Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) announced drivers for the 2012 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge

Subaru has announced that factory drivers Andrew Aquilante and Bret Spaude will represent Subaru in the  Grand Sport class of the 2012 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge according to The Mercury.

The first round will be held Jan. 27 at Daytona, with both Aquilante and Spaude racing a Subaru WRX STi. Motorsport Marketing Manager for Subaru of America, Inc. James Han says “the Subaru WRX STI lends itself as a credible performance platform from its symmetrical all-wheel drive system to its Subaru BOXER engine. The team is looking to build upon our experience from last year’s campaign and convert our solid qualifying efforts to podium results.”

Check out the full article at The Mercury, or check out the Subaru Global Motorsport site.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Create a meal based on the science of flavoring, and not just another recipe

Lifehacker just posted an article about a site called Foodpairing, an interactive webapp that shows you what foods to pair with other specific foods, based on the science of flavors. According to their website, "Foodpairing is not based on intuition or existing recipes, but on science, providing an objective overview of possible pairings."

It's not the easiest to explain, or figure out - but basically, you enter in an ingredient and Foodpairing gives you a web (they call it a tree) of various other ingredients you could pair with it based on a scientific flavor analysis. The different pairings are categorized into sub divisions such as dairy, meat, etc. You pick one, and the Foodpairing masterminds supply you with recipes they've created, which even include brands if you have specific favorites.

The people behind Foodpairing say they have been doing research since 2005, and the reason to choose Foodpairing is because they will inspire you with recipes and combinations that you've never seen before - that are derived by the science of flavors, and not preexisting recipes.

This idea sounds extremely weird - but also awesome. I'd love to see what pairs they put together. It seems as though this would be an amazing app for a restaurant or bar (which they do say on the site) that's looking to expand their horizons and branch in new directions. Or even someone at home who's looking to do the same.

And of course what you've been waiting for - the price. It's not really too steep or too cheap. It's 15 Euro per month or 129 Euro for a year (equaling to 19 dollars per month and 166 per year for us), or you can get the free version, which offers 100 combinations instead of the paid-for 1,000+.

Either way, it's such a cool idea and it's worth checking out - click below to see more!

Click here for the science behind Foodpairing

Click here for the article from Lifehacker



All information courtesy of both Lifehacker and Foodpairing, and photos courtesy of Foodpairing.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Year-round farmers market in Montpelier

Jan. 21 (tomorrow) is the next date date to check out the year-round Capital City farmers market on College Street in Montpelier. And it's meat day! But it's also the last date to check it out before Feb. 11, so if you love farmers markets - get down to Montpelier tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Vermont College of Fine Arts gym.

They'll have tons of vendors selling the freshest meat, produce, cheese and dairy. Among other vendors selling baked goods and crafts. For more information, visit their website!


All information, including the photo, courtesy of the Montpelier Farmers Market.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

How to: Conserve your phone's battery life, and save money by effortlessly using less heat and electricity

It's starting to get much colder outside, so among other things that usually cost us money, heat prices are beginning to do their annual skyrocket. Check out this episode posted by Lifehacker on effective ways to conserve heat while protecting your wallet. This video also shows ways to save money on electricity by using inexpensive tools and gadgets, and also features ways to keep your smart phone's battery running for longer.

This video is a little on the long side, but just watch until minute six to get the important stuff (the rest is about stopping Carrier IQ, so if you're not having a problem with that just watch the first six minutes!). Lifehacker shows some really good ways to save money; a few of the gadgets they show of course cost you something initially, but it looks like they'd be real lifesavers in the long run (most of the products are still only between 10 and 50 dollars).

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Ronald Reagan: A Subaru Test Driver?

It's true! He was in a way. This article from Jalopnik shows an interesting perspective on the early Subaru BRAT. It turns out when Reagan was the Governor of California he had one of these funky old Subarus at his ranch. According to Richard V. Allen (Reagan's short-term national security adviser), Reagan loved the car, but as it was unwise to be seen driving a Japanese-manufactured vehicle at the time - you'll never find a picture of him in it.

According to the article, Reagan was granted a BRAT on the terms that he would send reports back to Subaru every six months on the BRAT's performance. So technically, he was a test driver of sorts.



It seems amazing that just over 30 years ago Americans (especially Vermonters!) were boycotting Subarus. Allen says in the article that "members of Congress were putting Japanese cars on the steps of the Capitol and smashing them with sledgehammers."

At least we know today that we can keep our beloved Subarus safe, and we know they'll return the favor.

Check out the full article, How Ronald Reagan Became a Secret Subaru Test Driver.


All information for this post including photo, courtesy of jalopnik.com

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Facebook is everywhere, including your car.

Mercedes has just announced that their 2013 models will have the unthinkable - Facebook. This feature will be standard on all of their 2013 models and will be incorporated into the already-included navigation screen.

Sorry Subaru fans, Subaru won't be including this "app" on their 2013 models - but if you drive a Subaru, you don't really need Facebook in your car, do you?

Check out the full article on gizmodo.com

Monday, December 12, 2011

How to: Enjoy a full meal worthy of Enticement Alley

We've talked about Enticement Alley, we've covered a few recipes, but have we put them both together? What could possibly be better than making delicious food with ingredients our state is proud to make? I stole a few recipes from my favorite VT manufacturers and put them together into a meal that you can enjoy right at home.

These recipes are made with ingredients from Enticement Alley, but don't require a trek there to make them. All of the supplies can be found in the grocery store. Enjoy the meal! I would recommend adding some veggies or a side dish to the entree, so it's up to your creative will to come up with what you think would go best. And again, please send me your favorite recipes! I'll be sending out a recipe book to our fantastic Subaru fans once enough entries have been submitted. My email address is Madeleine_Cave@vtcars.com.

Bon Appetit!

Cabot Cheddar Cream Biscuits
(courtesy of the Cabot Cheese website)

2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 ounces Cabot Sharp Cheddar, finely diced (roughly 1 cup)
1 ½ cups heavy cream



Place rack in upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Butter a baking sheet and set aside.

Into a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in cheese. With a fork, stir in cream a little at a time until do dry buts remain and dough has formed. The recipe calls for 1 ½ cups, but you may not need all of it.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface and knead about six times. Roll of press dough into ¾ inch think circle. Cut out rounds with a floured 2 ½ inch cutter or inverted glass, pressing scraps together to cut additional biscuits.

Place biscuits one inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Cider-glazed chicken sausages
(recipe and photo courtesy of the Noble Pig)

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, cut into 1 inch wedges
1 pound chicken sausages
7 fresh sage leaves
3 cups apple cider (Cold Hollow)
Coarse salt and ground pepper

In a large skillet or shallow heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and sausages and cook until sausages are a deep golden brown (usually about six minutes), turning sausages and stirring onion halfway through.

Add sage and cider, season with salt and pepper and bring to a rapid simmer.

Cook until cider is syrupy and coats the back of a spoon (about 30 minutes).

Lake Champlain Hot Fudge
(courtesy of Lake Champlain Chocolates)

1/2 cup sifted LCC Unsweetened Cocoa
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons sweet butter, cut into small pieces
1 pinch of salt


In a saucepan, stir the cream and butter over medium heat until the cream just comes to a boil. Add both sugars and stir until dissolved. Reduce heat and add the salt and cocoa. Stir briskly with a whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Serve immediately or reheat slowly, stirring frequently in the top of a double boiler over hot water, or in a saucepan over very low heat.

What to put the fudge on? Anything you'd like. But this is after all an Enticement Alley meal, so why not one of these?