News & Commentary

TWIW: Week of January 15

2012-01-22T19:09:00.001-05:00

Sunday: none

Monday: teach spin (60 min.)

Tuesday: yoga (60 min.)

Wednesday: Body Pump (60 min.)

Thursday: rest (chest cold)

Friday: teach spin (45 min.)

Saturday: yoga video (60 min.)

TWIW: Week of January 8

2012-01-22T19:08:00.001-05:00

Sunday: yoga (60 min.)

Monday: teach spin (45 min.)

Tuesday: cardio class (45 min.)

Wednesday: Body Pump (60 min.)

Thursday:spin class (60 min.)

Friday: teach spin (45 min.)

Saturday: cardio video (30 min.); yoga video (60 min.)

TWIW: Week of January 1-7

2012-01-08T14:42:00.000-05:00

Sunday: yoga video (45 minutes)

Monday: teach spin (60 minutes)

Tuesday: none*

Wednesday: Body Pump (60 minutes)

Thursday: none

Friday: teach spin (45 minutes)

Saturday: bike ride (14 mi.); yoga video (60 minutes)

* I decided to be more honest with myself and call a no-exercise day "none," rather than "rest." If I do have to take a rest day due to fatigue or injury, I will note it as "rest."

TWIW: Week of November 27

2011-12-06T10:39:00.000-05:00

Sunday: bike ride (26 mi.)

Monday: teach spin (45 min.)

Tuesday: rest

Wednesday: Body Pump (60 min.)

Thursday: rest

Friday: teach spin (45 min.)

Saturday: yoga (60 min.); bike ride (19 mi.)

TWIW: Week of November 20

2011-11-27T16:59:00.000-05:00

Sunday: bike ride (14 mi.)

Monday: teach spin class (45 min.)

Tuesday: rest

Wednesday: rest

Thursday: spin class (90 min.)

Friday: cardio abs video (30 min.)

Saturday: run/walk (30 min.)

This Week in Workouts: Week of November 13

2011-11-20T16:38:00.000-05:00

Sunday: rest

Monday: teach spin class (45 min.)

Tuesday: rest/lazy/maybe coming down with a cold?

Wednesday: yoga (60 min.)

Thursday: spin class (60 min.)

Friday: teach spin class (45 min.)

Saturday: yoga (60 min.)

Epic Mini Local Adventure: C&O/W&OD Semi-Circle (66 miles)

2011-11-18T19:52:00.000-05:00

We have been definitely upping our cycling mileage this past summer, which has been great. With more time spent in the saddle and some minor modifications to our highly unexceptionable bikes, we've been feeling more comfortable with longer distances. And by longer distances, I mean 20-30 miles. Before the weather got too cold and nasty, I wanted to try a epic (for us) ride. I had read about the C&O and W&OD Loop, a 75 mile loop that takes you up the C&O Canal to White's Ferry, across the Potomac, and then connects back to the W&OD back into Washington. Frankly, that "75" number scared us, especially since our then-longest trip was about 35 miles. S did some serious Google-Earth planning on how to make this work,and we decided we'd bike to Arlington and take the Metro back with our bikes.

We started off on a cold Saturday morning, our pockets filled with sandwiches and Cliff bites and took the first hour on quiet suburban streets and windy country roads out to Potomac. There's a lovely multi-use path that runs alongside River Road, which we took until we reached Swains Lock. After stopping for port-a-potties and shedding some clothes, we set off on the gravel canal towpath.
North of Bethesda, this section of trail is really quite lovely and uncrowded; we saw a few cyclists and joggers, but mostly we were on our own (though we did see at least two sets of cyclists who looked like they were taking Veterans Day weekend to bike the entire towpath). A bit of wind off the river, but gorgeous views across the Potomac.
.

It turns out that 20 miles on gravel is quite taxing, and we were ready for our sandwiches and a quick break as we paid our $4 for our ferry ride across the Potomac.

By this time, we were getting a little anxious for a break, but we needed to keep riding to Leesburg. A few big, busy routes, but fortunately with wide shoulders. Once we made it into Leesburg,we had the usual shopping center choices for lunch, and we settled on California Tortilla for refueling, bathrooms and lots of water.
Just after Route 7, we found our way on to the W&OD Trail. The difference between the W&OD and the C&O cannot be overstated. The W&OD is paved, well-marked, has lovely amenities and is close to lots of towns. I'm sure it's terribly overcrowded in the summer, but in mid-November, it was far from full.

historical signs!

Amazing amenities

Despite better riding conditions, and maybe because we had stopped for lunch, our motivation and pace slowed considerably when we got on the W&OD. It took us a while for us to bring our pace back up. We decided to stop in Reston for coffee, and enjoyed being a spectator to some kind of charity Undie Run through the town center.

With the setting sun now as a motivator, and with what appeared to be a slightly downhill route, we were able to pick up the speed and carry on to East Falls Church, where we took our bikes on the metro and back home again.

Our total mileage was 66 miles, which I realize is not amazing, but it was hard work for us on our hybrids, without cliples pedals, particularly on the gravel towpath portion. My legs ached on Sunday in an unfamiliar way! I did learn that I am not quite ready for a century ride, though that is one of my goals for next season.

Here's hoping to many more happy miles out for next season!

This Week in Workouts: Week of November 6

2011-11-13T09:12:00.000-05:00

Sunday: bike ride (13 miles)

Monday: bike ride (12 miles); teach spin class (45 min.)

Tuesday: rest

Wednesday: Body Pump (60 min.)

Thursday: rest/lazy

Friday: bike ride (7 miles); teach spin class (45 min.)

Saturday: bike ride (66 miles!)

Coffeeneuring

2011-11-09T20:18:00.004-05:00

In a matter of minor local fame, S and I have been profiled on the Chasing Mailboxes website as finishers of the Coffeeneuring Challenge.

What is Coffeeneuring, do you ask?

Well, the idea is simple: take a leisurely bike ride to a coffee shop and enjoy a tasty beverage. Biking for the sake of a good ride, not for time or distance. So, what was the challenge? Complete seven of these rides over the course of six weekends -- a maximum of two trips per weekend. And despite being out of town for two of the six weekends, we managed to complete the challenge set out for us!

Check out a summary of our coffee exploits
here and here.

This Week in Workouts: Week of October 30

2011-11-07T20:32:00.003-05:00

Sunday: Rest

Monday: teach spin class -- 45 min.

Tuesday: elliptical -- 40 min.

Wednesday: Body Pump (strength training) -- 60 min.

Thursday: spin class -- 60 min.

Friday: teach spin class -- 45 min.

Saturday: bike ride (approx. 24 miles)

Crime Scene

2010-06-29T08:18:00.001-04:00

Twenty-one Phish concert goers were arrested on drug charges at Meriwether Post Pavilion, according to the Post. Talk about low-hanging fruit.

A New Year's Wish

2010-01-04T07:42:00.001-05:00

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.

-- Benjamin Franklin

Happy 2010 to all of you!

A New Blog Find

2009-12-23T22:33:00.003-05:00

A new blog find, Sarcastic Lutheran. The author is a pastor for a mission church in Denver.
Some very thoughtful reads which I am working my way through, but I appreciated her meditation on the .Magnificat.

A Cabin Fever Menu

2009-12-20T16:00:00.004-05:00

Where were you when Snowpocalypse 2009 hit?

Me, I was still at our office holiday party festivities around 9pm on Friday. I looked outside to see the fat white flakes starting to fall. By Saturday morning, things looked very dubious and by late Saturday morning, I decided against trying to take the train to Baltimore. (Probably a wise choice, as Amtrak is severely delayed and the metro is still not running above ground as I write this on late Sunday afternoon.)

So, what to do in a blizzard? Listen to holiday music, of course. Maybe a few loads of laundry? Read my book. Ah, yes . . . and cook, cook, cook.

I didn't want to venture to the store for ingredients until today, so I had to be a little creative with the ingredients I have. So, this is what I ended up with. What did you cook? What are your favorite "cabin fever" dishes?

Saturday breakfast:
Leftover pumpkin-walnut-cranberry muffins. Defrosted and toasted, with a big cuppa joe on the side. Miraculously, my Saturday newspaper arrived, so I enjoyed the paper with my breakfast.

Saturday lunch:
Spaghetti squash, roasted, and tossed with butter, garlic, sauteed mushrooms, sage and thyme. The spaghetti squash had been sitting on my counter for over a week, so I knew it would be the perfect day to bake it.
Slice of leftover bread (our friend Greg baked it and brought it last Saturday for a potluck), with butter and apricot jam)

Tea:
Well, good black tea, of course. And banana bread. I had to alter the recipe to make it vegan, because we were out of eggs. Fortunately, banana bread veganizes very nicely using ground flaxseed.

Saturday Dinner:
Red lentil stew with basmati rice. This is a recipe from Gourmet magazine (RIP) that I had made once before. I had every ingredient I needed (red lentils, onion, frozen peas, garlic, ginger, and spices) except spinach, which I would have otherwise sliced into strips and added to the stew at the very end.

Saturday dessert:
I sliced two otherwise sad looking golden apples into an oven-proof bowl. I sprinkled a mixture of brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and a little bit of flour over the top and baked in the oven for 25 or so minutes. Served perfectly with a bit of vanilla ice cream on top (which miraculously I did have!), while I watched some sappy Irish feel-good film on Netflix on demand.

Today, I managed to get to the grocery store. Unfortunately, nary an egg to be seen. (Given the opportunity for "southwestern-style" Eggbeaters, I demurred.) So I am experimenting right now with coconut cookies and a pecan-pie style bar cookie recipe, to see if they will work with egg whites only.
I think we'll be plowed out by tomorrow (though a plow has yet to touch our street, it has touched the more major roads in our neighborhood.) And to think...they are predicting another snow later this week!

More Pumpkin Delights

2009-12-12T09:03:00.004-05:00

For me, fall and spring present a never-ending opportunity to bake pumpkin related foods. (Heck, only the hottest days of August truly deter me from firing up the oven to bake pumpkin muffins.)

So this past cold Sunday afternoon, I pored through cookbooks to see what I could come up with. The result? Pumpkin bars made with a pecan streusel topping. Perfect with afternoon tea, I even took some into work with me on Monday to share with coffee.

The original recipe called for a cream cheese frosting on top of the bars. I was lacking some of the ingredients for that part, so I opted to substitute a pecan streusel from a different recipe. I'm sure the cream cheese frosting is lovely, but pumpkin and pecan, to me, are like salt and pepper. I don't know if you can have them separately (though I am willing to be convinced otherwise.)

Pumpkin Bars with Pecan Streusel
(adapted from King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion)

Bar Ingredients:
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 c. sugar
1 c. canned pumpkin
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I use Penzey's)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 c. all purpose flour

Streusel Ingredients:
1/4 c. brown sugar
4 tbsp cold butter
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 9x9 pan
Cream together all bar ingredients except the flour. Then add flour, and blend until smooth.
Spread batter in prepared pan.
Mix together streusel ingredients and sprinkle over batter.
Bake for 30-40 minutes. Let cool completely on rack before cutting.

Turkey Warnings

2009-11-27T08:40:00.005-05:00

See, the danger of cooking turkeys, as I have mentioned before, cannot be overstated.
Read the latest fire-related story here.

Fall Cooking

2009-10-17T15:03:00.004-04:00

Is it cold and rainy where you are today? My guess is, unless you live in Florida, it's been a grey, dark week, punctured only with the russets and the oranges in the trees that I have been finally noticing. The weather prediction is that it will be in the upper thirties (with rain!) tonight. No wonder we're skipping the last DC United game.

The cool weather is good for at least one thing -- begging me back inside with some baking. Now my cooking has been relatively uninspired lately -- going back to easy things I am familiar with: tuna noodle casserole, black bean fajitas, lunchtime peanut butter & jam sandwiches.

But I'm still looking for inspiration (if not always finding the time to act upon the inspiration) -- reading cooking magazines, reading blogs of people who incrediblly are cooking with a newborn at home.

You may know my love of all things pumpkin. So when I saw this recipe for a savory pumpkin quiche, I knew I had to try it. It's very similar to the family quiche recipe I use on occasion, just substituting in some canned pumpkin for some of the ingredients. I used about 1/2 gruyere and 1/2 mozzarella for the cheese and I threw in some mushrooms because I had them on hand. It's very pretty and will make a great lunch.

pumpkin quiche

The second thing I threw in the oven (hey, it was already warm!) was a pan full of wholesome date-nut bar mixture. It's a very humble, simple recipe, perfect for an afternoon snack with some tea (personally, I love Earl Grey on a cool weekend afternoon, yes, even with some milk -- but I leave it to you to decide what kind of tea should accompany this snack. Not too sweet.

Chewy Date Nut Bars
(from King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion)

Ingredients:
2 large eggs (beaten together)
1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. chopped dates

1. Preheat oven to 400F and lightly grease a 9x9 pan (I used a 7x7 since that's what I had.)
2. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, & sugar.
3. Stir ingredients into the eggs and then stir in dates and nuts.
4. Spread batter into pan, using greased or wet fingers to distribute the dough.
5. Bake the bars for 18-22 minutes.
6. Let cool completely before cutting them into squares.

Wisdom

2009-09-20T13:56:00.004-04:00

Inspired by the New Testament reading for today, James 3:13 - 4:3, 7 - 8a: Does gentleness result from wisdom? It seems most wise people I know are also gentle souls. Does the same age and experience which result in wisdom also just mellow us out so we are not so wound-up and rough towards each other?

Wine

2009-09-19T08:41:00.005-04:00

Dinner, Villeneuvette, France
Proving that my sister & I are always ahead of the curve in all matters of fashion and culture, the Washington Post wine columnist reviews wines from Languedoc-Rouissillon, the southern French province that's not Provence. Read his recommendations here And no, the wines were not earth shattering (at least not at the price point at which we were sampling), but they are eminently drinkable and an enjoyable way to top off a day of hot, sweaty biking.

One thing we noticed was the relative availability of half-size bottles of wine at most restauraunts. I don't think I've ever seen this at a restaurant in the States and usually the only half bottles of wine I see in the liquor store are for expensive sparkling wines. So, American wine importers & retailers: listen up! there's a market for smaller bottles of wine!

Grilled Radicchio?

2009-07-14T22:06:00.002-04:00

Making use of the grill pan.

I always see grilled radicchio being made on cooking shows. I thought I'd try it out--I loved how it looks, but it is still very better.

Is there anything I can do to make it less bitter? Maybe a balsamic reduction over it? (I did make a dressing with olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, and some herbs.)

The Easiest Iced Tea, Ever

2009-07-11T20:03:00.004-04:00

The tea cabinet runneth over.

Red Zinger, working its magic

Drinks associated with summer? Lemonade, of course, but also iced tea.

The Splendid Table recently had a piece on the easiest, fool proof iced tea there is. That is: add your tea to cold water and place in the refrigerator overnight. Okay, that's pretty easy. Turns out, too, some teas need considerably less time than that.

I've tried this method with Good Earth green tea (which is flavored with lemongrass).

I'm also becoming quite addicted to using this method with Celestial Seasoning's Red Zinger herbal tea, which needs more like 15 minutes to "steep." And you really can taste the hibiscus without burning your tongue (as in, what I normally do when I make hot tea).

Driving

2009-06-14T20:56:00.003-04:00

I will be signing all of you up for remedial driving lessons. I am not even talking about rude driving or inconsiderate driving, not using turn signals, etc. I am talking about basic rules of the road.

So, here's today's lesson: If you are making a left hand turn, you are allowed -- in fact, it is to be highly encouraged if not required -- that you put your vehicle firmly into the intersection. The purpose is two fold: (1) you will be able to see oncoming traffic to determine whether it is safe to make the left hand turn and (2) if there is a lot of traffic, you will still be able to make your left hand turn when the light turns yellow. This is considered considerate to everyone behind you who doesn't stand a chance of ever making a left hand turn if you don't do this.

Seriously, I'm seeing this more and more. Have people forgotten?

Thought for Today

2009-05-18T21:43:00.003-04:00

Has my blog become a repository for my crotchedy old lady complaints?

Kids these days .... dress inappropriately, are rude on the Metro, and can't spell.

I think this may sum up many, if not most, of my recent blog postings. Hmmm. Now, where's my cane, so I can shake it threateningly if any youngster gets too close.

What Not To Wear ... to Court

2009-05-16T14:47:00.004-04:00

Another installment in my occasional educational series on sartorial choices.

This blog had an interesting round-up of comments attributed to judges referencing appropriate courtwear for attorneys -- although appropriate courtwear seems to be always limited to appropriate courtwear for women.

(I will note, though, actually, I had heard a story of male attorneys during a weeks-long trial who were admonished not to wear sports jackets to trial. And there was that patent attorney from the Pacific Northwest who thought he coul go without a tie to the Federal Circuit, which didn't go down so well).

Anyway, I will say that the whole pants suit v. skirt suit thing is a little silly. I wear both, although usually skirt suits. The rest should really be obvious for both sexes --dark, neutral colors, and basically don't wear anything that would make the judge remember what you were wearing rather than what you were saying.

I do have to disagree with the blog author, however, if she thought that high-heeled leather boots with her skirtsuit was appropriate footwear for court appearances. Even if it was winter in the Midwest. There's another, more vulgar term for those types of boots -- and that is not the message you want to be sending to the bench or to opposing counsel.

Signs of Spring

2009-05-03T20:05:00.004-04:00

Hostas, geraniums and a forsythia (?) (ed: azalea) from our garden. Everything is green with all of the rain...it's amazing how alive everything looks.

Couch Surfing

2009-04-29T20:41:00.001-04:00

Blog item here on couchsurfing. A million people worldwide are part of the network of people looking for a free place to crash in a visiting city and people who have empty couches/futons/guest bedrooms ready to lend them out to anyone who needs it. Would you be willing to couch surf on your next vacation to save some bucks or meet some locals? How about serving as a host?

Gym Etiquette

2009-04-29T20:40:00.000-04:00

What, exactly, is the point of working out on the elliptical trainer while you talk on your cell phone? Are you really getting the full benefit of your workout that way?

Spelling Rant

2009-04-06T12:54:00.001-04:00

Does no one know how to spell anymore? Is there an editor left in the world? Or in the world of electronic media, has everyone assumed that SpellCheck will do the work, even though SpellCheck can't catch homophones (that is, words which sound alike but are spelled differently and mean different things)? Why yes, my Harbrace College Handbook does happen to be on my desk, why do you ask?

I give you two recent examples. In the first, I received an invitation via e-mail from my college rowing club sent to all alumni. The title? "Your invited"
AGGHHHH! your signifies a possessive; you're is a contraction of the words you are.

Next, I was looking through the Montgomery County Parks & Planning catalog to see if there might be any interesting classes offered this spring and summer. The brochure advertises some cooking classes in the following manner: "Allow your pallet to travel different countries." (emphasis added).
Ahem. You find a pallet in a hardware store. You find your palate on your tongue.

In both cases, there appears to be a major failure of proofreading. I can assume that the rowing coach did not have someone else read the e-mail before he sent it (although he should have), but presumably the county did have a proofreader or two, so there really is no excuse for that one.

Metro Etiquette Tip #125

2009-04-05T22:11:00.003-04:00

Using your commute to sample your selection of downloaded cell phone ringtones is not appropriate Metro behavior.

Unsolicited Fashion Advice #303: Dressing Your Children

2009-03-29T16:06:00.002-04:00

If your daughter is under the age of five, here are some hints on what not to dress her in:

*Mini-skirts. Even if they have "girly" ruffles.
*Halter tops.

This list is not exhaustive. You are welcome.

Quote of the Day

2009-03-28T13:08:00.003-04:00

"Love does not result in a lack of conflict: Intimacy and conflict are inseparable, for we grow in our personal lives through conflict."

--David Augsburger, The Peacemaker

Greetings & Salutations

2009-03-28T12:54:00.002-04:00

I'm really trying to work on letting little things bother me less, I really am. I do believe I am not half as wound up as I was ten years ago, perhaps some evidence supporting the adage that age mellows us all. I don't know. But I had occasion to consider a funny habit recently (not mine): the habit of using "I love you" as a sign-off on the phone.

As in:

"Do you want chicken or pasta for dinner tonight??"
"Chicken.."
"Okay, I'll see you at home. I love you."

or

"Did you just try to call me?"
"No, I was in a meeting."
"Oh, okay. I love you."

As you may imagine, I have opportunities in my daily life to hear inane conversations such as this, and while it's clearly someone else's relationships, not mine, it still kind of drives me crazy.

It reminded me of a thought I had several years ago about not letting "I love you" become another way of saying "good-bye."

Consumer Products

2009-03-25T15:09:00.003-04:00

How much love do I have for the ShamWow? A lot. The commercials--with the guy with his headset mic, just put a smile on my face every time they seem to appear on Fox Soccer Channel. (The commercial always seems to be playing on Fox Soccer Channel, inexplicably)

Anyway, a showdown between Shamwow and Zorbeez, the product plugged by Billy Mays (of OxyClean fame?) How could I resist?

And I am happy to report that Shamwow was the hands-down winner. Now I shall get to stocking up right now.

Choices

2009-03-24T09:43:00.002-04:00

Both my ten year college reunion and the World Spinning Conference in Miami are held on the same weekend. Choices, choices.

Today's Photo

2009-03-02T22:06:00.000-05:00

Our gnome braved the cold today.

Sweet Potato and Leek Gratin

2009-03-02T21:54:00.006-05:00

An Up Close View of the Gratin
Sweet Potato and Leek Gratin
This is a wonderful dish. I think you need another side or a protein to really round this out into a full meal, (eating some leftovers for lunch today left me hungry by 3pm), but this would be a great side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas or any potluck. After all the time in the oven, the sweet potatoes just melt, and if you burn the leeks (as I did, accidentally), it adds even more sweetness, I think. Another great excuse for using the oven.

Sweet Potato and Leek Gratin
(adapted from recipe in Vegetarian Times, February 2009)

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 medium leeks, white and light green parts chopped
3 cloves garlic
3 Tbs rosemary
1/2 tsp sumac
2 medium-to-large sweet potatoes, cut in thin half moons
1/2 c. water
3 Tbs breadcrumbs
2-3 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan (The original recipe called for Romano, which I am sure would also be delicious)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450F. Coat 9x9 baking pan with baking spray.
2. Add oil to nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add leeks, garlic and rosemary, saute 8 minutes, until soft. Season with pepper and coarse sea salt.
3. Arrange sweet potato slices on the bottom of the baking pan. Alternate leek mixture and sweet potatoes.
4. Sprinkle the sumac on the top layer and pour the water over the entire dish.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
6. Stir breadcrumbs and grated cheese together.
7. Remove foil from gratin and shake the breadcrumb-cheese mixture over the dish. Cook uncovered for another 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.

More Soup

2009-03-02T21:44:00.004-05:00

I was happy to read through February's copy of Vegetarian Times and find a lot of good recipes worth trying out. This is one of them, which is a perfect, warm, thick, creamy, winter soup, with easy to find and inexpensive ingredients. I am thinking of using it for a church soup supper this Lent. If you use soy milk (as the original recipe calls for), it's a vegan soup as well.

Roasted Corn Chowder
adapted from Vegetarian Times, February 2009

Ingredients:
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, diced
2 c. frozen diced potatoes
4 c. vegetable stock
16 oz frozen roasted corn kernels (I used Trader Joes brand)
2 c. milk (I used 2%)

Directions:
1. Heat oil and saute onion and bell pepper for 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes and cook for 3 minutes more.
2. Add broth and corn and bring to simmer; reduce heat and cook 7-10 minutes.
3. Using immersion blender, blend soup, leaving some corn kernels and potato bits unblended.

How to Eat More Vegetables

2009-02-12T18:45:00.004-05:00

I'm trying really hard to support my local, forgotten, unloved Safeway that's right by the train station. It's so convenient and yet so eerily....unused. So I try to reward them when they have decent produce and/or organic stuff by purchasing it, which is how I ended up with a bag of parsnips. I like parsnips; however, parsnips do not usually end up in my cooking equation. Fortunately, I've also been drooling over Deborah Madison's cookbook, Local Flavors, which I thoroughly enjoy perusing and yet almost never cook any of the recipes in this cookbook (unlike Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, which, as the name indicates, everyone needs).

I found this really easy recipe for a galette which uses the parsnips and another wonderful winter vegetable, chard. And even though some of my Spanish tortilla-flipping has been less than perfect in the past, this galette flipped easily. This is perfect with a side salad and packs wonderfully for lunches.

Parsnip Galette with Greens
(adapted from Local Flavors by Deborah Madison)

Ingredients:
1/2 lb parsnips
sea salt & fresh pepper
4 c. mixed greens (I used rainbow chard)
2 large eggs
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
2 tbsp butter
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1./2 tsp herbes de provence
olive oil

Directions:
(1) Peel and grate parsnips. It should be about 2 cups.
(2) Boil water, and drop the chard in the water for about 4-5 minutes. Drain the chard and chop it up.
(3) Beat eggs, whisk in the flour, and then add salt, pepper, herbes de provence, parsnips, cheese, and greens.
(4) Melt butter in 8 inch nonstick skillet. Add walnuts and cook until toasty (3-4 minutes). Add walnuts to parsnip-egg mixture.
(5) Wipe out skillet, add a bit of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and add parsnip mixture, flattening it down with the back of a wooden spoon.
(6) Cook on one side until brown, about 8 minutes.
(7)Slide galette onto plate, put skillet face down onto plate & flip the galette. Finish cooking on the second side another 3-4 minutes.
(8) Remove from skillet and cut into wedges.

Why Cell Phones Are Bad, Reason # 4342

2009-01-26T08:22:00.002-05:00

Because your precious Kaitlynn or Connor is probably talking on the phone, she or he is more likely to not be paying attention and thus get hit by a car. The study considered children aged 10 or 11, who, by my reasoning, should have no need for cell phones, but you know, I am just a bitter old childless fogy who doesn't understand the needs of today's children. So, anyway, the point: Look both ways and stop talking on your phone before you cross the street, kids.

Books I Read, 2008

2009-01-11T20:16:00.003-05:00

Inspired by Heather, who last year (2007) pledged to read more books and then shared with us her list, the following is the list of the 21 books I read last year.

And She Was (Cindy Dyson): a quasi-Bildungsroman taking place in Alaska. Entertaining, though leaned a bit heavy on the white-girl-coopting-Native-culture-to-find-herself genre.

The Secret River (Kate Grenville): historical novel taking place in colonial Australia. Really vivid imagery.

A Walk in the Woods (Bill Bryson): Like all Bryson's work, an entertaining, amusing read with lots of factual tidbits to pick up along the way.

Eats, Shoots, & Leaves (Lynne Truss): a book about punctuation and grammar that only a Grammar Nazi such as myself could love.

Guns, Germs & Steel (Jared Diamond): This was definitely the book that took me the longest to get through this year. It was a bit dense, but definitely available to the lay person, a great introduction to anthropology and an answer to the question of why some cultures and continents developed faster than others. I would recommend to anyone.

Death of a Red Heroine (Qui Xialolong): Murder mystery taking place in China. Lots of social commentary on China.

Julie & Julia (Julie Powell): A young woman decides to cook every recipe from Julia Child's cookbook in one year. Fun, amusing and self-deprecating read.

Last Trout in Venice (Doug Lansky): collection of short travel stories.

Jemima J (Jane Green): pure, unadulterated "chick lit" and I do not feel at all guilty for including it on this list.

Three Cups of Tea (Greg Mortenson & David Relin): This was on the bestseller list this year. A man with a gift for languages and a deep desire and ability to connect with other cultures builds co-ed schools in rural Pakistan. Interesting to see how he clashed with American government after 2001, even though he's probably doing more to help American relationships in Pakistan and Afghanistan than most.

Goodbye, Jimmy Choo (Annie Sanders): See above re: chick lit.

Gabriela, Clove & Cinnamon (Jorge Amado): A love story in colonial Brazil. Colorful and funny writer.

Blue Like Jazz (Donald Miller): On the back of the book, Miller is compared to "Anne Lamott on testosterone." A young man's thought-provoking book on spirituality and Christianity; I would highly recommend it.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (Barbara Kingsolver): A woman and her family commit to living off of what they can grow themselves for a year on a rural Virginia farm. Really inspiring to try to eat locally (or even better,) to eat what I grow myself.

Walking to Canterbury (Jerry Ellis): A modern pilgrimage, following the steps of the pilgrims from London to Canterbury.

Through Siberia By Accident (Dervla Murphy): Travel tale about Siberia. I enjoyed the stories of the Siberians, the landscape and the transportation woes; I can't say I really enjoyed Dervla Murphy herself.

In the Country of Men (Hisham Matar): A young boy in Libya under Gaddhafi.

From Heaven Lake (Vikram Seth): A fascinating tale of an Indian who spoke fluent Chinese, travelling across rural western China and through Nepal to get home to India in the late 1970s, when most rural Chinese had never met a foreigner.

Sunday Philosophy Club (Alexander McCall Smith): a murder mystery in Edinburgh.

Bridget Jones' Diary (Helen Fielding): look, at this point I was just looking to beat Simon on the # of books read...:)

Remember Me (Sophie Kinsella): see above.

Any recommendations for this year?

You Might Have Noticed...

2008-12-24T17:23:00.002-05:00

That I haven't been updating the blog lately. To be fair, no one I know is. I guess maybe navel-gazing technology has moved on to a different sphere? I'm not sure. So I am still trying to figure out what use this blog might still have, if anyone is still reading it, etc., etc. I am sure as the new year rolls around and new resolutions are started, maybe there will be more to discuss. We'll see.

In the meantime, have a wonderful Christmas/Hannukah, and feel free to leave me a note with your favorite December tradition.

Just Wondering

2008-11-28T11:42:00.000-05:00

Would it be wrong to eat stuffing every day of your life?

What's Cooking?

2008-11-15T18:56:00.004-05:00

Soup

Few things are better than soup when it's cold outside. I've had to bring my herbs inside for the winter (they are sitting in a window in our basement right now), but I was able to use some of my rosemary in Orangette's Chickpea Tomato Soup with fresh rosemary. Super easy to make and few ingredients. I enjoyed the last bit of it for today's lunch with a grilled cheese sandwich, while watching the few remaining leaves fall from the trees.

Fall Colors

2008-11-15T18:52:00.001-05:00

Anyone want to rake leaves?

Yes, this is our backyard.

Religulous

2008-11-13T20:44:00.005-05:00

You know, every so often I think, maybe I should be Roman Catholic. I love the rites, the saints, the traditions, the "high church" of it all. Plus, to the extent that we ever had a family religious tradition (from either the Irish side or the French side), I suppose many of my forefathers were Catholic.*

Then I read crap like this. And I remember that despite some Catholic Worker-Dorothy Day-social justice pockets, my world views are probably not correctly aligned with the Catholics. Oh, that and my whole view on grace, too.

*Ok, there was the Pentacostal side, too.

Another Lesson in Metro Etiquette

2008-11-13T20:41:00.002-05:00

Here's a public service announcement: Clipping your fingernails is not appropriate Metro behavior. (I am going to assume that it was fingernails--I could only hear, not see the behavior. I might be sick to my stomach if it were toenails.)

So, Um, You Guys

2008-11-11T19:23:00.002-05:00

I freely admit that I'm often the last one to jump on board a trend. I think I might be the only attorney left in my office still using paper time tracking sheets (as opposed to entering my time electronically). The problem becomes when you're the one left behind. Which leads to my quandary.

I am also one of the few people in my generation (whatever the hell that means), who is not on Facebook. At first, I really saw it as something the kids were doing, not someone a few (*cough* ten) years, out of college. But more and more people started getting onto it. I kept hearing things like "It's such a great way to keep in touch with people." My thoughts were: well, if they are people I would keep in contact with anyway, it's unnecessary, and if artificial electronic software was needed to prop up or maintain otherwise dying relationships, perhaps they were not meant to be, right?

But increasingly, I am realizing that maybe my stubborness is causing me to be left behind. Over dinner last week, I had a conversation with a friend from college, J, who talked about another college friend's kid, noting that, of course, he could see these photos on the friend's Facebook profile. I wouldn't have even known this guy had had a kid but for my conversation with J.

Meanwhile I am blogging when everyone around me seems to be abandoning their blogs. So, my fear is of course I will join Facebook and then six months later, everyone will jump to the newest, funnest, cutting edge technology. And I guess I will still be hopelessly behind.:)

Cool Music Stuff

2008-11-11T19:13:00.006-05:00

Well, as most of you know, (and as I was discussing recently with friends) I am hopelessly old and uncool and only listen to the radio (MIX 107.3) when I am in the car which is .... not all that often because I don't own one. However, a friend recommended Pandora. (Yes, again, I realize that those hipper than me discovered this months ago.)

I must say -- it's totally cool. For those of you who don't know, you type in a genre or an artist that you like: let's say Phil Collins. The software tries to match you up with other artists and songs who sound like Phil Collins that you'd probably like. It's pretty neat. And if you know a friend who has a Pandora account, you can search by their e-mail address and listen to their stations, too. So, neat-o, or whatever the kids are saying these days.

Office Decor, Take Two

2008-11-06T20:26:00.004-05:00

So, I don't usually blog about work because very few good things can ever come of that, but I think this is suitably neutral that I can go with it. Recently, (well, about a year ago) we had our internal halls re-wallpapered in our office. To do this, they had to take all of the previous art and wall hangings down. And a few months ago, we got an e-mail letting us know that we were going to re-decorate and that if anyone had any appropriate, uncontroversial art at home they'd like to donate to the cause, that people should do so.

Anyway, so this week, they have finally starting rolling out the art in our office. And it's ... odd. Like, you know at the beginning of every semester in college, some group would come on campus and sell you framed art prints, 2 for $20 or whatever? And there'd be the one artsy person on your dorm floor who had their room decorated in black-and-white Ansel Adams prints, probably listening to The Cure on repeat? Well, I feel like that same truck of art prints has also come up and dumped 50 posters on to my floor. But the really wierd thing is, they are all black and white. So we've got some sort of Ansel Adams-esque print of some Western mountain range, some picture of pigeons in St. Marks Square, a baobab tree ... the sum of which is just....depressingly colourless. Like, they hired the town of Pleasantville as interior designers. Or there was a going-out-of-business sale at the local mall's art print store.

It's just strange.

Today's Weather

2008-11-04T16:02:00.002-05:00

It's gray outside, overcast, rainy. All of the trees have now turned gold, burnt sienna, bright yellow or yellow-green. It looks like evening, even though it's only 4pm. Yes, is truly, finally, autumn in D.C.

Today

2008-11-04T09:33:00.002-05:00

I am off to walk over to my local elementary school and vote!

UPDATE: 45 minutes, total wait. Not too bad at all.

Another Example of the Decline..

2008-10-25T10:12:00.003-04:00

...of Western civilization as we know it: The entry of this website onto the electronic highway. Look, people, I know I signed up for The Knot like 2 years ago so I could get some local wedding vendor information, then my "membership" automatically transferred to The Nest. I frankly try to ignore that when it comes into my inbox (Ok, I've looked at some of their home deco ideas), but never did I look at one of those TTC articles. (If you don't know what TTC stands for, count yourself lucky. Or a guy).

Ick. Please, stop the madness. What's next? The Diaper.com? The ADD Meds.com? The ErgonomicBackpack.com?

Getting Older

2008-10-17T14:48:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I received in the mail a "save the date" card for my ten year college reunion in May.

Thanks, college, for making me feel old. For context, I remember (although not very well) actually going to my mom's 10 year college reunion. I was five.

Halloween Candy

2008-10-16T10:21:00.006-04:00

I am very excited this year for Halloween because for the first time, we live in a suburban neighborhood, with sidewalks and outdoor lights, and lots of families, and the hope that we might actually get kids to come by for Halloween treats. I am even planning on taking off of work a few hours early to make sure I am home by 5 for the wee ones who come as little pumpkins and angels.

However, because I am a terrible, terrible American, I don't want to give out the usual candy with trans fats and HFCS to my neighborhood kids. On the other hand, I don't want to be the house that gives out the raisin boxes, either. So, what's a girl to do?

I've found a pretty good list here of some alternatives: animal cookies, organic gummi bears, chocolate covered raspberries to name a few.

So I think I am leaning towards fruit leather and some dark chocolate. Will this cause the neighborhood kids to throw eggs at my house?

Any other ideas?

Butternut Squash

2008-10-13T21:32:00.008-04:00

Squash soup

It seems everyone has a butternut squash soup recipe, except me. Clearly I need one. The nice thing about butternut squash soup is that it's pretty much a meal that makes itself. Cook squash. Add spices. I can't pretend that it is all that innovative, but it is a great way to use up the 5 pound squash I bought at Trader Joe's on a whim. I was strangely low on both onion and garlic, so I would definitely recommend using more than what I used, if you have it around. I saw recipes that also included apples, but frankly this soup is already so sweet, I think the apple would be going overboard.
It's quite a perfect Sunday evening meal in the fall, even if it's still going to be quite warm the next week. I have even enough for two leftover dinners.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

1 large butternut squash (mine was about 5 pounds)
1/2 red onion
3 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sumac
1 tsp sweet curry powder
1 small sprig rosemary, leaves removed from stem
3 c. water
1/2 c. milk (you could also use water here)
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F.
Use all your force and might to cut the squash in half. Place on a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cut the 1/2 onion into quarters and lay in the dish. Add 3 peeled garlic cloves. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until butternut squash is fork-tender.
Wait as long as you need to let the squash cool.
Scoop the squash out.
Working in batches, use a blender to blend squash, onion, garlic, and rosemary with 3 c. water.
(Of course if you have an immersion blender, use that instead!)
Add spices & the 1/2 cup milk. Blend well with a spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
Enjoy with a dollop of plain yogurt (I used Trader Joe's "European style" which is a bit tangier, I think).

EDIT: I actually think the tangy yogurt is crucial. Or you could use sour cream.

Other butternut squash ideas?

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

2008-10-04T12:50:00.004-04:00

I highly recommend Portland, Oregon. There was a lot to do, both in the city and not that far out of it. We could have easily spent a few more days in the city, probably S letting me go out by myself & check out the tons of independent boutiques, and enjoying the really cool restaurants and neighborhood bars that seemed to be everywhere. We did a jetboat river tour, hiked Multnomah Falls, went to five different wineries, drove up close to Mt. St. Helens, visited friends, saw the coast, spent a morning at Powells, had a beer tasting, and ate crepes twice--all in six days!

Pacific Ocean

Tree Hugger!

Sokol Blosser Winery

Scenic Beauty

2008-10-04T12:42:00.003-04:00

Mount Hood

Multnomah Falls

Top of the Waterfall

Oregon Coast

Oregon was really, really pretty. Lots of evergreens (I think Oregon may actually be the Evergreen State) everywhere. Most of the time we were there, it was cloudy and overcast, but you could still see how pretty it was and how untouched a lot of it was.

Cheaters Never Win

2008-10-04T12:36:00.004-04:00

One of the wineries we visited in the Willamette Valley, Cana's Feast, had a bocce ball court where S and I enjoyed a game of bocce ball. Well, at least I tried to enjoy it, but it was a bit difficult with S continually knocking my balls out of the way. Beautiful scenery, a bit cold, probably could have been 10 degrees warmer and it would have been perfect.

Cheater.
My initial win.

Back Home ....

2008-09-24T21:14:00.001-04:00

from visiting the beautiful, often cloudy, Pacific Northwest. Photos forthcoming. Right now I am just happy we are home, my cats don't hate me, and my house is still here.

How are you?

Metro: I'm Gonna Make You Sweat

2008-09-08T10:16:00.002-04:00

Dear Metro:

I suppose I could expect that you'd turn off the air conditioning in your trains, now that it is September. I can live with that, even if it's still going to be 86F today. But heat? Do I really need blowing hot air blasting on my train this morning? I knew I shouldn't have worn lined pants this morning.

And They Say It's The Dems Who Are Elitist And Out Of Touch

2008-09-05T19:39:00.003-04:00

Estimates place the cost of Cindy McCain's convention outfit at $300,000. Yes, that would be a very nice house in most parts of the country.

Dear NPR

2008-09-05T19:33:00.003-04:00

Dear NPR,

I do enjoy listening to your radio programming in the morning. I find I learn a lot about national and local news, not to mention traffic delays and the weather. But if we are going to continue this morning love relationship, you have got to move your StoryCorps piece from Friday mornings. Do not get me wrong--I think that the StoryCorps project is laudable--getting people to share and record stories from peoples' lives--and I appreciate the effort. But stories of the sacrifices of immigrants, terminally ill patients, and (today) stories from children whose parents were killed on 9/11--well, my Cheerios do not taste the same with my tears in them.

Thank you for your consideration.

Table Manners

2008-09-03T09:34:00.002-04:00

Phyllis Richman, the former food critic for the Washington Post has a great commentary (or rant, depending on how you think of these things!) this morning in the Post about restaurant table manners: specifically, the rise of plate-snatching by waiters/waitresses. (Sorry, I refuse to use the word waitron. Perhaps servers is more appropriate?) That is, the obsession by some servers to snatch the plate from under you whether you are necessarily done with the meal or not. It's an interesting change in manners. You see, (as I was taught at the fine dining establishment I used to work at), the rule was that you waited until everyone at the table was finished with their plates before collecting them. The reason being, you didn't want to make the slowest eater uncomfortable or look like you were rushing them out the door. But now pretty much everywhere I eat, the server grabs plates here and there, whether you are done eating or not. How many of you have had to fend off overeager servers while trying to mop up that last bit of sauce, or bread, or salad? Is this the decline of human civilization? Endemic of our go-go-go culture? Does it even bother you at all?

Blogs I Like

2008-08-26T21:10:00.003-04:00

I ran across Corporette the other day. It's pretty cute and actually seemed to have reasonable advice on buying interview suits, etc., etc.

Smitten Kitchen has beautiful food photography.

Thai Basil

2008-08-24T20:16:00.004-04:00

You may or may not know that one of my New Years resolutions for 2008 was to try to cook something new every week. I can't say that I have succeeded in meeting the letter of the law there, but I have been trying some new things. My dad brought over a few pots of different types of basil and they've been staring at me for a while, so I thought I would give a shot using the spicy basil in a summer curry. This recipe also calls for eggplant, which I do not have a lot of experience with, but ended up melting pleasingly into this curry. This ends up being very mild and not very hot at all, which is just fine by me. Enjoy over brown or jasmine rice.

Adapted from Vegetarian Times, July August 2008 issue.

Thai Curry

(1) In a blender, blend 1 c. spicy (or Thai) basil leaves, 1/2 an onion, 2 tbs mint lreaves, 3 tsps Thai green curry paste, 1 tbs agave nectar, 2 cloves garlic, and 1.5c. lite coconut milk.

(2) Heat 1 tbsp oil in large pan. Add 1 eggplant, cut into large cubes, 1 red pepper, in 1 inch dice, 2 cups zucchini, large dice, and the othe 1/2 an onion. Saute for 5-6 minutes.

(3) Add the curry to the vegetables and let simmer over medium-high heat for 15 minutes.

Wine Tasting

2008-08-24T20:00:00.005-04:00

Another trip out to Virginia's Wine Country for some wine tasting. Sure, Northern Virginia is no Sonoma or Loire Valley, but Virginia does have some decent wine and it makes for a nice day trip. This time, we visited two vineyards: Naked Mountain Winery and Three Fox Vineyards.

First, Three Fox. They have some pretty good Italian-style wines, which we enjoyed at the wine bar. They particularly had a nice Sangiovese, and a dessert wine, Rosse Dolce, which S didn't hate. Three Fox has a beautiful vineyard, rolling hills, and was supposed to have a bocce ball set available for play, but it wasn't available because they had just sprayed the fields. So instead we enjoyed a nice picnic down by a little creek at the bottom of the hill. We got a pitcher of sangria to share from the outdoor sangria bar. The sangria was admittedly mediocre sangria, but, hey, it was still good with a baguette and cheese and grapes, which is how we enjoyed it. As I said, their grounds and gardens were gorgeous, and I could have happily sat in their courtyard with a bottle of red and a good book for an afternoon.

Next up, to Naked Mountain, not very far away on the Virginia Wine Trail. Not quite as friendly at the tasting bar, but a decent tasting. Actually, the tasting bar was pretty packed for so late in the afternoon (it was probably 3:30 or 4 when we got there). We bought some crackers and cheese & a couple bottles of their barrel fermented chardonnay, which we enjoyed on their deck overlooking the mountains. Too bad the aging frat-boys & their dates/wives sitting next to us were not exactly there to enjoy the view or the wine. (In fact, after they were refused service, they actually asked us if we'd buy them wine from the wine bar.) I could make some crack about them probably having gone to UVa or William & Mary, but I'll refrain.

We don't do wine tasting often enough--it's really so close to where we live and is always such a nice day. Maybe again this fall?

Local Flavors?

2008-08-24T19:56:00.004-04:00

What's on the table this summer?
Here, we tried some golden beets, steamed for about 30 minutes, sliced, and served with goat cheese and chiffonaded* basil from our potted basil plant.

* Chiffonaded is a fancy [ed: that I might have made up myself] word for cut up in ribbon-like strips.

Incidents

2008-08-07T09:46:00.004-04:00

So, if you are local, you've probably read the story of the mayor of a small town near DC, Cheye Calvo. A package (addressed to his wife) was delivered to his house by UPS; when he brought the package into his house, a SWAT team appraoched, raiding his house, and in the process shooting (and killing) his two labrador retrievers. You see, the police had figured out that the package contained 32 lbs of marijuana. One of the dogs was actually running away when he was shot, and Mr. Calvo and his mother-in-law were left to sit next to the dying dog's body while the police finished their investigation. Police contended that Mr. Calvo's wife was a "person of interest" in the drug operation.

Well, now, of course, two things have emerged. First, contrary to what the police initially said, the police lacked the no-knock warrant, which a judge could grant, allowing police to serve a search warrant without knocking if the judge finds there is reasonable suspicion to think evidence might be destroyed or the officers' safety might be endangered in announcing themselves.

Second, police have now arrested two men in connection with a scheme to ship marijuana to unsuspecting third parties, with the idea that accomplices would intercept the packages before arriving at the stated addresses (something that clearly failed here in this plot).

Clearly police need to be able to serve search warrants, and that sometimes requires going into situations where they don't know what's behind the door, or who is there, or what kind of danger they are going into. I'm not saying force should never be used. But, perhaps considering the suspect was the wife of a mayor, with no criminal history, and no real reason for the police to suspect that they were going to be met with violence if they did knock, um, perhaps they could have just konocked before serving the warrant and searching the home? Maybe there would be two alive dogs and three fewer traumatized people?

Office Decor

2008-07-18T11:07:00.002-04:00

Interesting article here about work space. Do you decorate your office/cubicle? At what point does it become distracting? The photo of the cubicle in the article shows multiple cartoon figures, toys, etc., etc.

Does office decor improve morale? Says one person interviewed (whose only decor is a photo of his spouse and a Red Sox calendar: "It doesn't make me any happier that I have to come to work if my cubicle is decorated".

My decor is pretty minimal--I still have not even put my diplomas back up after we painted our offices several months ago. I've got one poster up, and I have a few award-type knick-knacks that are on top of my bookshelf. But I have enough work-related piles of paper & files on my desk that any non-work stuff would surely get lost on it.

What about you?

Check-In

2008-07-12T19:36:00.004-04:00

Hello! Yes, I am still alive, thank you for asking. We have finally bit the bullet and purchased a new camera battery charger, so with any luck (and time), I will post you some photos of the new house, the kittens, etc.

I am also two days through a three day Body Pump instructor training. And it is kicking my bottom. Today we lifted weights for three hours. (Thankfully, not consecutively!) I taught the "legs/lunge" track. Tomorrow I am teaching the shoulder track, which includes 16 push-ups. I am probably going to die. But if I don't, I guess what doesn't kill me will make me stronger, right?

Advice

2008-06-27T09:46:00.000-04:00

In the movie The Graduate, the graduate Benjamin Braddock is told famously that the future is in plastics.
If the (unsolicited) advice were to be given today, I think I would tell young Mr. Braddock that the future lies in otolaryngology. That is, the study and care of ears, noses, and throats.

Why, you may ask?

Because in another ten years, all you crazy kids who've been playing their mp3 and iPods WAY TOO LOUD on the metro and in other places are going to suffer the hearing loss that's been coming to you. And those ENT doctors are going to be rich.

Salad Dressing

2008-06-12T20:43:00.003-04:00

File this under "why didn't I do this before?"
When we were growing up, my mom would make vinaigrette maybe half of the time we had salad. The rest of the time....well, bring on the 1000 Island and the Catalina. In college, I got into my 'just vinegar' phase, which started with balsamic vinegar and was for a long time rice vinegar. Lately we've been back to using bottled dressings because, well, I guess they were in the fridge, that's why.

But now I am starting to make my own vinaigrette & I can't believe I did not do this more often, sooner. Because it's ridiculously easy to make. Pour 1 part (edit: I don't know, maybe 1/4 cup?) good olive oil, 1 part red wine vinegar, and a teaspoon of dijon mustard into small Tupperware container. Close lid. Shake until mixed. Pour on salad and finish off with some good fleur de sel. Yummy. This week's salad has been: greens, avocado, cucumber, radishes, corn, canned pinto beans, and a little bit of canteloupe.

What are you eating this summer?

A Daily Dose Of Cute

2008-06-11T13:46:00.000-04:00

B sent this to me. In case you are in need of a reason to smile.

Random

2008-06-11T10:20:00.002-04:00

Last night, I got off the metro approximately ten minutes before the skies opened up for the torrential downpour/hail storm/lightning show.

And the air smelled like....cinnamon rolls.

Was it a foreboding warning of the oncoming weather pattern?

Or, was it coming from the Cinnabon in the mall?

Better this thanB's olfactory experience in another station.

Flashback Cafe

2008-05-18T18:56:00.002-04:00

My parents recently stopped by our new house to drop off boxes of my crap that had been sitting in their basement for the last 10 years. They actually stopped by the day after we moved in, so I am guessing they had been waiting for a while to rid themselves of my collected stuff.

The boxes have an astonishingly wide array of....just wierd crap. High school papers, random stuffed animals, swimming trophies, and a small treasure trove of...mix tapes. (To say nothing of the tape singles I collected in high school---Extreme or Def Leppard, anyone?)

I've been listening to them this afternoon, which has been really funny and has led me to ask the question:

Was there more to college music than Ani DiFranco, Cake, and jam bands?

Because if anthropologists had only this selection to go on to make some pronouncements about society and the times, I am not sure it would be a completely accurate portrayal of life in the nineties. For one thing, I don't think there's a single Dave Matthews Band or Bob Marley song on them.

There's been a lot said about the death of mix tapes. There looks to be a good memoir about mix tapes which I will probably try to read at some point this summer.

What do the kids do these days? Make each other iTunes playlists and e-mail them to each other? I don't know. They just click and drag into playlists. Lots of thought went into mixtapes--picking out the songs, sitting there in front of the boom box, pausing the tape while you stuck in the next CD to make the tape.

I am finding funny things here as I sit here and listen to these tapes. For one, I liked Cake, I guess. Or maybe one of these mix tapes was made by my Custis-Hall-mate Paul, who was a big Cake fan. And here's the thing--so many of these tapes are unlabelled or no-longer-labelled. I honestly can't remember if I made some of these tapes for myself, or they were given to me or made for me by friends. Is my memory fading? Do they just no longer have the sentimental attachments, becoming now mere curios or relics of a bygone time?

When years pass between us and the light shines on the water, I ask please, for one thing: leave shelter when it's raining.

I liked this song. I still do. I can't tell you at all who sang it.

Then there's the stuff that I can't believe I used to listen to. Particularly the angry-white-woman music. Poe??

So, do you still have those mix tapes? What can you glean, if anything, about your younger self from them? What will I do with these tapes when I am finished with them? When, after all, do I ever listen to tapes? On my Walkman?

Word of the Day

2008-05-12T12:54:00.000-04:00

Now that we have spent our life savings on a down payment and a trip to the animal hospital last week, it's time to plan our summer staycation.

Homeownership: Pure Comedic Gold

2008-05-06T10:27:00.003-04:00

So, S and I are now proud homeowners, as of April 25. The past week and a half has been full of trips to Home Depot, Target, unpacking boxes, crazy movers, etc., etc. As a result, I would like to pitch an idea for a reality tv series, something on TLC or Discovery. Maybe even Comedy Central.

You know A Baby Story and A Wedding Story, where the tv crews follow around a family and record the few days before and after those major events? Well, I am proposing A Home Story. The idea would be to follow around first time homeowners as they fall into inevitable pitfalls and mistakes. Hilarity will inevitably ensue.

The first episode, you could watch the couple go to Home Depot after Home Depot, looking for a lawnmower and finally attempt to fit said lawnmower in the Zipcar. Laugh as they stupidly assume the electric lawnmower would have take a three-prong extension cord. Laugh more as the lawnmower's customer service phone line is only open M-F. (As S put it, do they not realize all people mow their lawn on Saturday mornings?) The episode would end as the homeowner races to mow the overgrown lawn before the rainstorm starts.

Another episode could show when the hose for the laundry machine gets loose, pouring water all over the basement floor. Cry when it is revealed that the new homeowners don't yet own a mop and they are reduced to using kitchen towels and one large sponge to clean up the mess.

Before going to commercial, the producers could quickly cover various other random mishaps. For example: the homeowner could discover a pinpoint hole in the kitchen faucet which results in the homeowner being sprayed in the face every time she turns on the faucet. (Why did we not see this in the home inspection?)

All of this and more!

Photos coming up once we can figure out which box we packed the camera battery and cable in.

Clothes

2008-05-01T08:03:00.002-04:00

The problem with suits that you can buy for $70 is that, after a while, they start to look like $70 suits, if you know what I mean.
Darn you, Ann Taylor Loft sales rack!

Kind Thought for the Day

2008-04-23T15:43:00.001-04:00

Sunday I heard a great sermon. Like, "oh, yes, this is why I go to church" kind of sermon. And it came at a truly relevant time for me, which might be why it spoke to me as much as it did. I'd be happy to e-mail any of you the full text, which I obtained from the preacher. The basic theme is truth-telling, speaking the truth in love, and the wisdom of listening for more truth to be revealed.

Some excerpts:

Our reluctance to speak truth means that we get to avoid unpleasant consequences. . . but there is a price nonetheless. Yes, we may avoid unpleasant consequences, but our failure to speak truth means that others must bear the consequences of our silence.

Not all truth-telling, however, need be aimed at the negative things we see. Truth-telling is also affirming the other, exhorting the other, encouraging
the other as we point out the spiritual gifts that we recognize and value in the other. We do not do enough of that kind of truth-telling. How often do we think to say to one another, “You have blessed me, pastor, sister, brother, husband, wife, partner, with what you said, or what you did. Do more of that.”?

If we feel anger rising as we speak truth to one another, perhaps we need to stop and
wait for more truth....[The] Quakers . . . have a marvelous practice when
they gather for business that perhaps we should consider adopting. When conflict arises, the clerk of the meeting or any one of the members may say, “I think we need to stop and seek more light.” And the discussion stops, and everyone moves into prayerful silence, earnestly seeking more clarity, more truth. After being joined in prayer and meditation in God’s loving presence, you find it much more difficult to speak in anger…and you actually find more truth.

Hypothetical

2008-04-10T16:22:00.000-04:00

If you could blog full-time (profitably, or at least above the poverty line), what would the subject be? Would you be able to write every day? Is your personal life interesting enough to be the main subject matter (as opposed to say, the financial markets or macrame instructions,) readers would come for?

Another Day, Another Reason to Fear Bringing Children Into This World

2008-04-03T16:28:00.000-04:00

Salons are now reporting that girls as young as 6 or 7 are coming in for their first highlights. Really? Dyed hair at age 7? Who are these enabling parents? Man, my (future) kids are sooooo going to hate it when I don't let them dye their hair or wear slutty clothes to school or have their own cell phone or a tv in their room. I'm so mean.

Article via
Jezebel.

Moral Hazard

2008-03-25T21:34:00.005-04:00

One of the arguments against socialized healthcare in this country is the idea of moral hazard. That is, the idea that when one has more access to healthcare (say, because it is cheap or free), that one is more likely to consume more health care. An analogy would be, if your office kitchen always has an unlimited supply of free Girl Scout cookies, you will be more likely to consume Girl Scout cookies on a daily basis than if you had to go purchase those cookies yourselves. So, there is a view of some who seek to limit health care costs that things like co-payments and deductibles are attempts to reduce unnecessary strains on the health care system. If you have to pay $25 to see a doctor, even if you make a good income, you are probably not going to go see the doctor every time you have a cough or an ache, so the theory goes.

I just finished reading an article entitled The Moral-Hazard Myth, which was originally published in the August 29, 2005 issue of the New Yorker. This article really counters this myth.

I think everyone agrees that preventive care is better, and cheaper, in the long run because potentially chronic illness and ailments can be better managed (or prevented), meaning less costly taxing of the system later on for end-stage illnesses, etc., etc.

"The moral-hazard argument make sense, however, only if we consume health care in the same way that we consume other consumer goods."

And of course, the whole point is that we don't. If you knew that your nagging cough was just a cough, you'd probably skip the doctor, right? The problem is that before you pay the $25 co-pay to see the doctor about that cough, you don't know if its harmlessly nagging or something very serious. The simple inexpensive visit could eventually save me (and the health care industry) lots of money if it means detecting something that can be taken care of before it gets worse.

"When it comes to health care, many of the things we do only because we have insurance--like getting our moles checked, or getting our teeth cleaned regularly, or getting a mammogram, or engaging in other routine preventive care--are anything but wasteful and inefficient."

I can't possibly describe all the ideas in the article, but if you're interested at all in health care or health care policy, it is a great read. Suffice to say that we need to approach the issue of health care in a way other than considering moral hazard.

Legal Eagle

2008-03-25T21:24:00.002-04:00

An intermittent series in which I analyze legal news stories and give you the scoop on what it all means. Today's headline:Marilyn Manson's Seal of Approval.
As you may (or may not) know (or care), Marilyn Manson is being sued by his former drummist, Madonna Wayne Gacy (nee Stephen Bier), who alleges that Marilyn Manson misused band funds.
Marilyn Manson then moved for a protective order, which would mean that financial records he will be required to produce in order to defend himself will remain under seal. In other words, you (as a public citizen) won't be able to go down to the courthouse and look at the documents yourself. In fact, the protective order provides that only the plaintiff's attorneys will be able to look at the juicy details.
This isn't really that news-worthy. As you can imagine, there would be lots of reasons any person or business would not want their financial or proprietary information in the public sphere. So, seeking a protective order is not uncommon. In fact, it's really so common it's hard to understand why this made a whole article, except I guess to tell the public that the media outlets won't be able to cover the juicy details of how much of band funds Marilyn Manson may (or may not) have spent on that (oops!) engagement ring for ex-wife Dita Von Teese.

One other issue.

The article states: The document sealing is the same order, to the letter, as the one granted to Lindsay Lohan earlier this year in her since-settled lawsuit over a 2005 traffic accident.
Yeah, that's not really too surprising. Most (if not all) courts have a standard order they issue and would only change the names of the parties. So it is not surprising at all that the same judge would issue his identical, standard, order.

Don't Forget to Tip your Supervisor

2008-03-21T10:19:00.003-04:00

Starbucks baristas took their company to court in a class-action lawsuit to obtain shares of tips that were allocated to shift supervisors. Apparently, Starbucks has a policy of pooling tips weekly and distributing them among employees according to how many hours each employee worked. (I should say this seems like a lot of work!)Shift supervisors were included in the distribution.
Article here.
The basis for the lawsuit was a California law which prohibits managers and employees from sharing tips.
It's an interesting case. I know from my experience waiting tables that we never shared tips with supervisors--bus boys, dishwashers, and bartenders, yes--but not supervisors. And it does seem that supervisors shouldn't be taking a part of tips--after all, they are managers, presumably being paid on a salary basis, not wage earners.
On the other hand, I don't exactly know how much managerial responsibility shift supervisors have. The article states that shift supervisors "also make coffee and serve customers," but really in any service environment, don't managers step on the floor when things get busy? Isn't it in the manager's best interest to help out when help is needed? I would think so.
The potential windfall is about $100 million, to be distributed among the potential 100,000 current and former California baristas who might opt in to the suit.

Maple Pecan Muffins (with a Twist)

2008-03-08T15:11:00.004-05:00

Last week, I tried to make muffins and they were a terrible, non-rising mess. Perhaps, I made too many deviations from the original recipe. So I decided to stick with one of those make-your-own muffin recipes and build upon it. I used the Muffin Madness recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home cookbook. These turned out pretty well. My new secret ingredient, yes, carrot. But it makes these muffins surprisingly moist.
And no, these muffins are not very photogenic, but I promise you, they are delicious! Makes 12 muffins.

Wet Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. sugar
2 c. grated carrot
1/2 tsp. maple extract
1/4 c. milk

Dry Ingredients:
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. white flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. dry-toasted pecan pieces

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Mix wet ingredients together.
3. Mix dry ingredients together.
4. Add the two and pour batter into greased muffin tins.
5. If you have it, sprinkle grated maple flakes or maple sugar on top of each muffin.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Fancy Dinner: Herb-Encrusted Cod with Roasted Tomatoes

2008-03-08T15:00:00.003-05:00

I've had this recipe for two years. I actually found it and printed it out to make for S on Valentines Day, because cod is one of his favorite foods. Unfortunately, that was also the year of Valentines Day Food Poisoning, so I never made it over to his house, let alone managed to make the dish. But I pulled the recipe out last Sunday because I have been trying to vary up our meals. It is a little time consuming (by my standards, anyway), though I managed to make the main dish in the time that the brown rice was cooking. I found the recipe on the internet; unfortunately, for the life of me, I can't think of where.

Ingredients:
about 1 lb. of cod
1 lb. of small tomatoes on the vine, quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 package of fresh chives, chopped
1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
3/4 c. breadcrumbs
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Brush or spray baking sheet with oil; arrange tomatoes and 3 whole garlic cloves, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper on the sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
3. Remove from oven; keep warm.
4. In the meantime, using blender or food processor, blend 1/4 c. olive oil and herbs together until medium coarse consistency.
5. Add herbs with breadcrumbs on a plate.
6. Brush olive oil on cod, dredge cod through bread crumb-herb mixture.
7. Place cod on an oiled pan and place in oven for 10 minutes.
8. Serve tomato sauce on top of cod. Serve with salad and brown rice.

Simple Dinner: Fettucine with Peas and Ricotta

2008-03-08T14:54:00.003-05:00

Yay for dinners which require five ingredients or fewer. Sometimes those 30-minute meals take too long to make. For example, last night, when I was craving a big bowl of pasta, but not with the usual bottled sauce. Something wholesome and filling and with at least one vegetable so I can pretend it's very good for me. If you use fresh pasta, the pasta takes only 2-3 minutes to cook, making this recipe a contender for a less-than-ten-minute meal. And we all need a few of those in our repetoire.

And here it is:

Ingredients:
1 lb bag frozen peas
9 oz fresh fettucine (I used Buittoni brand)
1 c. part-skim ricotta cheese
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Heat water for pasta and add pasta with some salt for taste.
2. Defrost peas.
3. Drain pasta and hold aside; retain 1/2 c. cooking water.
4. In the pan with the cooking water, add the peas. Use a potato masher to smash peas to your desired consistency.
5. Add pasta and ricotta and mix together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Green is the New Consumer

2008-03-05T09:40:00.002-05:00

Today's Post has a great piece entitled Greed In the Name Of Green. As I am sure you are aware, the "organic/green" idea has really taken off in all aspects of consumer affairs--food, furniture, clothing, even green weddings. And yet, it is a consumer based affair that somehow may have lost track of the holy trinity of environmentalism: reduce, reuse, recycle. I think we've made great headway in some senses--I am thrilled to see all kinds of people bringing their reusable bags to my local grocery store (to say nothing of the Whole Foods or Trader Joes). Sure, maybe they realize that the reusable bags with handles are a heck of a lot sturdier and more comfortable to handle. But that's great.
What isn't great is this idea that consumerism is our ticket to environmental do-goodism. To wit, from the article: "let us never consider the other organic option -- not buying -- because the new green consumer wants to consume, to be more celadon than emerald, in the right color family but muted, without all the hand-me-down baby clothes and out-of-date carpet."
I think this really hits the nail on the head. We, as a country, don't want to fix a hole in an old sweater. We'd rather throw out the sweater and buy a new organic bamboo sweater.

Environmentalism is cool.
Frugalism (in some ways, the original environmentalism) is uncool.
Hybrid car: cool.
Taking the bus: uncool.
Buying the "environmentally friendly" (and clean-smelling!) cleaning products: cool.
Getting out the baking soda and the old toothbrush to clean: uncool.

Well, I think you get the point. Any thoughts here? Is this trend capable of being bucked?

Indian Lentil Soup (Dal Shorba)

2008-03-01T10:34:00.005-05:00

I've been trying to experiment with lots of different kinds of soup. This one is adapted from a recipe I found in Washington Post a few weeks ago, when they ran a special lentil article.
It's (as is my habit), super easy to make and I love the flavors of curry. Yum. It thickens up quite considerably, so you should add some water on reheating if you want to thin out the soup. The original recipe calls for blending the soup, but as (a) I don't have an immersion blender and (b) red lentils break up very easily, I skipped that direction and went straight to the "eat" direction. The original recipe calls for using lemon wedges as garnish; a little lemon would definitely a bit of zing at the end, I just didn't have any lemon.

Ingredients:
About 2 c. dried red lentils
oil (I used olive oil because that's what I had)
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 16 oz can of whole tomatoes
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp. sweet curry powder (I used Penzeys)
1 tsp ginger powder
1 med. bell pepper, chopped

Directions:
(1) Add enough oil to coat bottom of large soup pot.
(2) Add onions and cook over med-med. high heat about 10 minutes.
(3) Add garlic and stir for 2 minutes
(4) Add can of tomatoes, spices, and about 5 c. water; bring soup to a boil, stirring every so often.
(5) Add lentils and reduce temperature to medium; cook for 20 minutes.
(6) Add additional water as necessary as the soup thickens considerably as it cooks.

Quote of the Day

2008-02-29T14:33:00.003-05:00

"Like many people, I started blogging out an urgent need to procrastinate."

--Alex Ross, in the article "The Well-Tempered Web" in the Oct. 22, 2007 edition of the New Yorker. (The article is about how blogs have been good for making classical music more accessible to people).

Why I'll Never Be One of The Cool Kids

2008-02-29T08:41:00.002-05:00

My cats have Catbook pages. So, you know, if your cats are also into social networking, um, look them up?

Sweet Potato and Cannellini Bean Salad

2008-02-27T07:57:00.004-05:00

Here's another recipe I am in love with. It's strangely very comforting food and I am getting my sweet tooth satiated by, believe it or not, sweet potatoes. The inspiration for this dish came from a few sources. First, I saw this recipe. It looked really interesting, but I am really lazy and don't like cutting gourds. Also, I wasn't completely sold on the almond butter part. That post references another version. This looked, again, like more my taste (what with the tahini and lemon), but still, I wasn't excited about getting any squash.
Where I did find inspiration was a colleague's recipe for cumin roasted sweet potatoes. And that's kind of where I went with this one.

Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1 large (28 oz) can of cannellini beans
olive oil
coarse sea salt
pepper
2 tsp. cumin
3 tbsp. tahini
1 lemon, juiced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F. (I used my toaster oven for this.)
Toss diced sweet potatoes with olive oil, cumin and a small handful of salt.
Bake until tender, about 20-25 minutes.
In the meantime, combine and whisk the tahini, lemon juice, and about 1/4 c. olive oil.
Drain and rinse the beans.
When the sweet potatoes are done, add them into a bowl with the beans and add the dressing. Add pepper for taste.

It's delicious and a super-easy, relatively healthy comfort food for a cold winter night. Everything is soft enough that you could even eat with a spoon. Perhaps with a glass of tempranillo, in front of the tv. (Or with a Dickens novel, if that's your preference).

Kitten Love

2008-02-27T07:51:00.001-05:00

Everyone needs a cat photo or two on a cold February morning.

House Hunting

2008-02-23T13:17:00.000-05:00

S and I have been looking at houses. It's pretty fun, and interesting to see how your partner's views on what are assets in a house may vary from yours. We're weighing how much we want to improve upon our (negligible) home improvement skills.

What is the one non-negotiable you would have in a home/house/apartment of your choosing? A second bathroom? A high fence to separate you from the neighbors? A big kitchen? Big closets? Chime in.

Gigante Beans

2008-02-23T13:14:00.001-05:00

I am in love with this gigante bean salad that Whole Foods (a.k.a. Whole Paycheck) has in their salad bar. It's got gigante beans, parsley, a tomatoey-lemony-vinaigrette, cured olives.......

I'd like to recreate it at home (after all, bean salad does not cost $7.99 a pound to make), but I am not sure I have ever seen gigante beans in the grocery store. Have you? Are they fresh? Dried?

Annoying

2008-02-13T10:15:00.000-05:00

This is atleast the third time I have come into work not knowing that there's a two hour delay. In other words, I didn't need to be here for another 45 minutes. To be fair, it's not like it's snowing outside, just a little icy. And NPR was apparently too busy with its pledge drive to let me know about the delay.

Morning Goodness Muffins

2008-02-11T09:31:00.001-05:00

Let's say you love baked goods, but gave up sweets for Lent. You still want to create something warm and delicious on Saturday mornings, but don't want to go crazy with the sugar and chocolate chips.
Enter my Morning Goodness Muffins, adapted from a recipe found in the Simply LVC Cookbook. The result is a very lovely, firm muffin which gets great sweetness from the cranberries, but is pretty good for you, given the flaxseed, the whole wheat flour and the absence of eggs or oil. Great toasted the next day, with some coffee and the Sunday Washington Post.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 c. sugar
several shakes of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 c. grated carrot (about 2 carrots)
1 c. orange-flavored cranberries (available at Trader Joes)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
3/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed (mixed with 3 tablespoons water)
1 c. milk with 1 tbsp. white vinegar (or 1 c. buttermilk, but really, who ever has buttermilk lying around?)

Mix first 8 ingredients together in big bowl. Mix wet ingredients separately and add to the dry ingredients. Spoon into pre-greased muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 F.

Into the Suggestion Box

2008-02-07T09:56:00.000-05:00

Dear Metro Planners,

My life could be improved somewhat if you did not think it totally necessary to have a bus stop at: P Street, Q Street, R Street, S Street and U Street. I think you could remove two of those stops and we'd all be fine.

Sincerely,

A Rider.

P.S.: Personal to the couple sitting across from each other on the bus the other evening and taking turns holding hands and caressing each other's cheeks across the aisle where other riders were standing.....get a room.

Cooking Adventures of 2008

2008-01-29T09:30:00.000-05:00

One of my New Years resolutions was to try some new recipes this year. In that vein, here is the Rustic White Bean & Garlic Soup that I created this weekend, based loosely on a recipe from Epicurious.

Ingredients:
dried great Northern beans (somewhere between 12-16 oz--I bought bulk & didn't weight it)
lots and lots of garlic
sage (it was left over & I only had 2 leaves that still looked good--you could probably add more)
1 onion
1 carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 potato, diced
seasoned salt (I used Sarah's Sea Salt)
bay leaf

1. Soak beans overnight.
2. Add lots of water, bring water to boil, and cook beans with bay leaf and 3 whole peeled garlic cloves for about 45 minutes (medium high-high heat).
3. In the meantime, saute chopped onion, carrots, celery, and 3 more minced garlic cloves for about 10 minutes until onion is soft.
4. Add that mixture, potato, sage, the seasoned salt & pepper to the beans. Continue cooking for another 45 minutes. Periodically use potato masher to try to break up the beans. Don't forget to take out the bay leaf before eating.

You end up with this really lovely, thick, filling soup, which goes lovely with some garlic bread on the side. (You have to like garlic for this dish!)

Next week? Don't know yet, but B is bringing her immersion blender, so we can make some sort of smooth soup! Potage, peut-etre?

As If I Needed Another Reason Not to Go to Virginia

2008-01-24T09:37:00.000-05:00

Apparently, it's illegal to sell sangria there.

Yes, it turns out that: [s]ince 1934, just after the national prohibition of alcohol was repealed, Virginia has had laws that prohibit mixing wine or beer with spirits and pre-mixing a drink with alcohol.

But, surely, the state will see how silly this is now, right?

"We're a little nervous of expanding the law," said House Minority Leader Ward L. Armstrong (D-Henry), who served for 16 years on a committee that wrote alcohol laws. "We're a conservative state and a conservative legislature"

Um, yes. Okay. Tell you what, Virginia, you can keep your smokey bars, and I'll stay in MD or DC and enjoy my sangria in an atmosphere that doesn't require a disinfectant shower as soon as I come home.