New England Shaving Company

I recently got an email from the proprietor of New England Shaving Company, an online source of shaving supplies and equipment that has a good range of quality offerings.

I am intrigued, for example, by Extro shaving creams, new to me, and I expect I’ll be ordering one or two (this one, for example). In general, I prefer shaving soap to shaving cream, but the website notes, “Although classed as a cream, it is more like a half soap, half cream, the traditional Italian croap soap making method.”)

And I’ll certainly pick up a tub of Lea shaving soap, though my only previous experience of Lea was their shaving stick. Though not expensive, I recall it as being very nice.

The Mother of All Greek Comfort Foods: Fasolada

This simple recipe sounds quite good, and I’m going to make it. See this post for instructions (i.e., the actual recipe). And see also this post for lessons learned in the making of it, including changes for next time. (And a note in the comments compares the nutritional value of black beans v. navy beans.)

Ingredients

• 1/2 kilo beans, white, medium-sized 
• 1 level teaspoon(s) salt
• 2 stalks of celery [and these should be large long stalks from a good bunch of celery – LG]
• 3 carrots
• 1 red onion
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste [I suggest 2 tablespoons – LG]
• 3 bay leaves [I never use; can’t taste the difference they make. – LG]
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube [I’ll skip and instead use 1 L veg broth + 0. 5L water – LG]
• 1 red apple
• 2 liters water [2 liters of liquid seemed like too much; next time I’m going with 1.5 liters as mentioned above: 1 L veg broth plus 0.5 L water, and if that’s too liquidy, I’ll cut back on the water. – LG]

For the first batch I made, I used navy beans, for the second Great Northern beans. The Great Northern beans were much better. I’d really like to make a batch with Corona beans, a terrific white runner bean. (Check Purcell Mountain Farm and Rancho Gordo for those.)

To serve
• chili flakes
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• feta cheese
• salt-cured anchovies
• olives
• thyme

Update after writing this post: I’m going to try including some old-fashioned rolled oats. The oats and beans are a good combo in terms of protein, and that will also make a thicker soup even with the full amount of liquid. 

Also, a search on “fasolada recipe” turns up quite a few recipes (and thus ideas) — for example, this one, a 30-minute version.

The mild-feeling, aggressive-acting Feather AS-D1 (and D2)

This little shaving brush, the Fine Accoutrement Classic, is a favorite. It has a fine, soft feel on the face and it gins up lather quickly and easily, this morning from Declaration Grooming’s Yuzu/Rose/Patchouli Bison-Tallow shave soap. I was careful to shake the brush well, and I loaded a bit longer, so the lather was nicely rich and wonderfully fragrant. For some reason, I was very much awake to the fragrance today, and it is indeed a satisfying scent.

The D1 model of Feather’s high-end stainless steel razor suffered some quality control problems. Although my own copy of the AS-D1 is eminently satisfactory, others found that the razor was mild in performance as well as in feel, so much so that it was a struggle to get a good shave at all. A reader sent me one to try, and it was remarkably inefficient. I suggested he return the razor to the dealer with a note. He did and received in return a Feather AS-D2, the model that involved reworking the D1 design (and, I imagine, the manufacturing process as well) to eliminate the problem.

I actually had an AS-D2 as well, but since my AS-D1 worked fine and — for me — the two razors felt and performed about the same, I sold my D2. 

The shave this morning was excellent. This is another razor that seems odd in feeling so very mild and yet performing so aggressively: sublimely comfortable and fiercely efficient. Three passes left not a trace of stubble, and that was achieved easily.[

A splash of Chatillon Lux’s aftershave toner in the same fragrance as the soap, and the weekend begins.[

The tea this morning is Murchie’s CBC Radio Blend: “A blend of choice Ceylon and China black teas, Jasmine and other green teas with a touch of citrus.”