Cast Iron Irish Soda Bread
An optimized, high-caraway traditional soda bread baked in a covered Lodge chicken fryer. Adapted for cold-house baking and fresh-milled grains.
eddiewelker.com
Eddie Welker's digital things. Coding, biking, and making things.
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Traditional Irish Boxty
A delicious Irish Boxty that uses only the simplest ingredients, making me love it more.
No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread
An easy, high-hydration, no-knead bread featuring a blend of bread flour and dark rye. Optimized for a 7 quart dutch oven.
From WordPress to Hugo to Astro
My process of moving this site from WordPress to Hugo and then to Astro. A look at why I made the switch and how the tools compare.
Fannie Farmer's Cranberry Orange Bread
Bake this classic Fannie Farmer Cranberry Orange Bread with a delicious twist: double the cranberries! A moist, citrusy quick bread perfect for the holidays.
Bikes: All-City Space Horse
A look at my All City Space Horse bike setup. After several long tours on the GAP and C&O, here is why this rose colored bike is still my favorite.
Instant Pot Turkey Chili with Quick-Soak Dried Beans
A hearty ground turkey chili made in the Instant Pot. Uses dried pinto beans with a quick-soak method and masa harina for a thick, rich texture in 90 minutes.
My Szechuan Noodles
My go-to base recipe for spicy Szechuan noodles. Features a rich blend of chili oil, garlic, tahini, and spices bloomed with boiling water for deep flavor.
Dishes of Panda Gourmet
Notes on Szechuan dishes at Panda Gourmet in DC. I breakdown the dry braised chicken and dan dan noodles and why the garlic cucumbers are worth the trip.
Pressure Cooker Black Bean Soup (adapted from Bittman/Sass)
A hearty black bean soup adapted from Mark Bittman. Made in the pressure cooker using dried beans for a rich, creamy texture without the need for soaking.
Tofu or Chicken and Broccoli
Make a lighter version of takeout favorites with this bouillon-based sauce. Uses the Instant Pot to steam broccoli perfectly, paired with tofu or chicken.
Best Frozen Pelmeni
Elevate store-bought frozen pelmeni with simple tricks. Learn how to boil them with aromatics or pan-fry for a crispy finish, served with traditional toppings.
Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork
Make tender, shredded pork shoulder in the pressure cooker. Features a homemade dry rub and a rich sauce reduced from the cooking liquid. Perfect for meal prep.
Haluski Kapusta (Polish Cabbage and Noodles)
Comfort food at its best: homemade noodles tossed with buttery sautéed cabbage and onions. A Polish classic refined with notes on texture and essential acidity.
St. Patricks Day Corned beef and cabbage & Irish soda bread
A detailed recipe for traditional corned beef and cabbage. It includes steps for making Irish soda bread in a cast iron pan.
Wing contest at Quarry House
Eating habanero wings with friends at Quarry House Tavern. A look at spicy food and watching Young Frankenstein at the AFI.
Onion-dill rice
A simple but flavorful rice dish featuring browned onions, red peppers, garlic, and fresh dill. Works great as a savory side dish or a light vegetarian main.
Relatively Quick Pizza from Scratch
Make two large homemade pizzas in about an hour. This food processor dough recipe is fast, reliable, and yields a crispy crust without the long rise time.
High Performance CSS code design
How to find messy spots in your CSS and clean them up. A look at better selectors and modular patterns to help your site load faster.
Installing PIL inside virtualenv for Ubuntu 9.10
Review of Learning jQuery 1.3
My review of a jQuery 1.3 book. It covers the basics of the library and if it provides enough value for developers already familiar with JavaScript.
Boring "I moved" post
Moving back to Laurel to save money and restore a house. A personal update on property taxes and getting back into a regular study routine.
Cutting Scheme in Half
The Scheme steering committee decided to split the language into two versions. A look at what this means for the future of the language and its fans.
Bad chain tool, bad
A bike maintenance disaster involving a broken chain tool and a snapped chain. A quick lesson on checking your tools before heading out for a ride.
Check-in
A summer update on the PubMed redesign, technical books, and fixing a favorite Bianchi bike. Notes on user interaction and developer life in DC.
Url Fairy Tales
An email imagining a story behind a very long and messy ringling dot com URL. A look at how technology can feel like a fantasy world.
Review of "Prototype-Based Programming"
Thoughts on prototype based languages and how they differ from standard object oriented programming. A look at the pros and cons for software design.
Review of "Expert Python Programming"
A review of Tarek Ziade's book on Python. It covers high level patterns and best practices for developers looking to write better Python code.
Sibelius Symphony no. 1
Performance details for a Columbia Orchestra concert in Maryland. A short note on playing the first symphony by Sibelius.
My XSLT Toolbox – 5 Favorite XSLT Books
My list of the best XSLT books for different skill levels. These are the five references I keep on my shelf for daily programming work.
My XSLT Toolbox – Recursive XSLT templates
How to write recursive XSLT templates to solve tricky problems like splitting strings without needing extra libraries or outside functions.
My XSLT Toolbox – copy and copy-of
A guide on using xsl:copy and xsl:copy-of to handle XML elements. It covers the difference between shallow and deep copies with clear examples.
Affecting your situation
Thoughts on professional integrity and taking responsibility in a stormy industry. A look at a New York Philharmonic trombonists take on fakes.
Advantages of push-style XSLT over pull-style
Why push style XSLT is usually better than pulling data. A look at using functional programming ideas to make your templates more reusable.
Horror Movies, Final installment
My final reviews of classic and modern horror films for Halloween. Thoughts on The Exorcist, Carrie, and the scariest scenes in cinema.
Next-to-last Horror Movies
Watching 50s cheese in The Blob and psychological horror in Hellraiser II. A look at why some sequels fail to beat the original.
More October Horror Movies
Reviews of horror films including 28 Days Later and Hellraiser. A look at 80s imagery and movie plot holes.
Review of "Object-Oriented JavaScript"
A review of Stoyan Stefanov's book on JavaScript. It breaks down how the language handles objects and patterns without the usual academic fluff.
October Horror Movies
Starting a horror movie marathon with reviews of Nightwatch and Sisters. A look at what makes a psychological thriller actually scary.
Snapshot of right now
A late night reading the Fannie Farmer Cookbook and listening to George Crumb. Thoughts on camera lenses and the next day of work.
Funny thing about bugs…
Reflection on the reality of long term bug fixing and writing context dependent code in XSLT. A look at growth as a developer over two years.
Django 1.0
A quick note on the official release of Django 1.0. A milestone for Python developers and web frameworks everywhere.
Review of "Web Form Design, Filling in the Blanks"
Review of Luke Wroblewskis book on form design. It covers eye tracking data and best practices for making web forms easier to use.
Clean room!
A tour of my desk and bookshelf after a rare cleaning session. Notes on graph theory books, Mac setups, and keeping the laptop cool with a stand.
Le Tour
Following the Tour de France and the stories behind the competition. A look at great cycling photography and coverage of the race.
Review of "Learning Website Development with Django"
A review of a Django book for beginners. It covers the framework's approach to web development and if the tutorial style works for new programmers.
July 4
Celebrating July 4th with hot dog contests and Szechuan food. Also includes a look at rebuilding a site in Django and a new reading list.
Down to three bugs
Getting close to a work deadline and enjoying a legendary year for Boston sports. A look at championships for the Celtics, Sox, and Giants.
Happy Regular Expressions Day!
A very short celebration of Regular Expressions Day. A quick shout out to the most powerful and frustrating tool in a programmers kit.