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READING: The Book of Revelation

READING: The Book of Revelation

I am currently reading The Book of Revelation by Rupert Thomson. The jacket and reviews on Amazon.COM make it sound like an interesting, off-beat book, so I am curious to see how it develops. The first several chapters have captured my attention already. I hope…

System Downtime — January 9, 2008

System Downtime — January 9, 2008

Some time during the day on Wednesday, January 9, 2008, the webserver’s power supply stopped functioning and the site was unavailable. Fortunately, I had a spare power supply at the house and was able to quickly repair the system and get us back online. I…

Iron Horse Inn closed

Iron Horse Inn closed

I learned recently that the IRON HORSE INN, long a fixture in the Glendale restaurant scene, has closed its doors.

I’ve got mixed feelings about this closure. We’ve spent many enjoyable evenings at the Iron Horse over the last 5+ years, from the time we took the Happy Mouth Supper Club there for a great meal, to my working in the kitchens with Chef Jackson, to getting to know Chef Chris and his variety of brulee recipes (Wendy pines for his S’More Brulee).

Sadly, the last several times we dined at the IRON HORSE over the last year or so, we knew something was wrong. The quality of both the food and (especially) the service degraded quickly (we waited an hour for appetizers on Christmas Eve 2007). We could sense the end was coming.

But still, when the end came, we still feel a bit sad. Hopefully, a new owner will take over the IRON HORSE and return the great building to its rightful place on the landscape of Glendale, and Cincinnati’s restaurant scene.

Bon chance, IRON HORSE INN. It was good to know you.

UPDATE (January 10, 2008): I just spoke to one of the owner’s of the IRON HORSE who confirmed that they’re currently “open only for private parties” while they “explore some other opportunities”. Typically, the HORSE closes for New Year’s holiday, but this year they’ve “extended” that closing… indefinitely. The owner said that they’ll email us with any additional news.

Happy 2008 — upgrade & new look

Happy 2008 — upgrade & new look

Happy New Year, everyone! 2008 started quietly for Wendy & me. We attended a party at our friend Tracy’s house to ring in the new year with our closest friends. Then, for the next couple days, we laid low hanging around the house and enjoying…

2007 Recipe of the Week Wrap-Up

2007 Recipe of the Week Wrap-Up

So, there you have it… 53 recipes, one per week (we ended up with 53 because there is an extra Sunday this year). These recipes were all selected by Drew and pulled from his BigOven recipe management software package. If you like the recipes, you’ll…

RECIPE 53: Vasilopita (New Year Bread)

RECIPE 53: Vasilopita (New Year Bread)

-= Exported from BigOven =-

Vasilopita (new Year Bread)

Recipe By:
Serving Size: 1
Cuisine:
Main Ingredient:
Categories: Greek

-= Ingredients =-
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 package Active Dry Yeast
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon ; Ground
3/4 cup Milk ; Lukewarm
1/4 teaspoon Masticha ; Ground
3 Eggs ; Beaten
1/2 cup Butter ; Melted
1 1/2 teaspoon Orange Rind ; Grated
1 Egg ; For Glazing
3/4 cup Caster Sugar
Blanched Almonds ; Split
4 1/2 cup Plain Flour

-= Instructions =-
New Year Bread is traditionally cut at midnight on New Year’s Eve. After baking, a coin is inserted through a slit in the base. The person who finds the coin will have luck in the New Year. Long ago the coin used to be a gold one, then later a silver coin was used. These could be incorporated into the dough before baking. Nowadays because of the nickel content of coins it is undesirable to bake a coin in the cake.

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup of the milk. Add remainder of milk, eggs, orange rind and sugar. Sift 3 cups flour, salt and spice into a warm bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in yeast mixture and stir to blend in flour, gradually adding warm melted butter. Mix dough with hands until it comes away from sides. Turn on to a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding remaining flour as required. Knead for 10 minutes. Place ball of dough in a clean bowl brushed with melted butter. Turn dough over to coat top with butter and cover bowl with a cloth or plastic wrap. Leav to prove (rise) in a warm place until doubled in bulk. Punch down and turn on to lightly floured surface. Knead lightly and shape into a round loaf. Place on a large greased baking sheet or in a greased 25 cm (10 inch) deep cake tin. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled – about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Glaze with well-beaten egg and arrange blanched almonds in numbers to denote the New Year, pressing in lightly. Bake in a moderately hot oven for 45 minutes until golden brown and cooked when tested. If bread browns too quickly place a piece of greased brown paper on top. Cool on a wire rack.

From: “The Complete Middle East Cookbook” by Tess Mallos

** This recipe can be pasted into BigOven without retyping. **
** Easy recipe software. Try it free at: http://www.bigoven.com **

RECIPE 52: Baked Brie

RECIPE 52: Baked Brie

-= Exported from BigOven =- Baked Brie Recipe By: Serving Size: 8 Cuisine: Main Ingredient: Categories: Easy, Appetizers -= Ingredients =- 1 Brie Round ; 5-6 Inch Diameter French Brie 1 Pastry Dough ; Pepperridge Farm Frozen is fine 1 Egg 2 tablespoons Milk -=…