Cracking the Cheese Wheel

                                            This post also appears at Cool Columbus Blog



This box appeared in front of my door a few weeks ago, thanks to Tiffany at Whole Foods Dublin. She was inviting local bloggers to send in a recipe using the King of Cheese, the Parmigiano Reggiano. The recipe winner would be invited to help crack a wheel of the said cheese as part of their Guinness Book of World Records specialty event (all of the Whole Food stores in the US were to crack a wheel at the same time on March 10, at 3pm). Cool, yes?



When I saw the hunk of cheese, I looked around the kitchen to see what it could become. We are still in winter-mode here... nothing from the garden, nothing from the farmers market. A good piece of parmigiano like that does not need to be transformed, really. But I could not have sent in a recipe with a blank note card.

So I searched. In the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, I found some left over parsley. In the pantry was a jar of walnuts. Bingo. With a bit of grated parmigiano, some lemon juice and a good amount of extra virgin olive oil (I used my new favorite, The Olive Orchard Sicilian EVOO), I was game.

Two little (pesto-lover) tasters helped me perfect the flavors before I jotted down the measurements of each ingredient (I am well known for not measuring anything at all). I sent a quick email with the newly perfected recipe to Tiffany. I closed the note with my good wishes, and went on about my life as usual. The pesto was tasty. I was thankful for the complimentary cheese and an invitation to participate. But all of that was in the rear view mirror.

Until I found out that my recipe won the taste test!

I had to read Tiffany's email a few times before taking it seriously. I was the winner, she said, among many tasty recipes. Moreover, my presence was requested at the Whole Foods store in Dublin, Ohio, precisely at 3pm on March 10, 2012. The mission: to crack open a parmigiano wheel and break world record". No pressure.



I had never done anything quite like it. The wheel was big, and hefty (about 90 lbs). Thankfully, my Whole Foods cheese friend, Dallas, was there to help me.



At 3pm sharp, he seared the wheel. With two sharp knives, I dug in, pushing and pulling. I could feel my head warming up (wishing I had 3 more inches on me for better leverage), and really could not remember where I was or why I was attacking a huge mound of cheese. But I did it. It cracked with just the right amount of force. The crowd cheered. I felt accomplished, and actually... it was FUN!



The staff at Whole Foods could not have been nicer to me and my family. I felt the warmth and hospitality from everyone I met. Whole Foods in Dublin is clearly a destination shopping place with beautiful produce, tasty treats, and knowledgeable staff.

Apparently the winning recipe was available for sampling prior to the cracking event today. If you were not there to taste, here it is just for you. I do recommend using the real Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (like the one sold at Whole Foods) for best results.



Enjoy!

Parsley-Walnut Pesto

1 cup parsley leaves, de-stemmed and washed
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1/2 cup walnuts
1 large clove garlic
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (we used the Olive Orchard Sicilian Oil)
1 Tablespoon Meyer Lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper

In a food processor, combine all ingredients. Pulse until smooth. Adjust the amount of salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy over pasta, vegetables, as a spread on crackers or toast.

Merry Mary

A week or so ago we went to a church in the Italian village neighborhood of Columbus. The men at the door greeted us with "Buon Giorno!" and part of the mass was said in Italian. It's still all Greek to me, but the church is beautiful, and this statue of Mary and Gabriel was stunning.

We are off for a week, to a place where mass will be all in Spanish, and the air will be warm.

Merry Christmas to all, and a very Happy New Year!

A visit to Bill's garden

Bill and I met over a swallowtail caterpillar on a dill plant. Hunched down, trying to get a good picture of it as usual, I saw two extra feet that were not mine next to me.



We started a conversation about the caterpillar that became discussions about gardens, communities, schools, and backyards. We clearly shared a passion, and it was just easy to hang with Bill.



Little did I know that Bill is a pretty important figure here in the community. I didn't go one week after meeting Bill before hearing his name mentioned here, there, and everywhere. His official title is Growing to Green Program Coordinator at Franklin Park Conservatory. In real life, however, Bill is the superman of community gardens. In fact, during our first conversation, I am pretty sure he said in a very peaceful, determined kind of way, that he firmly believes that "community gardens will make the world into a better place."



Time passed, and Bill and I stayed in touch in the busy people kind of way. Until one day, I found him picking ripe strawberries at the same garden where we met. "I was just thinking of you yesterday," he said. "I need you to come take photos of my garden sometime." Again, he said it in that peaceful, determined kind of way. Really, I asked - are you serious?



Of course he was serious. Bill is one of those genuine souls. I would get to see the garden of one of Columbus' heroes? I accepted without delay.



Not too many days passed, and I found myself in Bill's garden. He and his wife Jodi (who turned out to be, not surprisingly, the super-woman of gardening as well) welcomed me into their lovely, green, productive garden. I had a limited time to spend, but it never felt rushed. They gave me a tour of the different parts of their garden, the path to a small river running through their property, a small memorial garden for Jodi' father, a barn full of kittens cute as a button.



I left feeling full of gratitude. Someone told me when I first got to Ohio, a foreign land to me, that it's not really the place that will make you feel at home, it's the people. Clearly, I have found some of them already, in a bountiful peaceful garden just outside of a big city, no less.

Thank you Bill, and Jodi. I look forward to spending more time with you, amidst the beauty that you have created.

Sunny Wintry Sledding

When life gives you sun, and snow...in this family, we go find a hill!



And go sledding.

Even if it's frigid outside...who cares...well, really it's more like, what else are you going to do?



But enjoy what is given to us...to its fullest!



Even I went sledding.

And so did Jim!

Much fun was had by all. Thanks to one of the few hills around Columbus!

Bierberg Bakery

You can see this same post here.

I might have found another favorite spot in the city.



It's been such a cold stretch, and I have had a sick child home with me the last few days. Now that he is back in school, I had a bunch of errands I needed to do out and about.



Before I headed out the door, I made a note to myself that a stop at this (infamous) little hidden gem had to be on my itinerary.



The secret about this tiny German bakery is no longer, especially if you have seen the article in the new Winter issue of Edible Columbus. Surprisingly, however, many people still don't know about it. Take the two people I asked for directions at Katzinger's who looked at me like I had three heads.

No matter, I put in the address into my GPS and a few minutes later, I was parked in front of a well signed and decorated, yet unassuming, store front: Bierberg Bakery.

An older German lady greeted me. She had a thick accent still, even though she and her husband moved here since the 60s. As I entered and regained my senses from the freezing cold temperatures (really Columbus, why so cold?!), I started to take in all the scents and smells of all the cookies that laid before me.

I did not count, but there must have been a few dozen different kinds of cookies. These special German cookies are only made here, in this tiny house, 3 months out of every year. Johanna, owner and baker, told me how busy they had been and will continue to be until the end of the year when she will again close up shop and retreat to her much deserved rest.

After I purchased some good-looking cookies, as well as a stollen, I asked if I could slip into the kitchen and watched them work a little.

Another lady in the kitchen, Cathy, is a family-friend. She helps out each year at the bakery. While Johanna and Cathy cut up more cookies to be baked, they recited to me their stories of how they ended up in Columbus (because you know, as a transplant myself, I am always interested!).

As it turns out, they were both sponsored to move to the States from Europe, Johanna from Germany and Cathy from Hungary. I listened with curiosity as Cathy told me the story about her family living in a castle in Germany where several other immigrant families took refuge.  Their hands never stopped working, but they seemed to enjoy reliving their past with me as their audience.

As I turned around to say goodbye, they wished me well in discovering my new home city. I told them that I was happy to have met people like them because that is what matters the most. Johanna agreed with me, and then she added: It's also what you give back, too. That's also very important. Don't forget to give back."

She is absolutely right.

Bierberg Bakery
729 S 5th St.
Columbus, OH

They will be open until the end of the year.

Halloween '10

And so, I survived another Halloween. I know it's not Oct 31st, but in our part of the world (well, in this little town we live in), Trick-o-Treat happened last night! A bit strange, I know. But guess what?! It's over! Most importantly, I think the children had a good time... Oh, what we do for the love of our children.

Falling for fall

It's been gloriously beautiful around here. Fall has been good to us. The colors, the cool nights and warm days, the crunchy leaves and earthly smells.

Today, though, the winds came as did a lot of rain, and even some tornado warnings. I suspect that we will have a lot less leaves on the trees tomorrow.

It's quite alright, actually. I am ready for it. These distinct seasons help remind me to live life simply, one moment at a time.

Pumpkin time, again!

The weather was really too cold to spend the afternoon on a pumpkin patch. Although, it did add to the experience, and it made our pumpkin hunting more speedy!

We went south to Circle S farm with some friends after school. Although we have been to many pumpkin patches in the past (in California and Massachusetts) I did not know what to expect from this experience...except that we were going to pick some pumpkins from their vines. Little did we know, it was a sort of farm-amusement park with hay stacks, hay slides, maze, petting zoo, hay ride plus donuts and cider! We were not prepared for all of that!

At any rate, we had fun, and it helped that we were there during their lull, so the only people who shared our hay ride to the pumpkin patch were new parents of little twin girls. We shared stories of being parents of twins. It brought back many good memories of when my own were little wee ones...just about the size of the pumpkins we brought home.

Art in Columbus

I saw these in the Short North of Columbus today. If you think there isn't much going on in this city, well, you are not the most correct!

You can also go to Cool Columbus to see what I got to do today!

Inniswood

We visited our second Metropark today: Inniswood.

Who would have thought that I would find real Thai lotus growing in a pond in the middle of Ohio? Stranger things have happened, so I should not have been surprised to see the beautiful flowers reaching high up from the water. Other exotic plants were there too: jasmine, figs, coffee tree, even a cinnamon plant (my first encounter!).

And don't you love that sign? Earth laughs in flowers. So true, so true.

We had a great wander through this park with our neighbors, and I know we will be going back there often. The question is... what happens in the winter here? Hmm... it will be time to explore those museums and coffee shops!

Columbus, will you please come up with some real local bookstores pretty please? And bakeries, too? You have about 2 months to work on those. Thank you!

Ohio's country road

We stumbled on the longest covered bridge in Ohio!

Lots of antiques in Holmes County

The first buggy in action we spotted.

Look who was following us on a country road!

Oh the beauty of country roads...

And our need to listen to John Denver while we travel on these roads...

Can't you just hear it? Country road...take me home...to the place...

You can finish the rest I am sure. I think we are close enough to West Virginia that it is okay for us to play this song whenever and wherever we would like!

We found some seriously cool country roads today, in the middle of this new state we are trying to get to know. Rolling hills, small hamlets, corn fields, horses. And of course, the Amish country (and believe me, there were plenty of things I wish that weren't there...you know what I am talking about... chain stores, fast food places that don't belong in these beautiful places!).

Fall is around the corner, and you know we will be out and about taking in the beauty of the leaves turning color. I am almost ready for the next season to begin... but not quite yet!

Amish Country

Did you know that Ohio has the largest Amish population in the world? I honestly did not know that until I moved here. If I had to guess, I would have said that place was somewhere in Pennsylvania.

Holmes county, just 1.5 hours northeast of Columbus, is home to some 40,000 Amish people who have lived and thrived there for the last few centuries. Their lives today is not very different from the lives of their ancestors who settled here long ago.

We drove from Columbus, using Route 62, to get to Millersburg (what looked to be the middles of Holmes County). Silly us, we chose Sunday - their rest day - to visit the Amish country. The people there laughed when we asked about the Amish... Wrong day! They said.

Well, we didn't really need to go into shops or restaurants or anything like that... We just wanted to be in the Amish country, to see the buggies go by, to say hi to a few of the folks whose lives are so admirably self-sufficient, and so very sustainable.

The Amish do not use what we all take for granted today: electricity, computers, cars, any motorized machines. They grow their own food, and communicate with each other via community newsletters.

If you would like to find out more about the Amish way of life, I recommend a great little book,The Amish Cook. The photographs are outstanding, and so are the stories, and recipes included.

Well, as you can see from my photos, we were lucky to have passed a few buggies, and waved to a few friendly folks who waved back with beautiful smiles. But it took going out of the beaten path, for sure, to really get into the Amish landscape. Don't expect to see these horse-drawn buggies in the middle of Millersburg!! I would not be riding through town like that either...

We will go back again, maybe not on a Sunday next time, and take in more of this part of Ohio (and the world!) that I consider a little gem.

Bexley Farmer's Market

You can also see this post at my new blog: Cool Columbus!

Tiny Bexley farmers' market is our current produce market. Though it is not comparable to our previous hometown's multiple markets, it's still nice to be able to bike over there on Saturday mornings, meet the local farmers who grew the food that we can go home with and put on the table minutes later. I would rather have a small market like this, than to go and purchase produce at the supermarket grown back where we came from!

About a dozen vendors meet there every Saturday in the summer in front of the Bexley Town Hall on Main St. A musician or two keep things lively. Many customers bike there, with children in tow. It's sweet scene...a small town kind of scene.

By the way, those tomatoes (the not so pretty ones) in the first photo came home with us and have been turned into a delicious sauce. Not so pretty does not mean not so delicious!