The Tasteful Kitchen: A Review

Before I travel anywhere, I look into the food scene.  I like to know what I’m getting myself into.  I was just in Tucson for the Gem and Mineral Show and stumbled into an amazing restaurant, The Tasteful Kitchen.  I actually hadn’t heard of this place before arriving.  My new friend Sunshine took Sima and me there for dinner.  And it was so good we went to nights in a row!  It’s a mostly vegan restaurant that uses the best ingredients.  Two sisters founded and own the restaurant.  And you can tell it’s their passion.  The Tasteful Kitchen is only open for dinner 5 nights a week, and every day before they open, the owners do the grocery shopping.  That speaks to their dedication and also the quality and freshness of the ingredients they’re using.

There's wine in this picture, but it's BYOB

The first night, we ordered a sampling.  We got spring rolls, BBQ cauliflower, a vegetable platter, fried cauliflower steak and finished everything off with chocolate and walnut covered dates.  

While everything was amazing, the spring rolls were my favorite.  They were huge and filled with the freshest ingredients, paired with a great dipping sauce.  The second night we each got our own, but we added avocado.  To die for.

The BBQ cauliflower was perfectly cooked and seasoned, served with a side of house-made kimchi.  I don’t even like BBQ sauce, but these were dope.

Sorry about the image quality, I was hungry!

I had ordered the cauliflower steak.  It came with sweet potatoes and a mushroom gravy.  The flavors were great and the portions were perfect.  I ate it all and was satisfied, but not overly full.

I didn’t even want dessert, but when I saw the dates I couldn’t hold back.  They were so good, stuffed with walnuts.  The second night we got a berry crumble or something like that.  It was very good.  But I preferred the chocolate lava cake.

All in all, our meals at The Tasteful Kitchen were the best meals I’ve had in Tucson.  If you’re in the area, I highly recommend you check it out.

Shaving Cream Companies Hate This Article

Believe it or not, but I don’t like buying too many products.  I don’t think I need too many.  I use Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap for my pits and groin.  I don’t use anything for my hair.  I wash my face a few times a week, but not recently.  That bottle of May Lindstrom’s Clean Dirt has been sitting there empty for maybe 3 months.  At least it’s a cool bottle.  I rub 1 squirt of Living Libation’s Sea Buckthorn Best Skin Ever into my face when I get out of the shower.  That’s about it for my routine.

And for shaving, I just use hot water.  I shave in the shower.  Get my face nice and warm.  It’s also nice to warm the blade up a little.  I go with the grain, I go perpendicular to the grain, I go against the grain.  I think shaving also provides great exfoliation.  Using a sharp razor makes all the difference.  I typically grab a new razor every 3 weeks or so.  I know, it’s wasteful.  If somebody has any good ideas on this, let me know.

I don’t think shaving cream or anything is necessary.  Most often, it leaves a residue on my face that I don’t like.  I’ve used coconut oil and the past and at one point even Aesop, but one day I went to shave and didn’t have either.  So I shaved with just water.  And not only was it fine, it was great!  I shave this way every 3 days, or so.

I do at times use coconut oil or shaving cream when my face is feeling dry or sensitive.  I bought some to keep on hand just in case, not the Aesop “serum,” but a cream that I don’t like as much.  Being economical, I bought the big tube too.  Oh well.

Long story short, shaving with just water is fine.  There’s no need to buy some product all the time.  Save the money, save the packaging.  Most shaving creams are probably made with stuff that’s not good for your face anyway.  Now excuse me while I got take care of this:

Range Rover Reborn: A Dream Come True

As many of you may have noticed, I’m obsessed with Land Rovers.  I don’t discriminate.  I love them all, except I don’t like white ones.  Or the Disco Sport.  Or the Evoke.  The Range Rover Sport took some warming up to.

You get my point, I only like real Land Rovers.  Personally, the older ones are cooler.  They’re more simple and aren't trying to hard.  They’re designed for a job and do it!  

Land Rover is a company and brand that I look up to.  The product is great, albeit finicky at times.  But even that adds to the story.  They also have a history of great advertising  The old print ads are iconic.  And Land Rover doesn’t take themselves too seriously.

When I heard that Land Rover was factory restoring the original Range Rover, a dream had come true.  They’re calling the project, Range Rover Reborn.  I’m a Land Rover purist.  A few mods are OK, I have (*had) a winch and snorkel, they’re pretty low key though.

Right now, they're restoring 10 Range Rovers from the 1970-1979 with all original parts.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it.  And there's a lot of broken parts.  Land Rover is buying up old Classics, and taking them apart piece by piece and rebuilding them.  The goal is to clean and use original parts, however when they need to, Land Rover will manufacture individual pieces. Each Rover takes between 6 months and 1 year to complete.  Usually old Range Rovers are cheap, the first one I bought was $1,500.  Won it in a bidding war on eBay during a Spanish class at Umass Boston.  These however are $169,000.00.

You see, back in the day I wanted to be a car designer.  At one point I even wrote Land Rover a letter telling them to save a spot for me; I was coming.  And they wrote back! They might have even sent a hat.  See, they have such strong branding that I just assumed they had sent me a hat.  20 years later, I’m still keeping them waiting.

This has gotten long enough.  I urge you to check out the full project here.

Photos courtesy of Bloomberg.

Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies

As I’ve previously mentioned, I’m not a baker.  But I like a good cookie every once in a while.  Tate’s are my favorite, but I wanted to replicate them with my own version.  I did some research on how to make cookies crunchy.  What I’ve found is necessary to a crunchy cookie: butter, dry dough, baking long and low. These are the ingredients I used, but feel free to use any flour, sugar butter or anything else you want. The recipe will essentially be the same.

Here’s what I used.

2 1/4 cup sprouted spelt flour

1 cup chocolate chips

3/4 cup biodynamic sugar

2 sticks pastured, cultured butter (room temp)

1 pastured egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 shakes ceylon cinnamon 

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2.  In a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla.  Beat the egg and add it to the mixer.

3.  Combine the dry ingredients, and mix them with the wet.  Then fold in chocolate chips

4.  Scoop onto baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes

5.  Voila!

While these cookies aren’t as nutrient dense as bee pollen (maybe that could be an addition!), they are a lot better for you than most chocolate chip cookies out there.  They’re easy to make and only require a few basic ingredients.  And personally, I think they taste great.  At first I was disappointed at the crunchiness level, but as they cooled they definitely crisped up.  Enjoy!  Don’t forget to subscribe!

Simple Seasoning for Almost Any Veggie

One of my go-to vegetable preps is very easy and can be done to almost anything.  Great example.  I’m home tonight, kind of hungry.  Had sweet green for a late lunch.  I’m feeling a pang, but don’t want to go too crazy.  I noticed I had some asparagus to use up, and a red pepper too, so I figured I’d roast them.  The pepper went undressed but here’s the go-to dressing, it went on the asparagus:

ghee

lemon Juice

garlic

sea salt

black pepper

Not to sound obnoxious, but I always keep pressed lemon juice around.  It’s just so much better than buying or hand squeezing lemon juice.  The rind makes all the difference.

My microplane is a savior.  Especially in such a small kitchen.  I find it’s a really grate(haha) way to have essentially minced garlic in seconds, with little clean up.

The sea salt and black pepper get sprinkled on.

For this roasting, I preheated the oven to 350F.  Once the oven was hot, I turned it to broil and put the baking sheet on slightly above the middle.  I checked on it every 10 minutes.  

I got hungry and did the same thing with broccoli.  Took about the same time.

Smashing Pumpkins - 1979

Other People's Thoughts on Money

“Money and success don’t change people; they merely amplify what is already there.”

— Will Smith

“Money is not the most important thing in the world. Love is. Fortunately, I love money.”

— Jackie Mason

“While money can’t buy happiness, it certainly lets you choose your own form of misery.”

— Groucho Marx

“It’s a kind of spiritual snobbery that makes people think they can be happy without money.”

— Albert Camus

“Money is neither my god nor my devil. It is a form of energy that tends to make us more of who we already are, whether it’s greedy or loving.”

— Dan Millman

“Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.”

— Woody Allen

“I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position.”

— Mark Twain

Lockheed Martin's U-2 Dragon Lady

The Lockheed U-2 is probably one of the most well known planes.  Maybe?  I don’t know.  I’ve heard of it.  It’s got a really interesting story.  The technical term is an “ultra-high altitude reconnaissance aircraft.”  This plane was first flown in 1955, was produced until 1989, but is still in service.  That's 62 years of service, and counting!  I’d say the chances that you’ve been surveilled by a U-2 at some point in your life are pretty high.  Especially if you’re Russian or Chinese.

After World War II, the US, and everyone else, thought they needed to up their espionage.  Russian radar could reach 65,000ft and the highest altitude plane Britain had, the English Electric Canberra, flew just below 50,000ft and wasn’t designed with spying in mind.  The USAF commissioned an American version after a successful test flight to spy on Kapustin Yar, Russia’s Area 51.  The plane was actually fitted with a camera designed by Jim Baker, at Boston University!

The United States Air Force sent out for bids for a spy plane.  Lockheed, who wasn’t solicited, started working on a design.  Lockheed’s design was able to exceed 70,000ft and could fly a radius of 1,600 miles.  However, the USAF rejected the plane in favor of a Bell Aircraft design.

With Eisenhower’s approval, in 1954 the CIA began Project Aquatone, which further developed the plane the Air Force had just rejected.

The CIA then bought a bunch and the rest is history!  U-2 flights became run through Project Dragon Lady, a CIA/USAF joint venture.  Fun fact, the cover story for this spy plane was, you guessed it.  Weather research.

The first U-2 Produced

As far as I know, the first use of the U-2 by the National Reconnaissance Office was in 1970, to spy on the Israeli-Egypt Conflict.  From there on, most of the stuff is classified or written in memoirs.  However, this is the patch worn by National Reconnaissance Office U-2 Pilots.

Further reading:

Chris Pocock’s Dragon Lady, 50 years of the U-2

Gregory Padlow and Donald Welzenbacks CIA and the U2 Program

Norman Polmar U-2 History Declassified

Jay Miller Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works

Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly Volume 17, Number 3, 2010

Some Lady Put Me on Youtube!

Paul: A Review

I'd never heard of this place, Paul, before.  My friend just got back from Paris and said they were all over and worth checking out.  There's one in Downtown Crossing at 210 Washington St.  It looked amazing.  So many options, including many vegetarian.  The quiches all looked great.  There were several other egg dishes and sandwiches.  Tons of pastries and cookies.  Honestly, I didn't get too much.  A water and a croissant.  The croissant was great though.  It was super light, and very flaky.  The ambiance was nice.  It wasn't too noisy even though there were a good number of people in there.

Turtlenecks

In the winter, turtlenecks are my go to.  It’s like a thick long sleeved t shirt with a built in scarf.  Sometimes I think about the symbolism of either choking, or refrained communication.  But the comfort and ease gets me every time.  Easy enough to throw almost anything over.  A button down, a sweater and even a polo shirt (debatable).

I remember wearing them all the time when I was a kid, probably until 5-6ish.  Then never again until high school.  I don’t know what happened, maybe they dropped out of style and I didn’t even notice.  So high school came around and I had to wear a jacket and tie every day.  Well, I quickly found out one could avoid the button down and tie, by wearing a turtleneck!  What do you know, they sold them at the school store, with the Gunnery crest on the neck.  As I’m writing this I think I want to get one.  

That’s when my experimentation really began.  Through trial and error, I found out that mock turtlenecks do not count.  I also found out that I couldn’t wear a button down over the turtleneck.  Apparently, if you’re wearing the button down, you have to wear the tie.  I had a more flamboyant button down that had bright colored stripes on the back placket (is that right?  where the buttons are attached), and every button was different.  I paired that unbuttoned with a non-school mock neck.  Mr. Elgin would not have it.  Wish I had a picture, I probably looked crazy.  Especially with a braid.

Anyway, it turns out that all of those are acceptable IRL.  They’re so versatile.  I wear plain cotton ones lounging at home.  A slim fitting black cashmere one looks great on its own or dressed up with a blazer.  Casually, I leave them unfolded, but with a blazer, I turn it down.  My point is, turtlenecks are great and I think you’ll agree.  Very comfortable, very versatile.

It feels a little weird throwing a bunch of pictures of me up on the internet in a turtleneck, but hey, I'm a one man brand right now.

Can you tell by now that orange is my favorite color?

LA Car Culture

It's no secret that Los Angeles has a deeply routed car culture.  I don't really know the specifics, but I know that when I'm out there, I always see the most interesting cars.  I attribute this to a few main factors.  

LA is a big city.  To go from Venice to WeHo is 9 miles driving.  And you're in the same city.  

On top of that, it's not a very walkable city.  Sometimes, sidewalks just end or you'll find yourself in the middle of somewhere you don't want to be.

 I can't state this as fact, but I get the impression public transportation is sub par.  When I lived in LA, I never took it.  At the time, I didn't even know of any stations.  Since I've left, one's opened in Santa Monica.

And because traffic can be such an issue LA drivers spend more time in the car than drivers in any other city.  I just made that up, but you get my point.  As a result, LA drivers spend more on their cars.  If you're going to sit on the 405 for 3 hours, you might as well do it in style and comfort.

I also think the dry climate improves the longevity of LA autos.

Here are some photos I took on my recent trip, of cars:

Comforting Baked Pasta

I grew up in a pretty Italian family, so I’ve grown to love pasta.  Aside from making my own, the best I’ve found is Delallo pasta made with brass plates and biodynamic wheat.  Sounds good to me!  Today it was cold and rainy and I was looking for something warm and comforting.  Luckily, I had enough supplies to whip together baked macaroni and cheese and broccoli!  It’s pretty balanced, considering it has a starch, fat and vegetables.  Like my grandma always said, pizza is the perfect meal!  Here’s how to make it happen

Makes 1 dish

Here’s what I used. I encourage you to be creative and use whatever you have on hand!

1/2 pound Delallo Biodynamic Fusilli

1 cup Yellow Barn Biodynamic Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

1 head of organic broccoli

1 organic onion

2 cloves organic garlic

2 tsp organic grass fed ghee

1 chunk (maybe 1 cup) Parmigiano Reggiano 

1 chunk (probably 1 cup) Jasper Hill Alpine Cheese

1 pinch sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Boil 5 cups of water

2. Add half the bag of pasta to the boiling water, turning down the heat. Strain after 5-6 minutes, you want it al dente. Mix in a teaspoon of ghee to prevent sticking

3. Dice onions and garlic. Sauté lightly in ghee.

4. I find the best way to combine the cheeses, is to throw them in the Cuisinart.

5. In a bowl, mix broccoli, onions, garlic cheese and sauce.

6. Combine everything in the saucepan and pour into baking dish

7. Bake for 25 minutes, and then broil for on high for 2, just to crunch the top. But be careful!

This is the pasta dish I make most often with slight variations.  It’s a dish that’s very satisfying, and I feel good eating it.  You could argue about the pasta, but it’s easier not to.  The ingredients are all high quality and nutrient dense.  Biodynamic farming doesn’t only produce the best products, it also happens to be really good for the planet, so there’s that too.

The Offspring - Self Esteem

This song takes me back.  All the way to the late 90s.  It makes me think of going to Riverside Roller Rink in Torrington.  I wish that place were still around!  I remember going there all the time.  So many birthday parties.  Just listening to music and roller blading in an oval for hours.  So here's this week song, Self Esteem by The Offspring, Smash, 1994.  Enjoy.

Dugout Cafe: A Review

I’ve walked by this place a few times before and it looked like an interesting spot.  Until I went in, I was convinced it was in a BU building.  Turns out I was wrong, but it is right next to a BU building.  So the other night my friend Jesse mentioned going to Dugout Cafe (to me, The Dugout) and I was like whatever.  It didn't register with me that it was the place I had passed many a time and was curious about.  So when we started walking there and I figured out where we were going, I was pleasantly surprised.

It’s called Dugout Cafe.  It was quaint, warm and welcoming.  The bartender, Jessica, is a BU student.  The other bartender whose name I didn’t catch is so dedicated to working there that he drives in one day a week from Maine.  Long story short, they served Lagunitas, have a couple of sofas and darts.  One thing I always notice is the TV situation.  They had more than I’d like, but because they have Direct TV, all the TVs had to be on the same channel.  There was a semblance of order.  

All in all, it was a little bit farther from my block than I usually travel, but the atmosphere was great.  I want to have a party there.  $7 for mixed drinks and beers on tap.  $4 for PBR and $3 for Rolling Rock.  I'm not recommending you get any of those.  I think Lagunitas is your best bet.

Chateau de Gudanes

I don’t have too much to say about this place.  It’s very cool and I just wanted to share it with you.  It’s an old house in France that was purchased by a couple who’s undertaken the initiative of restoring it.  It turns out, they’re instafamous.  I can see why.  This place is ridiculous.  This is one of those houses with it’s own website.  Check it out here!

One Pot Whatever

I call this One Pot Whatever because I don’t know what it really is.  It’s kind of like a stew, but a little bit brothier.  Anyway, it’s very good and really easy to make.  This is designed to taste good and make you feel good.  Feeling good is also a product of the easy clean up!  Here’s what you’ll need to have and need to do:

Have:

4 cups water (spring, distilled)

1.5 cups sprouted rice

1 head of broccoli 

1 onion

2 carrots

2 cloves garlic

1 piece kombu

1 Tablespoon organic grass fed ghee

and then per serving:

1 teaspoon miso (unpasteurized)

1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano

1 splash nama shoyu

1 sprinkle Braggs Sea Kelp Seasoning

Do:

1. Slice and dice onions and garlic, sauté in ghee in soup pot until they’re warmed up.
2. Add carrots and sauté until onions are translucent.  Add water and kombu.  Bring to a boil.
3. Add rice and lower to medium heat for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the kombu and stir in broccoli and butter.  I do this because I don’t like when the kombu breaks up.  Let this simmer for another 10 minutes.  Add butter.
5. In serving bowls, add miso, cheese and shoyu.  Ladle the stew into the bowl, and mix!
6. Enjoy!

Tait's Toothpaste

“Teeth are alive, and given the proper environment, they can regenerate; this is why internal factors that nourish the teeth are so important.”

— Nadine Artemis

Tait's and a Horse Hair Toothbrush 

   Teeth are so important!  Judging by current dentistry practices, not many people know about teeth.  Some people are familiar with the idea that the skin is the window to the liver.  The teeth are an even bigger (figuratively) window to almost your entire body.  Every tooth has a corresponding organ/organ system.  You can tell a lot about a person's health from their teeth.  My two favorite resources for oral information are my dentist, Dr. Mark Breiner with his book Whole Body Dentistry, and Nadine Artemis and her book Holistic Dental Care.  

    I love my teeth.  I’m all about the drinks, but I could never be a liquitarian for an extended period.  I love crunchy.  I love chewy.  My teeth do a lot for me, so I like to return the favor by having a good oral hygiene routine.  Part of my routine, and probably a few other people’s as well, is brushing.

    I’ve used many toothpastes.  I intentionally cycle through different toothpastes.  Every brand/product has something different to offer.  However, that doesn’t mean I don’t have a favorite.  I feel that Tait’s Toothpaste is the best.  Right now I’m using it for my morning brushing.  It tastes great.  My teeth became noticeably whiter when I started using it, and it’s a product I feel good about using.

    This toothpaste is a food.  Unlike conventional toothpaste, you don’t have to call poison control if you swallow it.  I intentionally swallow it!  I don’t want to spit all these great ingredients down the drain!  However, the Earth might thank me if I did.  Tait’s is zeolite based, so anything it traps is inert.  That means everything it catches in my mouth will pass right through me.  I’m thinking that the zeolites will probably also pull things out of my digestive tract on their way out as well.

    So what is it I’m swallowing besides zeolites and coconut oil?  A lot:

• Stoneground Olive Oil
• Birch Xylitol
• Reishi Fruiting Body Extract
• Responsibly Harvested Killer Bee Propolis
• High Altitude Himalayan Shilajit
• Ginger, Thyme, Peppermint, Orange, Clove, Nutmeg, Bay Leaf, Oregano, Licorice, Mountain Savory, Spilanthes and Fennel Spagyrics
• ORMUS

    There are several other high-grade ingredients, but these are the ones that caught my eye.  To some people that may seem excessive.  This is not the toothpaste for those people.  This toothpaste is for anyone who wants to absolute best without compromise.  Not only is this toothpaste great for you, it’s great for keeping master craftsmen employed.  How many people maintain killer bees?  Not many.  How many people know how to create a spagyric, let alone actually go through the process?  Too few.  When you buy this product, you’re supporting the best of the best.  

    It comes in 2 sizes, 50mL and 100mL.  The packaging stands out.  Like I said in my He Shou Wu article, only the best is packaged in Miron Glass, like Tait’s.  Even better, the jar is labeled with glass paint!  Another thing I love about this product, is that it’s locally made in Marina Del Rey.  Right now, I own all the Tait's that exists, so no need to look any further.   If you'd like a chance to win a large jar, check out my instagram, @wcharleton!

Popcorn Behavior - Princess Nancy

I don't think Popcorn Behavior gets the press they deserve.  They're the perfect junction of jazz, classical and folk music to me.  This has always been one of my favorite songs.  I love how the start and end are completely different.  Have a listen!