Dallasblog.com, the Dallas, Texas news blog and Dallas, Texas information source for the DFW Metroplex. - DALLAS BLOG

Lifestyles

Sitting Solo At The Community Technology Table

by Sandra Lewis

Sun, Sep 23, 2007, 10:09 PM

I can count on one hand, one finger actually, the number of times I’ve gone to the movies by myself. I have never been a go-to-the-movies-by-myself kind of girl.

However, I need both my hands and feet including a set of yours to count how many meals I’ve eaten by myself mostly as a solo business traveler.

So what’s a girl to do at supper time when she's alone on the road?

Venture out; there’s an adventure to be had, I say.

But that’s me.

For the not so bold at heart there’s “iTASTE,” the brainchild of the Grand Hyatt DFW.

ITASTE delivers a guided cheese, wine, or chocolate tasting for a solo guest using podcast technology; an iPod loaded with a video specific to their tasting choice is delivered to the guest along with the tasting tray.

Seated at a community table for the tasting in MOKA, the hotel’s Epicurean Boutique/Uber Coffee Bar, chances are that solo guests may not be solo for long.

Community tables are a growing trend in the American dining landscape and rightfully so. In a culture that leans more towards isolation than community, people are hungry (no pun intended) for ways to connect.

Kudos to the Grand Hyatt DFW for the thoughtful blend of technology and hospitality in a hotel where the average stay is a single night or two.

The experience isn’t perfect yet. I found myself wanting more information about the products presented, and I was a bit distracted by my virtual video host whose flickering eyes betrayed his dependence on cue cards.

But the vision is solid and iTASTE is the perfect virtual companion to beckon intrepid travelers from their lonely hotel rooms or to entertain travelers looking for adventure on a layover at DFW Airport.

No need to have an airplane ticket in hand at DFW to experience iTASTE.

The hotel is accessible without going through security at Terminal D so locals can give iTASTE a spin. And there’s nothing wrong with taking a handful of friends with you.

One of my favorite winemaker’s Sauvignon Blanc, Benziger, is included in the wine tasting so I’ll be headed back there soon with friends in tow.

As for the movies - I'll consider going by myself when my iPod can share a bag of popcorn with me.

Add Comment (0)

Twilight Peach Crisp

by Sandra Lewis

Tue, Aug 7, 2007, 09:08 AM

It’s early August and just as the summer heat is upon us it’s the twilight of the peach season in Texas.

While some orchards have closed, one local grower has a variety that they’re picking through August 9^thso it’s not sunset yet on one of my favorite summer treats.

I didn’t hesitate when my neighbor Phil offered some of his peach bounty to me a couple of weeks ago.

Seems his next-door neighbor had a peach tree dripping with fruit, but she had no matching inclination to pick them. Phil relieved the heavy-laden tree of its burden, with his neighbor’s blessing of course, and snagged at least a half-bushel worth of luscious peaches. He used his RV as a makeshift ladder since many of the trees branches were already drooping over on Phil’s side of the fence.

Peach cobbler was my first thought. It would be a fitting end to a dinner with friends who had offered to help me with a garden project.

But with not enough daylight left for the more time-consuming-cobbler-which-means-a-crust-of-some-sort, I opted instead for the fruit-crisp-recipe-with-the-truly-easy-brown-sugar-and-butter-topping approach.

I washed and cut the peaches and easily separated the pit from the flesh. The fruit was beautiful with more of a white flesh than I’ve seen on most peaches.

While I wasn’t sure how well the peaches would accommodate the brown sugar and butter topping with barely a spoonful or two of crisp left, I’d say my guests and their tastebuds approved.

This recipe may be end of life as far as peaches go this season, but consider it a head start for fall apples.

And, remember it next year as the sun rises on the May 2008 peach season.

Fresh Fruit Crisp
6 cups sliced apples, peaches, nectarines, pears, plums, or apricots
1 teaspoon cinnamon, if desired
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place fruit in 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with cinnamon, water, and lemon juice. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup, level off. In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix with pastry blender or fork until crumbly. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over fruit. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes or until fruit is tender and topping is golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

Sandra's Cooking Notes:
- This recipe comes from "Sweet and Easy," a 1986 Pillsbury cookbook, the kind that you pick up while you're in the grocery checkout line. I have a stack of these books that I've collected over the years and have enjoyed them even though I rarely buy them now.

Add Comment (0)

Dallas Business Journal's 30th Aniversary Party on the Plaza presented by Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P

by Sharon Adams

Sat, Jul 21, 2007, 02:37 PM

As subscribers to Dallas Business Journal for years, we have relied on their columns and articles to be a truthful and concise overview of the Dallas and surrounding area's business picture, personal profiles and current business news. We have found the editorial staff to be open to new ideas, story pitches and appreciate the coverage of our business and non-profit organization clientele.

We're happy to help them celebrate their 30th anniversary and encourage everyone to join in the fun and what may be the ultimate networking opportunity of the summer!

August 23, 2007
6:30 - 9:00 pm
One Arts Plaza
1722 Routh Street
Dallas, Texas 75201

Very Casual Attire - Khaki shorts & Company shirts to Sundresses and Cool Shades.

Dallas Business Journal and our sponsors invite you to help us celebrate 30 YEARS of business and enterprise in North Texas. There will be networking opportunities galore as key business people from all industries gather, but the essential word is CELEBRATE!

There are single tickets, tables of ten, multiple party passes and more.

Details and tickets: http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/event/3418

Add Comment (0)

Open Your Eyes and Tastebuds To The Tomatillo

by Sandra Lewis

Mon, Jul 16, 2007, 02:51 PM

Mexican is the cuisine I crave the most, but cook the least.

I offer no explanation for this contradictory behavior other than I have grown up in and still nest in the middle of Tex-Mex heaven where Mexican restaurants are almost as proliferous as Starbuck’s stores in San Francisco where there’s one on every corner.

But a simple, green, tart, and somewhat mysterious fruit which nature lovingly wraps in a paper-like casing has changed my behavior.

It’s the tomatillo (toe-ma-tea-o), also known as the Mexican tomato, husk tomato, jamberry, or ground cherry.

It’s a cousin to the tomato (yes, the tomato is also botanically a fruit, but declared a vegetable by the Supreme Court in 1893 so it could be taxed) and its name means “little tomato” in Spanish.

You’ve seen it. It’s usually snuggled close to the tomatoes in the grocery store.

You’ve eaten it. It's the primary ingredient in salsa verde.

You’ve probably ignored it.

And so did I until I discovered how effortless it is to make homemade tomatillo sauce (aka salsa verde) and how absolutely delighted my tastebuds were that I did so.

That’s what I’m about: good food that tastes fantastic and is easy to make. It’s not that I’m unwilling to knock myself out in the kitchen. I just like it when I don’t and it tastes like I did.

I serve my tomatillo sauce with chips and salsa, over homemade chicken enchiladas, and fried eggs.

Quick-Cooked Tomatillo-Chile Sauce
1 pound (11 medium) fresh tomatillos, husked and washed; OR two 13-ounce cans tomatillos, drained
2 jalapeno chilies stemmed
5 or 6 sprigs cilantro roughly chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 large garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon lard or vegetable oil
2 cups any poultry broth
Salt (about 1/2 teaspoon depending on the saltiness of the broth)

1. Boil the fresh tomatillos and chiles in salted water to cover until tender, 10-15 minutes; drain. Simply drain canned tomatillos.
2. Place the tomatillos and chiles in a blender or food processor, along with the coriander, onion, and garlic. Process until smooth, but still retaining a little texture.
3. Heat the lard or vegetable oil in a medium-large skillet set over medium-high. When hot enough to make a drop of the purre sizzle sharply, pour it in all at once and stir constantly for 4 or 5 minutes, until darker and thicker. Add the broth, let return to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until thich enough to coat a spoon, about 10 minutes. Season with salt.

Sandra's Cooking Notes:
- From "Authentic Mexican" by Rick Bayless.

Add Comment (0)

A Taste of Freedom

by Sandra Lewis

Thu, Jul 5, 2007, 02:36 PM

On the early morning of July 4th my cargo included more than 200 patriotically-decorated cookies and cupcakes; my mission was to deliver them to DFW's USO center for troops redeploying back to Iraq and Afghanistan after I greeted the troops just arriving.

It was a match made in heaven.

I had volunteered to greet the troops with a group from my church; Celebrity Cafe and Bakery had volunteered to donate the treats.

As the clock ticked closer to arrival time, the crowd surged to numbers beyond my ability to estimate accurately, maybe 700, and it was a party atmosphere. Terminal D was swimming in a sea of red, white, and blue posters, signs, shirts, shorts, hats, and excitement.

There were a handful of family members present.

But most were people like me who woke up early on a day typically designated for sleeping in to join with a crowd of people I didn’t know to welcome home men and women who didn’t know me.

It was “indivisible” in action at its best.

We waited patiently, but were so anxious to celebrate that we cheered a flight attendant who exited just before the troops.

When the first of 120 soldiers did cross the threshold of the International Arrivals door a din of noise rose with cheers, whoops, hollers, and whistles began that lasted with the same energy and fervor until the last soldier had passed through the crowd.

Although they deserved the same recognition, there was no hoopla or clamoring crowds in Terminal B where the troops were gathering for redeployment.

They’d been home for two weeks and, as I learned from chatting with a handful of soldiers, it’s tough leaving family and friends especially on a national holiday even with a sendoff that included a banjo-playing Grandpa-type, a BBQ lunch with all the fixings, and sweets from Celebrity Bakery that I had successfully delivered.

With my mission completed, I was free to go.

I left with a feeling of deep thankfulness for the men and women who are willing to go, for those that have gone before, and especially for those who never made it home.

Yes, I am thankful from the very bottom to the top of my red, white, and blue heart for the freedom and the liberty they have given me.

And thanks to Celebrity Cafe and Bakery for the reminder of how good it tastes to be free.

Sandra's Notes:
- Celebrity Bakery is offering a "two for one" offer for any of their "red, white, and blue" treats during the month of July for all military personnel. Show your military ID at any of their locations to receive a two for one.

Add Comment (0)

More...

<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next > End >>

Results 16 - 30 of 92

August 23, 2007 6:30 - 9:00 pm One Arts Plaza 1722 Routh Street Dallas, Texas 75201 Very Casual Attire - Khaki shorts & Company shirts to Sundresses and Cool Shades.

Dallas Business Journal and our sponsors invite you to help us celebrate 30 YEARS of business and enterprise in North Texas. There will be networking opportunities galore as key business people from all industries gather, but the essential word is CELEBRATE!

August 23, 2007
6:30 - 9:00 pm
One Arts Plaza
1722 Routh Street
Dallas, Texas 75201

Very Casual Attire - Khaki shorts & Company shirts to Sundresses and Cool Shades.