while consulting with luan, my personal pacific northwest cheese monger & proprietor extraordinaire of foster & dobbs authentic food in portland, i made the acquaintance of this charming little mouse. his knowledge of both local oregon cheeses as well as old world offerings is impressive & while he does have his preferences, he does...
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last week, an unknown visitor showed up out of the blue at the home of my friends Noah and Jessica. is he a fan making a pilgrimage to the skull-a-day artist’s home in hopes of an autograph for his skulls or any of Noah’s other snazzy books on creativity? or is he searching for...
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i’m not blaming anyone but myself and maybe the passion fruit that i can’t remember buying but i found still in it’s plastic bag and tucked between the wall and kitchen table serving as a breeding center for fruit flies. but really, it’s mostly my fault. the passion fruit was helpless. once the infestation...
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of course we notice it around the holidays. the bread products and pastries that were so soft and springy just days ago have lost their bounce and appetizing appeal. they lay ignored on the counter, in the bread bin, on the cake pedestal. soon, they are as hard as rocks and lost… forever....
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ancient cave paintings foretold their invention. pharaohs built pyramids in their honor. the truth about how the mythical treat came into being is full of rivary and intrigue. many say the girl scouts started it. by 1927, the same year that the kellog company invented the rice krispie, the girl scouts of america were...
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it all started with the sons of teddy roosevelt. they hold the dubious distinction of being the first westerners to kill a panda in 1928. stuffed trophy pandas were proudly displayed in the world’s natural history museums, but, no zoological facility could boast hosting a live one of these gentle bamboo-noshing creatures. in the...
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if you’re like me, you want to know if that lovely delicate creature perching on a wild flower or tree branch is a moth or a butterfly. assuming that they have not camouflaged their antennae with fashionable head-gear such as a ball cap or a jaunty beret, it is easy to tell by the...
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how many times has this happened to you? you’re out doing a bit of spelunking in your favorite cave and you see a particularly interesting pointy structure hanging from the ceiling and you’d like to point it out to your companion. then it happens! you can’t remember what to call it! is it a...
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Dear Monkey, Should someone attempt chai early in their tea drinking career? Rebecca rebecca, any time is the right time to try a new tea! chai is a black or green tea with various spices added such as black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon or clove. it can be enjoyed with milk and sweetener or plain....
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take the guess work out of choosing between a grilled cheese or toasted cheese sandwich. perfect for posting on your fridge or as a menu insert for your restaurant patrons.
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my bags are packed and i’m on the go! (as depicted by this lovely portrait of me by apelad) i’ll be in china & tibet over the next few weeks and i hope to twitter from the roof of the world! catch my tweets at www.twitter.com/hi_im_monkey !
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i have a love/hate relationship with the term “children’s book.” what exactly is a children’s book? a book for children only? written by children? young books that will some day grow up to be adult books? as children’s book week draws to a close, i really don’t have a better grasp on this conundrum....
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in honor of national poetry month and grilled cheese month: two slices of bread grilled to a golden brown hides the molten cheese everyone enjoys grilled cheese poetry!
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on this day in 1858 hymen lipman of philadelphia received a patent for his revolutionary invention. by incorporating an eraser into a pencil he changed the course of pencil history! mr. lipman sold his patent to joseph reckendorfer for $100,000 who subsequently took legal action against the venerable farber castelle for patent infringement. as...
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decorating with fragrant pine cones, colorful holly and charming candles is always fun until something bursts into flames. stock up on a few jaunty red fire extinguishers for the holiday season. you’ll be glad you did. i’ve captured this sentiment in a lovely holiday mug, just in case you know someone who might need...
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to end national accordion month in style, i accompanied a friend to a late night accordion jam session. the air was still thick with the strains of lady of spain as we emerged form the club, loaded my friend’s accordion into the back seat and headed home in the pre-dawn light. as you might...
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unexpected guests can disrupt one’s life. this little chap didn’t just drop in, he plummeted from his nest high above my garden sometime last saturday night. since then, he’s taken over the place. he has food delivered. he parties with the sparrows that drop by for the seed buffet i put out daily. he’s...
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can you imagine my delight to find that chows‘s aïda mollenkamp has mentioned cooking with monkey as one of her top 10 favorite cooking blogs! what an honor to be listed on a favorite site with the sites i love to persuse and what a delight to see the always entertaining and informative david...
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the buddha of compassion, chenrezig, took a vow to relieve the suffering of all sentient beings, but, things were not going so well. he was alone, overworked, overwhelmed and frustrated. it’s no wonder that he just broke down in a fit of hopeless tears. i would have too. one of his tears hit the...
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once thought to be a vestigial organ that aided ancient primates with the digestion of grass and leaves, the appendix is now believed to be a safe house for intestinal bacteria. current data shows that this little organic noah’s ark helps repopulate the intestines with happy & healthy bacteria after a flood of illness...
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