Although I requested no recipe books for Christmas this year, I received a couple gems in my stocking that got my culinary brain going: Ferran Adria‘s A Day at elBulli (still nobody has bought me the 7Bowls system) and The Hungry Scientist (I am determined to be a contributor in the next installment).  I also visited 5 craft breweries in VT over the break, which got me thinking.

First off, I need to get a soda siphon, because everything is better with bubbles and I need to test an old theory about carbonating pineapple chunks.  It’s also a good move environmentally, to carbonate one’s own water or make homemade soda/pop/soft drinks, rather than buying them bottled.

Second, I’ve been inspired to make more booze, returning to my homebrew roots to craft beer, and soon my own sake.  I was thinking of calling it “For Pete’s Sake”

I’m back to just screwing around in the kitchen more too, which has been rejuvinating, and I only hope that as my busiest semester starts gearing up today with the first class of my after school program (followed shortly be the start of the university semester which has me teaching two courses and taking one for fun on top of 37 hours a week in the office), I still have time for art and mayhem in the kitchen.