Wicked Crispy Pizza in Rangeley, Maine

We had lunch at the Red Onion last week, and the pizza was so good that I had to crow about it. If you are skiing at Sugarloaf or Saddleback, or just visiting the lake, you really should stop here.

Though laden with sausage, pepperoni, artichoke hearts, black olives, maybe some ham too, now that I think of it, the crust stayed crispy through and through, to the very last slice. We were impressed.

The service provided by our charming waitress, Priscilla, was friendly and efficient, and the prices were incredibly reasonable, unlike the local gasoline at 2.12 a gallon.

Stop whatever you are doing and go here:

Candyboots Weight Watchers recipe cards from 1974 Even the name, Candyboots slays me.

This reminds me of my unfinished review of the Womens Day Encyclopedia of Cookery, but it is a million times funnier. Phood photography never reached such towering heights of lowness.

I love food, but bad pictures of bad food make me laugh extra hard.

Another fun site is the Burnt Food Museum exhibition catalog.

Not that this is bad food, but it's funny one at: what about the plastic animals

spaetzle spaetzle spaetzle

I've made spaetzle a few times since we ate at The Bavarian at Taos. I've had mixed results, and this time I think I can blame it on the equipment.

First I have to figure out what kind of spaetzle maker to get, and the decision is NOT easy:

Spaetzle-Hex for junkies who need a quick fix
Spaetzle.de for purists - brush up on your German
Sliding or rotary spaetzle makers, one of which looks suspiciously like a Foley food mill
Nana's Spaetzle Maker - I can't quite figure out how it works

Then I have to decide which recipe works the best. There are more recipes for spaetzle than there are for Canadian butter tarts.

1.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose Flour (375ml)
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt (2.5ml)
2/3 cup water (157ml)

2.
2-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk

3.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch freshly ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

4. (from Tyler Florence)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk

5. (from Wolfgang Puck, who should know)
4 egg yolks
1 egg
1 3/4 cups milk
1 pound (about 3 cups) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 ounces unsalted butter, melted

Everyone seems to agree that eggs and flour are present, and most recipes have nutmeg. I have made them with water - I used the Joy of Cooking recipe:

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup water
small grating of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder (I don't bother with it)

Just in time, I got The Swiss Cookbook by Nika Standen Hazelton (Atheneum NY: 1967) for $2.50 at Jeanne's Attic in Laconia; this spatzli version has:

2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup water

But now I'm wondering about what milk would do. I'll just have to make them again, and again and again.....

Music in My Kitchen

My Caseypod

My neighbor Alice at My Adventures in the Breadbox lured me into this meme since I have a food playlist on my ipod. Here goes:

What is the total amount of music files on your computer?

4,161 songs/18 days/23.21 GB

The CD you last bought?

David Bowie - Low for the third time. I think it's one of his best, even though most people don't like it.

What was the last song you listened to before reading this message?

Mother of Pearl from the Roxy Music Thrill of it All box set. I am, and have been, a huge Roxy Music fan. Bryan Ferry's later stuff is ok, but not as much fun.

Write down five songs that you often listen to or that mean a lot to you.

Songs don't mean that much to me, but I'm a chronic music listener. According to my itunes Top 25 Most Played statistic, I have played these the most:

In God's Country - U2
After the Dance - Marvin Gaye
Fools Gold - The Stone Roses
But I'm Different Now - The Jam
Avalon - Roxy Music

I thought I was listening to a lot of new music, but this looks like I fall back on the old standbys. It's what happens when you're over 40. You think you're hip, but you're really not.

COOKOUT!

The weather was so brilliant that we started the traditional Bay 1 BBQ two months early. If it was bad for you, we ate it or drank it. Some did remember to wear sunscreen, and even managed a few runs down the mountain.


This movie may take a while to download, but it's sort of fun. I guess you had to be there. The best part is the background song I Don't Ski by the Renovators, off their Rythmn and Blueprints CD.