Last night was the first of eight posadas. Las Posadas (The Inns) is a tradition here where the nine days prior to Christmas are celebrated by reenacting the difficulty that Mary and Joseph had finding a place to stay before the birth of Christ. Nine neighborhoods each take their turn hosting an evening where the kiddos sing from door to door asking for a place to stay. The third place they ask accepts, and this is followed by song and then: piñata!
So the village nearby has small parties for the next week or so, and each neighborhood takes a turn to host. It's fun! Although the piñata seems a little dangerous... normally the kid is blindfolded, and the piñata moves up and down as the kid wildly swings a giant heavy stick. Yikes...
And hot food is served along with ponche, or punch made of fruits and spices. Guys walk around with bottles of tequila and other booze to spike the ponche as soon as it is poured. And people from the neighborhood hand out bags of treats. It is nice to get a little holiday-ish stuff in my system. I barely feel like it is December here, let alone near Christmas. With no stores to constantly remind me, I kind of forget. Although, now that power is back on we played Christmas music this morning! Yay!
I really like the village nearby. Around 400 people total, and everyone seems very nice and accepting of the strange gringos who come to their parties. One man stopped us to make sure we would attend the posada his neighborhood will host. Very nice of him!
Today I walked down to Eronga and back which has made me quite tired. I will watch a movie tonight and then zonk out.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Las Posadas
Last night was the first of eight posadas. Las Posadas (The Inns) is a tradition here where the nine days prior to Christmas are celebrated by reenacting the difficulty that Mary and Joseph had finding a place to stay before the birth of Christ. Nine neighborhoods each take their turn hosting an evening where the kiddos sing from door to door asking for a place to stay. The third place they ask accepts, and this is followed by song and then: piñata!
So the village nearby has small parties for the next week or so, and each neighborhood takes a turn to host. It's fun! Although the piñata seems a little dangerous... normally the kid is blindfolded, and the piñata moves up and down as the kid wildly swings a giant heavy stick. Yikes...
And hot food is served along with ponche, or punch made of fruits and spices. Guys walk around with bottles of tequila and other booze to spike the ponche as soon as it is poured. And people from the neighborhood hand out bags of treats. It is nice to get a little holiday-ish stuff in my system. I barely feel like it is December here, let alone near Christmas. With no stores to constantly remind me, I kind of forget. Although, now that power is back on we played Christmas music this morning! Yay!
I really like the village nearby. Around 400 people total, and everyone seems very nice and accepting of the strange gringos who come to their parties. One man stopped us to make sure we would attend the posada his neighborhood will host. Very nice of him!
Today I walked down to Eronga and back which has made me quite tired. I will watch a movie tonight and then zonk out.
So the village nearby has small parties for the next week or so, and each neighborhood takes a turn to host. It's fun! Although the piñata seems a little dangerous... normally the kid is blindfolded, and the piñata moves up and down as the kid wildly swings a giant heavy stick. Yikes...
And hot food is served along with ponche, or punch made of fruits and spices. Guys walk around with bottles of tequila and other booze to spike the ponche as soon as it is poured. And people from the neighborhood hand out bags of treats. It is nice to get a little holiday-ish stuff in my system. I barely feel like it is December here, let alone near Christmas. With no stores to constantly remind me, I kind of forget. Although, now that power is back on we played Christmas music this morning! Yay!
I really like the village nearby. Around 400 people total, and everyone seems very nice and accepting of the strange gringos who come to their parties. One man stopped us to make sure we would attend the posada his neighborhood will host. Very nice of him!
Today I walked down to Eronga and back which has made me quite tired. I will watch a movie tonight and then zonk out.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Arg!
Electricity has been out here for about a week.
Not really a problem, except I had been working on a webpage as my main project right now and was almost done (!) but still have to fix a few things and need power to do so... grrrr....
And, at night, it is nice to have light if you want to read without a headlamp, watch a movie, or cook anything after six.
The problem was with the fuse, or so it was thought, but the fuse used for this solar system needs to be specially ordered. And trying to retrofit a cheaper fuse did not work, but did not blow the cheap fuse, just kind of clicked the whole system on, then off. So who knows!
At least I'm getting lots of reading done! Never a bad thing... And I made two cool terrariums a couple of days ago, which I should take pics of and post.
It has been slow here lately, which is a nice change of pace. Two people come today, near my age! Wow!
Not really a problem, except I had been working on a webpage as my main project right now and was almost done (!) but still have to fix a few things and need power to do so... grrrr....
And, at night, it is nice to have light if you want to read without a headlamp, watch a movie, or cook anything after six.
The problem was with the fuse, or so it was thought, but the fuse used for this solar system needs to be specially ordered. And trying to retrofit a cheaper fuse did not work, but did not blow the cheap fuse, just kind of clicked the whole system on, then off. So who knows!
At least I'm getting lots of reading done! Never a bad thing... And I made two cool terrariums a couple of days ago, which I should take pics of and post.
It has been slow here lately, which is a nice change of pace. Two people come today, near my age! Wow!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Hair
Before I take a shower I usually spend about ten to fifteen minutes yanking through gnarly tangles that have developed over the week of not brushing or paying attention to my insane mane.
Last night it was particularly bad. After laying in the grass for awhile, plus a few days sans shower, plus working outside in wet-ish conditions, my hair was sooooo messed up!
So I gritted my teeth, combed through it, and carefully put it into two neat ponytails.
Then I chopped both the ponytails off.
Now my hair sits in a plastic bag, waiting for my parents to come and take it with them to the States so it can be donated. Locks of Love only requires that the hair be kept in a ponytail or braid of at least 10 inches length. My hair will make a pretty wig! Yay!
The bad part of all of this is that I didn't really pay attention to what I was doing, so my hair looked a little f'ed up. Eh. Maybe I will try to fix it today.
Pictures soon!
Last night it was particularly bad. After laying in the grass for awhile, plus a few days sans shower, plus working outside in wet-ish conditions, my hair was sooooo messed up!
So I gritted my teeth, combed through it, and carefully put it into two neat ponytails.
Then I chopped both the ponytails off.
Now my hair sits in a plastic bag, waiting for my parents to come and take it with them to the States so it can be donated. Locks of Love only requires that the hair be kept in a ponytail or braid of at least 10 inches length. My hair will make a pretty wig! Yay!
The bad part of all of this is that I didn't really pay attention to what I was doing, so my hair looked a little f'ed up. Eh. Maybe I will try to fix it today.
Pictures soon!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Earthquake!
Today I felt my first earthquake! Very strange feeling. I am sitting upstairs in one of the cabanas and the whole building moved around a bit. Trippy!
The star is where the earthquake happened, and the small blue dot north of the star is near where I am:
It measured 5.8 on Richter scale! Wow!!
---------------------
I got to eat two great big feasts this week! I went to the community center in Eronga on Thanksgiving which was nice and fun. On Saturday we had a harvest dinner here in the bosque with some folks from the area, which was totally cool. Brian cooked a turkey and I cooked other things and other folks brought things and we ate a great humongo feast!
I meant to take pictures of all the food but I forgot, and then people started eating and the food got way less pretty. But, this is what we ate:
Smoked turkey yum! It was delicious. I made soup stock from it yesterday and that is delicious too.
Chickpea nut loaf, Risotto with chard stuffed into a pumpkin, veggie stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes with garlic and rosemary (very tasty!), another rice-ish type thing, pasta with stuff in it, pumpkin/apple pie type thing, and apfelstreudal (amazing!).
We also made mulled wine and spicy apple juice (cider does not exist here...).
Very fun and I am still full!
People learned how to play Jenga which was entertaining to watch. Very good game for bilingual events!
----------------------
There has been some rain this week, which is a good change. It starts to get dusty here now that rainy season is over. The rains have gotten rid of a lot of dust for now. The air is a bit cooler than normal as a result, but that is an ok trade-off.
----------------------
Today I have been reading about saunas and cordwood building. Maybe we will do a test wall to see if the wood here is good to use for this style of building... it is very pretty! And it allows for adding bottles to the structure to allow for light to come through the walls, which would be neat and would recycle. Maybe maybe.
The star is where the earthquake happened, and the small blue dot north of the star is near where I am:
It measured 5.8 on Richter scale! Wow!!---------------------
I got to eat two great big feasts this week! I went to the community center in Eronga on Thanksgiving which was nice and fun. On Saturday we had a harvest dinner here in the bosque with some folks from the area, which was totally cool. Brian cooked a turkey and I cooked other things and other folks brought things and we ate a great humongo feast!
I meant to take pictures of all the food but I forgot, and then people started eating and the food got way less pretty. But, this is what we ate:
Smoked turkey yum! It was delicious. I made soup stock from it yesterday and that is delicious too.
Chickpea nut loaf, Risotto with chard stuffed into a pumpkin, veggie stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes with garlic and rosemary (very tasty!), another rice-ish type thing, pasta with stuff in it, pumpkin/apple pie type thing, and apfelstreudal (amazing!).
We also made mulled wine and spicy apple juice (cider does not exist here...).
Very fun and I am still full!
People learned how to play Jenga which was entertaining to watch. Very good game for bilingual events!
----------------------
There has been some rain this week, which is a good change. It starts to get dusty here now that rainy season is over. The rains have gotten rid of a lot of dust for now. The air is a bit cooler than normal as a result, but that is an ok trade-off.
----------------------
Today I have been reading about saunas and cordwood building. Maybe we will do a test wall to see if the wood here is good to use for this style of building... it is very pretty! And it allows for adding bottles to the structure to allow for light to come through the walls, which would be neat and would recycle. Maybe maybe.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
SALAD SPINNER!!!
Some of the most recent guests brought a very very VERY important tool with them: a salad spinner. I am so happy!! There are tons of fresh greens here to eat, and the season is slowly ending, so now I can make the most of all the spinaches and lettuces and kales etc without spending a half hour cleaning them. Here is me happily making salad:
Whoever invented the salad spinner is brilliant. They are impossible to find here, likely because salad is not often consumed. YAY SO HAPPY SALAD YUM!
In other semi-related news, I am definitely no longer a vegetarian. The dogs here killed another cow the other day (another cow, yes... the first one was old, and by the time we found out it was killed it was no longer usable), so we went to town and watched the butcher do his thing. Very interesting experience... similar to the goat experience in Tanzania. Quite graphic, so I won't post the pictures. Plus it was a calf, so it was intrinsically sad. Brian gave most of the meat away, and one of his workers kept some cold overnight for us to try the next day.
It was tasty. Definitely different than eating an adult cow. I prefer eating meat this way, though the dogs-killing-cow thing is less than optimal. It is nice to see the meat butchered, know exactly where it came from, and know that it isn't pumped with hormones and poison from factory farming.
So I've gone from vegetarian to veal-eating CARNIVORE!
The dogs now have a fenced in area where at least a few of them are at all times. They've begun to form an apparently vicious pack, even though they are sweetie cutie puppies around me. We've started to de-packasize them, and so far so good. Happy cows and dogs all around... except apparently dogs attacking livestock here is not totally uncommon. Different world! But, all in all, much happier cows than in factory farms. Cows here roam free and graze all day all over the place. Kind of cute.
Whoever invented the salad spinner is brilliant. They are impossible to find here, likely because salad is not often consumed. YAY SO HAPPY SALAD YUM!
In other semi-related news, I am definitely no longer a vegetarian. The dogs here killed another cow the other day (another cow, yes... the first one was old, and by the time we found out it was killed it was no longer usable), so we went to town and watched the butcher do his thing. Very interesting experience... similar to the goat experience in Tanzania. Quite graphic, so I won't post the pictures. Plus it was a calf, so it was intrinsically sad. Brian gave most of the meat away, and one of his workers kept some cold overnight for us to try the next day.
It was tasty. Definitely different than eating an adult cow. I prefer eating meat this way, though the dogs-killing-cow thing is less than optimal. It is nice to see the meat butchered, know exactly where it came from, and know that it isn't pumped with hormones and poison from factory farming.
So I've gone from vegetarian to veal-eating CARNIVORE!
The dogs now have a fenced in area where at least a few of them are at all times. They've begun to form an apparently vicious pack, even though they are sweetie cutie puppies around me. We've started to de-packasize them, and so far so good. Happy cows and dogs all around... except apparently dogs attacking livestock here is not totally uncommon. Different world! But, all in all, much happier cows than in factory farms. Cows here roam free and graze all day all over the place. Kind of cute.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Teas and other things
Long time no post!
Things continue happening.
I want to start figuring out how to use some of the plants here to make teas and other useful things. I think chamomile is growing wild here. There is also lemon verbena for tea, and boatloads of rosemary that could be used for soaps or other things. It is difficult because there is rarely someone here who can identify plants, and I of course am basically clueless. Slowly slowly I learn!
There are visitors here for Dia de los muertos (the Day of the Dead). It should be fun to see the celebrations! We will go to Patzcuaro tomorrow to see big-city celebration, and then hit up small towns to experience the cultural event. Today if there is time we will put together an ofrenda. All of us will print pictures of lost friends and family and pets and remember them in celebration! It really is a cool holiday.
Here is a cool picture I took recently:
Things continue happening.
I want to start figuring out how to use some of the plants here to make teas and other useful things. I think chamomile is growing wild here. There is also lemon verbena for tea, and boatloads of rosemary that could be used for soaps or other things. It is difficult because there is rarely someone here who can identify plants, and I of course am basically clueless. Slowly slowly I learn!
There are visitors here for Dia de los muertos (the Day of the Dead). It should be fun to see the celebrations! We will go to Patzcuaro tomorrow to see big-city celebration, and then hit up small towns to experience the cultural event. Today if there is time we will put together an ofrenda. All of us will print pictures of lost friends and family and pets and remember them in celebration! It really is a cool holiday.
Here is a cool picture I took recently:
I'm starting to learn how to do a little editing in Gimp, but really I know nothing. It is a confusing program! The only editing I did on that photo... well, I don't know what I did. I clicked "Auto", and the program changed my picture a little bit. Strange.
I don't know what that flower is. Here is a coriander (cilantro) flower, which I had never seen before! It is a little blurry:
I don't know what that flower is. Here is a coriander (cilantro) flower, which I had never seen before! It is a little blurry:
Pretty flower. Maybe in a little while the flowers will give seeds, and then I'll have coriander to use.
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Jaripeo
UPDATE: About five million people get to this blog because of the picture here on the right. What is it you are searching for?? I do not understand. Please leave a comment!
A lot of the little towns around here are named after saints, and host parties on the day of the year that recognizes the respective saint. Then, everyone from all the other little towns attend that town's party and everyone drinks and eats and has fun etc. They also host Jaripeos, or bull riding. Uricho had one last week and I got to see my first Jaripeo, which was not so thrilling and kind of strange.
I guess the bulls were a bit tamer during this jaripeo than most, but it was pretty silly in my opinion. The bulls obviously do not enjoy it, and people get really hurt. We saw one guy get stomped on and it did not seem pleasant. But, it was very fun to see *so many people* attending this event in this teeny tiny town. It is a giant party!
More and more visitors continue to come here, which is fun because it provides a variety of people to chat with. Soon there will be folks down for Day of the Dead. Things continue happening!
A lot of the little towns around here are named after saints, and host parties on the day of the year that recognizes the respective saint. Then, everyone from all the other little towns attend that town's party and everyone drinks and eats and has fun etc. They also host Jaripeos, or bull riding. Uricho had one last week and I got to see my first Jaripeo, which was not so thrilling and kind of strange.
I guess the bulls were a bit tamer during this jaripeo than most, but it was pretty silly in my opinion. The bulls obviously do not enjoy it, and people get really hurt. We saw one guy get stomped on and it did not seem pleasant. But, it was very fun to see *so many people* attending this event in this teeny tiny town. It is a giant party!
More and more visitors continue to come here, which is fun because it provides a variety of people to chat with. Soon there will be folks down for Day of the Dead. Things continue happening!
Friday, October 5, 2007
Morelia
I had a nice trip to Morelia last week. BIG city WHOA! Maybe twice the size of Madison. Mostly we did un-fun stuff, such as visit stores that I do not like with lots of fluorescent lights and busy stupid people blocking aisles. We went to:
*Costco. I'd never been to one before. It was fairly horrifying. Everything is in BIG BOXES and nothing is healthy or good. But, it is a good place to buy some things because they sell stuff in bulk. We also picked up a super cool telescope which has been really fun to play with, so that was a bonus! I haven't looked at the sky with it yet, except the moon in the morning a couple of days ago, but it seems fairly powerful. A good tool for this area, since the sky is so bright and clear!
*Wal-Mart. ECH! It is funny, Wal-Mart is the same everywhere. It is good to go there because we can get fruits with seeds that are normally not available, and try to propagate those plants here in the forest.
*Home Depot. Pretty much the same as the ones in the U.S., except everything is crammed into about half the space.
Unfortunately, somewhere in Morelia I picked up some sort of virus or something that made me sick for three days. I got to watch a lot of good movies though, so it wasn't all bad. And I read "The Clan of the Cave Bear" which apparently was really popular... it is entertaining! And it's a series! And all 5 books in the series are here! So I am on the second one now.
We are preparing the place to accommodate more visitors. This month should be pretty fun-- Day of the Dead prepping for the end of October/early November. There are some folks from the U.S. coming, and likely some people from around this area.
And right now another composting toilet is being build! That will make four total. Lots of humanure!!
*Costco. I'd never been to one before. It was fairly horrifying. Everything is in BIG BOXES and nothing is healthy or good. But, it is a good place to buy some things because they sell stuff in bulk. We also picked up a super cool telescope which has been really fun to play with, so that was a bonus! I haven't looked at the sky with it yet, except the moon in the morning a couple of days ago, but it seems fairly powerful. A good tool for this area, since the sky is so bright and clear!
*Wal-Mart. ECH! It is funny, Wal-Mart is the same everywhere. It is good to go there because we can get fruits with seeds that are normally not available, and try to propagate those plants here in the forest.
*Home Depot. Pretty much the same as the ones in the U.S., except everything is crammed into about half the space.
After the shopping in the big crazy stores, we took a taxi to the center of the city. We didn't spend a lot of time there, but Morelia will be a fun little town to explore. Pretty buildings and things to look at.
This picture is of the cathedral, which is similar to most cathedrals, so is nothing special but is kind of pretty. It is fun to notice the architecture here after my time in Spain last March. Very similar. Shocking!
This picture is of the cathedral, which is similar to most cathedrals, so is nothing special but is kind of pretty. It is fun to notice the architecture here after my time in Spain last March. Very similar. Shocking!
Unfortunately, somewhere in Morelia I picked up some sort of virus or something that made me sick for three days. I got to watch a lot of good movies though, so it wasn't all bad. And I read "The Clan of the Cave Bear" which apparently was really popular... it is entertaining! And it's a series! And all 5 books in the series are here! So I am on the second one now.
We are preparing the place to accommodate more visitors. This month should be pretty fun-- Day of the Dead prepping for the end of October/early November. There are some folks from the U.S. coming, and likely some people from around this area.
And right now another composting toilet is being build! That will make four total. Lots of humanure!!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Tofu-tastic
Every Tuesday is Market day in Erongaricuaro, which is a fun little change from life in the forest. We stock up on fruits and veggies for the week that we can't get here, plus some bread, tortillas, cheese, and eggs. It is interesting to learn to cook in the order in which things will go bad without refrigeration. Sundays and Mondays we eat salads from the garden, as not much produce lasts the whole seven days (though surprisingly, things like carrots and some fruits can last a super long time!). Cooking here is nearly preferable to eating in town, since the food there lacks variety and healthiness... (I still like to eat in town sometimes. Easier. And it can be fun to order something when you aren't totally sure what it is.)
This Tuesday was REVOLUTIONARY in the market. TOFU exists here! There is a couple in a rancho nearby who make tofu weekly (**fresh**) and sell it in the market. Holy crap! It is so good! I made broccoli tofu stir fry and was in heaven. Yum! The same couple sells amazing baked goods. They bring a bit of variety which is nice, since many of the vendors sell exactly the same stuff. They also have a cutie baby and a nice dog, and they speak decent English so I can talk to them. Bonus!
Tomorrow I head to Morelia for the first time since the night I arrived. It is mostly a non-touristy type trip, but it will be fun to see a bigger Mexican city. Eronga, the town with the market, is something like 5000 people. The other two towns within walking distance are 400ish each. Morelia is around 600,000. Big change! I'm looking forward to it, but I already know that I'm glad I don't live there-- I still do not miss traffic lights and busy people running around blathering. The forest is nice and peaceful.
In other news, things continue to happen here. We've been clearing trails that have become nearly grown over, which is fun because it involves wandering around in the nice place. Some of the dogs have been getting fixed which is *great* since there are already ten of them (though every one of the ten is sweet and adorable and awesome). And a vet might come up and vaccinate them all, which is awesome because it is a pain in the neck to get dogs into town. There is one older dog here, Goldie (golden retriever awww awww awww), who just got heart medication and is about a million times healthier looking. She is a sweetie. It is amazing how one teeny half pill can improve health by such an insane degree.
So it goes!!
This Tuesday was REVOLUTIONARY in the market. TOFU exists here! There is a couple in a rancho nearby who make tofu weekly (**fresh**) and sell it in the market. Holy crap! It is so good! I made broccoli tofu stir fry and was in heaven. Yum! The same couple sells amazing baked goods. They bring a bit of variety which is nice, since many of the vendors sell exactly the same stuff. They also have a cutie baby and a nice dog, and they speak decent English so I can talk to them. Bonus!
Tomorrow I head to Morelia for the first time since the night I arrived. It is mostly a non-touristy type trip, but it will be fun to see a bigger Mexican city. Eronga, the town with the market, is something like 5000 people. The other two towns within walking distance are 400ish each. Morelia is around 600,000. Big change! I'm looking forward to it, but I already know that I'm glad I don't live there-- I still do not miss traffic lights and busy people running around blathering. The forest is nice and peaceful.
In other news, things continue to happen here. We've been clearing trails that have become nearly grown over, which is fun because it involves wandering around in the nice place. Some of the dogs have been getting fixed which is *great* since there are already ten of them (though every one of the ten is sweet and adorable and awesome). And a vet might come up and vaccinate them all, which is awesome because it is a pain in the neck to get dogs into town. There is one older dog here, Goldie (golden retriever awww awww awww), who just got heart medication and is about a million times healthier looking. She is a sweetie. It is amazing how one teeny half pill can improve health by such an insane degree.
So it goes!!
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Topes
In the US, one of my least favorite things to experience is red lights. I'm not a patient person, and the lights on the way to work every day last year drove me craaazy!
Here, my least favorite thing to experience is topes, or speed bumps. They are ALL OVER THE PLACE. Grrrrr!!!!
This is Honey Cupcake. She just had surgery so no puppies for her! She is a sweet little thing, nearly narcoleptic, and goofily disproportionate. She makes me smile!
Here, my least favorite thing to experience is topes, or speed bumps. They are ALL OVER THE PLACE. Grrrrr!!!!
This is Honey Cupcake. She just had surgery so no puppies for her! She is a sweet little thing, nearly narcoleptic, and goofily disproportionate. She makes me smile!
Monday, September 3, 2007
Things happening
A guy came by yesterday to collect mushroom micillium for his garden. Cool dude! I made some wraps out of orejas de raton, which are my favorite mushrooms so far. They look like rat's ears, which is the name in Spanish. They are tasty! Apparently there is another mushroom that is edible and ALL over the place, and supposedly quite flavorful (chanterelle). But there are poisonous mushrooms that look kind of like this one, so it's uncertain whether or not to eat it. Mushrooms are tricky.
Toadstool mushrooms! (Amanita muscaria) Famous kind! They are 'poisonous'. I think they are also hallucinogenic (but *extremely* bad for your internal organs). The guy who came to collect micillium said that somewhere there is a group of people where the shaman eats the correct amount of mushroom, and then his pee contains the drug, so they save the pee to drink. And then anyone who drinks the pee also contaminates their own pee, and so on. Good to know, right?
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Pasiflora
Check out this crazy looking flower!!
It is from pasiflora plant, or passion fruit, which is an odd fruit I tried yesterday. Tangy! We visited a dude who has an awesome garden, and he made passion fruit drinks in his blender. Very tasty with a bit of sugar!
I also tried lechi, which is not local, and is very strange. I will take pictures of it. Spiky.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Mushyrooms
A nice thing about this place is that, although technically this time of year is the rainy season, the rain never comes until late afternoon. At the moment (6pm) I can hear the thunder rolling in, but it has been sunny and mild all day. Plenty of time to play in the sun.
This morning I collected a million mushrooms with Beto who knows the land. He also knows no English, and I know very little Spanish, so our conversations were of course super complex and interesting. He's got good eyes! He could spot a mushroom from thirty feet away. We collected three types of edible mushrooms and he taught me the kinds not to eat, which is helpful, although my memory sucks so I think for the time being I will only eat the three that we found today. Tonight I will make mushroom tacos!
Tomorrow I get to visit Patzcuaro, which is a city type place nearby. Should be interesting and fun!
This morning I collected a million mushrooms with Beto who knows the land. He also knows no English, and I know very little Spanish, so our conversations were of course super complex and interesting. He's got good eyes! He could spot a mushroom from thirty feet away. We collected three types of edible mushrooms and he taught me the kinds not to eat, which is helpful, although my memory sucks so I think for the time being I will only eat the three that we found today. Tonight I will make mushroom tacos!
Tomorrow I get to visit Patzcuaro, which is a city type place nearby. Should be interesting and fun!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Finally!
After a few months of daily thoughts on this trip, I'm finally in Mexico!
It is much as I expected! Friendly and welcoming people, super amazing weather, gorgeous location... I'm staying in a forest near a lake and a few cute towns. No major cities nearby. I flew in to a majorish city, which was about an hour drive from here. Pretty perfect location to stay. Yesterday I walked into a teeny little town nearby that has a few little stores to get some basic stuff as well as a nice view... Tuesday I experienced the market in Erongaricuaro, which had everything anyone needs to eat. I got to try starfruit and prickly pair for the first time. Yum to both, though I like starfruit best.
It was a little difficult to post this blog as my computer knows I'm in Mexico and has made everything into Spanish. But that is kind of good, since I can understand some exposure to more won't hurt.
I've posted some pics to flickr, more later I'm sure.
It is much as I expected! Friendly and welcoming people, super amazing weather, gorgeous location... I'm staying in a forest near a lake and a few cute towns. No major cities nearby. I flew in to a majorish city, which was about an hour drive from here. Pretty perfect location to stay. Yesterday I walked into a teeny little town nearby that has a few little stores to get some basic stuff as well as a nice view... Tuesday I experienced the market in Erongaricuaro, which had everything anyone needs to eat. I got to try starfruit and prickly pair for the first time. Yum to both, though I like starfruit best.
It was a little difficult to post this blog as my computer knows I'm in Mexico and has made everything into Spanish. But that is kind of good, since I can understand some exposure to more won't hurt.
I've posted some pics to flickr, more later I'm sure.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Oh my gosh!
Tomorrow I leave for Mexico! Mysterious future! Plane from here to Ohio, Texas, then Morelia. Wheeeeeeeee!!
This blog will be more informative in a few days, I think.
This blog will be more informative in a few days, I think.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Maggie the Tired Dog
This is my parent's dog Maggie. She is SO TIRED from the wedding weekend. Worn out puppy.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Wedding!
Tom and Wendy are husband and wife! Hooray!
The wedding was great. The ceremony was fun and everything went kind of smoothly once it began and the officiant was amazing and spoke from the heart. Very nice.
And the reception was amazing too! A lot of their friends pitched in and hired the UW marching band to pop in and play some songs as a surprise for Tom. It worked! SHocked! Very fun thoguh!!! Loud...
Tom gave a good speech! As usual. =) And all the guests had fun. Including me. Everyone danced! Amazing!!!
I want to see the pictures.
The wedding was great. The ceremony was fun and everything went kind of smoothly once it began and the officiant was amazing and spoke from the heart. Very nice.
And the reception was amazing too! A lot of their friends pitched in and hired the UW marching band to pop in and play some songs as a surprise for Tom. It worked! SHocked! Very fun thoguh!!! Loud...
Tom gave a good speech! As usual. =) And all the guests had fun. Including me. Everyone danced! Amazing!!!
I want to see the pictures.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
The End of the Year!
Today was the last official day of AmeriCorps.
Long time coming!
I'm very glad to leave Hickory. It is a strange place. There are many families here, and many retired people. There are stoplights all over the place. Many busy streets going to malls and chain restaurants. Too much driving is necessary. I've not enjoyed this town at all. There *is* a good brewery, whose website does not do it justice. I might miss OHB a bit. =)
And I will miss the friends from AmeriCorps. They are good people! I admire them in many different ways! And they will all do great things next year.
But I am glad this year is over. It is good to get out of this town. Is not quaint at all. And the roads are confusing and numerous. 4th St Dr SE, 4th St Ln SE, 4th St Ave SE. Even the street names lack character.
Tomorrow I pack all my things into my camry and then Monday off I go!
Long time coming!
I'm very glad to leave Hickory. It is a strange place. There are many families here, and many retired people. There are stoplights all over the place. Many busy streets going to malls and chain restaurants. Too much driving is necessary. I've not enjoyed this town at all. There *is* a good brewery, whose website does not do it justice. I might miss OHB a bit. =)
And I will miss the friends from AmeriCorps. They are good people! I admire them in many different ways! And they will all do great things next year.
But I am glad this year is over. It is good to get out of this town. Is not quaint at all. And the roads are confusing and numerous. 4th St Dr SE, 4th St Ln SE, 4th St Ave SE. Even the street names lack character.
Tomorrow I pack all my things into my camry and then Monday off I go!
Southern foods
I went out to eat at a nice restaurant with Tori tonight. She got crabcakes which had fried green tomatoes on top, so I got to taste fried green tomatoes, which I really liked, which was surprising because I do not normally like fried things nor do I like immature vegetables. But I did like this. While in NC I've tried most foods I would describe as southern:
~grits: really good! Surprising because I do not like hominy. Er... I suppose I just don't like whole hominy. Ground up, ok.
~hushpuppies: really good occasionally. Not something I'd want to eat daily or in any large quantity.
~pickled cucumber and onion: *really* good! Strange because I hate pickles. Fresh though, and perhaps the way they were prepared, I have enjoyed this.
~muscadines: type of grape. Tasty. Meaty fruit.
~sweet potato (and sweet potato casserole): I don't know that I tried sweet potatoes in WI/IA. I know they exist in these places, but they are much more prevalent in the south. Sweet potato casserole, for instance, is a Thanksgiving staple. People mush up the sweet potatoes with sugar or whatever, and then put it in a casserole and top it with a layer of *marshmallows*. How STRANGE! It is ok. Strange.
~fried green tomatoes: Again, I think this might exist in the north, but I've never tried it before. Much more common here. Really really good! Came into existence from the need to have no food waste-- before the frost, people fried up their green tomatoes.
~okra: I used a bunch of okra I got for free in some gumbo I made last year. It is interesting. Mild flavor, a bit slimy, but gave my gumbo a good, thick consistency. Very starchy. I have not tried it fried, and I hear this is fantastic, but I can imagine exactly what it would taste like, and have no real desire to try this before I leave south.
~pimento cheese: When folks bring HFH food for lunch, it is common to bring five to ten pimento cheese sandwiches for veggies or whomever. Pimento cheese is good! I think it is maybe cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, pimento peppers.. probably mayo too. I'd never heard of this food before living here, but have had it often during HFH lunches.
~sweet tea. People drink sweet tea like it is water here. It is disgusting to me. When I worked as a waitress people would very occasionally order sweet tea. I can't remember if I brought them sugar packets or if we had it in our pop machine. Anyway, it is not common in north but very very very common in south. Waitresses some places walk around with pitchers of sweet tea.
Things I did not try here that are southern:
~North Carolina BBQ. People are obsessive about BBQ. Evidently there is a whole spectrum of greatness between this restaurant and that. Whatever. My first week in Avery County I was taken to a BBQ restaurant. I tried hushpuppies for the first time there. This was about the only menu item a veggie could eat.
~livermush. TGIV (Thank goodness I'm vegetarian).
~chitlins. TGIV.
~boiled peanuts. This is very common here. I wish I had tried it, because I see signs for it all over the place. But, it is not too terribly hard to boil peanuts, so I could try it elsewhere I suppose. I've heard they are not very good. I've no idea what boiling does to the nut to make it different.
~collard greens, or greens. Typically these include bacon grease. I've no comment on this food.
I think I've remembered all of them. My favorite new foods from the south are grits and fried green tomatoes. I'm so glad I got to try these! So tangy!
~grits: really good! Surprising because I do not like hominy. Er... I suppose I just don't like whole hominy. Ground up, ok.
~hushpuppies: really good occasionally. Not something I'd want to eat daily or in any large quantity.
~pickled cucumber and onion: *really* good! Strange because I hate pickles. Fresh though, and perhaps the way they were prepared, I have enjoyed this.
~muscadines: type of grape. Tasty. Meaty fruit.
~sweet potato (and sweet potato casserole): I don't know that I tried sweet potatoes in WI/IA. I know they exist in these places, but they are much more prevalent in the south. Sweet potato casserole, for instance, is a Thanksgiving staple. People mush up the sweet potatoes with sugar or whatever, and then put it in a casserole and top it with a layer of *marshmallows*. How STRANGE! It is ok. Strange.
~fried green tomatoes: Again, I think this might exist in the north, but I've never tried it before. Much more common here. Really really good! Came into existence from the need to have no food waste-- before the frost, people fried up their green tomatoes.
~okra: I used a bunch of okra I got for free in some gumbo I made last year. It is interesting. Mild flavor, a bit slimy, but gave my gumbo a good, thick consistency. Very starchy. I have not tried it fried, and I hear this is fantastic, but I can imagine exactly what it would taste like, and have no real desire to try this before I leave south.
~pimento cheese: When folks bring HFH food for lunch, it is common to bring five to ten pimento cheese sandwiches for veggies or whomever. Pimento cheese is good! I think it is maybe cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, pimento peppers.. probably mayo too. I'd never heard of this food before living here, but have had it often during HFH lunches.
~sweet tea. People drink sweet tea like it is water here. It is disgusting to me. When I worked as a waitress people would very occasionally order sweet tea. I can't remember if I brought them sugar packets or if we had it in our pop machine. Anyway, it is not common in north but very very very common in south. Waitresses some places walk around with pitchers of sweet tea.
Things I did not try here that are southern:
~North Carolina BBQ. People are obsessive about BBQ. Evidently there is a whole spectrum of greatness between this restaurant and that. Whatever. My first week in Avery County I was taken to a BBQ restaurant. I tried hushpuppies for the first time there. This was about the only menu item a veggie could eat.
~livermush. TGIV (Thank goodness I'm vegetarian).
~chitlins. TGIV.
~boiled peanuts. This is very common here. I wish I had tried it, because I see signs for it all over the place. But, it is not too terribly hard to boil peanuts, so I could try it elsewhere I suppose. I've heard they are not very good. I've no idea what boiling does to the nut to make it different.
~collard greens, or greens. Typically these include bacon grease. I've no comment on this food.
I think I've remembered all of them. My favorite new foods from the south are grits and fried green tomatoes. I'm so glad I got to try these! So tangy!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
This is strange.
During my web browsing today (out of extreme boredom with a pointless job, and later out of delaying packing) I found the government recall website. The toy section is pretty funny/kind of scary (for example: New Easy-Bake Oven Recall Following Partial Finger Amputation; Consumers Urged to Return Toy Ovens (Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:00:00 GMT) Young children can insert their hands into the oven's front opening, and get their hands or fingers caught, posing entrapment and burn hazards.) . There is also a meat section, which is long and disgusting. Here is the totally needlesstosay point of my blog entry tonight:
Why the hell was everyone freaking out about SPINACH?
Why the hell was everyone freaking out about SPINACH?
California Firm Expands Recall of Ground Beef for Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination (Sat, 09 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT) United Food Group, LLC, a Vernon, Calif., establishment, is voluntarily expanding its June 3 and 6 recalls to include a total of approximately 5.7 million pounds of both fresh and frozen ground beef products produced between April 6 and April 20 because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
5.7 Million+...
Texas Firm Recalls Ground Beef Products Due to Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination (Fri, 08 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT) Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc., a Sherman, Texas, establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 40,440 pounds of ground beef products due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7.
40,440 pounds+...
California Firm Expands Recall of Ground Beef for Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination (Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT) United Food Group, LLC, a Vernon, Calif., establishment, is voluntarily expanding its June 3 recall of ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
California Firm Recalls Ground Beef For Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination (Sun, 03 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT) United Food Group, LLC, a Vernon, Calif., establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 75,000 pounds of ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
Michigan Firm Recalls Beef Products Due to Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination (PDF only) (Fri, 11 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT) Davis Creek Meats and Seafood, a Kalamazoo, Mich., establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 129,000 pounds of beef products, due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7.
129,000+...
Minnesota Firm Recalls Beef Trim Due to Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination (PDF only) (Thu, 10 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT) PM Beef Holdings, LLC, a Windom, Minn., establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 117,500 pounds of beef trim products used to make ground beef, due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7.
117,500+...
California Firm Recalls Ground Beef for Possible E. COLI O157:H7 (PDF only) (Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT) Richwood Meat Co, Inc., a Merced, Calif., establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 107,943 pounds of frozen ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
107,943 (approximately!)+...
Pennsylvania Firm Recalls Beef Products for Possible E. COLI O157:H7 (PDF only) (Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT) HFX, Inc., a South Claysburg, Penn., firm, is voluntary recalling approximately 259,230 pounds of beef products due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7.
Pennsylvania Firm Recalls Beef Products for Possible E. COLI O157:H7 - Labels for Retail Products (PDF only) (Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT) Label for retail products related to Recall 019-2007: HFX, Inc., a South Claysburg, Penn., firm, is voluntary recalling approximately 259,230 pounds of beef products due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7.
259,230=
6,354,113 Pounds!
Since APRIL! EW!
Since APRIL! EW!
I wonder what the ratio of yearly american vegetable consumption to yearly recalls due to E. coli risk is... I wonder if it is close to one. Hmmm...
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Debate Question
From HFH Volunteer Coordinator in Charlotte, NC:
Hi everyone,
Mike Masto, former AmeriCorps member at Habitat Charlotte and current Site Supervisor, put together a short video to the political debate candidates regarding the importance they see on the impact volunteering and AmeriCorps can have on a community and how that would play a role in their policies if they were elected as president. This is a candidate for the Youtube debate coming up July 23rd. Please go to the following website, view Mike's video, and vote to have his question answered!!! He needs some votes. The most popular questions will get answered by the candidates.
The link is http://www.communitycounts.us/?q=demdebate&search=volunteer - and then go to the MIDDLE video. Clicking on it will play it, and then click on the ANSWER button to vote to have the candidates answer the question.
Beth Van GorpVolunteer Coordinator,Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte
Hi everyone,
Mike Masto, former AmeriCorps member at Habitat Charlotte and current Site Supervisor, put together a short video to the political debate candidates regarding the importance they see on the impact volunteering and AmeriCorps can have on a community and how that would play a role in their policies if they were elected as president. This is a candidate for the Youtube debate coming up July 23rd. Please go to the following website, view Mike's video, and vote to have his question answered!!! He needs some votes. The most popular questions will get answered by the candidates.
The link is http://www.communitycounts.us/?q=demdebate&search=volunteer - and then go to the MIDDLE video. Clicking on it will play it, and then click on the ANSWER button to vote to have the candidates answer the question.
Beth Van GorpVolunteer Coordinator,Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte
Monday, July 16, 2007
Giant Carrot
This is the carrot I used for my salad tonight. Look how long it is! I should have measured it...
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Menu Amazing
We had JohnEd and Angela over last night for dinner/drinks. Fun times! Derek's Kristin is in town, and we all never really get chances to hang out with her, so it was nice to kick it with her for awhile. Although, Derek's Annie somehow sat on her tail wrong and sprained it (evidently this is not so uncommon... I had no idea), so Derek had to take her to the vet for the second time in one day, and we actually didn't get to spend so much time hanging out with Kristin. So it goes.
Here is the menu we enjoyed:
Fresh cherries, peaches, apricots, apples, and blueberries with ricotta+goat cheese dip.
Brie and cherry quesadillas with mango/tomato/avocado salsa
Balkan cucumber salad
Asparagus and basil lasagna
Fresh-tastic! I am still full I think. I took some pictures of the fruit but none of them are very good, and then Annie got hurt so I did not take any more pictures. Plus, people usually want to eat the food once it is ready rather than wait for me to shoot it first. Imagine that.
Annie is okay but she is drugged up. Lots of tail pain. So strange that the tail is so fragile. She also has an eye infection... sad puppy right now. She's not supposed to wag her tail for two weeks! Seems rather impossible.
Now I work on throwing things away and consolidating owned items. One week to pack up two years! AGH! =)
Here is the menu we enjoyed:
Fresh cherries, peaches, apricots, apples, and blueberries with ricotta+goat cheese dip.
Brie and cherry quesadillas with mango/tomato/avocado salsa
Balkan cucumber salad
Asparagus and basil lasagna
Fresh-tastic! I am still full I think. I took some pictures of the fruit but none of them are very good, and then Annie got hurt so I did not take any more pictures. Plus, people usually want to eat the food once it is ready rather than wait for me to shoot it first. Imagine that.
Annie is okay but she is drugged up. Lots of tail pain. So strange that the tail is so fragile. She also has an eye infection... sad puppy right now. She's not supposed to wag her tail for two weeks! Seems rather impossible.
Now I work on throwing things away and consolidating owned items. One week to pack up two years! AGH! =)
Thursday, July 12, 2007
So MANY Kids!!!
This week in Hickory....
We have a group of 45 kids here to volunteer ALL WEEK LONG. Their week here reminds me of my weeks doing ASP in high school... very similar set-up. They stay in a church and they have several leaders and some of the leaders are good and some are annoying.
Kids of high school age are funny. They are all so different. So many different maturity levels... it's pretty annoying. Some of them are younger than they really are, and some are older. Just depends. On what? Nature knows.
At one point during a conversation (if you could call it that) with a kid today, which consisted of him asking a million stupid questions and saying a million stupid things and me trying to be patient, I finally put my face in my hands and said, "You... are being so YOUNG! How old are you?!?"
He is going to be a sophomore. THat makes him... 15ish. Unbelieveable amount of pointless words coming out of his mouth while he watched his friend do many shovel fulls of mulch.
In other Hickory HFH news, we set the trusses for a hipped roof yesterday... After we set them, I still could not picture what the hell was going on (this is my first hipped roof). Today I had Keith explain to me, and then I understood why I could not picture what was happening. We had two of our trusses in the wrong places. Which is why my eyeballs couldn't tell my brain how the roof was going to work. So greasy nasty crane man came back to help us switch them around, which was actually rather painless, but then greasy nasty crane man stuck around for awhile since we have a bunch of high school kids around. "Ain't got nothin' better goin' on."
No. No, you don't.
We have a group of 45 kids here to volunteer ALL WEEK LONG. Their week here reminds me of my weeks doing ASP in high school... very similar set-up. They stay in a church and they have several leaders and some of the leaders are good and some are annoying.
Kids of high school age are funny. They are all so different. So many different maturity levels... it's pretty annoying. Some of them are younger than they really are, and some are older. Just depends. On what? Nature knows.
At one point during a conversation (if you could call it that) with a kid today, which consisted of him asking a million stupid questions and saying a million stupid things and me trying to be patient, I finally put my face in my hands and said, "You... are being so YOUNG! How old are you?!?"
He is going to be a sophomore. THat makes him... 15ish. Unbelieveable amount of pointless words coming out of his mouth while he watched his friend do many shovel fulls of mulch.
In other Hickory HFH news, we set the trusses for a hipped roof yesterday... After we set them, I still could not picture what the hell was going on (this is my first hipped roof). Today I had Keith explain to me, and then I understood why I could not picture what was happening. We had two of our trusses in the wrong places. Which is why my eyeballs couldn't tell my brain how the roof was going to work. So greasy nasty crane man came back to help us switch them around, which was actually rather painless, but then greasy nasty crane man stuck around for awhile since we have a bunch of high school kids around. "Ain't got nothin' better goin' on."
No. No, you don't.
Pretty Pink Thing
I took lots of pictures of this flower in Wilmington. It has swirlies which I like.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Wilmington
Long day. Ubuntu won't work with my laptop. =( So sad! Ah, well. Otherwise, estuve ocupada estudiando espanol todos los noches. That's right, preterite. Both times I took Spanish3 I sort of zonked out as soon as we began to learn timeline grammar. Past present future AGH! SO MANY THINGS TO REMEMBER. Is easier now, since I actually want to learn. Also helps that I have taken Spanish3 twice.
Tomorrow we head to our last retreat for AmeriCorps. Thank goodness! I'm ready to be done!! We go to Wilmington, which is a very touristy city on the coast, which sort of sucks but also is kind of fun, because there is a nice beach and good restaurants/bars. Good coast seafood! Yum!! Unfortunately, it is a long drive, and I drove a lot today and now I have to drive a lot tomorrow and I get sick of all the driving all over everywhere. And North Carolina has no direct routes from point A to B! Never! Is quite annoying.
Poor Derek won't be able to swim. Injury to his arm! Laceration! Pics on flickr.
Tomorrow we head to our last retreat for AmeriCorps. Thank goodness! I'm ready to be done!! We go to Wilmington, which is a very touristy city on the coast, which sort of sucks but also is kind of fun, because there is a nice beach and good restaurants/bars. Good coast seafood! Yum!! Unfortunately, it is a long drive, and I drove a lot today and now I have to drive a lot tomorrow and I get sick of all the driving all over everywhere. And North Carolina has no direct routes from point A to B! Never! Is quite annoying.
Poor Derek won't be able to swim. Injury to his arm! Laceration! Pics on flickr.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
LOUD!
I do not like all the booming of the 4th.
All the dogs around bark loudly. "What are these strange sounds?!?" Confused, scared!
"What do these humans do?! So loud!"
Happy 'independence' day.
All the dogs around bark loudly. "What are these strange sounds?!?" Confused, scared!
"What do these humans do?! So loud!"
Happy 'independence' day.
Gnocchi
I have been hearing nice things about gorgonzola and gnocchi, and I have in my memory a friend's discovery of the tastiness of gorgonzola walnut sauce, so last night I made...
Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Walnut Sauce!
Seriously... this is the highest calorie dish I think I've ever prepared. It contains zero ingredients which are low in calories. Zero! I can't believe I made it! I was just so curious how the gnocchi would taste...
What a fun food! Little balls of fluffy potatoes. I think the next time I make gnocchi, I will physically make the gnocchi. Last night, I opened the package and threw the suckers into boiling water. They are so easy! No taste testing for doneness, these boys are done with they float up to the top of the pot! Hello, gnocchis!
The sauce was simple simple. Just butter, gorgonzola, and cream. Added the cream after the butter and cheese had mostly melted, as to avoid curdling. If I ever make this again, which I honestly probably won't, I would lighten the sauce up *big time*. Olive oil instead of butter, milk instead of cream. I think I'd enjoy that more.
I roasted some grape tomatoes for a side. Hmm... I poked them each before I broiled them, thinking that, like a hot dog, this would keep them from exploding. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I did not want explosion of tomato inside of Tori's toaster oven. Whether it was the poking or just my acute sense of when things are done cookin', the tomatoes did not explode and they were my favorite part of the meal. I love fresh things!
The gnocchi with sauce was too rich! Way too rich! I covered the gnocchis with the sauce, then added the chopped walnuts and a little grated parm. It had a nice flavor, and I loved the way the gnocchi feels and tastes, but.. after about four bites I was kind of done. Better for an appetizer maybe. On sticks. Toothpick gnocchi! NO-KEE! Like I said, if I do this gorgonzola/gnocchi combo again, I will lighten up sauce and maybe be able to enjoy more of it.
The picture is kind of blurry, and I should have gone outside, but I wanted to eat the food! I couldn't wait! So impatient!
This morning I used some of the gorgonzola in a mushroom omelet. My first-ever-omelet-experience! I mean, I've eaten them before, but never tried making them. I did good! It was yummy!
I used my new hand blender to beat the eggs. Man, that thing is slick. I love it! All fifty dollars of it!! I have used it twice so far... once for the eggs, and once for a vinaigrette (which I would normally not use a blender for, but since it's new and I like it...).
Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Walnut Sauce!
Seriously... this is the highest calorie dish I think I've ever prepared. It contains zero ingredients which are low in calories. Zero! I can't believe I made it! I was just so curious how the gnocchi would taste...
What a fun food! Little balls of fluffy potatoes. I think the next time I make gnocchi, I will physically make the gnocchi. Last night, I opened the package and threw the suckers into boiling water. They are so easy! No taste testing for doneness, these boys are done with they float up to the top of the pot! Hello, gnocchis!
The sauce was simple simple. Just butter, gorgonzola, and cream. Added the cream after the butter and cheese had mostly melted, as to avoid curdling. If I ever make this again, which I honestly probably won't, I would lighten the sauce up *big time*. Olive oil instead of butter, milk instead of cream. I think I'd enjoy that more.
I roasted some grape tomatoes for a side. Hmm... I poked them each before I broiled them, thinking that, like a hot dog, this would keep them from exploding. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I did not want explosion of tomato inside of Tori's toaster oven. Whether it was the poking or just my acute sense of when things are done cookin', the tomatoes did not explode and they were my favorite part of the meal. I love fresh things!
The gnocchi with sauce was too rich! Way too rich! I covered the gnocchis with the sauce, then added the chopped walnuts and a little grated parm. It had a nice flavor, and I loved the way the gnocchi feels and tastes, but.. after about four bites I was kind of done. Better for an appetizer maybe. On sticks. Toothpick gnocchi! NO-KEE! Like I said, if I do this gorgonzola/gnocchi combo again, I will lighten up sauce and maybe be able to enjoy more of it.
The picture is kind of blurry, and I should have gone outside, but I wanted to eat the food! I couldn't wait! So impatient!
This morning I used some of the gorgonzola in a mushroom omelet. My first-ever-omelet-experience! I mean, I've eaten them before, but never tried making them. I did good! It was yummy!
I used my new hand blender to beat the eggs. Man, that thing is slick. I love it! All fifty dollars of it!! I have used it twice so far... once for the eggs, and once for a vinaigrette (which I would normally not use a blender for, but since it's new and I like it...).
Monday, July 2, 2007
Pictures of Things
I've got a flickr account now, and wow! I am wasting a ton of time getting it set up!
Worth it though. Now I've got all my photos in sets and I do not have to have them stay on my computer taking up loads of space. I am going to get some blank CDs though, so I can burn backups of all my memorable moments.
It is fun to surf around through people's photos-- glimpsing into their lives without them knowing! There are some really fantastic photographers out there. Lots of food porn for me to learn from. And then, there's also this.
Worth it though. Now I've got all my photos in sets and I do not have to have them stay on my computer taking up loads of space. I am going to get some blank CDs though, so I can burn backups of all my memorable moments.
It is fun to surf around through people's photos-- glimpsing into their lives without them knowing! There are some really fantastic photographers out there. Lots of food porn for me to learn from. And then, there's also this.
worst.dressing.ever.
I decided to make this salsa salad for a light supper. Then I decided... hmm... "I shall create a new dressing so that when I taste this pretty salad I will feel like I am in the southwest."
I'm not even going to say what I put in the dressing. It sounds like a pretty good combo of stuff, at least to me, but alas, it was barely edible. I actually put my dressing-coated salad into my salad spinner so I could start fresh. I used this dressing instead, and ate my tasty greens and purples and reds and yellows and blacks. I LOVE COLORFUL FOOD!
Sunday, July 1, 2007
MESSINESS
My bedroom is a raging monster that must be cleaned.
Clean room now, Katie. NOWNOWNOW.
Goal for today: empty iMac harddrive so computer may be given away.
Cannot accomplish goal unless I have room to set up the computer on my floor.
Clean room must now dirty messy.
Clean room now, Katie. NOWNOWNOW.
Goal for today: empty iMac harddrive so computer may be given away.
Cannot accomplish goal unless I have room to set up the computer on my floor.
Clean room must now dirty messy.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Pasta Amazing.
First I cooked the garlic and anchovies and olive oil over low, low heat, until the anchovies dissolve and I had an amazingly brilliant flavored EVOO.
Then added the onions and mushrooms, cooking for a long time without stirring, letting all the juices collect.
Added some milk and butter, some salt and white pepper, a little bit of red pepper flakes.
Cooked for awhile. Added baby spinach until wilted.
Tossed in the fettucine.
Tossed in some chopped olives and chopped grape tomatoes.
Grated Parm...
So. Damn. Good.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Friends and friends!
John Ed and Angela came over tonight... after "The TALK"... It is very nice hanging out with them outside of work, since none of us really enjoys working. They are good friends to have, and I will miss them very much. Maybe one day we will all meet again!
We brought out chips and I made an impromptu salsa out of tomato, chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, corn, onion, etc. Tasty, surprising. Fresh veggies always taste good mixed together, and usually make good salsa if you just squirt a bit of lemon or lime juice on them (plus salt). Yum! We also had some frozen pizza with freshness on top.
AND some really good beer. There is a nice place in town that has the best beer variety I've seen in this area. The people working are always lovely (and a little drunk), willing to help and honest about what is new and fresh.. and what is old and skunked. It is better to buy from these local places who care about customers... rather than big chains who put bad stuff on sale to push inventory.
Now time to veg out.
We brought out chips and I made an impromptu salsa out of tomato, chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, corn, onion, etc. Tasty, surprising. Fresh veggies always taste good mixed together, and usually make good salsa if you just squirt a bit of lemon or lime juice on them (plus salt). Yum! We also had some frozen pizza with freshness on top.
AND some really good beer. There is a nice place in town that has the best beer variety I've seen in this area. The people working are always lovely (and a little drunk), willing to help and honest about what is new and fresh.. and what is old and skunked. It is better to buy from these local places who care about customers... rather than big chains who put bad stuff on sale to push inventory.
Now time to veg out.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Stuffed Tomatoes
I made these for dinner tonight. Next time I will put a grain in them to give it more... oomph. So it goes...
(I'm posting this because I am trying to practice my macro mode on my camera)
Honeybees
Honey prices will go up! Sad news for honey enthusiasts (such as kt). I bought a big jar today, which was not the wisest purchase since I have enough honey to get me through until the big adventure.... and I'm trying not to spend *ANY* money... but....
One of the HFH volunteers is a bee keeper! And he is the cutest funniest old guy... he talks in a drawl that is nearly impossible to understand unless no other noises are going on anywhere and you are entirely focused on his face/lips. I couldn't really understand the actual price he was selling quarts of his honey for until he repeated it the third time: $7. Not bad for a quart. Unfortunately, he does not accept food stamps! Heh. But most small jars of honey are selling for at least $5... I feel like he could get away with a little bump to the price. He is not really the type of guy that wants to sell things for more than they are worth... which I appreciate, almost more than the price itself.
Maybe Mom and Dad can have honey from a local Carolina bee farm. Hooray!
One of the HFH volunteers is a bee keeper! And he is the cutest funniest old guy... he talks in a drawl that is nearly impossible to understand unless no other noises are going on anywhere and you are entirely focused on his face/lips. I couldn't really understand the actual price he was selling quarts of his honey for until he repeated it the third time: $7. Not bad for a quart. Unfortunately, he does not accept food stamps! Heh. But most small jars of honey are selling for at least $5... I feel like he could get away with a little bump to the price. He is not really the type of guy that wants to sell things for more than they are worth... which I appreciate, almost more than the price itself.
Maybe Mom and Dad can have honey from a local Carolina bee farm. Hooray!
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Swordfish!
I was at the grocery store today for yogurt and wandered over to the fish counter where there was a special on swordfish. Being as I get foodstamps and I have never cooked swordfish before, I decided to splurge and get something new! It tastes.. good! I made a fun little berry balsamic glaze, and cooked a little spinach and mushroom wheat bulgar salad to go with it.
The balsamic glaze is so easy! I take about a cup of vinegar to about a quarter of sugar, and simmer that sucker down until it is just a little bit thick. About fifteen minutes in, I added a handful or so of chopped up mixed berries. This simmers for maybe a half hour or so. I definitely would have made this ahead of time if time permitted, since cooking vinegar makes the whole kitchen smelly.
The salad was next. It can be served hot or cold or warm or whatever. I added warm water to a little bit of wheat bulgar and let that stuff get nice and tender (takes an hour) while I sauteed some onion. Add mushrooms and a splash of soy sauce, let that cook down, and then pop the spinach in until it is wilty but still green and pretty. Wheat bulgar is what I normally use in tabouli... it is nutritious, with lots of protein, which means when I make extra I can use it as a whole meal the next day!
Then... the fish! I marinated this stuff in lemon juice and a splash of balsamic for an hour before cooking. Salt and pepper one side, and put that side down flat on my pan (which has olive oil all heated up). I read online about how to cook a thick steak of swordfish, and I went for the recipe that suggested four minutes per side. This was perfect for me! But, I like semi-rare fish... so, if I were cooking for someone else I'd probably go with five-six minutes per side.
Then I put all the stuff on a plate, drizzled with balsamic, garnished with green onions, and WOW! Taste bud happy!
Monday, June 25, 2007
RIP Hand Blender
My hand blender broke about five minutes ago. It was making me hummus. It is the best kitchen tool ever, excepting the basic stuff. But I can't say I'd get another Braun... this is the second time the switch has stopped working for me.
OSFDJOISDFJOIJEWF.
Things fall apart...
OSFDJOISDFJOIJEWF.
Things fall apart...
Pesto!
Yesterday I used the fresh basil from Madison's Farmer's Market to make some homemade pesto. Yum! I used the recipe here. It turned out great! Heidi Swanson says to chop all the ingredients, adding more basil, pine nuts, cheese as you go. That way, the pesto is not one big blob of green. You can see all the ingredients, so the texture and visual components are different than normal. I can verify, this is very cool. It is pretty as well as tasty. It was very good stuff, with one minor problem...
When I added a bunch of it to hot pasta, all the pesto clumped together as the cheese melted, and all my chopping went out the window because the stuff resembled the green blob I was trying to avoid. Next time, I will add the pasta water to pesto before adding pesto to pasta. Pesto pasta pasta pesto, fun to say! This will thin the stuff out a bit, and it will combine better. Theoretically.
Anyway, I ate the stuff spread on a bagel this morning, and that was pretty awesome. I think basil is my current favorite herb.
Heidi Swanson's site is very nice. Good recipes, clear instructions.
When I added a bunch of it to hot pasta, all the pesto clumped together as the cheese melted, and all my chopping went out the window because the stuff resembled the green blob I was trying to avoid. Next time, I will add the pasta water to pesto before adding pesto to pasta. Pesto pasta pasta pesto, fun to say! This will thin the stuff out a bit, and it will combine better. Theoretically.
Anyway, I ate the stuff spread on a bagel this morning, and that was pretty awesome. I think basil is my current favorite herb.
Heidi Swanson's site is very nice. Good recipes, clear instructions.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Fat Attack
I recently started eliminating high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils from my diet. Totally shocked by all the foods that I can't eat anymore! Hmm. I shall go take a look in my parent's refrigerator to give good examples.
Ok. Back. My parents are healthy people- my Mom is sort of a nut about food like me. So, this is no typical American kitchen. And STILL there are poisons in their cupboards and refrigerator.
Foods in my parent's house that contain HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP POISON:
-Heinz Ketchup
-Kraft Honey BBQ Sauce
-Bloody Mary Mix
-Lemonade
-Cutsie Natural looking Marianade
-Wheat Thins (Nabisco)
High fructose corn syrup affects our brains chemically, making us think that we are not full after we drink a can of soda.... it also works inside our bodies to help us store more fat than we would otherwise. Man-made terrible poison nastiness. When will we live in a society that looks upon those who feed their children Coke and candy with the same disapproval given to parents who smoke?
Foods in my parent's house that contain HYDROGENATED OIL POISON:
-Jiff Peanut Butter (to my parent's credit, I noticed their next jar is Smucker's Natural PB)
-Pillsbury Chocolate cake mix
-Lipton Cup of Soup
-Bear Creek Soup mix
-IGA Hot cocoa mix
My mom has always been conscious of hydrogenated oils... As soon as research showed what the stuff does to us, she stopped buying margarine and started checking labels. It is pretty safe to assume that all processed food either contains HFCS or partially hydrogenated oils-- trans fats. Even with the new labeling rules, companies can put "0 grams trans fats" on their packaging when the product still contains hydrogenated oils.. WTF!
There is good fat (fish, nuts) which we *need* to survive! We must eat fatty things! Otherwise we would be so hungry and we would not have life. But these hydrogenated fats... they take the place in our bodies where the good fats want to hang out. So the good fats start hanging out in our waistlines rather than where they should be, and our bodies tell us that we are still hungry. Pass the potato chips!
Hydrogenated oils poison us. Literally! With no warning labels! Terrifying. This stuff that we eat-- man-made material. Our bodies can't process something that didn't even exist until the 70s. It's like eating plastic and expecting our digestive system to react normally. Right.
Well. I didn't expect to rant. It is just so freaking absurd to think about all of this... OF COURSE AMERICA IS GETTING FATTER! DUH!!!
*sigh*
Ok. Back. My parents are healthy people- my Mom is sort of a nut about food like me. So, this is no typical American kitchen. And STILL there are poisons in their cupboards and refrigerator.
Foods in my parent's house that contain HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP POISON:
-Heinz Ketchup
-Kraft Honey BBQ Sauce
-Bloody Mary Mix
-Lemonade
-Cutsie Natural looking Marianade
-Wheat Thins (Nabisco)
High fructose corn syrup affects our brains chemically, making us think that we are not full after we drink a can of soda.... it also works inside our bodies to help us store more fat than we would otherwise. Man-made terrible poison nastiness. When will we live in a society that looks upon those who feed their children Coke and candy with the same disapproval given to parents who smoke?
Foods in my parent's house that contain HYDROGENATED OIL POISON:
-Jiff Peanut Butter (to my parent's credit, I noticed their next jar is Smucker's Natural PB)
-Pillsbury Chocolate cake mix
-Lipton Cup of Soup
-Bear Creek Soup mix
-IGA Hot cocoa mix
My mom has always been conscious of hydrogenated oils... As soon as research showed what the stuff does to us, she stopped buying margarine and started checking labels. It is pretty safe to assume that all processed food either contains HFCS or partially hydrogenated oils-- trans fats. Even with the new labeling rules, companies can put "0 grams trans fats" on their packaging when the product still contains hydrogenated oils.. WTF!
There is good fat (fish, nuts) which we *need* to survive! We must eat fatty things! Otherwise we would be so hungry and we would not have life. But these hydrogenated fats... they take the place in our bodies where the good fats want to hang out. So the good fats start hanging out in our waistlines rather than where they should be, and our bodies tell us that we are still hungry. Pass the potato chips!
Hydrogenated oils poison us. Literally! With no warning labels! Terrifying. This stuff that we eat-- man-made material. Our bodies can't process something that didn't even exist until the 70s. It's like eating plastic and expecting our digestive system to react normally. Right.
Well. I didn't expect to rant. It is just so freaking absurd to think about all of this... OF COURSE AMERICA IS GETTING FATTER! DUH!!!
*sigh*
My brother will be married in July! To Wendy and Allyssa and Hailey. Three women, lucky guy. The wedding will be here. Actually, that is where the reception will be. I wonder where the wedding is? Maybe there, too. Hmm...
It is good that I am home for the retirement party, because it gave me a chance to try on my dress and get it fitted. It's a little big, but better big than small. It is here.
I made this entry so I could link something. Ta-da.
It is good that I am home for the retirement party, because it gave me a chance to try on my dress and get it fitted. It's a little big, but better big than small. It is here.
I made this entry so I could link something. Ta-da.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Dad Retires!
At home, in Madison. Lovely to be back in this place... such a neat town! This morning I went to the Farmer's Market. Such an awesome Farmer's Market! http://www.madfarmmkt.org/ We got a lot of basil... I will make a pesto. And we got strawberries. We also bought strawberries later on at the Country Bumpkin's Market near Wisconsin Dells. Country Bumpkins! Ha! The berries are sweet, and we will make a pie.
Surprised my dad yesterday afternoon... He was impressed with my mom and I being able to keep that secret. I am, too! We pulled in the driveway and he did a double take. "What the...?"
Dad's retirement party was pretty amazing. Saw lots of people I have not seen in a long long while. Lots of memories talked about! Drank too much vino tinto. So it goes.
Mom and Dad made... jambalaya! And sandwiches with olive and mushrooms. And shrimp with sauce! Lots of good food! http://www.ruralroute1.com/ Rural Route has good popcorn. White chocolate with almonds! Delicious!
Must figure out how to do links. Hmm.
Surprised my dad yesterday afternoon... He was impressed with my mom and I being able to keep that secret. I am, too! We pulled in the driveway and he did a double take. "What the...?"
Dad's retirement party was pretty amazing. Saw lots of people I have not seen in a long long while. Lots of memories talked about! Drank too much vino tinto. So it goes.
Mom and Dad made... jambalaya! And sandwiches with olive and mushrooms. And shrimp with sauce! Lots of good food! http://www.ruralroute1.com/ Rural Route has good popcorn. White chocolate with almonds! Delicious!
Must figure out how to do links. Hmm.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Summer Solstice
Say a chant and do a dance.
Or, be more productive with your daylight and stop writing in a blog. Yes. Okay.
Shit!
Going home tomorrow for Dad's retirement party. It's a surprise, so shhhh....
I'm going to be checking two very large bags full of my *stuff*, so much freakin' stuff. There are many reasons why this sucks, but the main reason is as follows: parking in Charlotte is fairly convenient but I will have to carry two very large bags, a full hiking backpack, and a purse across a parking lot all by myself. I am such a wuss. But my bags are heavy! Or, they will be, when I pack them.
This is the beginning of my move back to the midwest... which isn't really a move so much as an object relocation plan. ORP. ORP commences tomorrow, and will conclude around the end of July. And then I will sort, give away, throw away... reduce my possessions into something manageable. My parents are sick of me taking up so much of their basement space.
ORP is a pain in the ass! Must pack now! Now!!
I'm going to be checking two very large bags full of my *stuff*, so much freakin' stuff. There are many reasons why this sucks, but the main reason is as follows: parking in Charlotte is fairly convenient but I will have to carry two very large bags, a full hiking backpack, and a purse across a parking lot all by myself. I am such a wuss. But my bags are heavy! Or, they will be, when I pack them.
This is the beginning of my move back to the midwest... which isn't really a move so much as an object relocation plan. ORP. ORP commences tomorrow, and will conclude around the end of July. And then I will sort, give away, throw away... reduce my possessions into something manageable. My parents are sick of me taking up so much of their basement space.
ORP is a pain in the ass! Must pack now! Now!!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Tahini Dressing
Today I made my tahini based dressing for the second time, and it is still very kick-ass. I think it is maybe similar to Annie's Goddess Dressing... but I have never tried Annie's Goddess Dressing (although I hear it is also very kick-ass), so I cannot confirm this. Here is what I do:
1. Chop up one clove of garlic and smoosh it together with some salt until it is pasty and not chunky, so that I do not have to bite into raw garlic while I eat my salad. Throw into bowl.
2. Chop up a big handful of parsley and two or three green onions. I chop this for what feels like *forever*, because I do not want big chunks of either of these ingredients in my dressing. A food processor would be handy for this step, but I do not like getting the machine out of the cupboard. And it is very loud. So, chop chop chop and throw into the bowl.
3. Chop a lemon in half and squeeze juices out of each half and into the bowl. Now I put away my knife, because the chopping is all done.
4. Add soy sauce to the bowl. Maybe a teaspoon or two. This, along with the salted garlic, makes the dressing plenty salty.
5. Add red wine vinegar to the bowl. I think two tablespoons. But again, I am not sure. I also think I could make this dressing with any vinegar, and it would still be ok.
5. Add a little bit of honey. I cannot remember if I did this the first time I made it or not. I tasted it today without adding honey and it wasn't quite right... enough sour, enough salty.... sweet! I think I maybe just used plain sugar the first time around, but honey is better. Au-natural. I think a heavy teaspoon is good.
6. Add tahini! This is the best step because it is the most important ingredient of all. I am not sure how much tahini I add to the bowl. I would guess maybe a quarter cup. After I add this I slosh everything together.
7. Add some water until the dressing is nice and runny. There is so much flavor in all the ingredients that water helps to make sure every flavor is spread to all my lettuce leaves in my salad. Yum!
This dressing is more kick-ass the second day. The ingredients like to hang out for awhile together before they reach optimal taste-bud satisfaction.
1. Chop up one clove of garlic and smoosh it together with some salt until it is pasty and not chunky, so that I do not have to bite into raw garlic while I eat my salad. Throw into bowl.
2. Chop up a big handful of parsley and two or three green onions. I chop this for what feels like *forever*, because I do not want big chunks of either of these ingredients in my dressing. A food processor would be handy for this step, but I do not like getting the machine out of the cupboard. And it is very loud. So, chop chop chop and throw into the bowl.
3. Chop a lemon in half and squeeze juices out of each half and into the bowl. Now I put away my knife, because the chopping is all done.
4. Add soy sauce to the bowl. Maybe a teaspoon or two. This, along with the salted garlic, makes the dressing plenty salty.
5. Add red wine vinegar to the bowl. I think two tablespoons. But again, I am not sure. I also think I could make this dressing with any vinegar, and it would still be ok.
5. Add a little bit of honey. I cannot remember if I did this the first time I made it or not. I tasted it today without adding honey and it wasn't quite right... enough sour, enough salty.... sweet! I think I maybe just used plain sugar the first time around, but honey is better. Au-natural. I think a heavy teaspoon is good.
6. Add tahini! This is the best step because it is the most important ingredient of all. I am not sure how much tahini I add to the bowl. I would guess maybe a quarter cup. After I add this I slosh everything together.
7. Add some water until the dressing is nice and runny. There is so much flavor in all the ingredients that water helps to make sure every flavor is spread to all my lettuce leaves in my salad. Yum!
This dressing is more kick-ass the second day. The ingredients like to hang out for awhile together before they reach optimal taste-bud satisfaction.
Ubuntu...
My friend helped me set up my computer to run Ubuntu instead of Windows. Unfortunately, internet connection took way too long to figure out so he did not finish and Ubuntu sits, waiting for me, somewhere in my laptop... but I cannot use it yet.
YET!
I do not like Windows very much. This is why I've wanted a Mac... I like the way Macs are easy to use and do not get viruses. Ubuntu will give me this! And more! And it is *free*! But sometimes difficult to set up. Which is why I need a helper. Which frustrates me because I want to use it now. Nownownow.
YET!
I do not like Windows very much. This is why I've wanted a Mac... I like the way Macs are easy to use and do not get viruses. Ubuntu will give me this! And more! And it is *free*! But sometimes difficult to set up. Which is why I need a helper. Which frustrates me because I want to use it now. Nownownow.
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