Tuborg Beer

While visiting Igman, the location of the 1984 Olympic Ski Jump, I found myself in need of a thirst quencher. Climbing the time worn stairs along the ski jump was a good workout that resulted in a couple of decent photographs along with dry-mouth. A small concession stand located next to the main building offered coffee, juice and Tuborg Beer ina bottle. Although equipped for draft, this location did not have any.

The bottle of Tuborg set me back 4 KM (around three dollars, US). Also known as Tuborg Green, this brand of Danish beer is very popular in Eastern Europe and could be readily found during my visit to Bosnia. The brew has a surprisingly bright flavor that had remarkable thirst quenching qualities. Although my primary brew in Bosnia was the locally produced Sarajevska Premium, I found myself ordering Tuborg on a couple of outings, just to enjoy a change of pace. Although slightly more bitter than Sarajevska, the Tuborg was refreshing with a nice flavor and aroma.

Tuborg is a Danish beer that was first produced in 1873. Tuborg Green was Denmark's first Pilsner beer, introduced in 1880. The company entered into a business relationship with Carlsberg Beer in the early 1900s before being acquired by the latter in 1970. The bottles come with a unique ring-tab type cap that I noticed on other Eastern European beer (Pan, in particular). This feature was designed by Tuborg allowing for easy removal of the cap. It is a unique concept that works surprisingly well.

The Carlsberg website describes the beer as "...a bottom-fermented lager beer. It's brewed on lager malt, a slightly roasted, bright type of malt which results in the well-known mild, fresh taste and aroma of flowers and grain. The beer is medium rich and lively with a moderate bitterness in the aftertaste." I did not experience much in the way of aftertaste and found the bitterness to be on the mild side. Tuborg Green contains 4.9% alcohol by volume.

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Pan Lager

While visiting Bosnia, I was privileged to be able to celebrate Bajram (bi-dem) with my Bosniak friends. Bajram is a three-day holiday that marks the end of the Ramazan (Ramadan) Fast. During this celebration, I was introduced to a variety of local sweets, to include a variation on Baklava that was a bit dry but very tasty. I was also given a bottle of Pan Lager. Although my beer of choice in Bosnia was Sarajevska Premium, I am not one to turn down free beer.

Pan is another brew (like another beer I enjoyed in Bosnia, Tuborg) which is brewed by the Carlsberg Group. While I found the Tuborg to be bright and crisp, I felt that Pan was somewhat bitter with a strong aftertaste. Pan also emits a strong grainy aroma, which is not entirely unpleasant...but an indication of the bitter bite to come. It is odd to me that Pan describes itself as thirst-quenching and "less bitter" because, of the beers I sampled in Bosnia, Pan was the most bitter.

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Frontier Natural Coffee Flavor

I have been experimenting with some new home-made ice cream recipes recently. I attempted to make Chunky Monkey (or should I call that "hefty chimp" to avoid any trademark issues?)...using McCormick's Imitation Banana flavoring. That flavor was very artificial and turned out mediocre at best. I made pina colada, which was nice and refreshing and I also tried chocolate peppermint which was delicious. After seeing a Wendy's advertisement for Coffee Toffee shakes, I decided that this might be an easy and tasty treat to experiment with.

I found Frontier Alcohol-Free Coffee Flavor at Trader Joe's (if my memory hasn't failed me). The smallish 2 ounce bottle was not inexpensive at nearly five dollars per bottle. The recipe I use normally calls for about a tablespoon of flavoring, but on tasting the mix, I discovered it to be a bit on the bland side. Because coffee flavoring is more difficult to condense than some of the other extracts, I decided to put one full ounce in the batter. This seemed to be exactly the right measurement when I tasted the finished product. The coffee provided a smooth foundation which tasted like a mocha chino with toffee bits in it. The cream and sugar were, of course, natural complements to the flavor...for those of us who like our coffee light and sweet.

I have tried to make condensed coffee myself in the past to no avail. The brewing process makes the coffee very acidic and bitter when condensed. I have read about a cold process where the coffee is allowed to steep for a longer period of time without heating the bean that is supposed to eliminate the bitterness. That process seems too time-consuming and tedious to me. Having that convenience in a bottled product that can be bought off the shelf makes life a lot easier.

Frontier Alcohol-Free Coffee Flavor uses glycerin instead of alcohol. The glycerin serves several functions. Glycerin is a preservative for certain plant products. I am not certain if that is the main purpose for using glycerin in this product instead of alcohol, but the preservative qualities of glycerin may serve to keep the coffee from turning bad. Glycerin is also a sweetener that does not raise blood sugar levels. An element of sweetness to the coffee flavoring is certainly not a bad thing when using it to make ice cream. Finally, Glycerin acts as a thickening agent. You would think that condensed coffee would be naturally thick. The glycerin creates a slightly molasses-like consistency. The other ingredients are water and natural flavors (which I would hope means coffee beans but indicates other natural flavors as well).

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McCormick's Peppermint Extract

With the hot months of Summer comes the cooled off refreshment of home-made ice cream. I have been experimenting with new flavors, many of them based on specialty flavors I have seen at the store or on television. One of my favorite ice cream flavors is Haagen Dazs' seasonal peppermint flavor. The combination of peppermint and chocolate is refreshing and satisfying.

In order to recreate this flavor when it went out of season, I purchased a small bag of peppermint candy, a package of Nestle's Milk Chocolate chips and a one ounce bottle of McCormick's Pure Peppermint Extract. McCormick sells both "pure" and "imitation" flavors, the quality of which varies greatly. I did not find the imitation banana to be to my liking, but the Pure Peppermint is fantastic.

The concentrated nature of the McCormick's Pure Peppermint Extract allows a little bit to go a long way. One gallon of ice cream normally calls for approximately one tablespoon of flavoring. That is equal to one half fluid ounce (or half the bottle). That may seem like a lot, but considering that one tablespoon is providing the foundation for an entire gallon of ice cream, the intensity of the extract becomes obvious. I found the peppermint provided an exceptionally clean and refreshing flavor. Combined with the crushed peppermints and chocolate, the combination was almost as good as Haagen Dazs' original (which is phenomenal). I used two teaspoons instead of the full tablespoon because I was adding peppermint candies. This reduction was not evident in the flavor.

An ounce serving of McCormick's Pure Peppermint Extract will set you back around three to four dollars at Wal-Mart...more at the grocery store. The price may seem a bit steep, but considering it will flavor two gallons of ice cream, the cost seems a little more reasonable. If you were to extrapolate the cost of an equal amount of Haagen Dazs to the cost of a gallon of homemade ice cream, you will probably find that actually come out ahead in the end.

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Eco-I-Lite

All of the appliances in my home are Energy Star compliant. In fact, the house itself has features built in that designate it as an Energy Star home. What better way to light an energy efficient Energy Star home than with Energy Star night lights. But wait, a night light that doubles as a flashlight? Get outta’ here. The Eco-I-Lite is a flashlight that doubles as a night light. During a power failure, the flashlight automatically turns on!

The Eco-I-Lite comes in a two-pack for thirty to forty dollars. Not an inexpensive price for small LED flashlights. When considering the price, the features should also be considered. The Eco-I-Lite produces light from six LED lights, which means no bulb replacement. The lithium ion batteries will remain charged for a long time and are rechargeable…so no batteries to purchase, either. The flashlights consume very little power because of the LED design, allowing them to provide constant light for up to seven hours after they are fully charged. Not bad at all.

Eco-I-Lite consists of a base-style charging unit that plugs into the wall. There are no exposed conductors on the base because the Eco-I-Lite uses induction charging. An interesting concept that was previously foreign to me. The flashlight simply sits in the base, recharging as necessary. The base has a small light connected which can act as a nightlight if turned on (with two levels of brightness). Regardless of whether the nightlight is on or off, the flashlight will automatically turn on if removed from the base or in the event of a power failure. That feature would make this light easy to locate when needed most.

The flashlight itself is extremely lightweight. The flashlight has three modes which are all activated from a single click switch. One click turns the unit on (or removing the unit from the base). The next click places the flashlight into strobe mode. A final click powers the unit off. The beam created by this flashlight is sufficient for indoor use on a limited basis. Outside, the light will create ambient type lighting without any concentration of light. If you were searching for something, the light would probably be useless. The flashlight does not have a bezel to help concentrate the light.

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Kellogg's Whole Grain Pop Tarts (Cinnamon)

Finding breakfast foods with the right combination of healthiness, ease of preparation and flavor can be a challenge. On most mornings, I begin my day with a protein shake. For a change of pace, I enjoy yogurt and a Kellogg’s Cinnamon Whole Wheat Pop Tarts. These pop tarts contain sugar, but are healthier than regular pop tarts.

Kellogg’s Cinnamon Whole Wheat Pop Tarts contains twenty percent of the daily recommended value of fiber (5 grams of the recommended 25). At 200 calories per serving, the 7 grams of fat amounts to 60 calories from fat or thirty percent, not a bad ratio. Most adult diets recommend a daily allowance of 60 to 65 grams of fat, so these 7 grams do not consume a very large chunk of the daily allowance. Other breakfast alternatives might equate to an entire days worth of fat. The 14 grams of sugar still make this a sweet breakfast product. Kellogg’s Cinnamon Whole Wheat Pop Tarts are healthier than donuts but still have room for improvement in terms of overall health value.

The nutritional information is important, but it really doesn’t matter if you don’t enjoy what you’re eating. Kellogg’s Cinnamon Whole Wheat Pop Tarts have an excellent flavor. I have tried the chocolate version and can attest to the fact that they taste like cardboard. The cinnamon flavor taste really good, with no noticeable difference in flavor from regular pop tarts.

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Dap Tub and Tile Caulk

My shower was constructed by my builder from cultured marble. Because it is not a shower kit or molded shower, every joint needs to be sealed with caulk to prevent leaking. The shower has a bench built in, which adds that many more seams to seal. Caulking a shower is not a difficult task, but it can be time consuming.

The first step in recaulking my shower was to remove the old caulk. There were areas that had already separated, but to get a good bond with the new caulk it is beneficial to remove all remnants of the old caulk. To aid in this process, I used Dap Caulk-Be-Gone and a Hyde caulk removal tool. The Caulk-Be-Gone runs about four dollars and comes out as a green colored foam. After allowing the foam to sit on the old caulk for about two hours, I used the removal tool to take out all remnants of the original caulking job.

The caulk I used for this job was Dap Kwik Seal Tub and Tile Adhesive. I purchased this product at Wal-Mart for about two dollars per tube. Dap has a good reputation that I trust, so I figured it was a good buy. It should have been a good-bye. This adhesive did not work well at all. After cleaning up the mess from the caulk removal, I dried the seams and applied a steady bead of Dap Kwik Seal Tub and Tile Adhesive to the joints. I smoothed and tamped down the new caulk with a Hyde application tool. The job looked good when it was finished. As an added precaution, I waited 24 hours before using the shower.

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