Contexting

Coffee Talk

Unless you're living in a third world or just painfully technophobic, you've read your share of blogs. Some are good, others, not so much. One thing has me stumped: what's the connection between blogging and coffee?

I'm no coffee snob (I'm not above gas station coffee in Styrofoam cups), but I do like good espresso. A latte (soy milk, please), a Spanish cortado, a Ginger Spice Cappuccino around Christmastime. As much as I enjoy them (when I can afford to!), I always prefer my coffee with some good conversation. Something about the drink- and the act of drinking- that allows people to open up, share, and listen. 

If you're not a coffee drinker (poor soul), you should try. Remember that it's an acquired taste. Start with some medium-roast brewed coffee. Try it, and if you can't take it, add some milk and sugar. Better coffee is stronger without being bitter. Bad coffee is, well, bad. Drink it hot, too. Lukewarm coffee is never good.

Pour yourself a cup and check out some great blogs: "Caffeinated Thoughts," "Philosophy Over Coffee," Coffee With Drew,"Caffecclesiology." Note the curious reference to coffee in their titles and the (equally curious) lack of coffee-related posts.

Food: Cooking Competition

You're looking for new ways to connect with people, and food is a universal fellowship-builder. Why not consider inviting friends to participate in a cooking competition? I know what you're thinking- I can't even make breakfast for dinner. How am I going to compete? But don't worry, you don't have to bring people in to make a three-course meal with fresh sea urchin (á la Iron Chef) in order to have a good time and get to know people. Give this a try:

 Pick your favorite casual dining or fast food dish. Maybe you're a fan of Applebee's Chicken Fajita Roll-up or the Broccoli Cheese Soup you always order at T.G.I.Friday's. You know you love McDonald's french fries or the chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-a.

Find the recipe. You may not know this but most restaurants don't don't give out their secret recipes.  But that hasn't stopped hungry fans (and homesick missionaries!) from working hard to recreate their restaurant favorites at home. The resulting recipes are called "clones" or "copycats." Try a Google search for your dish or check out Copykat Recipes or Top Secret Recipes for some ideas.

Recreate the dish at home. If it's your first time, follow the instructions. Try to improve the recipe on subsequent attempts. There may be different recipes for your dish around the internet. Try a couple, or after some practice, combine them. Try to make your dish look and taste like it would in a restaurant.

Bring home an order of the dish from the restaurant. Re-plate it so that it looks like the version you've made at home. Be sure to take note of which one is yours!

At the party competition, serve your dish alongside a re-plated original from the restaurant. Allow party-goers participants to taste both and vote which is best. Winner gets a gift card to his favorite restaurant, or a trophy or whatever.

If you're not sure which dish to pick, my favorite is this clone of Panda Express' Mandarin Chicken. It's really easy, and people love it.

Food: Breakfast for Dinner

A breakfast food feast is a fun way to throw an inexpensive dinner party. A gourmet twist on morning favorites will make them ready for prime time. If you don't have at least one specialty in the kitchen (and you should), this will be yours.

The secret is to tie all of the flavors together without making everything taste the same. Be sure to have good coffee (decaf at night) and ice-cold milk and cold orange juice on hand.

Pancakes:

• Instead of adding water to instant pancake mix, use Sprite or 7-Up. The carbonation will make your pancakes fluffy, the sugar will make them slightly sweet.
• Mashed banana slices make your pancakes moist and banana-y.
• For a nice touch, lightly dust a stack of pancakes with powdered sugar.
• Spread a large handful of pecans on a cookie sheet and drizzle with maple syrup. Broil them in the oven (middle rack, broil, 5 minutes) to make a great toasted pecan topping.

Bacon:

• Maple-glazed bacon is easy. Put the strips on a sheet of slightly-crumpled aluminum foil, brush them with maple syrup and season with pepper. Stick them in the oven (bake, 400°, 20 minutes) while you're preparing the pancakes.

Eggs:

• To make a perfect fried egg (with the yolk centered), melt a pat of butter in a skillet over the lowest heat. Break the egg into a saucer or dish first, and then slide it into the skillet. Cover and let cook (still on low heat) for 5 minutes or so. Add a little bit of pepper.

Hash browns:

• Grate a peeled potato, using a coarse cheese grater. The secret to crispy hash browns is to get all of the moisture out of the potato, so pat the shredded potato with paper towels, and let them sit out for a few minutes on a cutting board. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan (medium-high heat), and add the now dry grated potato. Press the potato into the bottom of the pan, and cook until golden brown, turning once.  Salt, pepper and maybe a dash of Tabasco to taste.

Coffee:

• Add a pinch of (pick just one!) cinnamon or nutmeg, or a couple of cloves to regular coffee grinds. It will make your coffee richer without turning it into frilly flavored coffee.

Food: Mango Salsa

You should invite people over for dinner. Really. The best way to get to know someone is over a meal. Not a pot-luck social at the church house, but a real meal, at your house or in your backyard. You might even consider the neighborhood park. Dinner parties with your neighbors is missional.

To save you from looking like a hopeless loser at your own dinner party, here's a simple recipe for mango salsa, tomato salsa's exotic big sister. Mangoes are a big, oblong fruit with thick red, yellow, and green flesh that you may have seen at the grocery store. Be sure to get ones that are soft enough to dent with your finger, but not mushy. The flavor combination is really great, and can be adjusted from hot to sweet by adding peppers or a pinch of sugar.

• 3 mangoes, diced (here's how). For a better consistency, mash the bits of mango a little bit before you add them to the mixture.
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (comes in bunches, looks kind of like parsley, but tastes kind of like soap)
• 1 red onion,diced (any onion will do, but the purple skin of the red onion will make the salsa pretty)
• 1 large jalapeño, minced (cut as finely as you can). Add another for hotter salsa.
• 1 red bell pepper (optional; freshens up the flavor a bit, tones down sweetness while adding more color to the mix)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice (lemon will work, too, or orange juice in a pinch)
• pinch of salt

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowel, and let stand in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  Garnish with a cilantro leaf or two. Serve with tortilla chips.

Serves 8-12