Neil showed up with Farm Aid partner Dave Matthews for the Hope for Haiti Now telethon/concert.  They joined together in a stripped down haunting version of Hank Williams' "Alone and Forsaken".  Probably one of the most odd pairings of the evening, this song forced the viewer to pay attention.   It was just one of many remarkable performances, bringing back clear memories of the 9/11 telethon hastily organized in the aftermath of that disaster.  A relentless, selfless performer, Young appeared last night just a day after the death of his long time collaborator and close friend, L.A. Johnson. Alone & Forsaken (Hope for Haiti Now)   Donate Now: 1-877-99-HAITI in US/Canada, or go to www.hopeforhaitinow.org We saw Neil again later that night (although taped earlier) joining Conan on his final Tonight Show, delivering a stellar version of an apropos song, Long May You Run, which originally appeared on 1976's eponymously named Stills-Young Band album.  We'll see more of Neil soon on the upcoming Grammy's and in the Jonathan Demme directed Trunk Show concert film. Neil can always be counted on to show up for friends and important causes, check out his contributions to The Last Waltz--The grand send-off for The Band, his searing version of All Along the Watch Tower for Dylan's Columbia 30th anniversary ...

All systems seem to be a go next week for Apple's latest new product announcement.  The usual online hoopla is building to a crescendo in what is shaping up to be a remarkable announcement next week for Steve Jobs and Co.  The slow rumor leak over the past 12 months detailing Apple's negotiations with publishing houses, newspapers and other old media stalwarts seems all but confirmed that this new creation is certainly Apple's long awaited foray into the tablet/electronic reader space.  The iSlate yet to be named device is being hyped as a game changer in the electronic reader/tablet market and who would bet against Apple?  Yes, the price point is likely to be close to $1000 but my hunch is that the design/functionality and GUI will blow the Kindle and it's cousins out of the water rendering the higher price worth it's weight in silicon and glass.  Naysayers forget how many consumers were prepared to plunk down hundreds of dollars for the original iPods when they first entered and changed the music industry.  It will be interesting to see how Bezos and Amazon counteract Apple to prop up the Kindle.  Word is already out that they are now planning to add snap-on apps to the ...

After your first bite all the worries and concerns about factory farms and cage free chickens melt away.  They're that good.  My portion of 8 drummettes apparently had a direct correlation to the demise of 4 hens but those are just fleeting thoughts best left cataloged in the back of the brain to worry about later during a tedious movie or just before drifting asleep on a rainy night. Cilantro & Sea Salt Grilled Drummettes Empty a packet of  chicken wing-lets or drummettes into a medium mixing bowl. Rough chop a handful of fresh cilantro and toss into the bowl. Drizzle a good glug of extra virgin olive oil into the bowl (About 2 Tablespoons). Sprinkle a copious amount of high quality sea salt into the bowl & toss until all the wings are covered with the olive oil, cilantro and sea salt. Let the drummettes sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Light your gas or charcoal grill and bring to medium heat.  Place the drummettes on the grill and cook until golden brown and sizzling.   Turn the wings at least once during this 10 minute process. Take up the wings, sprinkle with a touch more sea salt and enjoy.

Happy New Year.  These are a cinch to make and are real crowd pleasers.  They're also easy to prep ahead of time and then pop in the oven when you're ready to entertain or enjoy on your own with a cold Tecate (preferably) or a Dos Equis.  On a frosty day after New Year's on Crystal Lake, just south of  Michigan's Leelenau penninsula, some foodie friends of mine introduced me to this fantastic recipe and I was shocked how nice they turned out.    These popppers deliver a very pleasing roast jalapeno flavor without all of the grease from deep frying.  The panko crumbs crisp up nicely and add a nice crunch to the bite sized torpedoes.  The key to these poppers is a good egg wash with a dusting of flower just beforehand so that the egg wash binds and adheres to the panko bread crumb dusting.  You want a good even layer of the panko to ensure a nice crisp and crunchy coating when the poppers are ready. Baked Jalapeno Poppers 12 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and membranes removed 6 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or less, to taste 2 large eggs 2 tablespoons milk 8 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows 1 ...

A toasted focaccia sandwich, a frosty pint of Anchor Steam and a view of Washington Square Park in North Beach.  What more could you possibly ask for?  This is just one of San Francisco's many classic North Beach hangouts and is noted for its lack of a true kitchen - the focaccia sandwiches are warmed and toasted in an upright commercial toaster that resembles an old industrial dishwasher you'd find in a college cafeteria kitchen or in the bowels of a non-descript Holiday Inn somewhere in the Midwest.  Trust me, I know. But back to paradise and North Beach, a buddy turned me on to this place over 20 years ago when we didn't know how to cook and didn't have the coin to frequent more elaborate venues that we may be more inclined to visit these days. Back in the days when I lived on Polk Street, North Beach was a steep climb up Union Street and then a long descent down over Russian Hill - the view from the top of the hill worth the burning in the back of your legs as you caught a glimpse of Coit Tower and the shimmering neon lights of Columbus avenue flickering in ...

It's true that good  music can take you back to a certain time and place.  Nick Lowe's album, The Convincer, brings back the autumn of 2001 in Munich for me; an unsettling time that became slightly more settled whenever I put this CD on. Released in Europe in the first week of September 2001, the album snuck up on me and was purchased on a whim one evening after work in a music shop somewhere near the Marienplatz.  I often departed the S-Bahn at the Marienplatz  to stroll through the Viktualienmarkt before making the short walk home to Kanalstrasse for the evening.  It was on one of those jaunts that I found myself purchasing this album. I was faintly familiar with Nick Lowe's back story, kind of an uncle to the angry young men of England's New Wave scenesters - Elvis and Graham particularly.  A songwriter extroadinaire, Lowe had also found success with Rockpile, the rockabilly pub band formed with Dave Edmunds and several classic and sardonic songs incuding What's so funny about Peace, Love and Understanding, I knew the Bride when she used to Rock and Roll and Cruel to be Kind. On this album, Lowe delivers a low key masterpiece, subtly ...

You may have read my earlier post about Plath's and the beautiful ham that was destined for this recipe.  Truth be told, nothing beats a warming home made batch of soup on a cold December day. I consulted my go to recipe book of late for a good take on bean soup and found a simple and straight forward solution.  This recipe features an important 'hot soak' method for pre-soaking dry beans.  It's recommended that if you're going to feature beans in a soup you should always start with dry beans and avoid the jarred beans in the supermarket, the flavor and heartiness of reconstituted dry beans always wins out in the end. Mark Bittman, the New York Times' food columnist known as the Minimalist, has produced some excellent cook books, I really recommend his encyclopedia like How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition), Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition: 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food ; in fact, I'll drop a link for it in the Subrosa Online Shop, pick up a copy for a loved one this holiday season.  Better yet, get on the phone and order up some of Plath's incredible bacon or a house cured ham while you're ...

It was the summer of 2001 in Munich and a strange obsession had overtaken me.  I had recently picked up a used copy of Bob Dylan's Unplugged DVD in a favorite Schwabing haunt and took notice of the acoustic guitar that Dylan played throughout the concert.  I had recalled seeing the  guitar on numerous occasions, most notably the same acoustic guitar seemed to always be in Neil Young's hands on other concert films such as Silver and Gold and The Last Waltz. Some quick research led me to the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum which is where the obsession really began to take hold. This web forum features endless threads and posts from prospective Martin Guitar purchasers and existing owners obsessing over every known detail concerning the "Cadillac of acoustic guitars". After all, this guitar is synonymous with some of Rock and Roll's most acclaimed songs and collected works including Jimmy Page's acoustic intro to Stairway to Heaven and Neil Young's standout Harvest album. After a month or so of reading the forum, I really began to get "Martin fever" and started to think about buying my own Martin D-28.  It didn't matter that I had never played an acoustic guitar before, I simply  had ...

Little known outside of Michigan, Plath's is a multi generation family owned artisan meat smoking operation based in Rogers City.   Plath's smokes whitefish, various cuts of pork and cures their own bacon and hams.  Their products blow away anything produced by Niman Ranch and other more well known smoked meat purveyors.  Many fine restaurants throughout northern Michigan feature Plath's products on their menus. Rogers City, a deep water harbor on Lake Huron approximately 60 miles south of the magnificent Straits of Mackinaw is a working class town known for the largest open pit limestone quarry in the world and fine fishing with an increasingly upscale resort lifestyle.  Plath's has also recently opened a  new retail operation in Petoskey, Michigan. For as long as I can remember, Plath's has been the gold standard for thick cut bacon and plump sausages.  But a new revelation has been their house cured Hams.  I'm now in possession of one and continue to marvel at the rich smoky flavor and quality of the meat.  This is no Smithfield run of the mill ham!  Each bite brings forth new flavors including hints of clove, brown sugar and sweet hickory smoke. I'm now scanning my cookbooks and the web for the ...

The Barefoot Contessa delivered again this Thanksgiving.  After previous successful culinary endeavors featuring her recipes, I decided to give her Raspberry Cheesecake a whirl this year. Since we were celebrating in Michigan it seemed fitting to forgo raspberries and bring in some beautiful hand picked wild Michigan blueberries which proved to be a worthy substitute indeed.  These blueberries were picked in August up in picturesque Grand Marais, Michigan on the southern shore of Lake Superior.  Wild blueberries pack an insanely vibrant punch of intense blueberry flavor, a perfect compliment to the rich cheesecake. This recipe was simple to follow and execute; what would one do without a food processor and a stand mixer these days?  Well, last year I had neither of those conveniences and still managed to pull off another tasty cheesecake.  I had the graham cracker crust pre-baked and the entire cheesecake assembled and in the oven in under 30 minutes. While this cheesecake was delicious and rich, I actually found it to be slightly heavy and will start looking for a lighter version for the upcoming Christmas holiday.  All in all though, thoroughly enjoyable. Ina Garten's Raspberry Wild Michigan Blueberry Cheesecake Recipe Ingredients For the crust: nocoupons 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers) 1 ...