Staying Cool

It is one of the warmest summers I remember in the North bay. We are spoiled by a moderate temperature that allows us to get by without air conditioning. There are only few days that require more than opening a window. This year we have exceeded our allotment of hot days. My appetite lags and I really don't want to spend time in the kitchen or hover over a hot barbecue. What's a guy do to stay cool? Inspired by articles in the New York Times by Mark Bittman and The L.A. Times Betty Hallock I decided to make paletas, a Mexican version of ice pops.

Recipes for paletas are hard to find so I just thought about what might taste good frozen. I started by freezing apple juice then chocolate milk. The results were pleasant but not extraordinary. I had some vanilla yogurt and blueberries on hand and they made a really tasty frozen combination. A trip to the farmer's market netted a half of flat of ripe strawberries. I pureed them and strained the seeds through a sieve. I added a little sugar and a squeeze of lemon. Wow, I bet a could sell a ton of these on a hot day! The most extreme flavor occurred when I added lightly sweetened home made organic whipped cream to the strawberry puree. These would require a sophisticated security system to keep from disappearing. Creamy,rich strawberry, now that's what I'm talking about!

My latest experiment was mixing vanilla yogurt with Trader Joe's Midnight Moo chocolate syrup. It turned out wonderful. It was chocolaty, sweet and tart. What else can I freeze?

Sometimes Life's no Picnic

It was about seven thirty this morning and we were headed towards the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market to watch the vendors sent up their wares. Suddenly the calm, quiet morning is shattered by the piercing sound of police sirens. They are coming from every direction and their wailing is bouncing off hard surfaces all around us. We are located in Justin Herman Plaza just across The Embarcadero from the Ferry Market Place. The sirens stop but emergency lights flash and the sounds of shouting come in our direction. A squad of San Francisco Police Officers are following a man wielding a knife. The lead officer is yelling at the eary morning crowd "get out of the way he has a knife." My wife and I scramble away from the oncoming danger. I yell out to my wife "prepare to run like hell!" The group is led by two officers. The first has his automatic sidearm drawn but is holding it down in a safe position. The second officer is pointing a "less than lethal" shotgun that fires rounds that stun. The officer with shotgun keeps yelling "drop the knife" but the deranged man continues to flee. The sound of rounds being fired echo off buildings. The man finally complies and is taken in to custody.

One of the officers involved passes by and shows me the knife. It looks similar to knives I've seen used in martial arts. Thank you, San Francisco Police Officers for a job well done. The public is safe and the knife wielding man survives.

My adenaline is still pumping. Maybe I should have decafe coffee this morning.My apologies the following video is very shaky.

San Francisco Police subdue a knife wielding man