Sad News

Michael Crichton died today.

When I was young, I read a lot of Michael Crichton - Jurrasic Park, Congo, Sphere, Disclosure, Rising Sun, Timeline, Prey.  Sphere was particularly memorable for me, because my family read it together around the campfire during a weeklong camping trip to Zion and Bryce Canyon.  We all have an afinity for sci-fi, and Crichton had a knack for blending real scientific theories and principles with fiction.  Some of the movies I enjoyed, others I thought were just okay or somewhat corny, but every one of the books above is a great read.

I'm Back

I know, I have been very neglectful of my blog.  In fact, I think I've been very neglectful of a great many things lately.  Life has been super hectic in general - running around here and there, the two weeks spent without a car, and drama at work.  I can barely get my grocery shopping done.  We've been sort of living off of the food in the house, only running to pick up some meat or veggies when we must.

I haven't been very adventurous with my cooking lately... difficulties getting to the grocery store, the fact that many of the dishes I wanted to make would take hours, and there are only so many weekend days I can be adventurous, unless I want to spend the evening pressuring Emma to eat her dinner.  If we are even home.  Oh, and if my adventurous, long cooking meal happens to be chicken... I have to listen to Bobby complain a bit too, because he thinks he hates chicken.

Jessica and Nathan came out for a visit just before my birthday.  Alora is very young right now and not familiar with us, so she was very clingy to her mom and dad.  We had a birthday dinner for Malachy on that Thursday at my parents' house.  Bobby's sister Erica and sister-in-law Jessica came by with the kids and all the kids played in the back room, running around and tossing a ball back and forth.  It was one of those rare moments when all the kids not only get along, but the normally crazy ones are actually quite calm and considerate of others.

That Friday Jessica, Nathan, my parents, and my aunt Lisa and uncle Nigel came to our house for dinner.  I had been wanting to make this Provençal Rack of Lamb, but mom bought pre-seasoned lamb racks, so we improvised.  Dad grilled the lamb (okay, he torched the lamb, and part of my tree), and I made roasted potatoes and tomatoes.  

I chopped smallish white potatoes and sweet potatoes into bitesized peices, sliced a few cloves of carlic, and tossed it all with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  I spread it out on a pan and put it in the oven at around 350.  I halved and seeded the tomatoes, salted the open side and set them open side down for about 10 minutes.  I put the ends of my loaf of Oroweat 7 Grain Bread into my little Cuisinart Mini Prep Food Processor and ground it into crumbs, then mixed that with some kosher salt, pepper, and olive oil.  I turned my tomatoes cut side up and put a layer of my crumb mixture on the top, then spooned a teaspoon or so of Gorgonzola on top each tomato.  I pulled the potatoes out, and nestled the tomatoes right on top of them and stuck the whole thing back in the oven.  The potatoes cooked for probably 50 min-1 hr, the tomatoes around 30 min.

It all came out quite delicious, and even though the lamb was charred on the outside, the center was a nice medium rare.

We also got around to some pumpkin carving.  On my birthday, Emma and I went to Target to complete her costume and check out their pumpkin selection while Bobby and his brother went to get some supplies for a project they are working on.  Turns out Target has a pretty decent pumpkin selection for pretty good prices.  We ended up picking out two medium sized pumpkins and one small pumpkin.  The small one was so I could try out making pumpkin puree.  Which I did, but not with that pumpkin - that one I still have.  Mom gave me another pumpkin, and I not only made puree, but I made more pumpkin bread with it.

I did go to two Halloween parties (on the same night, two weeks before Halloween), then had a Halloween party at my place the night of.  It was just a small group, but that is what I prefer.  Especially when it is at my house.  Steve came out and DJed for us, and he's a pretty awesome DJ.  We set up the projector on the back patio and played movies on the pull down shade - it looked so cool, Erica, Bobby, and I decided we needed to have movie night on the patio regularly.

Mom had purchased some zucchini for our lamb dinner, but we didn't get around to using it.  That is, until Sunday morning when it hadsat in my fridge a few days and I, fresh off my pumpkin bread kick, decided I should make Zucchini Bread.  Zucchini bread is one of those breads that doesn't sound delicious, but really is.  I used to buy slices of it in college.  Tea with milk and zucchini bread.  Mmm... so good on cold gloomy afternoons.  My bread came out lovely.  Bobby tried it and said he really liked it... but wasn't sure weather or not he liked it more than the pumpkin bread.  He'd have to eat more of each before deciding.

Sunday afternoon I did get around to making a new something for dinner.  Rather ambitious I thought: Beef Provençal.  I cheated a little - I used a can of diced tomatoes instead of smooshing canned whole ones, and I didn't know what to put in the "sun dried tomato tapenade" so I just put some jarred sun dried tomatoes and capers into my Cuisinart and pureed it.  It was all mighty tasty, and since the roast was only like $6.50, the meal was pretty inexpensive as a whole.  And considering the whole thing was easily 6+ servings, I may have beat KFC's $10 challenge.  OK, the cognac may throw me over.

This morning I put a little of the leftover meat, veggies, noodles, and saucy juice into a tupperware, added a little water, and I'm eating it as soup right now.  Still very tasty.

I already voted today.  I will be really glad when the day and the election are over.  The presidential campaign has been too long and emotional, and all of the propaganda about Prop. 8 is really upsetting to me... not only do I not support such intolerance, but I also find the lies the Yes on 8 campaign is spreading such as the idea that churches will be sued for not marrying gay couples, or that schools will suddenly teach your kids to be gay.  Ridiculous.  Again, I will be glad to see it all end.

Good Riddance

That's it!  I give up!  I am removing my MSN Instant Messenger account from Trillian because all I get is spam messages.  "My cam still isn't working, message me so I can send you a cam invite."  Um, no.  All day.  And if I leave myself logged in overnight, then I must have 10-15 spam messages when I get in.

I should know better, I guess.  Many, many moons ago, when I signed up for hotmail way back in the day, it was soon so overwhelmed with spam it was practically unusable.  I think I'll stick with AIM and Gtalk.

My month is not going well

Where is the Leadership?

I just came across an article in Bloomberg mentioning that President Bush spoke publicly twice today, saying that it will take awhile to restore confidence in the markets.

Just this morning I was telling Bobby that I thought Bush really should address the public, but not just to say that this would take awhile.  

The government can't just take care of this crisis alone, it will require a great many people and companies reinvesting and working hard.  Yes, the government working on a macro scale to work the credit markets back open will be a huge help, but the economy is not just an emotionless machine that will chug right back into motion.  It is made up of millions of people and all of their thoughts and emotions that affect millions of decisions every day.

In times of crisis, people look to their leaders.  Whether you like or dislike Bush doesn't matter, he is still the president, and what he says can affect people.  If instead of saying "Don't worry, we'll take care of it, just give us some time," what if Bush had come out with a call to action?  Tell the American people what we can take to help put us on the path to economic recovery, and end the downward spiral the panic has created.  If it were one of the candidates rather than Bush, wouldn't a show of actual leadership be more impressive than the politicing we've seen lately?

The American people, when faced with a common goal and directed by a strong leader, can work together pretty well.  Stop the divisive name-calling and blame-laying, figure out what steps can be taken by whom to combat this problem, and tell those people what they need to do.

Weather Changes

The weather is strange today.  There is a clear blue sky peaking out around gray clouds.  Driving to work this morning, the sun was still low and gave the sky a little bit a purple hue as well.  It looks as though it could clear into a beautiful warm day like yesterday, ... or it could rain as it is predicted to do tomorrow.  It feels cool and crisp out.

I love the time when the seasons change.  At the end of winter, I'm always ready for the sun to come out so I can eat meals on my back patio, go to beaches and parks, and wear skirts and sandals.  Now after a nice warm summer, I'm ready for cooler days and rainy days.  Days when I can make lots of soups and wear my boots and scarves; days when it will be pouring down rain and I'll be cozied up under a blanket watching movies or reading a book.

Lately I've been craving root vegetables, stews, and warm breads.  The most recent issue of Gourmet Magazine had a recipe for Pumpkin Walnut Bread that I've been dying to make, so Wednesday night I made it.  Pumpkin anything makes me think of fall, so it seemed the perfect way to welcome it.  

Erica and I used all the sugar in the house that night, making corn bread, madelines, and pumpkin bread.  I left out the walnuts (just because I didn't want to have to go to the store), and because I'm trying to eat more whole grains I added some wheat germ.  I've been eating it with cream cheese in the mornings, and Bobby and Erica can't stop eating it, but I do wish it were a little moister.  Perhaps next time I'll substitute butter or shortening for the oil, or throw in some apple sauce.

Pumpkin Walnut Bread

Makes 1 loaf

From The Art and Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet

Gourmet Magazine October 2008

2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/3 cup (2 3/4 ounces) water

1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar

1 cup (9 ounces) canned pumpkin puree

1/2 cup neutral-flavor vegetable oil (such as canola)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (4 ounces) chopped toasted walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350°F and position an oven rack in the center. Lightly coat the loaf pan with melted butter or high-heat canola-oil spray and line it with a piece of parchment paper that extends 1 inch beyond the edge of both sides of the pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger, and salt until thoroughly blended. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and water. Add the sugar and blend well. Add the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract and blend well.

Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until blended and smooth. Add the walnuts and stir until they are evenly distributed. Use a spatula to scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and level the top.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until the bread is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. To serve, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices by sawing gently with a serrated knife. Any leftovers should be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Potato Leek Soup

I tried it.  Bobby and Erica were in Norco today with Emma, so I was cooking for just me.  Sometimes I'm apprehensive about experimenting too much when I know it's dinner for more than just me because if it turns out terrible, we are either hungry or I have to pull something else together.

I'd divided my chicken stock into 2 cup portions and put it into the freezer, and I didn't want to thaw out more than one portion or make too much soup, so I translated the proportions used in Bittman's Minimalist post to suit my needs.

I warmed up the stock so that it was warm but not hot.  In the blender went 2/3 cup of Leek Confit, 2/3 cup of leftover Braised Potato Coins, and the 2 cups of stock.  I blended that to a puree, and put it back in the pan to warm it up.  Season with salt and I was done.  I didn't even put any dairy in it, although I have some leftover and could add it next time.  Had I a large enough sieve, and were I not hungry when I made the soup, I probably would have strained it a bit, but it was pretty tasty as it was.

Yes! I Did It Right

As you may recall, I was a touch concerned that I'd done something wrong when making my first chicken stock because it gelled up when refrigerated.  Turns out that's good.  This is from a Minimalist post I was linked to today (even though it is over three years old):

"...vegetables contain no gelatin, the stuff that makes good chicken stock gel when chilled."

I was also linked to this Minimalist post today (it's even older!).  I wonder if the leftover Braised Potato Coins and Leek Confit in my fridge blended with my chicken stock would make a nice soup...

3 years

Today was Bobby and my third anniversary - we have been inseperable since the day after I came back from my European Vacation in 2005.

Bobby and I went to high school together our freshman year, and then he switched schools.  At the time, he was dating one of my good friend (Emma's mom), and I was seeing one of his best friends.  Along with one other couple we spent a summer as an insperable group of friends, out nearly every day.  After changing schools, we fell out of touch.  I did have him in a class during my first semester at community college, but I never went to that class so we fell out of touch once again.

Then came MySpace.  Lacee had finally convinced me to create a page.  I spent an evening looking up old friends, and Bobby was among the ones I found.  There was a polite hello, and then no contact again for months.

But that was back when I liked to post bulletins, and occasionally Bobby would respond to share his laughter, or to say how much he liked my posts.  Then one post, something about a conspiracy theory involving 9-11, made him call me and suggest we hang out.  Apparently he likes conspiracy theories.

Wouldn't you know, we only lived less than 15 minutes from one another, equidistant to Disneyland (we are both fans).  I was on my way home when he called, and was able to just meet up with him for dinner at Heroes in Fullerton.  We spent the evening catching up, telling old stories, and filling in the blanks.  Reuniting with old friends can sometimes be awkward, but we spent a good four hours hanging out, eating dinner and then watching Team America: World Police on his giant projector.  But after that, aside from forwarding funny emails, we didn't talk again for a couple months.

Among the things we'd discussed was an affinity for jazz, and he suggested I check out the local cafe, Steamers.  They have live music every night, and there's no door charge during the week.  Jessica and I went a couple times and loved it.  So one night I messaged Bobby to see if he wanted to go with me, and he did.  Again we hung out for hours.

After that we hung out a few times before Jessica and I left for our trip, and I think I emailed him every other day while I was gone.  Okay, sometimes it was every day.  Once I came back from my trip, I was with him every day, and have been since.

It is very rare that we spend longer than 12 hours away from one another, and I know it sounds sappy, but we get a little mopey when we do.  In some ways it feels like we've been together longer, and in other ways it feels like it hasn't been nearly that long.  Coming home to him at the end of the day always makes the day better.

We spent a quiet day alone together.  Aside from going out to breakfast, we didn't leave the house at all.  I made a nice salmon dinner, and we watched a movies together on the couch.  Nothing super special, but it was relaxing, and we both feet good about the day.  As uneventful as that sounds, I am happy.

What's wrong with what we eat

I came across this today.  I subscribe to Bitten, which is essentially a food blog on the New York Times websiite.  Near the bottom right of the page was a link to this speech.  Interesting things to think about.

I know I eat too much meat and not enough vegetables.  It's actually something I've been thinking about recently.  Changing is a challenge.