Daily Loaf

My most recent baking project has become creating the perfect crumb cake. There are so many elements that come into play here- texture, topping, density, and overall taste are all vital in formulating a masterpiece. I’m happy to say that I just may be onto something with this recipe.

Fall is high time for all things apple. Nothing makes your house smell better when baking or adds more moisture to your goodies. I choose Granny Smith as a rule, because they have a great tartness about them and retain their texture even when baking for substantial periods of time. Plus, if I have any left over they make the best snack when sliced and served with a baked round of brie, a drizzle of honey and some fresh baguette.

You are probably familiar with the classic pastry technique of incorporating very cold, cubed butter into streusel toppings, to create a divine crumb for these types of cakes. I’ve found amazing results instead, in melting the butter and using it to partially dissolve the sugars, bring out the essence of spices, and bind your crumble topping. This way, by the time you are ready to top your batter, the butter has semi-hardened once again, and it’s easy to crumble it into perfection. The pecans add fantastic crunch, and the richness of the brown sugar is the perfect companion to the buttery cake below. Read the rest of this entry »

New iPods hitorically debut in the fall, around September. This report that says Toshiba will “ramp up” production of flash memory chips during the month of August. Word on the street is that Toshiba is doing so to meet a big order from Apple. So, new iPods could be on the way.

Why such speculation? Read the rest of this entry »

There is something so perfect about a warm spring evening spent under the stars listening to good music and eating good food. It gets even better when you have the happy accident of discovering an unexpected and unconventional food and wine pairing. The Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation kicked off its 8-week Concerts in the Park series on Thursday, providing a great excuse for a picnic (not that an excuse was necessary). A group of us put together a slightly organized potluck — we knew what the main course was going to be, and everything else fell into place.

Read the rest of this entry »

I tend to seek out food made from good quality ingredients that haven’t been manipulated too much. I love to cook, and take pride in making things from scratch. I try to eat local, and like to know where my food comes from. That means that fast food and junk food are not everyday choices. But being married to a junk food aficionado introduced me to another world of options.

Some of those options have become cravings. I call those my guilty pleasures. They include Krispy Kreme doughnuts (plain glazed, of course), Popeye’s spicy chicken tenders and onion rings, and the Whataburger potato breakfast taquito. My latest guilty pleasure is from McDonald’s. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Butternut Squash,

Please accept this letter with my sincere, heartfelt apologies.

In all of my years of grocery shopping, I have always passed you by. Sticking up my nose at your bulbous, misshapen body. Why did you not yell out my name as I walked on by” Throwing yourself off the shelf to roll in front of my cart wheel in a suicide attempt to get my attention would possibly have worked.

I am not sure what did it the last time. Maybe it was the twinkle in your root, the shimmer of your skin. But I thank you for hopping in my buggy. I know you were sad to leave your friends behind. But not to worry, I will bring them home on the next trip, because I will never again pass you by. Never, I promise!

Love Forever,

Your new BFF,
Leslie

Recipe after the break:

Read the rest of this entry »

There are five easy habits you can develop to be more environmentally friendly without much effort and still be able to keep your tax refund check. No, you don’t need to build a hydroelectric plant in your backyard, convert your car to bio-diesel, or live in sweltering heat without air conditioning in your home. You may, however, have a couple of habits to break.

Turning lights off, not leaving the water on while brushing your teeth, and recycling raw materials are all ways we know how we can help out the planet. They’ve been talked before, and are probably the three biggest things one can do to make the most waves. What one forgets though, is that those aren’t the only small things you can do to not only save the environment, but money as well.

1. Reuse plastic shopping bags.
This one I think many people do already but it bears mentioning. After a huge trip to Wal-Mart you come away with enough plastic bags to make a tarp to cover your house. My household bought one of those nifty long sock tube things where you stuff plastic bags on one end and bags come out of the other open end. From portable biohazard containers to a simple makeshift small trash basket liner, plastic grocery bags are the Swiss Army knife of plastic containment.

Read the rest of this entry »

Every week Apple comes out with new applications that iPhone users hold over the heads of the technologically disadvantaged, like me, still trying to turn on our blackberries. The first wave of applications featured technology like the lighter, beer pour, or light saber. These features were cool, but they were little more than toys. However, Apple is increasingly coming out with applications that are actually useful. While I wouldn’t necessarily use the new Grindr application, which is geared towards locating gay and bigay men in the area, I know I’m going to miss out on the next wave of futuristic jedi-phone tricks: the breathalyzer, lie detector, x-ray vision, orgasm ray, pick-up-line generator… basically all the things that can turn a technosavy metro sexual into a nerdy superhero.

While privacy is an issue for all location based social networks, it is of the utmost importance Read the rest of this entry »

Apple’s iPhone OS 3.0 “advance preview” event took place today at 1 p.m.

Here are the highlights of the new iPhone features, what Apple is calling a “major update”:

100 new features, 1,000 new APIs.

• In-app purchases
• P2P connectivity
• built-in Maps for developers
• Push notifications finally arrive
• cut copy and paste
• landscape mode for Apple apps
• Messeges app for MMS
• Voice memo app for recording audio files
• Search across all apps and iPhone OS with Spotlight

This new operating system, expected to launch in the Summer, will work for all iPhones as a free update. To see the complete recap of the presentation, follow the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s a compelling animation of the U.S. Airways Hudson River crash. Stay tuned for the end, where the passengers are revealed to be the cast of The Sims.

• Michael Steele apologizes to Rush, making Limbaugh the defacto leader of the Republican Party.
• R.I.P. The Dow Jones Industrial Average.
• Is this a Depression? What the hell is a “Depression,” anyway?
• How dangerous and out of control was the Bush Administration?
• Where in the world is Hillary Clinton?
• “Scientists make HIV strain that can infect monkeys.” What did the monkeys ever do to us?
• New iMacs today?
• The Bucs learn a thing or two about Karma.

Just in case you missed it, here are the top Food & Drink stories of the day:

• Top Chef recap: “Restaurant Wars“
• Fleming’s three-course prix fixe returns
• New restaurant preview: AquaKnox
• Bourdain calls Alice Waters “very Khmer Rouge”

And some more from around the web:

• Cooking with apples: Pink Lady’s the choice
• How much does it cost to feed a CEO? About $240k if you’re HP’s Mark Hurd
• Store-bought chicken stocks, reviewed: Which are the best?
• Wines of the times – South African wines step onto the stage
• St. Pete Times reviews Zeko’s Mediterranean Grill
• TBO reviews Weck’s Deli

With Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ announcement that he is taking a medical leave of absence until the end of June, all eyes turn to the electronics giant and its price per share. How will Wall Street react? stay tuned. And get well soon, Steve.

• Is this the end of the line for the military’s controversial policy on gay soldiers?
• America supports Obama’s economic plan, despite no one really knowing what it is.

Read the rest of this entry »

Apple fan-boys have been in a tizzy for months, speculating about the deteriorating health of Apple CEO/Guru Steve Jobs. Just last week, Jobs released a letter stating that he was not dying, had a treatable “hormone imbalance” and was fully capable of removing himself from power if the need be.

Today, the need be.

Drudge Lap-Dog Breitbart.com has Jobs taking a “medical leave of absence until the end of June.” If this pans out, expect Apple’s stock price to tank — big-time. Fair or not, no other company is perceived as being as dependent on its CEO as Apple.

We’ll have more details on this as they become available.

I’ve been keeping an eye on the keynote address going on right now at Apple’s Macworld conference. After a pretty uninspiring show (upgraded software, one new laptop, almost no surprises), new keynote MC Phil Schiller revealed that Apple’s iTunes Music Store is dumping the annoying copy protection scheme, Fairplay DRM. Basically, this means that when you download something from iTunes, you own it and can do whatever you want with it. No more “You can’t play this song on this computer” message. It’s about damn time, Apple.

In addition, iPhone and iPod Touch users can now download music directly to their mobile device, eliminating the need to first download songs into iTunes running on a computer. A nice, overdue feature.

Other than that, no iPhone Nano, no new Mac Mini, no updates to the iMac line. Weak sauce, Apple. Maybe Steve Jobs is dying after all.

UPDATE: Here is a full rundown of Apple’s announcements from the tech-friendly folks at Ars Technica.

Today is the keynote address at the Macworld Conference & Expo, an annual Apple-centric trade show. CEO Steve Jobs normally gives the big speech, during which he takes the wraps off Apple’s latest shiny thing (iPhone, iPod, etc.), but this year Steve is a no-show. Speculation about Jobs’ health has become so rampant that the guru/CEO published a letter yesterday explaining that he was not, in fact, dying. Get the latest on Macworld here and here, but first check out this great take on the Apple mystique (and get a first look at the revolutionary Macbook Wheel) from The Onion.

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

Much more of today’s news after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Happy new year one day late. To celebrate the ‘09, here’s a little clip from CNN’s NYE coverage featuring Kathy Griffin, an open mike and off-color hilarity.

Links after the jump …

• Read the rest of this entry »

Last day of the year. Let’s end it with one final look back at the 2008 presidential election, as seen through the all-seeing eye of YouTube. Be back in 2009!

Links after the jump.

• Read the rest of this entry »

The Fed cuts interest rates to basically nothing and the stock market soars. Let’s hope it lasts.

• Meet the new Secretary of Education. This guys a baller.
• Consumer prices are falling at a rate not seen since 1932.
• MSNBC offers The Year in Pictures.
• Ok, who took all the acorns?
• It turns out Einstein was right after all.
• Steve Job to skip Apple’s last MacWorld.
• Now that the government crackdown is over, who wants a free airline ticket to Thailand?
• Both Manning boys make the Pro Bowl. Derrick Brooks and Clifton Smith (!) of the Bucs also headed for Hawaii.

You’ve got to hand it to John McCain: The Senator’s appearance on this weekend’s Saturday Night Live was by far the funniest appearance by any candidate this election season. (Note to Hulu: Post “Giraffes” now!)

• Real Clear Politics has it Obama up 4 in Florida; Obama up 6 nationally.
• Robo-PPP poll has Obama up 2.
• Some of our knuckle-dragging Tampa Bay neighbors express their racist political beliefs.
• Carl Hiassen: “Deliver us from scandal, Lord.”
• Sure, we got Buffett, but Cleveland got The Boss.
• It all comes down to this …
• Predictions anyone? Put yours in the comments.
• November surprise: Obama’s aunt gets deported. And who leaked this info anyway?
• Is Gov. Charlie about to take a step to the left?
• The Bucs pull one out in overtime, defeating the lowly Chiefs 30-27.
• Netflix finally goes live on the Mac.
• R.I.P.: Studs Terkel.

Apropo of nothing: I was watching a little Wheel Of Fortune with the beautiful Heidi last night, and I explained to her that one of my favorite things in the world is when someone wins a shit-ton of cash filling in the letters, only to blow it when trying to solve the puzzle. You know, like this:

• Rays demolish the Red Sox 13-4. Can you say “team of destiny?”
• CBS Poll: Obama opens up a 14-point lead over McCain. 14 points!
• Retail sales take a dive in September.
• Banks: Thanks but no thanks Mr. Bush!
• Last chance for McCain?
• The price of crude oil has plunged almost 50% from its high. The price at the pump is coming down too, but not quite as fast.
• Economy got you down? Set your car on fire!
• Apple fanboys can’t stop drooling over the new MacBooks.

Day two for the Republicans was another bust. Bush via satellite? Fred Thompson droning on in prime time? Yawn. (Remember: The Dems had the Hillary psychodrama on day two.) So, instead of convention speeches, here’s the (brutal) first six minutes of the CBS Evening News.

• Joe Lieberman puts ‘em to bed at the RNC.
• WaPo headline: “Palin Slashed Funding for Teen Moms.” Are the Republicans now touting Palin’s handing out of her kid’s allowance as budget experience?
• Tonight, the lady speaks.
• Poor, marginalized Republican Ron Paul can still raise a hearty crowd.
• Republicans, sensing imminent defeat, reignite the culture wars.
• Oil prices continue their temporary, election year decline.
• What does Apple have up its sleeve for next week?
• Tom Brady’s ready to go.

The Democratic convention starts Monday. In case you need a recap, here is the entire Democratic primary race in 7 minutes. Have a good weekend.

• McCain’s housing crisis intensifies. His campaign explains it this way: “This is a guy who lived in one house for five and a half years — in prison.”
• The choice is made.
• Three presidential debates, one VP gabfest, all of it over by Oct. 15.
• Anyone see a bottom around here?
• Something’s fishy at the sushi bar.
• Federal agency says a “new phenomena” brought down WTC 7. Uh huh.
• Cops bust 17 grow houses containing 600 marijuana plants in Pinellas. Excuse me officer, are you just going to throw that away?
• Hot Apple rumor: a yearly subscription to iTunes.