September 2009 Archives

More Essential Kitchen Tools

By Vincent Scordo on September 29, 2009 | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

Back in October of last year I wrote about essential kitchen tools and kitchen simplicity. The article attracted a few comments from readers stating that my list was too extreme and left out some key tools and items. So, I've decided to take another look around my kitchen and update my essential kitchen tool list (sorry still no pizza stone):

1. CuisinArt Food Processor and Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer

OK, I'm going to start off by saying that both my grandmother and mother never used or owned the above tools and they both made/make fantastic food. In fact, I remember trying to convince my grandmother to let us buy her a large stand mixer so that her weekly bread making would be a little easier for her (she of course said no).

I use our CuisinArt Food Processor for making hummus, slicing onions for French Onion soup, and, when I'm lazy, pesto. Our Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer is used for pizza dough, bread, and countless cakes. Both products are very well built and should last a lifetime.

2. Krups Hot Water Kettle

Boiling water takes time, not a whole lot of time, but just enough minutes to annoy me at certain key moments (for example, waiting for boiling water in the early morning for your French Press Pot). We picked up a Krups electric kettle two years ago and it's been a terrific, time saving, device. We use our kettle for tea, coffee, pasta water, etc. Plus, it actually saves energy when you consider that the device boils water faster than our fancy Wolf, 18,000 BTU, gas stove.

3. Microplane Grater

For citrus zest and emergency cheese grater.

4. Kitchen Shears

For emergency tasks, quick herb mincing, etc.

5. Large Grater

For the best way to grate most soft cheeses.

6. Serrated Bread Knife

The best knife to cut fresh bread.

7. Locking Tongs

Tongs are essential and most are made in an inferior manner. Buy two , well made, products (one with metal pincers and one with rubber) - All-Clad makes a pricey, but well built, all metal version.

8. Vegetable Peeler

Pepin used a paring knife, for everyone else get a vegetable peeler.

9. Instant Read Thermometer

You'll throw this out after becoming a competent cook, but you should have one in your kitchen for the early years.

10. Peppermill

You'll use this every day and there' a big difference with freshly ground pepper (same difference with freshly ground coffee). I own a French made, Prefex, that's compact and very functional.

11. Salad spinner

If you eat tons of greens then you need to dry most of them before cooking or consuming, the salad spinner is a revolutionary product and you should have one.

12. Colanders

You should have about three of these for draining pasta, cleaning vegetables, etc.

13. Toaster Oven

This will cause some debate, but I could not live without our small toaster oven. I used out tiny DeLonghi toaster oven to broil thin white flesh fish and salmon, heat up pizza, toast bread, etc. The device cooks food in no time and unlike a microwave it perfectly toasts and browns food for tremendous flavor. The device also does not use as much energy as our larger Wolf or Cadco ovens.

20 Simple Reasons Why People Spend

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By Vincent Scordo on September 24, 2009 | 1 Comment | 0 TrackBacks

I have to admit there are days when I think that a new tennis racquet or a few new books from the local Barnes and Noble would make me feel great! However after I stop and think I realize that the two Prince racquets I own are great and I'm not going to play better tennis with a new Babolat or Wilson racquet. And, moreover, I can just get my name on the waiting list at the local library for that new novel by Jonathan Franzen. So, most of the time I convince myself to not spend, but it is a constant battle (even for folks with a bit of personal finance know-how).

Part of figuring out why spending money (in most cases) is a bad thing is about understanding yourself and what truly makes you happy. Now, this can take years to figure out and is one of life's greatest challenges, so in the interim I've put together a few reasons why I think people spend money. Here's my simple and straightforward list (do you agree?):

1. S/he thinks stuff will make them happy.

2. S/he thinks I must have an iPhone, Lexus, Nike sneakers, etc. because my neighbor or co-worker owns them.

3. S/he is convinced the advertising she just watched, read, listened to, etc. is the truth.

4. S/he lacks fulfillment from non-material things in her life.

5. S/he is bored, lonely, confused, depressed.

6. S/he has the wrong friends.

7. S/he lacks focus.

8. S/he cares too much about personal appearance.

9. S/he is brand loyal.

10. S/he equates success with possessions.

11. S/he is addicted.

12. S/he lacks true friendships and family connections.

13. S/he learned the behavior from mom and dad.

14. S/he is conditioned and has not spent any considerable amount of time outside of the US.

15. S/he does not appreciate nature, reading, and peaceful states (read: she cannot be alone).

16. S/he does not know how to have a good time (without spending money).

17. S/he is credit card dependent.

18. S/he believes she will never improve her financial situation.

19. S/he is not crafty.

20. S/he has never felt what it's like NOT to have money or the ability to spend it.

A Guide to Dry Pasta

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By Vincent Scordo on September 22, 2009 | 1 Comment | 1 TrackBack

I love pasta; in fact, I'd venture to say it is a glorious food product! And it doesn't really matter how it's prepared (condiment or sauce-wise, that is); I'll eat penne rigate with good olive oil (recipe) and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, Bucatini with a fresh, tomato, pan sauce (recipe), or linguine fine with a homemade pesto sauce (recipe). The condiment for any pasta is important, but what's key is that the pasta is not over or under cooked and that the water used to boil the pasta is both salted and abundant (don't crowd your pasta during the cooking process).

You'll also hear the word al dente thrown around a lot but it's the food equivalent of drinking only Bordeaux; that is to say, you can cook pasta al dente most of the time (and be happy), but all pasta does not need to be cooked, "to the tooth" at all times (large rigatoni is a good example).

Moreover, dry pasta is not inferior to fresh pasta and, in fact, the very best dry pastas are superior to average, fresh made, pasta. I always aim to keep, at the least, 5 varieties of dry pasta in my pantry, including:

1. Linguine Fine

The pasta cooks very fast and is great for loose sauces like tomato or cream based sauces, like the ubiquitous Alfredo. I also use linguine fine when I cook up a batch of super simple Aglio e Oli pasta.

2. Angel Hair or Capellini

The fastest cooking dry pasta on the market. You need an abundant condiment for this type of pasta or you'll get lumpy bundles of thin pasta. My mom used to make angel hair for me during the school year (with plenty of tomato sauce and freshly grated cheese); in fact, every time I have Angel Hair I'm brought back to lunch time during my elementary school years.

3. Penne Rigate

Another pasta staple that goes well with pesto or baked in the oven with fresh mozzarella, ricotta and a bit of tomato sauce.

4. Large Rigatoni

Ah, this was the go to pasta for Nonna Rosa. Nonna Rosa preferred the large type rigatoni and she would often serve the pasta with a ton of olive oil (mixed with a bit of corn oil because she liked to save money) and freshly grated Pecorino Romano. Large rigatoni is also the base for my white wine dark turkey meat Bolognese sauce (pictured above).

5. Bucatini

This is a thick spaghetti with a hole in the middle. Bucatini is a hardy pasta that, because of the hole at the center of the pasta, takes any sauce surprisingly well. I like bucatini with anchovy, hot peppers flake, garlic, freshly chopped parsley, and olive oil.

Pasta is a wonderful food ingredient. It gets a bum wrap in the US because most Americans tend to have pasta as a main dish when having dinner (this will lead to you getting fat!). Pasta, if proportioned correctly, can be used to start a meal 2-3 times a week (as they do in Italy on most nights). The correct portion is about two ounces. And if the condiment or sauce is made well (and used sparingly) you will feel very satisfied (the problem occurs when there's no taste in your sauce and you look for additional pasta to make up for the lack of taste). Good pasta also needs two key ingredients to thrive: olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Moreover, don't forget to save some of the golden water used to cook your pasta (you may want to add a little bit with your condiment/sauce when mixing it with pasta) and always bring your pasta to your pan containing your condiment/sauce (never the other way around).

Finally, you may want to know which dry pasta brand is best. In terms of large, well known, and readily available brands I like De Cecco. I also think Colavita makes a good dry pasta. I used to consume Barilla but I think their quality has suffered a bit in the last ten years or so (I'm not sure what it is but De Cecco pasta tends to have more flavor and a better consistency). There are also tons of small production type dry pastas from Italy (such as Rustichella), but you really just need to try them and stick with what you like (many are also outrageously priced and, in my view, not worth the extra money).

Immigrant Personal Finance Philosophy - WiseBread.com

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By Vincent Scordo on September 21, 2009 | 0 Comments | 1 TrackBack

I've often stated here and to many friends directly that recent immigrants have an intuitive personal finance philosophy that not only embraces the pillars associated with the American dream but also runs counter to the deeply entrenched, and ugly side, of modern American life: consumerism and materialism.

Some friends get the above point quickly and agree, while others look at me like I'm an alien and think: "this guy is crazy, why wouldn't everyone want an iPhone, a shiny black German sedan, and several Coach handbags?!"

Well, to answer the question from my skeptical friends I wrote an article for Wisebread.com entitled, "10 Life and Money Lessons My Immigrant Parents Taught Me". Read the article and pass it along (via Digg or Tip'd).

8 Simple Food and Kitchen Tips

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By Vincent Scordo on September 17, 2009 | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

Cooking at home isn't rocket science and like most things in life it just takes a little bit of practice to get right (and of course a few good tips). Here are eight essential food and kitchen tips so that you can become a good home cook (be careful what you call yourself or some foodies will get upset, just kidding Michael Ruhlman!) :

1. Buy high quality, fresh food. Good ingredients need very little in the way of jazzing up. For example, a piece of, just caught, fish requires a bit of salt and a few minutes in the broiler. Home made pasta requires a bit of olive oil and some freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. In general, buying high quality ingredients will take the stress out of making food taste good and also reduce the amount of prep time for most foods (don't listen to the personal finance types who advocate eating whatever is on sale at the local mega-market).

2. Condition yourself to cook at home. It takes a bit of time before a home cook can become efficient in his or her kitchen. For folks who haven't spent much time cooking at home, the first couple of months may include long prep times, starting over with some dishes, and what seems like forever cleaning up, but it does get easier over time.

3. Invest in good equipment. You don't need too many gadgets, but what you do buy should be high quality. Here's my list.

4. Write down dishes that you enjoy and are good at preparing. Cooking at home doesn't mean making elaborate dishes every night; in fact, if you have a real life you'll end up making the same core dishes over and over again. In turn, documenting the dishes that work for you will take the stress out of deciding what to cook each night. This is a fine philosophy especial for the Monday - Thursday time period; experiment with exotic recipes during the weekend.

5. Become a wine expert. Wine was designed to be consumed with food; this is a fact and the more you know about wine the more you'll enjoy eating and cooking at home. There are plenty of great wine resources on the web (I like Robert Parker, but there are resources including the media crazed Gary Vaynerchuk at WineLibrary, but be careful with the latter resource as Gary both rates and sells wine. UPDATE: just got some clarification on this from Gary V. and it looks like the operation is legitimately concerned about honest reviews and selling inventory is a secondary concern). I always advise folks to get to know a few local wine merchants (there's no substitute for someone understanding what you like and making personal recommendations; plus the same person will probably give you a discount over time). Yes, the merchant wants to sell wine, but a good merchant favors the relationship over the dollar.

6. Burn your take out menus. If there's no option to order in or go out for dinner then you'll certainly begin cooking at home (you gotta eat, right?). Also, 99 percent (especially outside of the big cities) of what you get at restaurants and take out joints is pure junk.

7. Keep a pantry full of staple food items. A well stocked pantry means you'll most likely be able to whip up a fantastic meals in no time. Here's a list of good Italian pantry items and a list from Mark Bittman.

8. Keep fresh bread in the kitchen at all times. I always advise folks to purchase a baguette every other day and re-heat it for dinner or lunch once it gets stale. Don't consume bread with butter each night, but rather have a few pieces with good tuna in olive oil, homemade soup, or a lush tomato salad with plenty of olive oil and basil. Sandwiches are also great dinner items (especially with good ingredients!).

Home Maintenance: 5 Areas Not To Ignore

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By Vincent Scordo on September 15, 2009 | 0 Comments | 2 TrackBacks

Interest rates are low these days and there's a ton of housing stock available, so, in my view, it's a great time to buy a home. The financing part is a bit trickier these days with banks scrutinizing loan applications, but if you have a good down payment (at least 20 percent), a great credit score, ready to work at maintaining your home, and understand that a home is, first, a place to live and, secondly, possibly an investment go out and buy a home!

With the above said, there are areas in a home that are consistently neglected by homeowners. Neglecting a home repair can cost you big bucks in the long term and is just plain dumb/lazy (would you ever not feed your dog or provide fresh water for your cat?). In turn, I've put together a top five list of areas of your home NOT to ignore! Let's start with the often ignored, but highly functional, gutter:

1. Gutters
When we purchased our home I asked the owner when was the last time she had her gutters cleaned. The ex-homeowner replied by saying, "oh, I don't know, but it's not important." If you live in a leafy neighborhood you should get your gutters cleaned twice a year (I like cleaning mine in November and May). Allowing leaf build up and sediment to accumulate in your gutters can lean to interior and exterior water damage which can costs thousands of dollars to repair. Clean your gutters yourself or hire a crew if your gutters can't be reached safely.

2. Furnace

There are many types of furnaces used to heat homes in the US, including forced hot air, steam, and hot water. And most furnaces are either fueled by natural gas or oil. The typical furnace can last between 15-25 depending on the system and your tolerance for efficiency. I've seen steam boilers with tons of sediment build up, hot water furnaces with rotting pipes, and tons of leaking radiators. This isn't good for one of the major systems of your home. In fact, I think most homeowner see their heating and cooling systems as pieces of machinery that run themselves without the need maintenance. Hot water furnaces should be checked and cleaned by a capable homeowner or a licensed plumber at the beginning of each heating season. Steam furnaces require a bit more upkeep, but the maintenance routine is the same: clean pilot and burner area, keep the area around your furnace clean, check damper running into chimney, lubricate moving parts, (if steam) flush water in system to get rid of sediment in radiators and furnace. See my guide to winterizing your home!

3. Yard

Walk by any home and the first thing you notice is the front yard and this happens well before you notice architecture style, the pretty red door, and the Lexus sitting in the driveway. If you're a homeowner your front yard is your first shot to make impression, be it good or bad. An unkempt lawn, big dirt patches, and overgrown hedges and trees all make for poor maintenance and upkeep and, in relation to other home improvement / maintenance projects, maintaining a green lawn and pruning your boxwood is cheap and easy. Also, failure to maintain your exterior landscape can also lead to drainage problems and possible basement leaks as your yard can develop issues with slope and water seepage. See my tips on how to maintain a great looking lawn!

4. Sidewalk

If you're lucky enough to live in a neighborhood that has sidewalks then you've bought yourself a lifetime membership to a great health club. Walking around your neighborhood is great exercise and gets you interacting with the neighbors. Unfortunately, concrete sidewalks will need some upkeep, especially if you're block or neighborhood is lined with street trees. Large trees cause concrete sidewalks to lift and crack over time and, in many cases, the only way to repair an uplifted sidewalk is to pour a new section of sidewalk. Many towns also have ordinances requiring homeowners to maintain their sidewalk, so sidewalk upkeep is a given. Don't you just love homeownership!

5. Kitchen

They say the kitchen is the new heart of the modern home and prospective home buyers look to, among other things, the size and condition of the kitchen when considering the purchase of a home. When we looked at homes for purchase a couple of years back, we fell into the same category as above and we were mostly horrified at the condition of most conditions. Many of the kitchens we walked through had faulty appliances, cracked flooring, leaking faucets, poor lighting, and, generally, inadequate space and functional layout. I'm not advocating homeowners build lavish kitchen with a Viking stove, soapstone countertops, and exotic wood cabinets, but I'm a big fan of keeping a kitchen up to date and renovating a kitchen once it's past its functional prime. Plus, there's usually a decent ROI on a newly renovated kitchen. See my guide to renovating your kitchen!

Movie Night At Home: Movie Recommendations, Dip Recipes, and Top Chips

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By Vincent Scordo on September 11, 2009 | 2 Comments | 1 TrackBack

The following is a re-post form February 2009 and I thought it was appropriate given the gloomy and cold weather here in the northen New Jersey area. The post includes two great dip recipes, my favorite potato and tortilla chip brands, and 23 movie recommendation by genere and actor.

The upcoming Oscars Award show always gets everyone in the movie-going spirit and why not it's fun to plan a night at your local theatre taking in a good movie followed by a late night meal and a glass of good Zindfandel! But wait, hold on, are you really going to spend $20+ dollars for tickets, $15+ dollars on snacks, and then $75-$100 dollars on dinner and a decent bottle of wine? The answer is an obvious no and not just in the current economy; I find many of our friends who consistently do dinner and a movie to be amongst the cash-strapped crowd. Don't get me wrong I love film, I just don't like spending my hard earned cash on overpriced tickets and snacks. What I do instead is plan movie night at home and head to my local library for DVDs. Yes, some local libraries lack a decent film collection, but our town library happens to have a nice assortment of films. I'm also an on and off subscriber to Netflix, but I never keep the service running for more than 4-6 months (I essentially exhaust the movies I really want to see and then cancel my, auto renew, subscription - Try This Tip!).

Either way you get your films, you'll need some snacks to go with your movies! Here's a list of some of my favorite chips and dips, as well as a list of some great movies by category!

Potato Chips

There's something about thinly friend potatoes with copious amounts of salt that gets me excited! Potato chips are one of my all time favorite foods and please don't let my mother find out. I can enjoy potato chips during a late night rummage through the pantry or, in this case, with a good movie. My all time favorite potato chips include:

1. Cape Cod Potato Chips (Classic and Salt & Vinegar are my favorite)

2. Kettle Chips (any flavor, they're all great!)

3. Lay's Classic Potato Chips

4. Terra Chips (Original)

Tortilla Chips

Corn chips exploded into the US marketplace in the early to mid nineties and they've become a staple (any one know why?) of informal get togethers and parties. There are many tasteless, and overly salted, products on market, such as Tostitos, Santitas White Corn chips made by FritoLay, and TraderJoe's house brand. You can of course make your own Tortilla Chips, however there are also some good brands on the market and I prefer the following products:

1. Green Mountain (great combo of salt and corn taste)

2. Garden of Eatin Blue Chips

3. Doritos (yes, I like Doritos!)

Guacamole

Next to the egg, the avocado would be one of those food items I would want with me if I were stranded on a remote island (it has good fat content, nice texture, and pretty versatile).

Mix in fresh lime juice and cilantro and mashed avocado becomes an exquisite tortilla chip accompaniment; here's my recipe:

- 2 large, very ripe, Hass avocados

- 1 large lime (keep out of the fridge for a few hours and roll on cutting board before juicing)

- 1 bunch of fresh cilantro (I know cilantro is a love/hate type of herb, but I happen to love the flavor)

- ¼ finely diced red onion

- ½ finely diced plum tomato

- Salt and pepper to taste

Mash the avocados with a fork and add your lime juice (click here if you've never sliced an avocado before). Stir the two ingredients and the cilantro, onion, and tomato. Next, add salt and pepper to taste and give the mixture a final stir.

Sour Cream Dip

Potato chips, in my view, really don't need a dip, but that's not to say that I don't enjoy dipping my perfectly salted chips into a nice white mixture of sour cream! Here's my favorite recipe for Sour Cream and Onion Dip:

- 1 pt of sour cream

- 3-4 finely diced green onions

- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 3-4 cloves of mashed caramelized or roasted garlic

Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix very well.

Movies

A movie critic will tell you that one can, objectively, rate and talk about a given movie. In my view, however, deciding on whether a movie is good or bad can often be a very subjective experience and depdendent on how many other films one has watched, personal history, ethnicity, education, mood, etc. So, I recommend the following "movie night" movies based solely on the fact that I liked them all! Most of all, however, each one of the movies below (categorized by actor, genre, or style) made me feel as though I was totally submerged in the plot and the story the director wanted to convey.

1. Woody Allen

Match Point

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

2. Bill Murray

Lost in Translation

The Royal Tenenbaums

3. Johnny Depp

Finding Neverland

What's Eating Gilbert Grape

4. Sean Penn

Mystic River

Carlito's Way

5. Foreign

The Son's Room

Y Tu Mama Tambien

La Strada

Respiro

6. Engrossing

The Shipping News

Pollock

Mulholland Drive

7. Classics

The 400 Blows

Odd Man Out

The Bicycle Thief

Sudden Fear

Notorious

8. Western

The Magnificent Seven

High Plains Drifter

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

Reader Mailbag: What Major Should I Choose and is Philosophy a Good Choice

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By Vincent Scordo on September 10, 2009 | 1 Comment | 0 TrackBacks

Photo: University of New Hampshire Philosophy Dept. @ Hamilton Smith Hall

Reader Question:

I'm a student that needs to decide on a Major. Besides my credits being in a complicated mumbo jumbo from transfers and other what-have-you's I'm a normal student. I was doing some searching about philosophy majors and found your article on "Why I Should Major In Philosophy". So you have good things to say about the Majors. I'm split between a decision to major in phil or to major in phil/pol-sci/econ (a major that puts an equal, but diminished, emphasis on all three). After getting my bachelors I'm considering joining the military for the funding to get a masters degree, in something....I checked what you had to say about yourself and your career and despite being from opposite coasts, your interests are not dissimilar to my own (especially a love for garlic). You have a philanthropic blog and perhaps you could just help shed some light on my situation. How has a phil major helped you, has it been a burden ever, yada yada yada.

Thanks,

Andrew

Andrew asks some good questions and I thought I would address some specifics below.

1. Major in one subject or do a combination of double majors or multiple minors?
The first thing to realize about an undergraduate education is that it's opportunity for students to study a subject that they are actually interested in and that the first couple of years of an undergraduate education are going to be fairly broad (from a course selection perspective). That is to say, most colleges and universities require that a student take a minimum amount of general education credits. If it were up to me, I'd make it a requirement for all undergraduate students to obtain a dual major and, specifically, one major would be in the humanities and the other would need to be in some applied field such as Engineering, Agriculture, Economics, etc. Universities should be producing thinkers and doers (not just one or the other).

2. I've talked about the benefits of completing a Philosophy major (Bachelor of Arts degree) in detail. However, the prospective Philosophy major should also be forewarned in terms of:

- You will need plenty of self discipline to distil the real gold nuggets from a philosophy major; viz, critical thinking skills and ability to clearly write and communicate.

- No one is going to hand you a job after you graduate with your degree and you will need to work extra hard to turn the skills you learned as a Philosophy major into practical, applicable, knowledge that translates well within the marketplace (sorry, this is just a reality).

- You may need a professional degree if you can't apply skills learned as an undergraduate into a job category that is in demand. That is to say, you may need to quickly aquire an MBA, JD, or other professional degree to get a job. I graduated from University in the late 1990's and the .com boom was underway and many jobs were available (this is currently not the case in the US) and I had a practical skill set thanks to work-study position I held for a number of years.

3. Has Your Philosophy degree ever been a burden?
I think the only time I've felt negative about studying Philosophy as an undergraduate was during my first two years at University. Studying Philosophy comes with lots of criticism from peers, parents, professors, etc. and it's especially tough to ignore the negative comments when you're still new to campus and college life, in general. A typical scenario is your Engineering major roommate constantly bombarding you with questions on why you're wasting your time studying something so obtuse and unimportant (be ready with thick skin and a couple of good arguments).

4. I recommend doing a full Philosophy major because only then will you get to take some intense seminar level classes on specific philosophers and topics. You may even become interested in some specific aspect of Philosophy (such as Philosophy of Mind) and may want to write a senior thesis (this is great practice for the real world in terms of thinking through an idea, justifying the idea, and thereafter defending the premise of your argument). In addition to my Philosophy major I have two minors in Linguistics and Psychology. Looking back, I may have opted for a dual major in Philosophy and Economics.

Recipe: Fava Bean Spread with Wild Flounder and Roasted Eggplant

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By Vincent Scordo on September 9, 2009 | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

The US Open is in full swing and I've been boring my wife and small, pre-linguistic, son with endless tennis viewing on ESPN and CBS (I've also been watching online at USOpen.org where pretty much every match is streamed live for free - this is why the web is awesome and nobody makes money!). As most folks know, Nadal and Federer are the superstars of the tennis world given their mesmerizing athletic ability, keen knack for developing points, and great shot making ability (this is fancy talk for the ability to hit a tennis ball very hard and keep it within the white lines!). While Nadal and Federer are the superstars of their sport I started thinking about who or what would be the equivalent of the superstars of the food world.

At first, I gravitated towards the mighty pig; the succulent and delicious beast that manifests itself like an extra large pink tootsie roll with four legs and a strange, non functional, tale. Thereafter, I thought of wheat flour - the all purpose ingredient that has birthed delicate pasta and noodles and crunchy bread and soft naan (a staple for folks living in India). However, my mind finally settled on two delectable beans that I've enjoyed since the age of five or so: lentil and fava (I swear I have a photo of my mother cramming homemade lentil soup down my throat in the attic). Lentils are full of protein and fiber and have a wonderfully complex taste (see my lentil soup recipe). Fava beans, one of the oldest cultivated plants on the planet, are buttery, satisfying, and have even been used as alternatives to such drugs as Viagra!

If I had to pit the fava bean versus the lentil I would have to choose the fava bean. Fava beans come across as having a richer flavor and seem to sustain me longer than the lentel (this is great if you want to feel full!). So, in honor of my love affair with the fava bean, and the clash of the tennis titans mentioned above, I've included a pureed fava bean recipe in my weekday recipe post below (click here for a cold fava bean sou p):

I went to the market yesterday and had no idea what to cook for dinner. As usual, I looked for what was fresh, well priced, and didn't require a ton of time to prepare. I settled on fresh wild flounder filet, fava beans, and baby eggplant grown in New Jersey.

I prepared the flounder filets with a breadcrumb topping consisting of homemade bread crumbs (1 cup), chopped parsley, dried oregano, kosher salt, pepper, and the zest of one lemon. For the flounder filets I simply rubbed olive oil on both sides and placed them on a cookie try with aluminum foil. Thereafter, I placed the breadcrumb mixture on top of the flounder filet and drizzled some additional olive oil on the mixture. I broiled the fish for about 5 minutes (on the high setting).

For the fava bean spread, I used a mortar and pestle to crush 10-15 large beans with half the juice of a small lemon, salt, pepper, finely diced basil, and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. I served the spread with baked whole wheat chips (these are easy to make).

I prepared the small eggplant by cutting it into small cubes and simply pan roasting with olive oil, salt, and pepper. The key to pan roasting eggplant is to season well with salt and let each side of the eggplant cubes sit in a hot pan for 4-5 minutes before turning. The salt will force the water out of the eggplant and allow for good caramelization to occur.

I served the dinner with homemade white zinfandel from 2008.

4 Key Personality Traits Needed For Success

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By Vincent Scordo on September 8, 2009 | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

As the peak summer growing season comes to an end, I took a trip to my parent's place to have a look at their urban garden in full bloom. My parents have grown ripe tomatoes, feathery zucchini flowers, sweet string beans, basil, parsley, figs (yes, in New Jersey!), blazingly hot cayenne peppers, mint, squash, and woodsy rosemary for as long as I can remember. Most of the vegetables are started from heirloom seeds and mom and dad spend a considerable amount of time watering, weeding, cutting, tilling, etc. the garden. Generally, my parents don't take on a project unless they can do it extremely well and their home garden is no exception.

The aforementioned garden inspired me to start my own small garden when we first purchased our home several years, but I quickly encountered two big problems: 1. lack of sun and 2. lack of time. I couldn't do much about the lack of sun in our backyard given several large trees (I like the shade) but I could motivate myself to work harder on the garden. So, I tried to weed and nurture our small suburban garden, but I just didn't have the passion and feel needed to make it flourish. So, now several years later we're left with a few patio planters (in terra cotta) filled with lush basil and parsley (hey, I can make plenty of pesto).

I bring up my own garden malfunction story to prove a point. Namely, even with a good background and the know-how to garden there were still a few key elements missing that prevented me from growing high quality vegetables and herbs. That is to say, there are basic intangibles that allow high achievers to win the US Open or climb the corporate to CEO, for example, or even complete a large home improvement project or start and maintain a thriving garden that I didn't possess when I started my garden.

Here are four intangible personality traits needed for general success in life (not necessarily to grow a great garden!):

1. Passion. You know what I'm talking about here; passion is the fuel that drives any big dream or desire to get stuff done. Passion pushes people to work countless hours on a crazy garage-bred idea or quite their job and move half way around the world to travel and explore the world.

2. Shortsightedness. Any time someone achieves something extraordinary something else in their life, inevitably, takes a back seat. If you're practicing to win the US Open, then it's going to be tough to maintain a romantic relationship, travel for pleasure, or read a few great novels (do you think Roger Federer is a well rounded person?). Anything worth achieving requires a ton of time and certain things will take a back seat in life when time is at a premium.

3. Stubbornness. My parents would never allow their garden to die or produce mediocre results. In many ways, my parent's greatest strength is their perseverance and willingness to push through life (even if the path is uphill and windy). This is a typical recent immigrant characteristic and tough to teach.

4. Feel. You can instruct someone to swing a tennis racquet, but you'll quickly get a sense if that person has a "feel" for the racquet and how to, generally, hit a tennis ball. You'll notice how their body moves and bends to greet the tennis ball and the explosion of arm and back muscles to propel the ball forward. You'll also notice how the person reacts after they hit the ball; namely, how they land ready to swing again and quickly sprint left or right to chase down the next spinning tennis ball. This, in a crudely described manner, is having feel. Apply the description to business, cooking, parenting, sport, etc., if you don't have it you'll probably never be able to excel, at the highest level, at a particular task or goal.

Tips and Benefits of Replacing Old Wood Windows

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By Vincent Scordo on September 4, 2009 | 1 Comment | 0 TrackBacks

In an earlier post from December of 2008 I was contemplating replacing most of the original double hung windows in our early twentieth century foursquare / center hall colonial. Like most decisions involving personal finance I like to make a pros and cons list. And, at the time, I started with the cons of our old double hung windows:

- Windows are NOT efficient (they let tons of air through the bottom and upper sashes and also along the side of the unit) and are single pane (versus two and three pane for modern windows)

- Windows do not have gas filled panes which help with efficiency.

- Windows are difficult to clean.

- Storm windows are hard to operate and don't provide much functional performance

- Windows are not secure (the sash lock is original)

- Windows let in street noise

- Windows do not have a UV coating

My pros list was very short, but it included:

- Current windows do operate well

- Current windows fit with style and architecture of home

Ultimately, we decided to replace most of our old double hung windows with quality wood replacement windows. We opted for a brand from Anderson called Eagle. We considered quite a few windows brands included, Marvin and Anderson Woodwright. We choose Eagle for the following reasons:

- Great value given construction and standard options (all custom sizing)

- Great U-Factor rating (the lower the better) which equaled or beat Marvin and Woodwright

- Good Solar heat gain coefficient and visible transmittance (these are essentially how much light and sun make it through the window)

- Eagle offered standard Low E / Argon filled glass at no additional charge

- Eagle offered free priming on the interior wood material (so it's much easier to paint)

- Eagle offered a multitude of exterior aluminum cladding colors to match our house (we even had the option of mixing up to three different colors) at no additional charge

- Eagle offered a full screen at no additional charge

- Eagle offered plastic film on the glass to make painting/staining easier at no additional charge

We've been living with the new windows for a few months now and have been impressed with ease of use and how much noise the windows keep out. We've yet to go through a winter with the new windows and we, of course, will be interested to see how well they perform in terms of keeping out cold and wind (we'll look at our heating bill closely). From a summer season perspective, they have done well at keeping out UV rays and the strong heat here on the East Coast.

We personally painted and stained all of our windows to match the existing window trim and that did take quite a long period of time (it took me 4 weeks). The windows that were stained required some sanding, pre-conditioner stain, three coats of stain, and a single coat of polyurethane. The primed windows required two coats of paint.

On the installation itself, we hired a local company that removed our old windows, installed the new windows, insulated, and mounted exterior frame expanders (essentially aluminum strips that conceal the gap caused by the outer window opening frame and window itself <even with custom windows you'll get a small gap on replacements>).

When looking to hire a company to install windows make sure to keep the following tips in mind:

1. Ask to see examples of install jobs (note how tightly the windows appear in their opening, was the old trim damaged, what does the exterior window install look like, do the windows open and lock securely, was the crew neat, etc.)

2. Ask about warranty on work and not just the product

3. Ask who is responsible for damage to interior and exterior of home, just in case there is an issue

4. Ask if the cost of removing old windows (and storm windows) is included in the estimate.

5. Never get just one quote and don't assume lowest bid is the best

6. Ask to speak with the person who will do the actual install (see if they will be on-site during the whole project and actually working on the windows)

7. Never pay full amount before job is complete

8. Get everything in writing and have contractor sign off.

9. Don't let your contractor remove old windows unless they plan to install the new windows in the opening (they shouldn't board up openings)

From an ROI perspective we'll need to wait a bit to recover our costs, but our new windows are functional, efficient, easy to clean, and make our home feel and look great. I think they are worth every penny!

10 Tips on How to Build a Fire in Your Fireplace

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By Vincent Scordo on September 3, 2009 | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

Have you noticed the days getting shorter and the local kids walking to get to their first day of school? Or that the temperature has dropped a bit and you can actually sleep with a breeze coming through your bedroom at night? Well, if so, you've picked up on the fact that September is here and in turn the perfect time to get a good fire going in your fireplace!

I actually like to make fires when it's between, say, 55 - 60 degrees because, in most cases, you don't need your central heating system to be on and you can enjoy a fire without it sucking all of the warm air from your home. You can start a fire when it's warmer, but I don't think you'll enjoying the experience as much.

Contrary to what most people think, fireplaces don't provide much heat outside the area immediately in front of the hearth and a roaring fire actually robes the rest of your home of warm air (basically, the fire is looking for oxygen and grabs it from every room in your house). There are some exceptions; for example, a wood stove is an excellent, and highly efficient, wood burning machine!

So, when the outdoor temperature is right and you don't have your heat running, keep the following 11 tips when creating that perfect roaring fire:

1. Open your damper (this is straightforward but you would be surprised how many people actually forget).

2. Use good firewood. According to the US Forest Product Lab, Locus, Ash, and Beech are the best varieties. However, the most important attribute of firewood is that it is seasoned or dried for at least a year (this will allow the wood to burn cleanly and without any smoke; seasoned wood also burns hotter).

3. Get a hold of some fatwood. Fatwood catches fires very quickly and stays lit long enough for your starter wood to get going. LL Bean sells fatwood, but you can probably find it locally for a better price/

4. Get a hold of some starter wood (I usually walk around my yard and try to find some old, small, branches that have fallen and have become naturally seasoned). You can also ask your local wood delivery guy to supply some starter pieces for your stove or fireplace.

5. You'll need some old newspaper and matches, I like burning Ed-Ops I disagree with...

6. Once you have the "ingredients" it's time to build the fire. Start by crumpling 5-6 pieces of newspapers and placing it under your grate (don't crumble the pieces to small or tight as they will not burn right). Next, place 6-7 pieces of firewood on top of your metal grate. Your smaller starter wood goes on top of the fatwood (don't skimp here, try to include 8-10 good pieces), followed by 1-2 pieces of your regular firewood (look for the smallest pieces in your pile). Light the newspaper and watch the magic happen!

7. The key to maintaining a fire is to produce red, glowing, embers that pile up underneath your grate. As soon as you have a good pile of embers you'll be able to add new firewood and it will catch immediately.

8. Poking the fire every 30 minutes or so will also feed new air into the wood pile and you'll notice the flame picking up, as well.

9. Whenever I plan to light a fire I make sure that we do not have any major plans for the day, so we do not need to, unexpectedly, leave the house for long periods of time.

10. About 2-3 hours before you plan to leave the fire unattended, make sure you stop adding wood to the fire. This will ensure that the fire has some time to die down (NOTE: the fire and embers will still be extremely hot). You should make sure that your fireplace screen is on securely and at all times (except for when you are adding would of course), I've seen sparking embers fly 3-4 feet.

Enjoy the fire and make sure you have a good book, glass of wine, or the wife/husband with you!

Recipe: Roasted Whole Chicken on the Barbeque

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By Vincent Scordo on September 1, 2009 | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

One of the earliest food memories I have is of Nonna Vincenzina slaughtering a young chicken on Via Nazionale in Calabria. Nonna simply walked into the chicken coup, grabbed one of my feathery friends, and snapped it's fragile hea d (the bird ran around for a few minutes and thereafter dropped to the dirt floor).

The image above was, at the time, traumatic, but like the similar pig and goat incident of my youth (same scenarios as above but it included a few of my brawny uncles and grandfather) it gave me an appreciation of where food comes from and the work involved to actually get it to the dinner table. So, no, I don't have an aversion to chicken and it's actually one of my favorite foods. More specifically, I'm obsessed with whole roasted chicken (Bell and Evans tastes great if you can't raise and slaughter your own in your backyard). My latest technique has been to remove the breast bone and backbone and butterfly a whole chicken (here's a good video and descriptio n on how to do this or you can ask your butcher to do it for you.) Because the whole bird becomes flat it's quite easy to grill, which I look to do on my trusty Weber One Touch grill (oh, before I forget, don't overspend on a fancy grill as it will not make your food taste better).

Here's the recipe for grilled, whole chicken on the barbeque starting with the ingredients:

- one 3.5 - 4 pound whole chicken

- zest of one lemon

- Salt and Pepper

- ¼ cup of olive oil

I don't like propane fueled grills, so I always use a chimney starter and wood charcoal briquettes. Under no circumstances should you use lighter fluid to start your fire (the smell is nasty so just imagine what's in the fluid itself and what will go into your body).

Rub the entire chicken with olive oil and thereafter add your lemon zest, kosher salt, and freshly ground coarse pepper (make sure to coat both sides of the chicken). Rub the ingredients into the chicken well and move to a large plate.

When I set up my grill fire I like to push the coals/embers to one side of the grill so I have an area for searing and an area for roasting that's not over direct heat.

I start by putting the chicken (skin side down) over the direct fire. I leave the chicken skin side down for about 2-3 minutes (you simply want to brown and crunch up the skin). Thereafter turn the chicken and let sit for another 2-3 minutes. Once you have good color on the bird move it to the area of the grill that is not over a direct flame and put the lid on your grill. Let the chicken cook for 15 minutes and turn it thereafter. Let the other side cook for an additional 15 minutes. At this point, and depending on the size of your chicken, your close to finishing up. Ultimately, you want the darker meat on the bird to be fully cooked (specifically the thickest part of thigh should reach about 150 degrees). Once the chicken has reached this temperature let the bird sit for about 10 minutes. I usually cut the wings, legs and thighs off the bird and then cut the breast into 4 pieces. You can serve roasted, BBQ, whole chicken with oven fried French fries and a tomato salad with tons of basil. Try an American Zinfandel or a French Burgundy with the dish.

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September 2009 Archives

More Essential Kitchen Tools

20 Simple Reasons Why People Spend

A Guide to Dry Pasta

Immigrant Personal Finance Philosophy - WiseBread.com

8 Simple Food and Kitchen Tips

Home Maintenance: 5 Areas Not To Ignore

Movie Night At Home: Movie Recommendations, Dip Recipes, and Top Chips

Reader Mailbag: What Major Should I Choose and is Philosophy a Good Choice

Recipe: Fava Bean Spread with Wild Flounder and Roasted Eggplant

4 Key Personality Traits Needed For Success

Tips and Benefits of Replacing Old Wood Windows

10 Tips on How to Build a Fire in Your Fireplace

Recipe: Roasted Whole Chicken on the Barbeque

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