butter herb sauteed white asparagus

with a drizzle of garlic-lemon aioli

4

LEMON-MINT SORBET WITH RED PEPPERCORNS

a palate cleanser able to make your eyes pop!

5

MEDALLIONS OF PORK IN BLACK CHERRY-PEPPER SAUCE

WITH SPATZLE-BRAISED FENNEL

grilled pork tenderloin topped with sweet black cherries served with

lightly sauteed spatzle and delicately flavored fennel

6

CREME de FARINE WITH POACHED APPLES AND ICE CREAM

a satisfying blend of poached apples, candied apple ice cream, cream of wheat

and puff pastry cinnamon twist cookies...whew

We didn't have the fancy molds needed to make the shaping of these cornets so much easier. I researched, but came up empty handed. So we fashioned molds out of foil. We spread our dough out on a silpat and baked it ever so carefully. These little disks burned when you weren't looking. Then we'd open the oven and lay the cookie sheet on the door, and quickly roll the baked disk around the cornet mold before it cooled and cracked. And in so doing, burned our fingers. We also didn't have the fancy holders to serve these tasty morsels in, so we became creative and served them nestled in peppercorns in mismatched china teacups. These were soooo goooood! Thank you Thomas Keller.

The soup.

Have you ever peeled white asparagus?!? Oh my gosh! I think I'd rather clean my refrigerator than peel white asparagus. If you're not ever-so-careful, it snaps. Then the asparagus is not uniform in size. But looking beyond that, this salad was fabulous. The parmesan crisps were made by grating parmesan on a silpat in a circle, baking, and then draping it over a form to cool. 

Refreshing

Now this dish has a story. One I chuckle at and Care groans at. The black cherry sauce was the culprit. It's been so long ago, I hope I'm remembering correctly. The sauce didn't work the first time. It had to do with caramelizing the sugar. Ah yes, now I'm remembering. My pans gave Carrie a difficult time. Normally she could caramelize sugar with her eyes closed, well... anyway. But my pans were giving her a time. She ruined the mixture twice, and I was out of sugar. So a boy was fetched, and ran to town for more sugar. She located a useful (!) pan, and hallelujah! success. (the clock was nearing 11:00 pm) About this time, a boy was passing through the kitchen, who was grabbed and given the job of grinding pepper (for the sauce...). My mind was getting a little fuzzy (long day), and I remember, kind of thinking, that's a lot of pepper. But I worked on my tasks. Then Care asked me if I could put the pepper in the sauce (already containing the cheeries). Now there's a tiny lesson to be learned here. Many times with these dishes, we had to double or triple the ingredients to have the right amounts. This works for most ingredients. NOT SALT AND PEPPER. Have you ever noticed the little guys by our "about us"? They're there for a reason. So I picked up the measuring cup with the pepper, and begin dumping it into the sauce. As the pepper is cascading into the pan, I'm thinking, "gosh, that's a lot of pepper". By the time I came to my senses, it was too late, I realized what had happened. Carrie increased the pepper by too much, I believe. A quick taste confirmed that the sauce had to be dumped again. You couldn't even swallow this stuff. The throat refused!  And we, at this point, were rolling on the floor in hysterics! Once the laughter (by all) subsided and we dried our tears, we realized we had to begin again. And we were out of cherries! A boy was sent again to town. (love my boys!)

The crowing touch of the night. Sorry it's a little blurred. Homemade puff pastry. Homemade apple ice cream. A poached (in such good things) apple ring. Would love to include the recipe, but the night is turning into morning, and my alarm sounds early. Recipe in the French Laundry by Thomas Keller.

June 2008 5 Course Dinner

It's hard to believe that we cooked two 5 course dinners a month apart, but we did. We must have had an abundance of time and energy! Again, I have no pictures of this dinner. So I am sharing a picture of our front field. This is where our guests pull up and come up to the house.
This dinner was a huge success. We once again overfed everyone. You will be glad to know though, that this was the last time. Even when our dinners incorporated more courses, we kept our portions very small. I believe it was after this night, that Carrie and I sat down and had a good discussion about plating. We wanted our guests to experience new flavors exploding in their mouths; just a hand full of bites, and then the dish would be done. Then they would sit in anticipation waiting for the next course. Ha ha. Well these were our thoughts. And our hopes. Whether or not there was any anticipating going on, I'm not sure. I do know we always had very enjoyable evenings, and everyone loved the food. Well...there may have been a dish here or there....
This was also a night of mishaps. Or, putting it a little better, a night of Carrie mishaps. Yes Carrie, I'm grinning. Carrie began the prep work by tackling the dessert, which was a Banana Cream Pie. My notes tell me that she spent three to four hours on this pie alone. In a kitchen with many tasks stretched out before you, that is a lot of time on something that's not working. It just would not come together right. We ended up putting the pudding in a glass and adding raspberry jam and whipping cream and....whatever worked at the moment. We needed to move on. The soup boiled over as we were eating, and made quite a mess. At the same time, the sausage wouldn't cook. The direct result of turning on the wrong burner....

1

Roasted Pear and Arugula Salad

2

Cream of Poblano Soup

Rosemary-Salmon Pillows

3

Fruit Cups with Mint

4

Grilled Prime Rib Roast with Garlic and Rosemary

Chevre Zucchini Gratin

Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

5

Chocolate Balls

Lily Rose's White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie...kind of....

Smocking

It's been a little while since we've been able to write a new post. So for this we apologize. You see, life has taken on a new level of busyness. Carrie is in her busiest season with her work, and Miss Natalie has started school (which is so exciting!). You would think that this would free up my time; but with all the newness of school and Nat getting up much earlier than she has ever done (truly, no joking. this is the girl who lays in bed for 2 hours because she just is so not sleepy. not any more! to bed early, and asleep in about 4 minutes. glory! love it! love a quiet house in the late evening), and lunch to pack, and volunteering at school, and...well there's more, but you get the point. So even though we love the blog, and love to post, we just haven't allocated the time. Because quite simply, the time has been nonexistent. Tonight though, I thought I would squirrel away some time, and blog. I've been thinking of a sewing project I did some time ago. And so this, I will share with you. It was a dress for Natalie. Who else? It involved smocking. I had up to this point never before smocked. It has intrigued me for years. Like welt pockets. Which someday I will sit down and learn. So true to my nature, I bought a pattern involving smocking. Actually two patterns. And I bought the loveliest light blue material. And lining. And matching thread. And then because I really don't have much sewing time in which to sew (you'd never know that by the amount of fabric and patterns stored in my sewing room), the whole project sat in a neat, hopeful pile. (i realize fabric cannot be hopeful, but i certainly was every time my eyes beheld it). So the project sat. Then the moment came that Natalie needed a new dress. And so I did what I often find myself doing; pulling out all stops and cranking out something in record time. Certainly not the most relaxing way to sew. So I had 4 days to create this dress. A dress with smocking. And I knew not how. I remember pulling the tissue pattern out of the envelope and thinking, "Oh! This is cool! What in the world?" For a bit, I was truly dumbfounded. The bodice was about 4 times the size of Natalie. I had much to learn. Having no choice, I dove in. No, it is not perfect. It's definitely a learned skill. But it was fun. And it satisfied the creative juices pulsing through my veins!

and because I knew the smocking wasn't perfect, I added silk ribbon roses...

the beginnings of a sleeve

the finished dress. done in time. fully lined. would like to do another. someday

May 2008 5 Course Dinner

SPECIAL DINNER #2

This was our 2nd large dinner together.  A five course dinner.  Carrie and I had a lot to learn about serving a multi course dinner.  We kind of feel bad for our dear friends who were on the receiving end of these first attempts at fine dining. It was during this meal that a light began to shine upon our understanding of the quantity of the food we were serving for each course. It was just a small light. Unfortunately we erred in this respect with our following five course dinner, but we were waking up to the realization that we were severely over feeding our guests.  After course number three, we could have walked away from the table quite satisfied.  And yet, we had not even served the entree, which filled the entire plate. Sigh.

1

  LIME-CILANTRO SALAD

2

    FRENCH ONION SOUP

PACKAGES OF THE SOUTHWEST

3

    ICED LEMON SOUFFLE

4

     GRILLED CORNISH HENS

MACARONI AND CHEESE

JEANNIE'S CARROTS

5

     CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE WITH GLACE AND FRUIT

There is one recipe I'd like to leave you with from this menu. In my notes, I have written,"These are killer-I could eat these all day long-". And yes, if it were possible. Which it is not. Unless the idea of a stomach ache appeals to you.

Packages of the Southwest

serves 8-10

Salsa Fresca:

3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup minced onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 tomato juice (I had V-8 on hand, and used it)

salt

Packages:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

8 oz. mild green chilies, drained and chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

3/4 tsp. ground cumin

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)

2 tablespoons flour

1 lb. frozen phyllo sheets, thawed

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted--I always seem to use more....

2 tablespoons chili powder

Salsa Fresca--The easiest way to peel a tomato, is to blanch it first. Score your tomatoes (cut an X on the bottom of each). Bring water to a boil, and drop your tomatoes in. I know there is a precise amount of time to leave them in the water. Carrie would know. As long as you don't actually cook the tomato, in my opinion, you're good. I believe I gave them 2-3 minutes. 

Combine tomatoes, jalapenos, garlic, onion, cilantro and juice. Season with salt. Cover and chill. Bring to room temp before serving.

Packages:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and saute until soft. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes. Actually, instead of mincing garlic, a better way to get it into the pan is to grate it! Works like a charm. Add chilies, salt, cayenne and cumin. (Fresh is the best-cooked a little in a pan and then ground). Cook until liquid has evaporated. Cool to room temperature. Add eggs to cooled onion mixture. Toss cheese and flour together in a small bowl. Add to onion mixture. Combine well.

Unwrap phyllo sheets and cover with a damp towel. (if you happen to get phyllo that is not fresh, you may be reduced to tears. Very frustrating) I take 2 sheets and fold them in half, long wise. Brush each sheet with melted butter and sprinkle with chili powder. Place 2 tablespoons of filling at one end and fold. I fold into triangles. Brush again with the melted butter. Keep packages covered with a damp towel. Sealed with plastic wrap, you can refrigerate up to 1 day-great if you're making a lot of other dishes!

When ready to bake, bring to room temp. Bake 15-20 minutes at 375 until lightly brown. Serve with Salsa Fresca.

adapted from: Stop and Smell the Rosemary (love this cookbook!)

Knocking around L.A.

I'd like to begin this post by giving a shout-out to Starwood Hotels.  I don't know how they do it, but the beds at the Westin and the Sheraton are so dang comfortable.  (I got a great night's sleep last night, in case you were wondering.)

The day began in a pretty relaxed fashion; not being in any particular hurry, I ended up leaving the hotel around 10.  (I would have left earlier, but I wandered around the parking garage for probably 10 minutes looking for my car.  I hate my scatter-brained reputation.  Doing things like this doesn't help it.)

My first stop was the Grand Central Market, known as the city's largest and oldest public market, located right in the heart of historic downtown L.A.  I think it would be safe to say that the market's primary focus is the local Hispanic community; the place is full of produce stalls, meat and fish stalls, whole stalls devoted to candy and sweets, herbs and spices, liquor (and other vices), and lots and lots of ethnic food.  For a food junkie like me, wandering around and poking my nose into everything was sheer hog heaven.  

I picked up some dulce de calabaza (basically a candied squash meant to be eaten as a treat or snack) for a buck.  Then, I hadn't eaten breakfast yet, so I figured I'd go for something more substantial.  I stopped at a food stand where I could barely translate the menu offerings (a good sign; Americanized ethnic food is rarely worth bothering with).  I ordered horchata, a milky cinnamon drink ladled from a huge jar over ice, and a pupusa, which is a sort of corn tortilla stuffed with pork, cheese and beans, griddled, and served with an incredibly delicious cabbage slaw (seasoned with Mexican oregano and mustard seeds).  I bellied-up to the counter along with a few elderly Hispanic couples and happily chowed down (though the beef soup, chock full of vegetables and topped with chopped fresh cilantro, onion and lime that the couple across from me was eating looked pretty tempting).  While I ate, I was able to watch the ladies behind the counter slapping pupusas together with that amazing dexterity and rhythm that comes from being an expert in what you do.

That's the squash candy

After eating,  I finished exploring the market, and then, having some time on my hands, decided to explore a bit farther.  (I really didn't have a clue exactly what part of L.A. I was in; it wasn't until later that I understood I was in the historic district.)  I wandered into the International House of Music. What a cool place!  Chock full of guitars and mixing equipment and keyboards and percussion instruments and every other kind of musical accoutrement, including a whole wall full of accordions, it was pretty obvious this place catered to the Latin music community.  I really enjoyed wandering around and soaking up the flavor.  

I headed back outside and strolled down a couple of blocks, until I got stopped by roadblocks and a bunch of guys with walkie-talkies, and loads and loads of equipment.  What was going on?  But, of course!  This being L.A., I had stumbled upon a film set!  This whole entourage was in the process of filming an Acura commercial.  I stood around, chatted with a couple of bystanders and watched cameras roll and confetti shower while the actors and actresses strolled with studied casualness down the street, Acura idling in the background.  Over and over and over again.  Note to self: Hollywood career is NOT on the bucket list.  (I'd rather not wither of sheer boredom.)  It was pretty cool to see the footage that is projected into millions of homes all across America in the process of being created, though.  

It wasn't long before I had my fill of that scene and moved on a couple of blocks, through a little farmer's market, and came out onto another street, where I ran smack dab into some sort of parade!  I'm not entirely certain of the reason, but based upon the costumes, floats and participants, it was some sort of Hispanic pride event.  Ladies in bright costumes danced in the street while cars sporting the flags of El Salvador, Mexico, Ecuador and others rolled by.  I absolutely had a blast - it was positively festive, with everybody cheerful and friendly; it felt like a party!  

I had felt the urge to find a church to attend but hadn't had any luck finding something online that looked like a service I would enjoy, so I had decided to go volunteer at a Children's Arts Festival in downtown Hollywood.  (When I travel alone, I tend to spectate a lot.  I love observing the world around me, but it can be easy to go days with no more substantial interaction than one might have with one's waiter or hostess, or passing pleasantries with the person standing in line at the ticket counter.  I'm working on changing that; half the benefit of travel is getting to know other people, but one has to work to go beyond polite generalities in passing.  This trip, I wanted to do something that required a little more mixing than I'm accustomed to.)  Anyway, while I was downtown, I got wind of a church in Hollywood that might be just what I was looking for - young, hip, racially-mixed creative types, spirit-filled and preaching a positive message.  (That was important - it's hard for me to say Amen to something I don't agree with.)  I decided on the spot to go, and thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it.  I was warmly greeted and made to feel right at home, and let's face it, wherever a person is, to gather with fellow believers and lift up the name of Jesus in sweet fellowship is the greatest joy there is.  I was chatting with one of the girls who made me feel welcome, and we talked about the fact that when believers meet, there is an instant bond, for any person who has given their life to the Lord and is filled with his Spirit is a brother or sister, regardless of background or origin.  There are no strangers in the Body of Christ!  Needless to say, I had a wonderful time; I loved the music, and was blessed by a great message on faith.  Time well spent.  

I decided to drive around a bit after church.  I don't exactly admire Hollywood and everything it stands for, so I wasn't quite starstruck to find myself there.  That being said, I was already there and had some time to kill, so why not cruise around and see what there is to see?  I drove Melrose Drive, Beverly Hills, Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard (yes, I caught a glimpse of the famous sign).  I saw lots of fancy stores and swanky hotels and limos.  I left with the impression that this must be the pinnacle of what towns like Gatlinburg, Tennessee strive to attain.  Wall-to-wall stores and attractions and entertainment - anything to pick the pockets of the masses.  Blah.  Next.

Before I headed back to the hotel, though, I decided to grab dinner at Pizzeria Mozza.  (I had always wanted to eat there, and being I was in the neighborhood...)  I was seated at the bar facing the prep area, and promptly entered hog heaven again.  While I waited for my squash blossom-burrata pizza, I snacked on grissini (long, skinny breadsticks) and watched the hum of the kitchen play out right in front of me.  Each prep cook had his task - tossing pizza dough, topping, manning the wood-fire grill and finishing; each worked with mechanical precision and efficiency, and I was enthralled.  My pizza arrived, hot and blistered and tasting of the peppery olive oil it was drizzled with (I watched him do it), and every bite was delicious.  This was a pretty splurgy meal, so I decided to go for it and order the butterscotch budino (pudding) with caramel sauce, Maldon sea salt and rosemary-pine nut cookies.  Uttlerly sublime - honestly, even better than the pizza.  (It gets embarrassing sometimes, this infatuation with good food.)

Satisfied, I headed back to my hotel, with the intention of knocking out paperwork.  Tomorrow, the real purpose of my journey begins - I go to work.  Silver lining - more human interaction!  Yesss!!!