I never believed in these things anyway

Yesterday was the "last day of winter," in some official sense, or at least a widely agreed upon one. Biking required no more than a long-sleeved shirt, and I didn't wear gloves. So naturally the "first day of spring" opens like this:



Nice, very nice.
-Dr. S.

Route to the lab

Get on the train at the platform with this interesting backdrop:



Then getting off at the river, follow the route:










Now you know the secret way to our government lab.
( I'll take this over a highway commute any day. )

Unrepeatable Pizza

What do I do with leftover party beer (bad guests, bringing Heinies!), the dregs of a turmeric bottle, an unwanted fennel bulb, too many Thai chilies, and a dried-up squash?

Pizza dough: Spicy and Decidedly Yellow

2.25T yeast in 1C heated beer and 2.3 C warm water sat until mixed. Mixed in 3.5 C flour , 1T salt, 1 T turmeric, 1T chili oil, 1T toasted sesame oil. Rose very little its first 1.5 hours, really got going the second hour after being punched down.

Topping combo 1:
White sesame seed chili paste, Bbbbbbb squash pieces, and sauteed fennel bulb with onion.
Chili paste: 1 Thai chili, 1 dried ancho chili, 2t powered cinnamon, oil to wet, ~2T white sesame seeds. Minced chilies. Mixed all in mortar & pestle.

Bbbbbbbb squash: Removed rind, halved and seeded 1 old-ass, dried up acorn squash. Boiled in 1 unimpressive beer, 3T butter, few bay leaves (both big and baby), bit of bouillon. Once tender, considered whether to add brown sugar. Not bad.

Fennel bulb and onion sautee:
Wedged (enwedgified) 1 big ol' fennel bulb, likewise a handy onion, and sauteed in olive oil with (untoasted) sesame oil (raises the smoke point, doesn't add much flavor). Dusted with ground white pepper, garlic powder, and ground allspice.

Topping combo 2 :
Tomato sauce and huge gobs of fresh mozzerella. Threw in some of the onions from above, dusted with ground black pepper.

~

Result: Combo 1 wins. Enhances the spiciness of the dough with the chili paste, while complementing it with the sweetness from squash and fennel.