tag:www.mckinneytree.info,2012:/jeff_mckinney//13 2012-01-01T18:16:20Z Louie Louie. Oh no, me gotta go. Yeah yeah yeah yeah... Movable Type 3.35 tag:www.mckinneytree.info,2012:/jeff_mckinney//13.778 January 1, 2012 5:52 PM 2012-01-01T18:16:20Z

We enjoyed following Matt's miles; more than 100 - amazing. We hope your toenails stay on this time and that it was a worthwhile adventure. I don't mean to sound like a codger, but amazing in a...

0 Jeff McKinney http://www.mckinneytree.info/jeff_mckinney I don't mean to sound like a codger, but amazing in a less impressive way: "servers down" for email messages after just the first few hours of the race, again this year. Really? Wasn't ARPANET designed so we could tend to avoid such events? Does anyone know how to tell when a server has enough capacity? For example, last year during residency match, the NRMP/ERAS servers similarly crashed - reducing med school grads' job searches to 1970s pork belly trading pit technology. Link to a related discussion thread, if you're into this sort of thing - http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=805243#post10727771 Happy 2012!]]> tag:www.mckinneytree.info,2011:/jeff_mckinney//13.775 November 25, 2011 1:14 AM 2011-11-25T02:09:47Z

I've been experimenting with making various ice creams at home, using my Cuisinart ICE 25R ice cream maker (now apparently superseded by other models, but it remains simple & effective). Hardware link- http://www.cuisinart.com/parts/ice_cream/ice-25.html Our latest quest: SUPER...

0 Jeff McKinney http://www.mckinneytree.info/jeff_mckinney I've been experimenting with making various ice creams at home, using my Cuisinart ICE 25R ice cream maker (now apparently superseded by other models, but it remains simple & effective). Hardware link- http://www.cuisinart.com/parts/ice_cream/ice-25.html Our latest quest: SUPER SMOOTH and SUPER CHOCOLATEY homemade ice creme. In particular: how to get the emulsion and freezing steps - and rich taste - just right? I've liked the Ben and Jerry's book I picked up in VT years ago, but my latest (and greatest) source for guidance has been Jeni Bauer, featured in these links below, and an owner of stores in Ohio and Tennessee. Apparently she also has a new book: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home. Links: backstory- http://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/Heres-the-Scoop-Jenis-Splendid-Ice-Creams tutorial- http://www.saveur.com/gallery/Ice-Cream-101/1 Base recipe- http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Jenis-Ice-Cream-Base Here are excerpts: Jeni Britton Bauer, raised in Peoria, Illinois, an Ohioan by choice, she opened her first ice cream counter in 1996 at Columbus's old North Market. A former art student, Bauer had pink hair and lots of foodie, cow-to-cone ideas. But her insanely imaginative small-batch ice cream was so pure, so rich, and so deeply flavored that Central Ohioans forgot to be alarmed by her eccentricities. They also forgot that they are the original vanilla cone crowd and began lining up for scoops of chile dark chocolate and salty caramel ice cream. "You have to see ice cream as chemistry, a delicate dance between proteins, sugars, butterfat, air, and a few other equally unsexy components," she says. "Once you understand the role that each plays, you have complete freedom with ingredients. I really geeked out on it all." Now Bauer, whose hair has long since been restored to its natural dark blonde, owns nine Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams stores in Ohio and one in Tennessee. And her new book, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home (Artisan, $23.95), walks readers through her technique, which she adapted for the home cook. It's a novel approach which achieves some of the creamiest, most saturated-in-flavor ice cream that I've ever tasted. The problem with homemade ice cream is that it's often too soft or too dense, lacking a luscious mouth-feel. Bauer's technique addresses, and solves, some of the common problems head-on. Ice cream is basically a frozen emulsion, in which components that do not naturally meld—fat, water, and air—are encouraged to marry by adding such things as heat, proteins, sugars, and starches. The stronger the marriage, the more supple the ice cream will be. If water is not bound well with the other ingredients, it becomes nasty little ice shards that disrupt the smooth sensation on the tongue. Rather than using the traditional egg yolk to bind water and fat in the frozen emulsion, Bauer relies on the proteins in milk—casein and whey. She boils the liquid to reduce its water content, concentrating and denaturing the proteins, rendering them more likely to bind the water and fat. Bauer's other tricks include adding cream cheese, which is high in casein proteins, and using thickeners, such as cornstarch, which absorb water and prevent crystallization, for added insurance. Her use of natural corn syrup in addition to granulated sugar is also key: Its glucose is not as sweet in flavor as sugar's sucrose, and it binds with water, which helps prevent icing, too. Her basic formula is foolproof, and applies to all flavors, from nutty praline to good old-fashioned chocolate. No matter what kind of ice cream maker you use (see Ice Cream Unplugged), it turns out smooth, rich results. Chocolate recipe- http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/The-Darkest-Chocolate-Ice-Cream-in-the-World MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART INGREDIENTS FOR THE ICE CREAM BASE: 2 cups milk 4 tsp. cornstarch 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup sugar 2 tbsp. light corn syrup 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 3 tbsp. cream cheese, softened FOR THE CHOCOLATE SAUCE: 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa 1/2 cup brewed coffee 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate INSTRUCTIONS 1. Make the ice cream: In a bowl, stir together 1/4 cup milk and the cornstarch; set slurry aside. In a 4-qt. saucepan, whisk together remaining milk and the cream, sugar, syrup, and salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 4 minutes; stir in slurry. Return to a boil and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Place cream cheese in a bowl and pour in 1/4 cup hot milk mixture; whisk until smooth. Then whisk in remaining milk mixture. 2. Make the chocolate sauce: Bring cocoa, brewed coffee, and sugar to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over high heat; cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate. 3. Stir sauce into ice cream base. Pour mixture into a plastic bag; seal, and submerge in a bowl of ice water until chilled. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker; process according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer ice cream to a storage container and freeze until set. ~~ *My variations on the instructions above? Before a slow cooling process (a few hours in fridge, before adding to ice cream maker, in an effort to decrease ice crystals), add in a pinch of Cayenne Red Pepper, a dash of vanilla, and some real maple syrup: for some spice, aromatics, and a touch of Vermont. >>Anyone been to her stores, or had her ice cream? I like how her recipe works at home for me. Enjoy. tag:www.mckinneytree.info,2011:/jeff_mckinney//13.760 October 8, 2011 11:48 AM 2011-10-08T13:01:59Z

After spending the morning fiberglassing following our last adventure (long story, and worth more set up than this blog post), Riley and I got out together on a Sunfish and flew across the lake we like so...

3 Jeff McKinney http://www.mckinneytree.info/jeff_mckinney 2) Starting to get out on the side of the boat, with a quick camera dunk in the water. 3) Riley in command. Crazy rudder action not what I'd tend to suggest, but that's probably one reason Riley sails better than I do. Some very crisp cleating action, too. A larger version (560 px width instead of 400 px) of video 3: If links don't work, other source for the three videos might be: http://www.youtube.com/user/itsawrap2002?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/rrBnxWFvEuI]]> tag:www.mckinneytree.info,2011:/jeff_mckinney//13.754 September 4, 2011 10:45 PM 2011-09-04T23:03:28Z

Where is it still cool in August, easy to get to from DFW airport? Portland, Oregon. It was ONE HALF THE TEMPERATURE in PORTLAND, compared to DALLAS. Yikes. A cool place, beyond the temperature, too, with: Mount...

7 Jeff McKinney http://www.mckinneytree.info/jeff_mckinney ]]> tag:www.mckinneytree.info,2011:/jeff_mckinney//13.749 May 29, 2011 9:54 PM 2011-05-29T22:09:00Z

OK, she didn't plant this actual Wisteria, but Lady Bird left her mark on a lot of what we see around here. I count her as one inspiration to plant as much as we can - in...

3 Jeff McKinney http://www.mckinneytree.info/jeff_mckinney After a trip to the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, TX, I was reminded of the influence the Lady Bird Johnson had on efforts to "beautify" (a term she reportedly found prissy) America. She made a difference. Here's a link, if you're interested. http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/archives.hom/biographys.hom/ladybird_bio.asp After seeing JFK and now LBJ Libraries, I think one was good at helping us dream big and the other was good at the heavy legislative lifting.]]> tag:www.mckinneytree.info,2011:/jeff_mckinney//13.745 April 23, 2011 3:48 PM 2011-04-23T16:04:30Z

Great to see Brian and Matt in Dallas for one of their (amazing series of around the nation) road races. Their hotel was near the Texas Book Repository and the Grassy Knoll, so Brian and I walked...

2 Jeff McKinney http://www.mckinneytree.info/jeff_mckinney While downtown Dallas has some interesting history, there are some other sites (sights?) well worth seeing here that don't come up nearly as often on this map of visitors' paths. I wonder the traffic patterns of (visiting vs local) people in the other areas that we each live. Or ours, considering what we see each day, vs what we might choose to see. ]]> tag:www.mckinneytree.info,2010:/jeff_mckinney//13.733 December 18, 2010 4:12 PM 2010-12-18T16:52:51Z

Claire and Riley wanted to see San Antonio, to learn more about Alamo and Texas history. It's a fun city, with the Riverwalk, interesting history, and a great artists' district called La Villita. We met an artist...

2 Jeff McKinney http://www.mckinneytree.info/jeff_mckinney Nice to meet the person who made the art. If you like his style, his gallery site is www.neuvagallery.com . He's done a lot of San Antonio and Jazz Festival Posters, but not all his work is in that genre.]]> tag:www.mckinneytree.info,2010:/jeff_mckinney//13.726 September 19, 2010 3:37 PM 2010-09-19T16:09:09Z

Recent da Vinci exhibit might be traveling to a museum near you. Looks like a German company put it together, and it was recently in Fort Worth (at museum described in recent Fort Worth Blue blog below)....

3 Jeff McKinney http://www.mckinneytree.info/jeff_mckinney Here we are inside a multimirrored room, designed for use thru a peephole by artist on the outside, to get multiple perspectives of a given subject. And, of course, what would a da Vinci exhibit be without MonaClaire / Holly / Riley possibilities? At a research meeting recently, I saw da Vinci's originials for his plans to make a comprehensive anatomy book (original notes loaned from Queen of England to Canada). Parts of it were better than the books we use today. A great book of that exhibit published by Getty Press, Mom. Really beautiful. ]]> tag:www.mckinneytree.info,2010:/jeff_mckinney//13.722 August 7, 2010 10:40 PM 2010-08-07T23:05:43Z

The light is different here. Blues skies that often remind me of Southern France, or Northern Africa. On a trip to Fort Worth, we went to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, where the architecture*...

0 Jeff McKinney http://www.mckinneytree.info/jeff_mckinney Inside, some great hands-on projects. Riley jammed in the stop action animation studio. Claire and Holly in the art room. Lunch spot nearby...what's THAT thing do? McKinneyTree prior post to the rescue. *Links about the architecture: http://www.fwmuseum.org/museum-architecture-about-architects http://www.fwmuseum.org/museum-architecture-solar-panels Where was the sky in pics above? Now it's shown blacked out... ]]> tag:www.mckinneytree.info,2010:/jeff_mckinney//13.719 July 25, 2010 9:23 PM 2010-08-10T00:41:22Z

One would think a pool would be enough to keep anyone cool, but it seems to be the intense direct sunlight rather than just the temperature that really cooks in Dallas. One surplus parachute later, and we're...

0 Jeff McKinney http://www.mckinneytree.info/jeff_mckinney Here are links to more fun with parachutes, from people who know what they're doing. http://tinyurl.com/23qa944 http://tinyurl.com/25jhspq http://tinyurl.com/2b5xbaj]]> tag:www.mckinneytree.info,2010:/jeff_mckinney//13.712 June 6, 2010 8:34 PM 2010-06-06T20:45:20Z

An interesting article in today's (June 6th 2010) Sunday NY Times, about web based vetting of audience preferences as a tool for tuning creative endeavors. If you want to search for specific link - article title is:...

0 Jeff McKinney http://www.mckinneytree.info/jeff_mckinney An interesting article in today's (June 6th 2010) Sunday NY Times, about web based vetting of audience preferences as a tool for tuning creative endeavors. If you want to search for specific link - article title is: We'll make you a star (if the web agrees). I read with particular interest after the third word in the story. Perhaps you will, too. tag:www.mckinneytree.info,2010:/jeff_mckinney//13.711 May 31, 2010 4:15 PM 2010-05-31T16:29:38Z

Dallas has an Incredible light rail system. Biggest in North America, I believe, and building more stations and corridors like mad. Here's their official site. http://www.dart.org/about/tod.asp I bought my first TX shoes. They are from a second...

5 Jeff McKinney http://www.mckinneytree.info/jeff_mckinney I'd forgotten how comfortable boots can be. Especially when zooming past rush hour traffic jams. ]]> tag:www.mckinneytree.info,2010:/jeff_mckinney//13.708 May 31, 2010 3:16 PM 2010-05-31T15:45:23Z

One of Riley's favorite places is the Dallas World Aquarium. He was my guide this weekend, and he showed me some beautiful things. We took the train downtown together, and started the day at Sonny's, a BBQ...

4 Jeff McKinney http://www.mckinneytree.info/jeff_mckinney Modern day maverick- Riley knew the best niches in and throughout the aquarium. It is more than just fish. Here is a three toed sloth, who hangs above your head with a sign, "Do not touch the sloth". I had never seen a manatee, before: Manatee, in motion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71KAa-Outgs&feature=channel The sea horse (sea dragons?) variants were beautiful: Sea Dragon, in motion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TTcFzHk4hc These fish live a vertical life: Vertical Fish, in motion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID4Ior9zNy8 There was a huge tube that people walked through, surrounded by sharks and rays. If you look closely here, you can see the people in the tube, underwater in this large pool. Riley suggested we sit there until feeding time, when they did some beautiful swimming (the sharks and rays, not the people in the tube) Very fun. Amazing how many ways life can thrive. ]]> tag:www.mckinneytree.info,2010:/jeff_mckinney//13.693 February 28, 2010 8:13 PM 2010-02-28T20:27:57Z

As part of our explorations of the Dallas Arts District, we visited - and thoroughly enjoyed - the Crow Collection. It has incredible Jade sculptures, and a nice range of Chinese, Japanese, Burmese and Indian art works....

2 Jeff McKinney http://www.mckinneytree.info/jeff_mckinney A large dragon between wings: An Indian temple strut inlay: Some great architectural woodwork (Indonesia? Burma? India?, not sure), from 2 perspectives: We think The Crow Collection is the product of one couple's collecting; now on rotating (and always free) display to the public. Official link here: Crow Collection of Asian Art We also went for Chinese New Year Friday night Arts District party there, when the place was packed. It was great fun.]]> tag:www.mckinneytree.info,2009:/jeff_mckinney//13.678 December 25, 2009 2:26 PM 2010-03-01T16:24:17Z

If you visited us in New Haven after we knew our way around, you may have experienced the breakfast gem called The Pantry. I'm not as good as the Pantry's Chef, but here's my cover of their...

3 Jeff McKinney http://www.mckinneytree.info/jeff_mckinney http://hubpages.com/hub/A-Trick-for-Perfect-Poached-Eggs-and-an-Easy-Blender-Hollandaise--Foolproof-Eggs-Benedict-Recipe http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Classic-Eggs-Benedict Lemon is essential, and I like mine with some spice, too. But, how bad can any recipe be when it has 2 CUPS of butter? Now comes the fun part. Magic egg poaching thru chemistry. Get a vortex going in heated water, and gently slide in a (fresh) egg. Yikes, where is the egg?! One arrow shows the still wobbling yolk, and the rays are the very freaked out bits of white, swirling in the vortex. Be patient, and a little lucky, and you'll get this remarkable substance: half egg, half cloud. You'll need a slotted spoon to get the egg out. Vinegar in the hot water makes the protein chemistry work for you instead of against you. If you're interested, Jane Brody explains this better than I do: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1347&dat=19820330&id=P-oTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=P_sDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6297,5317751 OK, now for the grapefruit. Saw good bye to those serrated spoons after you eat it like this. Nothing too fancy here. but a good knife helps. Think of it as a globe, and cut along the lines of longitude from pole to pole. A knife expert I like (Peter Hertzmann) writes that the skins still have enough flavor that you can squueze them out for some tasty drops. Leave the skin on the lower pole to avoid smashing everything. Then, slice like this. Sprinkle with sugar to taste All together, now: Bon Appetit! ++ Any other favorite breakfast recipies or places? I remember some great breakfast food in Iowa City, Millwaukee and in Northern California. New Haven CT Pantry Reviews by others: http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-pantry-new-haven ]]>