Steve's Notebook

Creativity and Life

Food

My love of food, drink, and cooking began sometime when I was in college in the late 1990s. As a freshman, I would cook my own dinners at the "wok station" provided at the cafeteria.

Later on, when I moved off campus, I bought a cookbook called the "Better Homes and Gardens New Dieter's Cookbook," and began experimenting with the recipes. I would visit the stores to stock my kitchen and buy ingredients. It started as an attempt to save money by cooking at home, but developed into a passion for cooking.

I was never a bartender, but being a 21+ college student, I also developed a taste for alcoholic beverages. I built up my collection of liquors and bartending gadgets, and began experimenting with building cocktails. I also developed a taste for craft beers and tried new beers whenever I could.

Then while I was in graduate school, I met my future wife. We began going out to eat a lot, and I discovered the foodie world of trying different restaurants and styles of food.

These days, I still cook almost every day for my wife and three kids. There are about 50 unique dishes in "The Rotation," featuring dishes I've perfected for convenience and taste. I take pride in cooking Indian chicken biryani one night, Ghana peanut soup another night, and Peruvian lomo saltado the next night.

The love of food is a lifetime evolution. With this section of my blog, I hope to publicly explore new cuisines, restaurants, technologies, and ideas surrounding the world of food.

The Stiletto

Food

  This powerful concoction is sure to leave your head spinning.  Careful not to stab yourself. Ingredients 2 ounces bourbon whiskey 1 ounce amaretto 1 ounce lime juice Directions Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice Strain into a small old-fashioned cup Garnish with a wedge of lime

Daiquiri

Food

  The Daiquirí is one of the most popular cocktails around. The traditional recipe goes something like this: Add 2 ounces rum, an ounce of lime juice, and 2 or 3 dashes of sugar syrup to a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a wedge of lime and […]

The Persuasive Power of Coffee

Food

  Scopolamine has been called “the world’s scariest drug.”  Tasteless and odorless, it is often used by criminals to put people into a zombie-like state where they no longer have memory or free will.  Scopolamine is just one of various “truth serums” that remove inhibitions or alter higher cognitive functions to make someone more easily […]

Caipirinha

Food

  The caipirinha is Brazil’s most famous cocktail.  Caipirinha is pronounced ky-pee-REEN-ya, where the “R” sounds more like a soft “L.”  It is cachaça (Brazilian rum, pronounced ka-SHA-sa) mixed with a bed of crushed limes and sugar. To make it, 1) Slice up a lime and place the pieces at the bottom of an old-fashioned […]

Bulletproof Coffee

Food

  Inspired by yak-butter tea consumed in Tibet, Bulletproof Coffee is a concoction of butter, oil, and coffee designed to boost mental performance.  It was developed by Dave Asprey (a.k.a. The Bulletproof Executive) in 2009.  The recipe is as follows:   Ingredients: Bulletproof® Coffee Beans 1-2 tbsp Brain Octane™ oil 1-2 tbsp grass-fed, unsalted butter […]

The Pharmacy in Your Pantry

Food

  Everything you put into your mouth affects your health.  It is true of everything from pure water to the most potent drugs.  In fact, the active ingredients of most, if not all, drugs can be found in nature.  The only problem with getting your cures from whole foods alone is that active ingredients found […]