eXtra.puLp [news]

Recipe: Crockpot Mac and Cheese

2011-12-31T11:01:00.002-05:00

Ingredients:

1 (10-ounce) container refrigerated Alfredo sauce
12 ounce can evaporated milk
1-1/3 cups whole milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 pound macaroni pasta
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded American cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Spray the inside of the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat Alfredo sauce with the fresh and evaporated milks, egg, and mustard. Stir in UNCOOKED macaroni and all of the shredded cheeses, butter, pepper, onion and garlic powders, and salt; mix well. Pour into 4 quart crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours; test to make sure macaroni is cooked. Do NOT stir or remove the lid while this dish is cooking. Serves 4-6.

Source (via Gina): http://busycooks.about.com/od/meatlessentreerecipes/r/crpmacaronichee.htm

Gin!

2011-10-26T18:46:00.001-05:00

Spirits: New-generation gins : null

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Art Subjective

2010-12-05T10:48:00.000-05:00

Back in October of 2000, I put together this clumsy photo-collage...

Today, I was reading an article in DETAILS which featured some of the galleries & artists to see during the current Art Basel Miami. This piece, 'donation box 2010' by Mexico's Gabriel Kuri caught my eye:

Annie Lennox: "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"

2010-11-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

Stunning!

Pumpkin Hummuses - Hummusi? - Hummuseseses?

2010-10-31T16:12:00.001-05:00

Made some pumpkin cookies today - had about 1/3 cup of canned pumpkin left. Decided to take some chickpeas and the leftover pumpkin and whip up a hummus of sorts - no too bad!

Ingredients:

1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas (I only added what I needed of this to smooth the hummus out)
3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
2 cloves garlic, crushed (I went for 3 cloves... kiss me!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Also sprinkled in some red pepper flake and a little bit of nutmeg

Preparation:

Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Annie Lennox - Album Release 11/16/10

2010-09-30T06:21:00.001-05:00

The online preview of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is teaser enough... counting down to the release!

Along the watchtower...

2010-09-14T15:04:00.001-05:00

the watcher watches.

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Sporkful

2010-09-14T14:38:00.003-05:00

Conquering hunger
one sporkful at a time.

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Absotively posilutely...

2010-09-12T16:38:00.001-05:00

The Brief Encounter .com

2010-09-07T15:04:00.000-05:00

The Brief Encounter .com

One of the nicest and most natural looking models I've seen in some time.

Double-Dose of Lyrical Vomit

2010-07-03T13:25:00.003-05:00

Surfing station to station today I was struck by two songs on two different channels that were equally banal. One the fault of Tim McGraw and the other the blame of a bland "Xtian-Rock" group dubbed Casting Crowns. Both treacle laden grocery lists of cliches and over-used expressions and badly forced rhymes... I had to look them up when I got home to be sure I hadn't made up the words I'd heard. Nope. There they were on the interwebs in their fool's glory.

First let's look at Mr. McGraw's quasi conversational/confessional submission. [My notes in brackets in red].

He said I was in my early fourties / with a lot of life before me [Up to 60% more life ahead!]
when a moment came that stopped me on a dime
I spent most of the next days lookin' at the x-rays [This is where I was hooked - seriously the way this phrase is delivered goes for one of the most forced rhymes I've heard in a while - the sort of rhyme that you know someone wants a gold star for.]
and talkin' 'bout the options / and talkin' bout sweet time
I asked him when it sank in and / this might be the really real end
I said how's it hit ya / when you get that kinda news? / Man what'd ya do?
and he said

CHORUS [Brace yourself... it's all downhill from here...]
I went sky diving I went rocky mountain climbing
I went two point seven seconds
on a bull named Fumanchu
And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter
and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying
and he said some day I hope you get the chance
to live like you were dying

Shut up shut up shut up! I stabbed the radio button before this misery went on any further. It's terribly over tread territory in song - and is so vapid in it's grab for glory. It's designed to be the tissue-box song, it's born to be played at weddings and/or funeral everywhere. Forever. Lee Ann Womack did it better.

And somehow landed on an Xtian radio mess of light pop/country/top 40 attempts - where I wasn't likely to last anyway - but this is where it started. The Casting Crowns - sung in the shifting constipatory manner of many Joe Cocker wannabes...

Here I am, Lord, and I'm drowning in your sea of forgetfulness [WTF?]
The chains of yesterday surround me
I yearn for peace and rest
I don't want to end up where You found me
And it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight
I know You've cast my sin as far as the east is from the west [Ah! And there's our hook - and here comes the chorus not far behind...]
And I stand before You now as though I've never sinned
But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way
Jesus, can You show me just how far the east is from the west
'cause I can't bear to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west [This metaphor is a a dead horse now, brother]
From one scarred hand to the other
I start the day, the war [Gag!] begins, endless reminding of my sin
Time and time again Your truth is drowned out by the storm I'm in [Meteorological stupifery...]
Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way
I know You've washed me white, turned my darkness into light
I need Your peace to get me through, to get me through this night
I can't live by what I feel, but by the truth Your word reveals
I'm not holding on to You, but You're holding on to me
You're holding on to me

And you've been dropped on your head yet again. Really - east & west are inextricably linked. As a metaphor this doesn't even work. East and west are always touching at that line called "You Are Here" - and it you flung an offending objects such as your sins to the farthest reaches of the West - they'd be knocking you in the back of your head after bit, sneaking in from the West's backdoor, also known as the East.

That'll learn me to forget my iPod.

Art of Tristan Alexander

2010-05-10T06:43:00.002-05:00

Alexander's work catches my eye. It's crisp - and inventive. I like the cleanness of lines, the play of black & white and the Celtic elements within some of the "knotted" pieces...

LINK: Art of Tristan Alexander

RECIPE: Roasted Vegetable Pie

2010-02-12T07:36:00.001-05:00

Makes: 6 servings

Prep: 25 minutes
Bake: at 450 degrees F for 45 minutes; at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes
Cook: 1 minute

Ingredients

1 small cauliflower, cut into florets, about 4 cups
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup baby carrots
1 sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons plain bread crumbs
1 package (15 ounces) refrigerated rolled piecrusts
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a large baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, add cauliflower, squash, parsnips, carrots and pepper. Toss with olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Spread out on the baking pan in a single layer. Bake at 450 degrees F for 30 minutes, stirring halfway.

3. Meanwhile, place the broth in a medium-size saucepan and stir in the cornstarch. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 1 minute until thickened. Stir in the thyme, oregano and remaining salt and pepper. In a large bowl, gently toss roasted vegetables, bread crumbs and sauce.

4. Fit one of the piecrusts into a deep-dish 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the cheese over the bottom. Spoon in vegetable mixture and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon cheese. Place the second piecrust on top and crimp crusts together. Pierce a few times with a paring knife to vent. Brush lightly with the egg-water mixture.

5. Bake at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 425 degrees F and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before slicing.

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe 6 servings
Calories 467,
Total Fat (g) 25,
Saturated Fat (g) 9,
Cholesterol (mg) 50,
Sodium (mg) 729,
Carbohydrate (g) 56,
Fiber (g) 7,
Protein (g) 8,
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Recipe: Slow-Cooked South Carolina Pulled Pork

2010-02-10T11:57:00.001-05:00

The Washington Post, January 14, 2009

• Course: Main Course

• Features: Slow Cooker, Make-Ahead Recipes, Gluten-Free

Summary:

This recipe can be made in a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker.

There's no smoke involved, but this has a pit-barbecue taste nonetheless. Brown the pork in the morning, combine it with the other ingredients in the slow cooker and let it go for 6 to 10 hours on LOW. You'll be rewarded with tender, juicy pork perfect for sandwiches.

MAKE AHEAD: The recipe works best when the pork is seasoned, wrapped and refrigerated overnight. The cooked pork freezes well, for up to 3 months.

Serve with coleslaw, if desired, and large, soft rolls.

6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon onion salt

• 2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika

• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons chili powder

• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

• 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

Directions:

Combine the onion salt, paprika, 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar, the chili powder, allspice and black pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the spice mix; rub the remaining spice mix all over the pork. Wrap the pork in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, turning to brown it on all sides; this will take about 16 minutes. Transfer to a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker.

Add the vinegar, the reserved tablespoon of the spice mix and the remaining 3 tablespoons of brown sugar to the skillet; as the mixture begins to boil, use a wooden spoon or spatula to dislodge any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 10 hours, until the pork is fork-tender.

To serve, remove the pork from the cooker and cut it into 1/2-inch-thick slices, then use 2 forks to shred the slices into bite-size pieces.

Add the hot pepper sauce to the liquid in the cooker, then return the pork and any accumulated juices to the cooker and toss to coat with the liquid. Serve warm, or keep warm for up to several hours.

Recipe Source:

Adapted from "Art of the Slow Cooker," by Andrew Schloss (Chronicle, 2008).

551 calories, 43g fat, 14g saturated fat, 134mg cholesterol, 916mg sodium, 8g carbohydrates, 1g dietary fiber, n/a sugar, 32g protein.

Tested by Candy Sagon for The Washington Post.
E-mail the Food Section at food@washpost.com with recipe questions.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland...

2010-02-08T09:59:00.001-05:00

Bay Weekly: My Friend Mr. Boy

2010-01-17T09:05:00.000-05:00

A tale of a cat born to the Bay
by Sandra Olivetti Martin, Bay Weekly editor

Bay Weekly gave Mr. Boy his happy home.

Not that we were happy to see him. He came at a bad time, and his arrival was bad news. The neighbor who delivered him has not lived down his bad name, though 161⁄2 years have passed since he turned up at our door with a Pennzoil box full of kitties.

“Are these your cats?” asked Jack Brumbaugh, the kind-hearted artist across the street who noticed the squirming box atop the right front fender of Bay Weekly’s white Chevy Suburban.

In the Beginning

The Suburban was new — to us — bought to carry New Bay Times to distribution spots from Severna Park to Solomons. We were proud of that big old truck, and had a sign painter emblazon it with our fledgling paper’s name. That sign must have read good homes for abandoned kitties to the scoundrel who left the Pennzoil box on the New Bay Times Suburban outside our house.

In August 1993, everything was new at New Bay Times, as Bay Weekly was named at birth. We were four months old, and we’d published nine issues since our premier edition on April 22, Earth Day. Getting the paper out every two weeks — our original publication schedule was fortnightly — we felt like Atlas hoisting the Earth.

Workdays at our office stretched past midnight. When we finally went home, we filled my house like the fairytale home of the old woman who lived in the shoe.

For husband Bill Lambrecht and I ran the Bay Weekly rooming and boarding house for family and friends who had joined us to make a newspaper from nothing more than wordsmithing credentials, determination and the family fortunes, small as those might be.

Son J. Alex Knoll, who evolved into our chief operating officer, came with his new journalism master’s degree from the University of Illinois. Three more 20-somethings came to do something as exciting as it was enterprising. From Illinois with hopes and baggage, they overflowed our once-upon-a-time beach cottage. We had two bathrooms, but finding a sleeping spot to call his own — away from the snores of the others — drove poor Bob into a tent in the yard.

The animal household was pretty full, too. With Alex came Kali, a big black kitty who’d been born right down the street, though she’d grown up in Illinois as a college cat. Her brother, Corker, another big black guy, was our top cat and got to boss around another brother-sister pair, gifts from another neighbor: sweet-tempered Clapper, an orange tabby; and gray tiger-striped Zulu. Her offspring made five.

The cat pressure was so intense that Corker, normally a mild cat, had sent Kali to the vet, who’d sent home a patched-up kitty and a big bill.

Corker must have attacked when the sheriff wasn’t looking. That would be our 100-pound yellow Lab, Max, who loved order and did no wrong, though he took up plenty of space.

That’s the family who was at, or underneath, the Saturday morning breakfast table when neighbor Jack knocked at the door.

Jack had been welcomed in before he spoke, or else Boy might have been his cat instead of ours. Had we known what Jack had in his box, we’d have locked the door.

Lucky 13

“Of course those aren’t our cats,” I shrieked.

By then a white head had pushed through the folded top of the Pennzoil box and a kitten had struggled out. As he leapt free, he landed on the breakfast table. We’d been eating pancakes, and he’d landed in a plate streaked with syrup. Glaring at us, the tiny white creature licked his feet clean. Then he licked the plate.

Thus Boy became the lucky 13th member of the Bay Weekly founding household.

Which is why Boy isn’t one of the four adorable kittens pictured on New Bay Times’ cover for the week of August 12, 1993. Those four kitties still needed homes. So neighbor Sonia Linebaugh, another of the original New Bay Times team, recruited a pair of neighbor girls and posed them on her porch with arms full of kitties. We advertised in our classifieds and twisted arms, and all found homes.

As the little girls grew into women and New Bay Times into Bay Weekly, Boy made Top Cat.

Top Cat

If I’m to tell the truth — and this story is as true as I can make it — Boy grew only in size, into a light heavyweight in fighting trim. As for character, he popped out of that Pennzoil box fully formed.

Other kittens had cowered for days, under the bathroom sink or in the deep, dark recess between kitchen cabinets.

Not this hellion. Room to room and corner to cupboard, he investigated every space and claimed his favorites.

Even as a little bit of a thing, Boy slapped the face of every cat in the house. He arched his back and hissed, no sniffing, at Max the humongous Lab, in whose dinner bowl Boy could have fit as a snack. So bold was that kitten that he’d hold the huge dog at bay while he sampled his dinner.

Eventually, Boy would curl up for a nap with Max, and later Moe, nearly identical. Never did he seek out the company of the other cats. He’d fisheye them, and he might take their place as soon as they moved. He’d often box them on the side of the head or sneak a bite of their flank on passing, but he never exactly brutalized them.

Boy never lost his cool, not even years later when a new cat came out of the woods into our home. He was expedient, not emotional. Why bother with violence when he’d made his point?

The Kitty in the Kitchen

Boy sealed his dominance by proclaiming himself king of the mountain. The mountain in our house is the kitchen cat-food counter. The view is good, food is served there, and, if a cat perseveres, he can often claim it for hours before getting swept away by the keeper of the kitchen. Boy persevered. From his summit, he might hook me with a claw to urge me to get on with fixing his breakfast, lunch or dinner. I’d scold him, wagging my finger. Chastised, he’d avert his eyes. When I turned, he hooked me again.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. High among Boy’s many pleasures was food.

The opening of a new bag of cat food would bring him from any room, waken him from any but the final, deepest sleep. Bill played the bag like an instrument, and Boy responded like a music lover. He’d leap solidly onto the cat-feeding counter, purring. Then he’d rub against Bill and stick his head in the big storage container as the nuggets rained on him.

Of canned cat food, Boy was a connoisseur. He also grew into a skilled shopper. Bored over the hours we were away at work — journalists always keep long hours; that’s one of the lessons I’ve learned in 17 years at Bay Weekly — Boy would read the newspaper circulars. Then he’d call Bill on his cell phone to report the best price on his favorites. Or at least that’s what Bill says. When Bill came home and unbagged the cans, Boy watched in satisfaction.

Cats aren’t much for facial expression. They don’t smile like dogs or frown like humans. But you could read Boy’s pleasure in the nod of his head, the measured closing of his eyelids. And in his behavior when he didn’t get what he wanted.

He’d grab your arm and holler.

Since his first act of landing in the syrup — real maple syrup — he’d known that humans save the best food for themselves. Unless a wily cat cons them out of it.

We were easily conned. When Bill filleted a rockfish or perch, Boy got the scraps. When Bill opened oysters, Boy got a share. The share got ever bigger. “I’ve fed him a dozen oysters on the half shell,” Bill admits. If you were eating blue crabs outside, Boy would have to be inside. This was a cat in harmony with the Bay and its bounty.

Fish was great, but Boy was no piscatarian. Cut up a chicken or trim beef, and Boy was at your side, reaching up with a claw. Mairrwwwww, he’d say. Cut up your pork chop at dinner, and he’d somehow stretch high enough to claw at your fork. At vegetarian meals, he’d settle for cheese or bread or pizza crust. Sometimes all three. If a bowl of cereal was being eaten, he’d demand the sweet milky dregs. But he outgrew milk early in life and soon demanded cream in his personal crockery.

Ruler of All He Surveyed

As Boy grew, he extended his habitat. In the front yard, he’d sit under the bushes where he could look into the house, at the birdfeeders (television, as far as he was concerned) and into foreign territory.

He was on guard the day Salty showed up. The neighborhood scrounge, Salty might sneak into the basement and make off with a boot. But he was a fun pooch so that nobody much cared. Except Boy, who caught him nosing the compost trench. Like demons, he hurled himself at Salty claws forward, attaching himself to the yipping, fleeing trespasser.

Bright as Boy was, only snow gave him camouflage. He glowed under moonlight on the beach, where he followed on dog walks. On his first visit, he watched the Bay a long time, from the top of the cliff. When he finally came down, he rolled in the sand, rushed at shadows and climbed trees. He often returned, but never touched the water.

Because everybody could see him coming, reports of his lone adventures returned to us.

“He watches my birds, drinks their water and sleeps on my deck,” reported neighbor Farley.

“He swaggers down the hill to taunt my cats,” complained neighbor Lee, rolling her shoulders in imitation of his bully walk.

At the Fausts’, he played Goldilocks. Entering by the cat door, he ate their cats’ food and slept in their beds.

Every cat in Fairhaven Cliffs hid when Boy was coming, and probably some possums and raccoons did, too. Inside or out, I’ve never seen Boy yield ground — or seen either cat or dog dare to attack him.

The mockingbirds were another story. Boy’s ears were pocked with scars from being dive-bombed by a species as willful as he.

Brains as well as brawn (I’d say balls, but Boy lost his at an early age) kept him safe. He seemed to learn from the experience of other cats, accumulating wisdom. Boy didn’t travel the busy road that borders Fairhaven — as if he heard the screams of all the cats that had died there.

Close to a dozen cats had lived in our home before Boy. Only he figured out how to enter and exit by the huge maple tree outside our third-floor bedroom window.

Tunaffection?

Only 41 percent of us say we really like cats, while 15 percent really dislike them. I’ve had a lot of cats since my earliest days — another white cat, Snowball, came into my life briefly when I was about seven — and those numbers hold for me. Somewhere over 40 percent of my cats I liked a whole lot; about 15 percent I disliked.

How much we like cats is a simpler question than how much cats like us.

“Is it only tunaffection?” Bill asked as he unpacked a case of tuna with egg and cheese flakes.

There was probably of lot of tunaffection in Boy’s attentions to Bill — winding through his legs, covering his black Merino wool sweater in white hair, curling up for naps.

But food also has a lot to do with why Bill likes me. The way to a man’s heart is his stomach, my mother told me, and Bill says she was right.

We all love one another for our soft laps, heat-producing bodies and fine pelts. As the poet Yeats wrote: “only God, my dear, could love you for yourself alone and not your golden hair.”

Why have we loved white-haired Boy?

Perhaps a creature draws love proportional to his self-valuation. Boy, who thought the world of himself, is king of our cat mountain.

Bill believes Boy loved him. His final proof, the icing to the cake of 161⁄2 years of intimate circadian interdependency, is Boy’s last act: Lifting his weary head onto Bill’s leg. Boy died January 5 by the fire he loved, with his humans and his dog.

We are bereft. I have written too long because Boy is not here to mark the movement from day into night with his call for dinner. The day has to begin without the creature who used to start the movement downstairs for food and coffee. The first person home at night comes into an empty house and hears no greeting.

Boy always had something to say. Without him, life is too quiet.

2009 - a year of limited character

2009-12-20T10:05:00.001-05:00

Gimme - Gimme - Gimme!

2009-12-15T17:37:00.002-05:00

I understand the Economy is in the toilet. Perhaps you've heard this, too? Perhaps it's not just another myth like the Easter Bunny or Rush Limbaugh.

But the endless sucking need of Charities is burning me out. I give as generously yet carefully as I can each year and have focused on causes close to my heart - SPCA, AIDS, GLBT, etc.

The amount of solicitation this year has been unprecedented. And one Charity on the annual roster has been relentless.

For anonymity, I'll just use the initials "M.S.".

For about 3 months they called my number daily between 3pm and 5pm. Finally, I took them in hand and explained this was not the way to win my heart; their annual gift was coming on my schedule and within my budget.

I recently sent out my contribution for 2009. M.S. sent me a lovely "Thank You" card with much verbiage of all the things that money can buy and how my contribution plays its part and all of this signed of by Joyce N., Big Title Such & Such.

Yet there at the bottom in a handwriting font, in blue ink a 'personal' P.S. from M.S.:

"Won't you consider making another gift in the same amount to help even more?"

I folded the card in quarters, sheathed it in the enclosed pre-stamped envelope and sealed it to go out in tomorrow's mail.

But before I did, I wrote in block letter and in red ink: "You're a jerk, Joyce."

RECIPE: Butternut Squash and Cheddar Bread Pudding

2009-11-29T13:17:00.001-05:00

LINK: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2009/11/butternut_squash_and_cheddar_bread_pudding

A delicious savory bread pudding that rivals the big roasted bird.

6 to 8 servings

Recipe by Molly Wizenberg

Photograph by Elinor Carucci

November 2009

Ingredients

2 pounds peeled seeded butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt plus additional for sprinkling
7 large eggs
2 1/4 cups half and half
6 tablespoons dry white wine
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 day-old baguette (do not remove crust), torn into 1-inch pieces (about 10 cups)
1 cup chopped shallots (about 4 large)
2 bunches Tuscan kale (about 1 pound), ribs removed, kale coarsely chopped
8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt; bake until squash is tender, turning with spatula occasionally, 20 to 25 minutes.
Whisk eggs in large bowl. Add half and half, wine, mustard, and 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt; whisk to blend. Add baguette pieces; fold gently into egg mixture. Let soak 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until soft, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add kale; cover and cook 2 minutes. Uncover and stir until kale is wilted but still bright green, about 5 minutes (kale will be a bit crunchy).
Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Using slotted spoon, transfer half of bread from egg mixture to prepared baking dish, arranging to cover most of dish. Spoon half of kale over bread. Spoon half of squash over bread and kale; sprinkle with half of cheese. Repeat with remaining bread, kale, squash, and cheese. Pour remaining egg mixture over bread pudding.
Cover bread pudding with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered until custard is set and bread feels springy to touch, about 20 minutes longer.
Preheat broiler; broil pudding until cheese browns slightly, about 2 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and serve.

POEM: DIRECTION

2009-11-21T13:27:00.000-05:00

You'll only arrive at this house through
the woods we grew with purpose
Those birches dance
in costumes curled & fringed
Lights wink between the two
still flirting with the handsome oak next door
While below graped canopy
four chairs collect deep shade
emptied now of long-awaited guests
Sensitive ferns beside smooth purple stones
focused on this visitation
Heavy, cool air, fuels the spreading greenness
embedded in every surface, as if footsteps
you might fit your sole into each morning
and trace, still sleepy, a path older than ants.

eaf

POEM: Prospero's Prospect, Jay Johnson

2009-11-11T13:29:00.002-05:00

This I abjure:
rough young magicians with red hair
and freckles and the memories
of them which have dissolved me in tears.
Full fathom five
my father lies and my beloved
and my beloved and
the ones I thought, however briefly
beloved
and of their bones is coral made
and of my heart
is hope squeezed not quite dry.
Even as the leaves cover paths
and grasses parch, there is nothing
but expectation
of the island, the prospect
of the buoys tolling in the sea
the cloudless sky
the spells
for which no longer have I breath,
of the final nothing at all.

JAY JOHNSON
as featured in the Gay & Lesbian Review

Ohhh, But He Should Have Been.

2009-11-03T07:08:00.001-05:00

Amen, Rat, Amen...

Poet Profile | Sherman Alexie | PBS

2009-10-23T06:35:00.000-05:00

The Fight or Flight Response
by Sherman Alexie

Years ago, in Spokane, a woman saved
A family of orphaned baby geese.
An amateur ornithologist, she raised
Those birds into adulthood, and then released

Them into the pond at Manito Park,
Where a dozen swans, elegant and white,
Tore the tame geese open and ate their hearts.
Of course, all of this was broadcast live

On the local news. Eyewitnesses wept.
My mother and I shrugged, not at death,
But at those innocent folks who believe
That birds don't murder, rape, and steal.

Like us, swans can be jealous and dangerous,
And, oh, so lovely, sure and monogamous.

Source: Online NewsHour: Poetry Series Poet Profile Sherman Alexie PBS

Poem: ANTIPODES

2009-10-15T07:00:00.002-05:00

"Yonder in Ethiopia are the Antipodes, men that have their feet against our feet." ~ Bartholemus Anglicus

Even the bereft take advantage of a window's uncostly function -
But no transparent choice guarantees an apparent outcome.
Through crust & core, shovels hammer in hopes of riches and great escapes -
Those wounds never heal. When a women's mantle is disturbed - she'll leak her innermost secrets - so don't be too hasty.
Bide your time, taking away slowly spoonfuls of dirt.
If you leave your perceived Siberia in haste just to pop up in Antarctica,
You deserve a penguin's sour upbraiding. To not be kitted for the occasion -
Is to be vestigial, tuxless & fucked.

10.14.09

Gina's Pepperoni Dip

2009-09-20T16:14:00.002-05:00

One my sister got me hooked on some time ago... e.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

1 can(2.9 oz) fried onions
2 8 oz pck cr cheese softened
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1 package peperonie sliced anddiced
1/4 cup green bell pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350

Reserve 1/4 cup of fried onions.
Mix remaining onions and all other ingredients together.
Spread mixture in a 1 1/2 quart casserole pan (Gina uses a bread pan) coated with nonstick veggie spray.
Top with reserved fried onions
Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through.

Serve... enjoy...

Winners of the Food Section's Third Annual Top Tomato Recipe Contest - washingtonpost.com

2009-09-07T07:24:00.000-05:00

Winners of the Food Section's Third Annual Top Tomato Recipe Contest - washingtonpost.com

Some great recipes here I'd like to try this fall - especially the roasted tomato soup. ~ e.

Roasted Tomato Soup
The Washington Post, August 12, 2009

For Washington resident and Tennessee native Shelby Thompson, this soup evokes summer memories of her and her Granddaddy Bill eating warm tomatoes out of hand, straight from the farmers market, with a pinch of salt added after the first bite -- although she says she has added "an adult twist."

Serve warm or cold, with toasted bread or a grilled cheese sandwich.

4 servings

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 4 medium tomatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds)
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, plus more to taste and for optional sprinkling
• 1-inch piece peeled ginger root, grated or minced
• 1 poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 or 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup Rioja or other spicy red wine
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then coat the foil lightly with oil.

Core the tomatoes. Cut them in half, then cut each half into 4 wedges, placing them on the foil as you work. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Roast for 20 minutes, then turn the pieces over and roast for 20 minutes. If desired, sprinkle balsamic vinegar over the tomatoes for the last 20 minutes in the oven.

Meanwhile, heat a few teaspoons of the oil in a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat.

Add the ginger, chopped poblano pepper and 2 cloves' worth of the garlic. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes, until they have softened, taking care not to burn the garlic or ginger.

Add the 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (or more to taste), the wine, water and 1 or 2 teaspoons of oil; stir to mix well. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

Transfer 1/3 of the roasted tomato pieces to a blender. (If they are hot, you may wish to remove the center knob in the blender lid and place a dish towel over the opening; that will prevent steam from causing the lid to pop off.) If desired, add the remaining chopped garlic. Pulse until chunky, then add to the pan or skillet.

Transfer the next 1/3 of the tomatoes to the blender, along with a little of the cooking liquid from the pan or skillet. Puree until almost smooth, then transfer to the pan or skillet and stir to combine. Repeat with the remaining roasted tomatoes and more of the cooking liquid; puree until smooth, then add to the pan or skillet.

Cook the soup, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until heated through but not bubbling. If the soup is too chunky, return batches to the blender and puree to the desired consistency.

Divide among small individual bowls. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Recipe Source:
From Top Tomato 2009 finalist Shelby Thompson of Washington.

45 calories, n/a fat, n/a saturated fat, n/a cholesterol, 45mg sodium, 6g carbohydrates, 1g dietary fiber, 2g sugar, 1g protein.

Tested by Bonnie S. Benwick for The Washington Post.
E-mail the Food Section at food@washpost.com with recipe questions.

© 2007 The Washington Post Company

Recipe: Corn, Crab, & Red Pepper Salad

2009-09-06T10:08:00.002-05:00

One of my favorites from John Shields, keep losing track of the location of it, so sharing it here. ~ e.

Corn, Crab, & Red Pepper Salad
Serves 6

This recipe makes a refreshing summer salad from some of Maryland's most famous foods - sweet corn and crab. Simply serve this salad on a bed of butter lettuce, or as a party appetizer, place into a decorative bowl with fresh tortilla chips on the side and it magically transforms into a marvelous dip.

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 large garlic clove, peeled and mashed
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 pound fresh or pasteurized backfin crabmeat, picked over for shells
1 small red onion, peeled and finely minced
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, cut in fine dice
4 cups fresh Silver Queen (or other sweet corn) corn kernels
[e: I grill about six ears of corn for the salad]
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay or seafood seasoning
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine oil, vinegar, garlic, lime juice, and whisk thoroughly. Place crab, red onion, red pepper, corn, and cilantro together in a bowl and toss gently, taking care not to break up the lumps of crab. Pour the lime dressing over top and gently toss again. Season with Old Bay, salt, and pepper to taste. Cover and chill for at least one hour before serving.

Source: http://www.johnshields.com/articles/edible_summer_2006.html

Stand Up & Amen...

2009-07-30T08:00:00.002-05:00

What to get someone who thinks they have (or know) everything...

The "Sarah Palin Bedpan of Suburban Psychosis via the Holy Trinity of Oprah, Ellen and Katie Couric".

Inscription reads: "Listening to failed vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin is like trying to decipher what the president of your kid's school PTO would sound like if she ate goofballs and snorted cocaine in-between sessions of getting gang banged by rival Mexicans on the foot of an altar dedicated to Lawrence Welk."

LINK: http://bedpanart.web.aplus.net/cart/index.php?p=product&id=39&parent=0

Recipe - Mixed Berry Terrine

2009-07-16T14:44:00.003-05:00

1/3 cup cold water
2 packets unflavored gelatin
2 cups orange or grapefruit juice
1/3 cup sugar
Segments from 2 navel oranges
Segments from 1 pink grapefruit
About 3 cups mixed berries

1. Put cold water in a large bowl, pour in gelatin, and stir to combine. Meanwhile, bring juice and sugar to a boil. Pour some of the juice over the gelatin, stir to dissolve; add remaining juice. Chill 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until slightly thick.

2. Stir the fruit into the lightly thickened juice and pour everything into a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Chill 4 hours or more. To unmold, dip the loaf pan into hot water for a few seconds, then run a knife around the terrine's edges. Serve with more berries or sweetened pureed raspberries.

Link: http://www.parade.com/export/sites/default/food/recipes/parade/123-eats-berries.html

Serves 10. Per serving: 90 calories, 22g carbs, 2g protein, no fat or cholesterol.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T08:27:00.001-05:00

This has to be one of the most succinct Sally Forth moments ever...

http://www.extrapulp.com
[Home] [Books] [Poetry] [News] [Photos] [Links]

Canopy Tour

2009-06-08T10:15:00.002-05:00

If it could be written
in words, all of it -
the clearing of the woods
down the gorge
wouldn't provide enough paper -
but there are so many things worth writing:

The woven nest whose tendrils
snake the rafters
that fat-bottomed bee
she bores the beams and rails

Sun and shadow mutate from
mid-day dapples
to six o'clock streaks and stripes
Regularly, the blue-jays terrorize
the robins, "Cheer, cheer!"
A cardinal, to spite its weaker song
fans the braver fire of its plumage
against which the robin's pale orange blush is shamed.

Will there be a roast tonight?
Will those broken cords be put to use -
cut loose into a crackling moonlight sonata
while we are still able to hear it
and while the woods around are still audience?

Beech twigs at daybreak
clears the palate - coffee pulls the shades open
Spatters of separating forms
evolve in God's country
the oddly mittened sassafras,
orange & ribboned mushrooms -
the companions of coal.
Animated wood smoke
tests memory's rafters -
recalls California or Maine?
Suddenly, I am ten,
with Betty on a stone beach.

Or that visit with Ben Franklin which yielded little,
But called to mind:
"If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten,
either write something worth reading or do things worth the writing."
I have done so little of either lately, I reflect -
I've missed you, my friend, and it's my fault, really.

What becomes of the world
emptied of the wild and woolly?
The incorrigible flirt of birds -
their inexhaustible metallic twitters;
What song accompanied Adam's expulsion
from that first forest?
The retreating and silenced hemlocks, their crushed needles
evoke poisons and potions.
The dimming of the lanterns, the wetting of the coals...
What soft smell will be registered
by our human exit?

Bootlegs of Renaissance (Rhymes with Orange)

2009-05-25T07:44:00.000-05:00

The Soundtrack of my Life

2009-05-23T14:14:00.001-05:00

The Soundtrack of my Life...

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For the first question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the "next" button TWICE
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool...just type it in man!
7. Seriously. Don't cheat!

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?

Opening Credits:
Carrick Fergus - The Peasall Sisters

Waking Up:
Breathe - Erasure

First Day at School:
Two Tears - Eliza Carthy

Falling in Love:
Love for Sale - Boney M

Losing Virginity:
September in the Rain - Dinah Washington

Fight Song:
In the Name of Angels - Men Without Hats

Break Up:
Black - Marcella Detroit

Prom:
Time Turns Around - Toni Halliday

Life:
Here Comes the Rain Again - Eurythmics

Mental Breakdown:
One Step Nearer the Edge - The Tourists

Driving:
Heart of the Night - Juice Newton

Flashback:
I Feel a Song (In My Heart) - Gladys Knight & The Pips

Getting Back Together:
We Are Family - Sister Sledge

Wedding:
And Winter Came - Enya

Birth of Child:
Keep the River on Your Right - Jonatha Brooke

Final Battle:
Code of Silence - Billy Joel & Cyndi Lauper

Death Scene:
He Prayed - Sinead O'Connor

Funeral Song:
The Limit to Your Love - Feist

End Credits:
I Want to Walk with You - Toni Childs

Almond Toffee

2009-04-25T13:23:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite & most frequently made sweets. I've tweaked a few things when I make it (highlighted in red)...

Almond Toffee

about 2-1/4 pounds
Prep: 10 minutes Chill: 1 hour Cook: 12 minutes

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut up
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 cup chopped almonds plus 1/4 finely chopped almonds
12 ounces milk chocolate bars, chopped, or milk chocolate chips
[I add 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract.]

Directions
1. Line a 15 x 10 x 1-inch jelly-roll pan with nonstick foil or regular foil coated with nonstick spray. In a medium-size saucepan, heat butter, sugar, corn syrup and 2 tablespoons water. [I add 2 tbsp cold coffee vs. water.] Heat over medium heat to melt butter. Increase heat to medium-high and insert candy thermometer (see Note).
2. Cook mixture about 12 minutes until golden brown and temperature reaches 300°F. Do not stir. Remove from heat and remove thermometer. Carefully stir in 1 cup chopped almonds.
3. Quickly pour toffee onto prepared pan and spread to edges. Let stand in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
4. Melt half of the chocolate in microwave on HIGH for 45 seconds; stir to smooth. Spread over top of cooled toffee; refrigerate 20 minutes until firm.
5. Once firm, flip entire bar over onto a sheet of waxed paper; remove foil. Microwave remaining chocolate on HIGH for 45 seconds. Stir until smooth. Spread over toffee bar; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup almonds. Use waxed paper to slide toffee bar back onto baking pan. Refrigerate 20 minutes more.
6. Once chocolate is firm, break bar into 2-1/2-inch pieces. Store airtight at room temperature, up to 1 month.

Fenner be...

2009-04-04T15:34:00.001-05:00

Neither a borrower, nor a Fenner be.

Which work of Shakespeare was the original quote from?

...His mama raised a pole!

2009-03-28T08:58:00.001-05:00

I love (and pity) Pig.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2009-03-17T06:59:00.001-05:00

Science Notebook - The Antbird...

2009-03-16T06:22:00.003-05:00

THE ANSWER TO A PHILANDERING ANTBIRD

The Encyclopaedia Britannica notes that antbirds -- tropical birds often found in the Amazon chasing columns of swarming ants --

"have loud, usually unmusical voices that may be heard in echo duets."

Research to be published in the journal Current Biology in April suggests a possible explanation for the cacophonous duets: Female antbirds, researchers have found, "jam" the calls of their mates to other females by singing over the male voices. In response to being jammed, the males then change their tune.

Researchers Joseph A. Tobias and Nathalie Seddon of the University of Oxford said this was the first example of behavior involving jamming, and jamming avoidance, ever seen in nature.
"In human terms, signal jamming is most commonly associated with attempts to scramble information in radio, radar, or cell phone signals," Tobias said in a statement. "The females in our study try to do a similar thing with the songs of their partner, but the overall situation is more analogous to a wife continually interrupting her husband to stop him from flirting with a single woman."

Bird duets, the researchers conclude, can tell complex stories about conflict and cooperation within a species. By recording the birds and playing back their duets, the researchers found that there were times when male and female birds would sing in harmony -- often when they were fending off common rivals. But when the bond between the birds was threatened by a single female, the birds resorted to cacophonous jamming and jamming defense calls.

If such techniques were part of the evolutionary history of humans, the researchers noted, "our results may help to explain the first steps towards complex, coordinated group signals in humans, which themselves are the likely forerunners to modern music."

Source: The Washington Post

Recipe: Gordon's Pot Roast

2009-03-13T17:04:00.002-05:00

It's what's cooking tonight! A minor tweak here or there - no turnips - threw in some red-skinned potatoes. And did rub the pot roast down with spice & stuff before browning - and used molasses instead of brown sugar...

Now for a shampling of wine!

Gordon's Pot Roast
Gourmet November 1998

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves
3/4 pound carrots
1/2 pound parsnips
1/2 pound turnips
6 ounces mushrooms
a 3-inch piece fresh gingerroot
a 28- to 32-ounce can whole tomatoes
a 3-pound boneless beef chuck roast
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup Tawny Port
3/4 cup dry red wine
2 cups beef or chicken broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons water

Chop onion and mince garlic. Peel carrots and parsnips and diagonally cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Peel turnips and cut into 3/4-inch-thick wedges. Cut mushrooms into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Peel gingerroot and mince enough to measure 1/4 cup. Drain tomatoes and chop.
Pat chuck roast dry and season with salt and pepper. In a 5-quart heavy kettle heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown roast on all sides. Transfer roast to a plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from kettle. Add onion to kettle and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add Port and red wine and simmer, scraping up any brown bits on bottom of kettle, 5 minutes. Stir in broth, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, gingerroot, tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, and oregano and bring mixture to a boil. Add roast, carrots, parsnips, turnips, and mushrooms and simmer, covered, turning roast over halfway through cooking time, 3 hours total, or until tender. Pot roast may be made up to this point 3 days ahead. Cool roast, uncovered, before chilling, covered, and remove any solidified fat before reheating.
Transfer roast with tongs to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes. If necessary skim fat from cooking liquid and bring cooking liquid and vegetables to a boil over moderate heat. In a small bowl stir together cornstarch and water until smooth and stir enough into sauce to thicken to desired consistency. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes.
Cut roast crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and arrange on a deep platter. Spoon vegetables and sauce over meat. .
Chop onion and mince garlic. Peel carrots and parsnips and diagonally cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Peel turnips and cut into 3/4-inch-thick wedges. Cut mushrooms into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Peel gingerroot and mince enough to measure 1/4 cup. Drain tomatoes and chop.
Pat chuck roast dry and season with salt and pepper. In a 5-quart heavy kettle heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown roast on all sides. Transfer roast to a plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from kettle. Add onion to kettle and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add Port and red wine and simmer, scraping up any brown bits on bottom of kettle, 5 minutes. Stir in broth, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, gingerroot, tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, and oregano and bring mixture to a boil. Add roast, carrots, parsnips, turnips, and mushrooms and simmer, covered, turning roast over halfway through cooking time, 3 hours total, or until tender. Pot roast may be made up to this point 3 days ahead. Cool roast, uncovered, before chilling, covered, and remove any solidified fat before reheating.
Transfer roast with tongs to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes. If necessary skim fat from cooking liquid and bring cooking liquid and vegetables to a boil over moderate heat. In a small bowl stir together cornstarch and water until smooth and stir enough into sauce to thicken to desired consistency. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes.
Cut roast crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and arrange on a deep platter. Spoon vegetables and sauce over meat.

Epicurious.com © CondéNet, Inc. All rights reserved.

Recipe: Chicken Stew w/ Potato Dumplings

2009-03-01T11:15:00.001-05:00

Chicken Stew with Potato Dumplings

8 servings
Prep: 10 minutes Cook: on HIGH: 4-1/2 hours or on LOW: 6 hours

Ingredients
3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch coins
2 ribs celery, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 medium-size parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch coins
1 large sweet potato (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 scallions, trimmed and chopped
1 quart chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried sage leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 package (1.1 pounds) shelf-stable fully cooked gnocchi (dumplings)
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup cool water
Hot sauce, to taste

Directions
1. Place chicken in a 6-quart slow cooker. Top with carrots, celery, parsnips, sweet potato and scallions. Cover with chicken broth and 1 cup water; season with sage, salt and pepper.
2. Cover slow cooker. Cook on HIGH heat for 4 hours or on LOW heat for 6 hours.
3. After cooking, uncover pot and remove chicken to a cutting board. If necessary, raise temperature to high. Add gnocchi, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, let chicken cool slightly, then shred meat from bones, discarding bones.
4. Once gnocchi have cooked, return chicken to pot. Stir cornstarch-water mixture, and add to pot. Cover and cook 10 to 20 minutes, until thickened slightly. Add hot sauce to taste before serving.

LINK: http://www.parents.com/recipe/chicken/chicken-stew-with-potato-dumplings/

Not My Family!

2009-02-28T11:18:00.003-05:00

Loved these...

There's Something Queer about That Face: Scientific American

2009-02-25T07:42:00.001-05:00

There's Something Queer about That Face: Scientific American

Posted using ShareThis

New type of fuel found in Patagonia fungus

2009-02-21T17:11:00.002-05:00

My love affair with fungus continues... and another "myco" term is coined!

A team led by a Montana State University professor has found a fungus that produces a new type of diesel fuel, which they say holds great promise.

Calling the fungus' output "myco-diesel," Gary Strobel and his collaborators describe their initial observations in the November issue of Microbiology.

The discovery may offer an alternative to fossil fuels, said Strobel, MSU professor of plant sciences and plant pathology. The find is even bigger, he said, than his 1993 discovery of fungus that contained the anticancer drug taxol.

Strobel, who travels the world looking for exotic plants that may contain beneficial microbes, found the diesel-producing fungus in a Patagonia rainforest. Strobel visited the rainforest in 2002 and collected a variety of specimens, including the branches from an ancient family of trees known as "ulmo." When he and his collaborators examined the branches, they found fungus growing inside. They continued to investigate and discovered that the fungus, called "Gliocladium roseum," was producing gases. Further testing showed that the fungus -- under limited oxygen -- was producing a number of compounds normally associated with diesel fuel, which is obtained from crude oil.

"These are the first organisms that have been found that make many of the ingredients of diesel," Strobel said. "This is a major discovery."

Strobel is the lead author of the paper published in Microbiology. His MSU co-authors are Berk Knighton and Tom Livinghouse in the Department of Chemistry/Biochemistry, and Katreena Kluck and Yuhao Ren in the Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology. Other co-authors are Meghan Griffin and Daniel Spakowicz from Yale University and Joe Sears from the Center for Lab Services in Pasco, Wash.

Strobel doesn't know when drivers will fill their gas tanks with fungi fuel or if processors can make enough to fill the demand. The road to commercialization is filled with potential glitches, he said. It's also a major endeavor that will be left to others who specialize in those areas.

Myco-diesel could be an option for those who want alternatives even to ethanol, however, Strobel said. Some car manufacturers who shun ethanol might consider myco-diesel or fuels produced by other microbes.

"The question is, are there other microbes out there that can do for us?" he asked.

Researchers in government agencies and private industry have already shown interest in the fungi. A team to conduct further research has been established between MSU's College of Engineering and researchers at Yale University. One member of the team is Strobel's son, Scott, who is chairman of molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor. The MSU-Yale team will investigate a variety of questions, including the genetic makeup of "Gliocladium roseum."

"The main value of this discovery may not be the organism itself, but may be the genes responsible for the production of these gases," Gary Strobel said."There are certain enzymes that are responsible for the conversion of substrates such as cellulose to myco-diesel."

Scott Strobel said his team is already screening the fungus' genome. Besides determining the complete genetic makeup of the fungus, they will run a series of genetic and biochemical tests to identify the genes responsible for its diesel-making properties.

"The broader question is, what is responsible for the production of these compounds," Scott Strobel said. "If you can identify that, you can hopefully scale it up so you end up with better efficiency of production."

Scott Strobel said he agrees with his father that the discovery is exciting.

There's nothing in the scientific literature about a microbe that produces the diversity of medium-chain hydrocarbons found in the "Gliocladium roseum," he said. Longer hydrocarbon chains are common, but "that's not what you put in your gas tank or jet engine."

Another promising aspect is that the fungus can grow in cellulose.

"That's the most common organic molecule on earth," Scott Strobel said. "It's all around us, everywhere."

Scientists in a variety of disciplines should be able to work together to optimize production and find a way to turn what is essentially a vapor into a burnable, liquid fuel, he added.

LINK: http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2008/11/04/new_type_of_fuel_found_in_patagonia_fungus.html
Source : Montana State University

Video: "Annie Lennox - Shining Light"

2009-02-19T18:12:00.002-05:00


New Annie Lennox song & video - Yay! Eric. Annie Lennox - Shining Light This is the brand new single from Annie Lennox (a cover version of Ash's 'Shining Light) Shining light is released as a single in the UK on 2nd March. (For best results watch in high quality). It also features as one of two new songs on the stunning new album "The Annie Lennox Collection" released: 17th Feb - USA 9th March - Europe. Find out more at : http://www.annielennox.com/ http://www.myspace.com/annielennox Please remember to rate , comment, subscribe and favorite. Annie Lennox Shining Light from the album 'The Annie Lennox Collection' (C) 2009 La Lennoxa Limited under exclusive license to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited

Spoon + Rat + Cat => Flight

2009-02-17T07:29:00.001-05:00

... thanks, D&D:

When Scientific Weekly Goes Tabloid...

2009-02-11T04:33:00.001-05:00

FEATURES
Worms 'N Us: A look at 8 parasitic worms that live in humans
Take a trip through Scientific American's Worm Gallery and meet the charming, slinky creatures that turn your innards into their home sweet home

EXTREME TECH
Shattering News: Electro-Pulse Technology Speeds Ice Removal
New de-icing technique promises to zap ice off of cars, airplanes and bridges in seconds

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
People in Love Are Blind to Pretty Faces
A built-in aversion to attractive members of the opposite sex may help cement monogamous relationships

ASK THE EXPERTS
Why remove a kidney through the vagina?
The pros and cons of removing organs through natural openings in the body

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Lunacy and the Full Moon
Does a full moon really trigger strange behavior?

ASK THE EXPERTS
Why does Sarah Palin support shooting wolves in Alaska?
If we really want more moose, we should be shooting bears instead, says a Vermont wildlife biologist

60-SECOND EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
After 1,000 years, the milu returns to the wild
Few species have come as close to extinction as the milu deer and survived

MIND MATTERS
Where are old memories stored in the brain?
A new study evaluates how and where people store memories in the brain

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
How Meat Contributes to Global Warming
Producing beef for the table has a surprising environmental cost: it releases prodigious amounts of heat-trapping greenhouse gases

SCIENCE TALK PODCAST
The Naked Singularity Meets Social Media
Scientific American Editor in Chief John Rennie talks about the content of the February issue, including naked singularities and the greenhouse hamburger. N.Y.U. journalism professor Jay Rosen discusses social media

60-SECOND PSYCH PODCAST
The Scent of Sexual Sweat
Do you like the scent of your Valentine? The Journal of Neuroscience reports that certain regions in women's brains are activated when they smell "sexual sweat"

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Caterpillar Does Great Ant Impression
In a study in the journal Science, researchers report that blue butterfly caterpillars infiltrate red ant colonies and grub food by mimicking the raspy sound of the ant queen

Winter Roasted Fish With Orange-Lemon Sauce

2009-02-07T08:13:00.004-05:00

Ok - corny recipe name alert - but cooked this up Friday night - it was fantastic. I didn't deviate from the recipe except I threw in a shallot (caution to the wind!) and then completely went stupid after taking the pan out of the oven back to the stove-top to make the sauce and grabbed the pan handle with my bare hand. So - I have a blistery line across my palm this morning [kitchen mishap #378].

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Winter Roasted Fish With Orange-Lemon Sauce
The Washington Post, February 4, 2009

• Course: Main Course
• Features: Fast

Summary:

This recipe borrows from a Sicilian salad combination of oranges, fennel and black olives. But a homemade winter-fruit marmalade provides more flavor than fresh citrus alone; thin slices of orange are used as a garnish in the finished dish.

Small, flat fennel and thick-cut fish work best here. (If using different white-fleshed, skinless fish fillets such as black sea bass or Arctic char, which are not as thick as the swordfish called for here, reduce cooking times accordingly.) Use an ovenproof skillet so preparation can slip easily from the stove top to the oven and back to the stove top for the final cooking.

Serve with, or on top of, a simple risotto; a half-cup of the marmalade could be stirred into it just before serving.

4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (3/4 cup)
• 1 small flat fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and finely chopped (about 3/4 cup), with fronds reserved for garnish
• 1/2 cup store-bought or homemade orange-lemon marmalade (see related recipe)
• 20 pitted whole Gaeta or kalamata (black) olives
• 1/4 bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped (1/3 cup)
• 15 grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 1/2 pounds (1 large piece) 1 1/2-inch-thick, skinless fish fillet, such as swordfish
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc
• 1 small orange, cut into thin slices, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, heavy, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and stir to coat evenly. Reduce the heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the onion has softened and picked up some color.

Add the fennel and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring, or until it has softened. Turn off the heat and add the marmalade and olives; stir to mix well. Let sit for a few minutes; the skillet's heat will melt the marmalade slightly and release some liquid from the olives to form a light sauce. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, then add the parsley and tomato halves; toss to combine.

Place the skillet over medium-high heat; add the remaining oil.

While the oil is heating, season the fish with salt and pepper to taste, then lightly dust with flour, shaking off any excess. Place the fillet in the skillet; sear for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side, using 2 spatulas to gently turn it over.

Spoon the sauce mixture over the fish, then transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Use 2 spatulas to transfer the fish to a serving platter while you finish the sauce.

Place the skillet over high heat on the stove top; add the wine to deglaze it, using a wooden spoon or spatula to dislodge any browned bits in the skillet. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or just long enough for the wine to reduce by half.

Divide the fillet into equal individual portions. Spoon the sauce over the fish; garnish with the reserved fennel fronds and orange slices. Serve warm.

Recipe Source:
From Bonnie Shershow, owner of Bonnie's Jams in Cambridge, Mass.

523 calories, 38g fat, 6g saturated fat, 100mg cholesterol, 401mg sodium, 15g carbohydrates, 5g dietary fiber, 2g sugar, 34g protein.

Tested by Bonnie S. Benwick for The Washington Post.
E-mail the Food Section at food@washpost.com with recipe questions.
© 2007 The Washington Post Company

Wall Color Survey -

2009-02-05T17:34:00.002-05:00

or, Where the Head of the Corporation Gets Stuck.

Ok - I am working temporarily at the company I left early in 2008. It - like a lot of companies is dealing w/ the economic voodoo going on. So - things like the fabled 401k match is gone - and salaries frozen - and bonuses nixed. Everyone still has jobs - so good is good.

But then they send out email blasts that ponder things that definitely should be put on hold as well. Today's example that made my head and left elbow hurt: the new "lean & green" office they built less than 2 years ago with all new everything - they sent out a poll to the entire office to vote on accent colors to zazz the place up - will it be orange, or yellow, purple or chartreuse - vote early and vote often! Money well spent, I am sure.

BONK!

Now - mind you a few years ago - I was hot and heavy in the campaign for the blue M&M - but that's more of a faith-based decision...

Simon's Cat 'TV Dinner'

2009-02-01T11:23:00.001-05:00

Ha ha - this reminds me exactly of our alien resident.

Amazon.com: Review of Fablehaven

2009-02-01T11:10:00.000-05:00

Amazon.com: Review of Fablehaven

Likeable book - passed on to me by my nephew. Not quite as complex as Harry Potter (which is actually charming) - but not as spell-binding as the Spiderwick books. I do really like Kendra's sensibility & spirit - and while the rambunctious nature of her brother Seth is an expectation for a boy his age - his completely spastic inability to contain himself repeatedly to his own detriment is over the top. It tempers as the book goes on - but is disappointing for quite a while. The formula of this book is well-worn by a growing number of authors lately - it's always odd to see that Obert Skye is on the front of the book with a dull quip, "it's a lucky book that can hold this kind of story" when he is out there concurrently shilling his own take on this same formula. Although he does have a point - Fablehaven is a good find in a book. I still wish the older Alan Garner series could have a resurgence - if anything as a next step to show that you can depict that the main characters are kids/brother/sister but that they can be clever and smart, too. Like a next step into Charles DeLint... Fablehaven gets its own voice and strength in Kendra's spirited awakening near the book's end - where she has to stop holding back and hesitating and take action and rescue her family and Fablehaven alone. I am moving on to the 2nd book now...

First snow...

2009-01-27T09:34:00.001-05:00

The day I always look forward to...

I used to be Snow White... but then I drifted.

2009-01-19T07:37:00.001-05:00

Good morning - we're back from a quick weekend of skiing in Snowshoe Mtn... did quite a few good (and successful) runs down the slopes @ Snowshoe on Saturday and again Sunday morning! No parts left behind... So - some bills - year-end tax work - and piano today (did someone say it might snow?) - Anyway - happy monday morning - just wanted to say hello. E.

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School's Out - For Winter...

2008-12-12T07:40:00.001-05:00

Good Friday morning... it's been a packed week; exams are over - catching up on piano at last (Greensleeves, Scarborough Fair & Misty Night Blues - the medley!) - and finally getting to some of those books on my nightstand I've been wanting to read. Have a great weekend.

The Pillowman

2008-11-10T07:56:00.001-05:00

Completed for the class assignment to go with our reading of the Martin McDonagh play, "The Pillowman"... my version of the Pillowman...

Last Defenders...

2008-10-31T06:44:00.001-05:00

This cartoon came up in communications class and it made my morning...

Soup Du Jour...

2008-10-26T14:40:00.002-05:00

Found this one in a group of soup recipes in Parada Magazine and saved it. Today - whipped up a huge crock of it - the house is smelling amazing and the soup is terrific! Now - to start a loaf of bread!

Roasted Carrot Soup
Roasting grings out the natural sugars and best flavor in root vegetables.

MAIN INGREDIENT: CARROT (My $.02 - it's a tie with the parsnips!)

1 pounds carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
1 pound parsnips, peeled and quartered lengthwise
1 large onion, sliced
3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 Tbsp (packed) dark-brown sugar
8 cups rich chicken broth (more if necessary)
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 cup crème fraîche, for garnish
Snipped fresh chives, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Combine the carrots, parsnips, onion, and ginger in a shallow roasting pan to fit. Dot with butter and sprinkle with brown sugar.
3. Pour 2 cups of the broth into the pan, cover well with aluminum foil, and bake for 2 hours, until the vegetables are very tender.
4. Transfer the vegetables and broth to a large soup pot with the remaining 6 cups of broth. Season with salt to taste and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes.
5. Purée the soup in batches in a blender until smooth, adding more broth if necessary. Return the soup to the pot; adjust the seasonings and heat through. Serve dolloped with crème fraîche and a sprinkling of snipped chives.

Serves 10. Per serving: 140 calories, 19g carbs, 2g protein, 7g fat, 20mg cholesterol.

Palin-Biden Debate Drinking Game Begins NOW

2008-10-02T15:21:00.001-05:00

Check this out http://wonkette.com/403206/palin-biden-debate-drinking-game-begins-now

This is truly a bi-partisan entry - a two-fisted approach to this evenings debates.

And certainly worthy of a fine bottle of plunk.

http://www.extrapulp.com

Buffalo Chicken Soup Recipe

2008-10-02T15:06:00.000-05:00

I just had this over the weekend at T's folks house - it was amazing. And - is now on my Thanksgiving day menu!

Buffalo Chicken Soup Recipe

Buffalo Chicken Soup
Makes: 6 servings
Prep: 30 minutes Cook: 15 minutes

Ingredients
1 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 lb. deli-roasted chicken, skinned, boned, and coarsely shredded
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 14-oz. cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1-1/2 cups milk
1 tsp. bottled hot pepper sauce
1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese (6 oz.)
1-1/4 cups crumbled blue cheese (5 oz.)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (2 oz.)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Bottled hot pepper sauce (optional)

Directions
1. In 4-quart Dutch oven melt butter over medium heat. Add celery and onion; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in broth, milk, and the 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce.

2. In bowl toss together mozzarella, 1 cup of the blue cheese, Parmesan, and flour. Add gradually to soup, stirring after each addition just until melted. Stir in three-fourths of the shredded chicken; heat through. Top with remaining chicken, blue cheese, and hot sauce. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 6 servings Calories 490, Total Fat (g) 28, Saturated Fat (g) 15, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 8, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 2, Cholesterol (mg) 145, Sodium (mg) 1134, Carbohydrate (g) 12, Total Sugar (g) 5, Fiber (g) 1, Protein (g) 45, Vitamin C (DV%) 3, Calcium (DV%) 47, Iron (DV%) 10, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

A Legend to Live Up To!

2008-10-01T15:54:00.002-05:00

My new (old) hero - Eric the Unready!

Or your battery will be dead!

2008-09-24T07:54:00.001-05:00

... just don't try to engage the parking brake or open the trunk ... !

http://www.extrapulp.com

Being "Maverick"...

2008-09-19T07:20:00.001-05:00

http://m.reference.com/d/search.html?q=maverick

Not really a good term to stitch onto a potential Prez or VP...

Recipe: Rouladen

2008-09-17T16:23:00.001-05:00

Rouladen

Submitted by: WEE-B
Rated: 4 out of 5 by 20 members

Prep Time: 1 Hour
Cook Time: 1 Hour

Ready In: 2 Hours
Yields: 6 servings

"Braised sirloin steak rolls, seasoned with Dijon mustard and stuffed with onion and pickle wedges. Topped with gravy."

INGREDIENTS:

6 (1/2 pound) sirloin tip steaks,

thin cut

3 slices bacon, cut in half

2 dill pickles, cut into 3 wedges

1 to taste prepared Dijon-style

mustard

1 to taste salt and pepper to

taste

1 onion, cut into 6 wedges

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 (.75 ounce) packets dry

brown gravy mix

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place sirloin flat on a cutting board, spread on mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Place 1/2 strip bacon, 1 onion wedge, and 1 pickle wedge onto the steak. Roll making sure all items stay inside and tuck ends in. Tie up with butcher string. Repeat for each steak.
2.	Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large stock pot, over medium heat. Brown meat well.
3.	Pour in enough water to cover meat. Reduce heat to medium/low heat and cook for 1 hour.
4.	When meat is cooked, stir in gravy mix. Heat through.

Printed from Allrecipes.com 9/17/2008

Per Mom, "First time I found a recipe like Janet's..."

Workin' like a one-armed paper-hanger with an itch...

2008-09-17T13:40:00.001-05:00

Like OMG! Thank you Kris - esp. catching the mis-spelling of Academy at the bottom. ~ E.

http://www.extrapulp.com

"SNL: Sarah Palin & Hillary Clinton (Tina Fey & Amy Poehler)"

2008-09-15T08:19:00.001-05:00

Haha! They are the best... "lipstick - lipstick! - LIPSTICK!!" - "What an amazing time we live in..." - E.

----- Forwarded Message ----


Tina Fey as Sarah Palin SNL: Sarah Palin & Hillary Clinton (Tina Fey & Amy Poehler) HILARIOUS! Tina Fey does a near-perfect impression of Sarah Palin. It's great.
© 2008 YouTube, LLC

NEWS: Palin's Thin Ice

2008-09-14T10:29:00.002-05:00

She is stunning to observe - a creature of no compunction whatsoever. This is somehow misconstrued as confidence.

My favorite highlights from the Washington Post article (followed by link to article below):

"Palin limited her duties further by hiring a deputy administrator to handle much of the town's day-to-day management. Her top achievement as mayor was the construction of an ice rink, a project that landed in the courts and cost the city more than expected." ... "Arriving in office, Palin herself played down the demands of the job in response to residents who worried that her move to oust veteran officials would leave the town in the lurch. 'It's not rocket science,' Palin said, according to the town newspaper, the Frontiersman. 'It's $6 million and 53 employees.'" ... "She told city officials not to talk to reporters." ... "Palin also differed with the librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons. The Frontiersman reported at the time that Palin asked Emmons three times in her first weeks in office whether she would agree to remove controversial books. The librarian said she would not. The McCain campaign has confirmed Palin's questions but said that she never demanded removal of any specific books. Palin also fired Emmons on Jan. 30 but reinstated her after an uproar." ....

Story Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/13/AR2008091302596.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR

School Daze...

2008-09-10T08:50:00.003-05:00

Because my inner demon takes over ... the following exchange took place this morning.

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Eric
To: Circulation Desk
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 9:44:39 AM
Subject: Re: Library Card Application

James - Thank you - I received my library card yesterday.

It caught my eye - and I did want to point out that, "... something that writes good on plastic ..." sounds like bad form "... something that writes well ..." ? Not sure - but it definitely sounds like there is a better way to phrase that one.

Eric.

----- Original Message ----
From: Circulation Desk
To: Eric
Sent: Sunday, September 7, 2008 12:52:37 PM
Subject: RE: Library Card Application

Good afternoon Eric,

Your request for a library card has been processed and your number is XXXXXXX. It is on the back of the card that is being mailed to you. Please read and sign the bottom on the back with a marker or something that writes good on plastic surfaces. If you have any questions about the library please feel free to contact us by phone or e-mail, also if you have not received your card within 10 days please let us know.

Have a good day!

RIP: Marc Fournier

2008-09-07T14:20:00.002-05:00

A fellow I'd known for since the mid-'90's from New England - we e-mailed sporadically and kept in touch w/ online after he moved to Atlanta.

His e-mail just bounced back to me that I'd sent for wishing him a happy birthday - imagine my surprise when looking up his band's site I found out the following:

Marc passed away in 2005.

Here's the story from the web. I was shocked - and wanted to share the story.

Marc Fournier, 1965-2005

By atl_andisheh

November 28th, 2005 @ 9:50 AM Uncategorized

Fans of local music might know Marc as Soolaiman, the lead singer of the popular Atlanta Neil Diamond tribute band, Hot August Knights. According to an e-mail from his brother, Marc died last weekend of complications resulting from pneumonia. He was just 40.

Marc was a great performer and, in my admittedly few conversations with him, a kind, engaging and interesting man. You can see him performing as Soolaiman in the documentary Feel Neil by Atlanta director David Sarich.

(Photo credit: Ken Kelly, copied from hotaugustknights.com)

Eric Fenner for President!

2008-09-06T03:07:00.001-05:00

... By the way - I will be searching for a VP. Minimal experience required. However, you must be able to make killer chocolate chip cookies and have fairly decent dental work. ~ Eric.

Copy Paste the URL Below and send to your Friends:

http://www.inews3.com/topstory.php?id=457269637c46656e6e6572

(click above link for full presentation)

Produced by: PalTalk

Can you Solve this Puzzle

2008-09-04T15:26:00.000-05:00

Can you solve this puzzle?

You are riding on a beautiful white horse.

On your left side is a drop off.

On your right side are several ostriches being chased by a lion.

In front of you are four large gazelles that won't get out of your way and you can't seem to overtake them.

Behind you is a stampede of horses.

What must you do to get out of this highly dangerous situation?
For the answer click and drag your mouse from star to star.
* Get your drunk ass off the carousel. *

Socks Without Partners

2008-09-04T06:44:00.001-05:00

Ooh - and the perfect gift item for the psycho's in your life:

Knife Coat Hooks

A Day with the Beaches...

2008-08-29T14:45:00.001-05:00

Spent a lovely day Wednesday at Rehoboth with G & R.

When there she was.

Just imagine.... I almost wore the same outfit!
And --------

You should have seen her from the front:

"Mae West meets Whatever Happened to Baby Jane"

Ma & Pa Palin

2008-08-29T14:26:00.001-05:00

Seriously - this is the living room of the newly selected Republican VP's parents.

AP - Chuck Heath, right, and his wife Sally watch, in their home in Wasilla, Alaska, as their daughter, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. was chosen by Sen. John McCain as his running mate and choice for vice president Friday Aug. 29. 2008.(AP Photo/Al Grillo) CLICK HERE FOR LINK

All That Wasted Effort...

2008-08-27T06:42:00.001-05:00

Started back at community college today... a few courses through Dec. Looking forward to the English comp. course - just a few whacky photos attached.

Ketchup will never be the same... Enjoy - E.

From Gene Weingarten's Washington Post Magazine column - where he periodically calls those 800 numbers on the back of products to discuss the product with the person on the other end of the phone:

SMOKEHOUSE BEEFY STICKS

Me: I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your product. It's got a rich taste and is great exercise for my jaw.

Joanna: You are eating the product yourself?

Me: What do you mean?

Joanna: These are dog treats.

Me: What?

Joanna: I'm glad you like them, though!

Me: I do. What are they made of?

Joanna: Uh, can you hold the line a second?

Me: Sure.

Lisa: This is Lisa. Can I help you?

Me: I was saying how much I enjoy your Beefy Sticks. I asked what they are made of.

Lisa: Sir, they are made of dried steer penises.

Me: Auuggghhhhh! Auuggghhh!

Lisa: It's okay.

Me: Hold me, Lisa.

http://www.extrapulp.com

Nicholas Simmons - Watercolorist

2008-08-22T14:40:00.003-05:00

Saw this beautiful work on MPT... planning to take a basic watercolor course this fall.

The joy of Nicholas Simmons' watercolor is in the burst of color and immense energy, which are clearly representative of their artist. Mr. Simmons' first career was music, but he painted commissions in his spare time. When the painting became more time-consuming than music, he decided to paint full time and see what happened. A wise decision as he receives subtantial recognition for his work. Gallery RoCa is his Maryland representative, where his work is always available to view. Gallery RoCa is located at 220 N. Washington in Havre de Grace. For more information, call 410-939-6182.

Nicholas Simmons
Gallery RoCa

She Loves A Man Who Puts Up a Fight...

2008-08-18T08:27:00.002-05:00

New Annie Lennox Collection

2008-08-06T09:52:00.001-05:00

New collection coming out in September; beautiful cover photo.

Wordle - PoemBlog - August 2008

2008-08-05T11:42:00.000-05:00

Wordle - PoemBlog - August 2008

Just discovered Wordle.net today - a site for creating 'word clouds'.

Ran my poemblog through the Wordle-izer... liked the results:

Wine - Viu Manent

2008-08-03T17:30:00.001-05:00

The Viu Manent 2008 Reserva Cabernet was fantastic.

LINK: http://www.viumanent.cl/ViuM_I/vino/vino4/vino43.php

Cardinal Rules...

2008-08-01T10:55:00.002-05:00

Caught this mother cardinal in the yard last night feeding her young one. Couldn't get super close but thought this photo came out pretty well and wanted to share.

Have a great weekend ~ E.

Favorites from Artscape Baltimore

2008-07-25T05:31:00.002-05:00

Hit the Artscape event in Balt. on Sunday.

It's really more of a large open air flea market and food court than an "artscape". Maybe they should re-think the name. Not that there wasn't original and interesting work to be seen - but it was few and it was far between. And it was damn hot that day.

Some of my favorites:

> Queen of Sheba Trading Company

Her ideas of "Jewelry for Lunch" and her LiAni (TM) Shawls were fantastic as was her personality.

> Squidfire
Great t-shirt designs - this is a weak spot for me. I have quite of few of these folks designs that I've purchased over the last 2 - 3 years. Below - I found some other designers that had great stuff.

> Sharp Shirter

T-shirt and laptop skin designs.

BOOK: The Road, Cormac McCarthy

2008-07-17T08:03:00.002-05:00

This is a beautiful and surprising account of a father and son - a journey of absolute endings. There are no wasted words or efforts. The language and the story are concise. The world has been destroyed; nature is burned to a crisp; the few humans that are left are scattered and not to be trusted. This father and his son are moving away from winter's coming trying to find a warmer place - nothing is considered safe - and finding food is chancy at best. I started this book and read through it in two days - not wanting to stop or put it down. I was heart broken several times in the book as the little boy becomes older and wiser than typical for his age just by observing the world. Random moments: When the two enter a house and draw a gun on their own reflections in the mirror not knowing themselves anymore. "It's us, Papa, the boy whispered It's us." Later - the father observes that to his son he is "... an alien. A being from a planet that no longer existed." Taking place in a destroyed world - the story is allowed to examine deeply the relationship between these two - trust, belief, love and questioning one another - and growing together and apart along the way.

Food and Fashion...

2008-07-14T06:36:00.002-05:00

Just because it's Monday. We're finally getting a nice steady light rain here and the garden and plants are loving it. Have a great week out there ~ E.

(Thanks to Kris for this photo - I'm not asking where he found it...)

"Tee hee, Brutus."

2008-07-11T13:25:00.001-05:00

One of those e-mails... that actually cracked me up...

Insight into the minds of 6th graders:
The following were answers provided by 6th graders during history test. Watch the spelling! Some of the best humor is in the misspelling.
1. Ancient Egypt was inhabited by mummies and they all wrote in hydraulics. They lived in the Sarah Dessert. The climate of the Sarah is such that all the inhabitants have to live elsewhere.
2. Moses led the Hebrew slaves to the Red Sea where they made unleavened bread, which is bread made without any ingredients. Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten commandments. He died before he ever reached Canada .
3. Solomon had three hundred wives and seven hundred porcupines.
4. The Greeks were a highly sculptured people, and without them we wouldn't have history. The Greeks also had myths. A myth is a female moth.
5. Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice. They killed him. Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock. After his death, his career suffered a dramatic decline.
6. In the Olympic games, Greeks ran races, jumped, hurled biscuits, and threw the Java.
7. Julius Caesar extinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul . The Ides of March murdered him because they thought he was going to be made king. Dying, he gasped out: "Tee hee, Brutus."
8. Joan of Arc was burnt to a steak and was canonized by Bernard Shaw.
9. Queen Elizabeth was the "Virgin Queen." As a queen she was a success. When she exposed herself before her troops they all shouted "hurrah."
10. It was an age of great inventions and discoveries. Gutenberg invented removable type and the Bible. Another important invention was the circulation of blood. Sir Walter Raleigh is a historical figure because he invented cigarettes and started smoking.
11. Sir Francis Drake circumsized the world with a 100-foot clipper.
12. The greatest writer of the Renaissance was William Shakespeare. He was born in the year 1564, supposedly on his birthday. He never made much money and is famous only because of his plays. He wrote tragedies, comedies, and hysterectomies, all in Islamic pentameter. Romeo and Juliet are an example of a heroic couple.
13. Writing at the same time as Shakespeare was Miguel Cervantes. He wrote Donkey Hote. The next great author was John Milton. Milton wrote Paradise Lost. Then his wife died and he wrote Paradise Regained.
14. Delegates from the original 13 states formed the Contented Congress. Thomas Jefferson, a Virgin, and Benjamin Franklin were two singers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin discovered electricity by rubbing two cats backward and declared, "A horse divided against itself cannot stand." Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead.
15. Abraham Lincoln became America 's greatest Precedent. Lincoln 's mother died in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin, which he built with his own hands. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves by signing the Emasculation Proclamation. On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln went to the theater and got shot in his seat by one of the actors in a moving picture show . They believe the assinator was John Wilkes Booth, a supposingly insane actor. This ruined Booth's career.
16. Johann Bach wrote a great many musical compositions and had a large number of children. In between he practiced on an old spinster which he kept up in his attic. Bach died from 1750 to the present. Bach was the most famous composer in the world and so was Handel. Handel was half German, half Italian, and half English.
17. Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf He was so deaf he wrote loud music. He took long walks in the forest even when everyone was calling for him. Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died for this.
18. The nineteenth century was a time of a great many thoughts and inventions. People stopped reproducing by hand and started reproducing by machine. The invention of the steamboat caused a network of rivers to spring up. Cyrus McCormick invented the McCormick raper, which did the work of a hundred men. Louis Pasteur discovered a cure for rabbits. Madman Curie discovered the radio. Karl Marx became one of the Marx Brothers.

Louisiana and Texas...

2008-07-06T11:44:00.002-05:00

I hadn't been here in 30 years.

We were out on the lake with my Uncle Max.

We have caught up with and met family and re-met family.

We have eaten ourselves full and picked up new recipes -

And we have come into: family members, favorite histories, tips and tricks and e-mail addresses.

As well as promises not to wait another 30 years.

Now we're at the airport - waiting for our plane home.

Important airport security messages slide across a Huey Lewis ditty.

Mom is sitting beside me tucked into a romance novel.

A very loud lady is sitting across from me calling someone to keep them informed, "I am at the airport -- eatin' Pringles -- yeh, they sell them in small snack packs now -- huh? -- sour cream and onion ..." This is why the cellphone was invented: to give everyone the grocery list of your daily life.

Travel exposes me.

We had a fantastic time - but no matter how good a trip is - always,
I am ready for my home...

eXtra.puLp [news]: GLBT and McCain

2008-06-26T11:39:00.004-05:00

eXtra.puLp [news]: GLBT and McCain

I was transported back in time today... not far enough to see some of the cool things from history I'd love to witness [ancient Egypt or maybe the dinosaurs] - but instead to a time about 4 to 5 years ago when the war in Iraq was getting underway or in its early stages. I don't think anyone in the U.S. was terribly informed - extremely emotional on one side of the fence or the other - but other than running on emotions... well - **pllllt** on actual discussion or questioning - or good old fashion argument.

This is triggered by an e-mail response to the e-mail bullet list of the factual record for McCain on GLBT issues I posted yesterday. Portions of this very direct list were derided as "accounts ... from some of the nuts on the left wing who hate America".

This is a list of McCain's actual record on GLBT issues. Nothing more.

The HRC site itself has a side-by-side comparison of both candidates GLBT issues:

LINK: http://www.hrc.org/news/10631.htm

Neither one is a total winner in this small slice of the pie.

Both candidates stances on GLBT issues are of interest to me; however, they are not the only issues I am interested in. And even if a candidate were FOR all of the GLBT near and dear issues but terribly off the mark on others - I would vote for the candidates whose COMPLETE qualifications, policies and proposals spoke most nearly to all that I hold an interest in.

I am puzzled that going into an election with to polar opposite candidates that me looking at both and asking - "WHO?" and then "WHY?" gets a lot of emotional responses or vague "I heard it on the playground..." type kick-back - but nothing to educate me or persuade me in either direction.

Looking at Clinton - I thought - a Clinton is a Clinton. In or out of office - like it or not - I knew what it was and what it would likely mean if in office.

Looking at Obama - I see nothing but inexperience and a largely obscure historical record on issues. Sometimes, his "newness" to politics is good - but without a clear history on issues it's hard to know him. And his personal and political affiliations that keep popping up are not comforting. His speeches are slick and well-crafted but point nowhere and seem to be full of just illustrating that he is the opposite of who he is running against.

Looking at McCain - I see strengths in a man who's record and experience are open to the public. And I see some policies that make me a bit nervous or uncomfortable - but also some that seem to make perfect sense in a "next four years" sort of sense considering where our nation finds itself going into this election.

So I reach out - to anyone out there with INFORMATION (a little opinion or emotion is good, too) - but largely "WHY?" to vote for "WHO?"

The following are not good enough reasons:

OBAMA
1) He's an agent for "Change".
>> Frankly - who isn't? Next.
2) He'll be an historical "first" in office.
>> Historical - sure enough - but not grounds to be elected on this alone.
3) For those that are against Obama - "Osama ben Obama" and closet Muslim references fail to convey anything intelligent, surprising or new in my exploration.

MCCAIN
1) He's an "American hero".
>> There are hundreds of American heroes; they come in all shapes and sizes - not grounds to be elected on this alone.
2) He's the next "Ronald Reagan".
>> There is filmy gauze around the memory of Reagan; I see how it would be easy to romanticize him - but really - the record of his year's in office wasn't exactly all wins. He was a man for the time and place in which he was in office.

The next President should be a new President; a person in and of his own right.

A Voter should be informed and voting as a person in and of his own right.

Share with me; educate me - we still have a few more months to go...

“Because good communication is stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.”
Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Happy Birthday, Weazie

2008-06-26T07:29:00.001-05:00

I miss you, lady.

~ E.

GLBT and McCain

2008-06-25T08:10:00.001-05:00

Just passing along a quick report card on McCain and his stance on GLBT issues; no huge surprises - may not be 'news' to some - just a FYI ~ E.

HRC LINK: http://www.hrc.org/equality08/mccain.htm

Senator John McCain

As the general election kicks off, Senator John McCain will tout his reputation as a maverick, an independent, a moderate who will work with both parties to get things done. However, a look at Senator McCain's record paints a very different picture. What we have seen over the last seven years has been President Bush despite his promise to be a "uniter, not a divider" repeatedly siding with ultra-conservatives and the religious right at the expense of protections for GLBT Americans. A McCain presidency would be another four years of more of the same.

John McCain on GLBT Issues

A Record of Opposing the Interests of GLBT Americans

OPPOSED Ending Discrimination Against GLBT Americans in the Workplace. Senator McCain cast a deciding vote against the federal Employment Non Discrimination Act.

OPPOSED Protecting GLBT Americans from Hate Crimes. Senator McCain voted three times against expanding the federal hate crimes law to include sexual orientation.

PROPONENT of Discriminatory Military Policy. Senator McCain supports Don't Ask, Don't Tell and does not believe that gays should serve in the military.

OPPONENT of Equal Benefits for Same-Sex Couples. Senator McCain voted for the Defense of Marriage Act which prohibits same-sex couples from receiving federal rights and benefits in any state.

ACTIVELY SUPPORTED State Ban on Domestic Partnerships. Senator McCain campaigned for a ban on same-sex relationship recognition in his home state of Arizona even appearing in a campaign television ad.

SUPPORTED the Confirmation of Anti-GLBT Equality Judges. Senator McCain voted to confirm President Bush's judicial nominees who had taken anti-GLBT positions. He has pointed to Justice Samuel Alito as a role model for future Supreme Court appointments.

SUPPORTED a Discriminatory HIV/AIDS Policy. Senator McCain supported a Jesse Helms strategy to cut off funding for prevention efforts aimed at the gay community and voted to prohibit foreign nationals with HIV from immigrating to the United States.

Paid for by Human Rights Campaign PAC (www.hrc.org/pac) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Co-Worker...

2008-06-23T16:51:00.002-05:00

Out and about on the job today - this little feller showed up and let me snap his photo a couple dozen times.

~E.

A Poem - D. H. Lawrence, "Snake"

2008-06-23T16:08:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading Phillip Dick's "The Transmigration of Timothy Archer" - this poem was referenced in the book - and it really spoke to me - sharing it here.

D. H. Lawrence, "Snake"

He drank enough
And lifted his head, dreamily, as one who has drunken,
And flickered his tongue like a forked night on the air, so black,
Seeming to lick his lips,
And looked around like a god, unseeing, into the air,
And slowly turned his head,
And slowly, very slowly, as if thrice adream,
Proceeded to draw his slow length curving round
And climb again the broken bank of my wall-face.

And as he put his head into that dreadful hole,
And as he slowly drew up, snake-easing his shoulders, and entered farther,
A sort of horror, a sort of protest against his withdrawing into that horrid black hole,
Deliberately going into the blackness, and slowly drawing himself after,
Overcame me now his back was turned.

I looked round, I put down my pitcher,
I picked up a clumsy log
And threw it at the water-trough with a clatter.

I think it did not hit him,
But suddenly that part of him that was left behind convulsed in undignified haste.
Writhed like lightning, and was gone
Into the black hole, the earth-lipped fissure in the wall-front,
At which, in the intense still noon, I stared with fascination.

And immediately I regretted it.
I thought how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act!
I despised myself and the voices of my accursed human education.

And I thought of the albatross
And I wished he would come back, my snake.

For he seemed to me again like a king,
Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld,
Now due to be crowned again.

And so, I missed my chance with one of the lords
Of life.
And I have something to expiate:
A pettiness.

Taormina, 1923

Happy Wednesday...

2008-06-18T07:29:00.002-05:00

1) Today's Recipe:

2) High class summer style...

LINK: http://www.gnr8.biz/product_info.php?products_id=797

3) And after my second cuppa... I took a stab at The Caffeine Test.

LINK: http://www.oneplusyou.com/q/v/caffeine

~ E.

Whatever Happend to ... Elmo

2008-06-16T06:01:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday! Poor little feller...

Species Detail | Butterflies and Moths of North America

2008-06-12T08:15:00.001-05:00

Spotted this lady in the yard a bit ago; and recently found matching caterpillars on one of the plants in the yard listed as a host plant...

Species Detail Butterflies and Moths of North America: "American Lady
Vanessa virginiensis (Drury, 1773)"

Art-O-Matic

2008-06-09T06:40:00.001-05:00

Hit the Art-O-Matic exhibit on Saturday evening - really got a kick out of a few of the artists there...

>>Paul Sikora

LINK: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulsikora

>>Gennara Moore

LINK: http://www.aim-gallery.com/moore.html

>>Rita Elsner

LINK: http://www.ritaelsner.com

>>Erica Riccardellia

This photo - "Target Practice" - made me smile.

LINK: http://www.ericcardelli.com

>>Eli Halpin

Klimt meets fairytales...

LINK: http://elihalpin.com

>>Tiny Ghosts

All of the work by this artist was probably my favorite of the work seen at Art-O-Matic... it reminded me of the Story People who I love.

LINK: http://tinyghosts.com/

Burger King

2008-06-06T06:47:00.001-05:00

A friend passed along an article about the paper tray inserts that Burger King has used somewhere in the world (there's a series of them) to show that they are very selective in their vegetable ingredients.

Too much: the Pickle Cop and the look on the Onions face - priceless.

LINK: http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/burger_king_veg_city_airport

Father's Day .... Or One for Me?

2008-06-05T06:14:00.001-05:00

Saw an ad for these wallets (there are several different sizes and versions). Really thought the style was sharp but simple.

LINK: http://gusstyle.com/index.html

Links and Tidbits...

2008-06-01T08:54:00.001-05:00

Great source for vintage postcards - states and cities, etc.

Moody's Collectible's

LINK: http://www.moodyscollectibles.com

I just read about this in Hallmark Magazine - and learned something new about the end of slavery and this ongoing annual celebration which began in Texas.

Juneteenth - Annually on June 19th

LINK: http://www.juneteenth.com

New Music

2008-05-28T06:18:00.001-05:00

It's the little things that keep me entertained. Two new albums by ladies I love:

Cyndi Lauper - BRING YA TO THE BRINK

Donna Summer - CRAYONS

Cyndi Lauper's album is more original - but both are very energetic and great to have in the car.

Back from West Coast...

2008-05-28T06:10:00.001-05:00

Feel a little less like this today - but now the weather's turned!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T08:46:00.002-05:00

With a sci-fi twist... :)

eXtra.puLp [news]

Recipe: Crockpot Mac and Cheese

Preparation:

Gin!

Art Subjective

Annie Lennox: "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"

Pumpkin Hummuses - Hummusi? - Hummuseseses?

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Menu

Annie Lennox - Album Release 11/16/10

Along the watchtower...

Sporkful

Absotively posilutely...

The Brief Encounter .com

Double-Dose of Lyrical Vomit

Art of Tristan Alexander

RECIPE: Roasted Vegetable Pie

Makes: 6 servings

Nutrition Facts

Recipe: Slow-Cooked South Carolina Pulled Pork

Walking in a Winter Wonderland...

Bay Weekly: My Friend Mr. Boy

2009 - a year of limited character

Gimme - Gimme - Gimme!

RECIPE: Butternut Squash and Cheddar Bread Pudding

Butternut Squash and Cheddar Bread Pudding

Ingredients

Preparation

POEM: DIRECTION

POEM: Prospero's Prospect, Jay Johnson

Ohhh, But He Should Have Been.

Poet Profile | Sherman Alexie | PBS

Poem: ANTIPODES

Gina's Pepperoni Dip

Winners of the Food Section's Third Annual Top Tomato Recipe Contest - washingtonpost.com

Recipe: Corn, Crab, & Red Pepper Salad

Stand Up & Amen...

The "Sarah Palin Bedpan of Suburban Psychosis via the Holy Trinity of Oprah, Ellen and Katie Couric".

Recipe - Mixed Berry Terrine

Happy Father's Day!

Canopy Tour

Bootlegs of Renaissance (Rhymes with Orange)

The Soundtrack of my Life

Almond Toffee

Fenner be...

...His mama raised a pole!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Science Notebook - The Antbird...

Recipe: Gordon's Pot Roast

Recipe: Chicken Stew w/ Potato Dumplings

Chicken Stew with Potato Dumplings

Not My Family!

There's Something Queer about That Face: Scientific American

New type of fuel found in Patagonia fungus

Video: "Annie Lennox - Shining Light"

Spoon + Rat + Cat => Flight

When Scientific Weekly Goes Tabloid...

Winter Roasted Fish With Orange-Lemon Sauce

Wall Color Survey -

Simon's Cat 'TV Dinner'

Amazon.com: Review of Fablehaven

First snow...

I used to be Snow White... but then I drifted.

School's Out - For Winter...

The Pillowman

Last Defenders...

Soup Du Jour...

Palin-Biden Debate Drinking Game Begins NOW

Buffalo Chicken Soup Recipe

A Legend to Live Up To!

Or your battery will be dead!

Being "Maverick"...

Recipe: Rouladen

Workin' like a one-armed paper-hanger with an itch...

"SNL: Sarah Palin & Hillary Clinton (Tina Fey & Amy Poehler)"

NEWS: Palin's Thin Ice

School Daze...

RIP: Marc Fournier

Marc Fournier, 1965-2005