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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-289893142018-03-05T18:01:40.272-05:00Beet & PotatoesThe escapades of a vegetarian that loves to cook and is embarking on a fantastic voyage of sometimes-vegan cuisine.Erinhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-30213450846669848992007-12-05T03:37:00.000-05:002007-12-05T03:47:27.758-05:00= Pressing PAUSE =Well, I have been meaning to write about all of the fantastic things that I cooked and ate at Thanksgiving . . . but I haven't had time! Come to think of it, I only really made a couple of things over Thanksgiving break, because I didn't have time! And guess what? I won't have any time to write a post in at least the next couple of weeks.

I shall return for a post that I am required to make later this month for my all new daring bakers project, but aside from that, I will be (hopefully in this order):
1-4. completing my coursework
5. selling my house
6. hosting some fabby houseguests
7. packing my house
8. driving to nc
9. flying to brooklyn
10. attending my brother's wedding :)
11. flying back to nc
12. celebrating the holidays
13. driving back to indiana
14. finding a new place to live?
15. finishing my house-packing
16. renting and packing a moving truck
17. celebrating new years?
18. driving a moving truck to nyc
19. unpacking my house
20. starting an internship!

phew! see you when i see you.
Erinhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-60651687232819881092007-11-13T23:57:00.000-05:002008-12-11T03:47:34.039-05:00Free Food for Free WordsI'm always looking for ways to improve my vocab skills, and now all of that skill-building pays off in the form of rice donated through the UN to feed the hungry. Yay!

You are given a multiple choice question like this:
free:
mandolin
cook
complimentary
cake

and for each answer you get right, 10 grains of rice get donated, without limit. Some are easy, but there are some definite challenges, too.

On the day the website went up (October 7), 830 grains were donated . . . yesterday, 188,987,290 grains were donated. So, if there are over 29,000 grains of long grain white rice in a pound, that would mean . . . over 6,516 pounds, just yesterday!

Thanks for sharing, Emily!
Erinhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-58272282973197105022007-11-08T18:23:00.001-05:002008-12-11T03:47:34.769-05:00Apple Cider Mini-DoughnutsMy new favorite blog to read (in my oodles of spare time) is Aussie-based Milk & Cookies. I knew I liked the blog when she posted a recipe for Apple Cider Doughnuts - right on time as the chilly air moved in to Bloomington (although it's certainly not autumn in her neck of the woods). I have been looking for a good excuse to buy a doughnut pan for a looong time . . . and this was it! So, I promptly went after a mini-doughnut pan I found at Good's for Cooks downtown.

I made the Milk & Cookies recipe just as she wrote it, with a couple of slight changes. I agree that the batter is incredibly light and airy . . . most definitely yeast-like without the use of any yeast. The result was scrumptious, although next time I might make a couple of changes. Following is the recipe, and see my notes after that.

Apple Cider Mini-Doughnuts

adapted from Milk & Cookies

For the Doughnuts:

oil and sugar (or flour) for baking pans

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1 1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

2 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. grated nutmeg

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2/3 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. applesauce

1/3 c. maple syrup

1/3 c. apple cider

1/3 c. plain yogurt

3 T. oil

For the Icing:

1 c. confectioner's sugar, sifted

1 t. vanilla extract

1-2 T. milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously oil each doughnut cavity and sprinkle with sugar or flour; shake out excess. In medium bowl, whisk together flour through nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg through oil. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just-mixed.

Carefully place batter in a ziploc bag and seal closed, removing excess air. Using scissors, snip a 1/2" opening in a bottom corner of the bag. Pipe a ring of batter into each doughnut cavity, filling each about halfway.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the tops spring back when touched. Loosen edges of each doughnut and turn pan onto cooling rack; position doughnuts on rack and leave to cool completely.

To make icing, combine ingredients and stir until liquid but not drippy. Add more milk or sugar depending on consistency. Dip each cooled doughnut into bowl of icing and turn until top is well-coated. Return to cooling rack for icing to set.

My notes:

in general, the doughnuts were tough to get out of the pan, which is why I have suggested the less-sweet but slightly more practical option of dusting the pans with flour instead of sugar

Milk & Cookies suggested using hazelnut oil - I liked the idea of trying out a new oil but went with toasted walnut instead - but I don't really think it makes a difference.

with one batch, I added finely diced apple to the pan before piping in the batter - this tasted great but proved to be a bad idea, because the moisture level got too high, and the apples stuck to the pan, requiring that some of the doughnuts be surgically removed

my icing looks a lot different than Milk & Cookies does because a.) i made it too thin (but I kind of like it that way because it is like a glaze) b.) my doughnuts were still a bit warm and c.) soymilk makes the glaze a less-attractive beige color, so it is good that I went with more of a glaze and less of a frosting

these would be tasty with a maple-ginger icing made by substituting the vanilla with 1/4 t. ground ginger and adding 1 1/2 T. of maple syrup to the mix

like Milk & Cookies, I HATE to fry things in my house, and avoid doing so at all costs, which is why I love the baked doughnut idea in the first place. however, these were not as crispy on the outside as I would have liked, so next time I will be trying to bake these in a 425 degree oven for less time and see where that gets me . . .

Erinhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-81011128207805814802007-10-31T20:24:00.000-04:002008-12-11T03:47:34.954-05:00Black & Orange Cauldron Bubble
Happy Halloween!

Today's Splendid Table email newsletter was forwarded to me (shout out to the Moms & MJ), which included Robin Robertson's recipe for Pumpkin and Black Bean Chili. The recipe is excerpted from her book One-Dish Vegetarian Meals (I have had my eye on her Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker for a while), as well as Splendid Table Lynne's tips and ideas for buying, storing, cooking, and eating squash and pumpkins. It was a really nice email - not gimicky at all like most email newsletters - with lots of practical (okay, splendid) ideas. I think I'll subscribe.

The recipe was just right for today - tasty, quick, and festive (more and more, quick and easy is a prerequisite for my cooking, if you haven't noticed). For an ol' boring lady like me with exciting Halloween plans to catch the tail-end of the trick-or-treaters at home after class and hunker down with a big pile of homework . . . it worked great. Plus, I happened to have an excellent husband who had some free time this afternoon to hit up the grocery store and assist with some pumpkin-choppin' prep work. I was really impressed that he went so far as to carve up the pumpkin into chunks . . . back pain and all.

This was a really fantastic, savory chili - packed with flavor from the pumpkin, cider, and kale that we used. Although the added greens were one of Lynne's tips and not included in the original recipe, I highly recommend adding them. It brings a brightness to the chili, as well as a ton of nutrients that you don't come across every day. If you are not big on the flavor, don't add too much, but give it a shot.

Pumpkin & Black Bean Chili
adapted slightly from One-Dish Vegetarian Meals as presented by The Splendid Table

1 2-lb. pie pumpkin or butternut squash (we used a pumpkin & were quite pleased)
2 T. olive oil
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 minced jalapeno chile, or 1-2 minced chipotle chiles in adobo
1 32-oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. apple cider
4 T. chili powder (or chili powder blend - go light on this and add more if you are not a spice fan)
1 t. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
3 15-oz. cans rinsed and drained black beans
1 head kale or other hearty green, rinsed and chopped (optional)

Suggested toppings: toasted pepitas, soy sour cream, chives or green onion

Cut the pumpkin into 1/2-inch dice and set aside. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat, then add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno or chipotle. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add remaining ingredients except for beans and greens. Stir, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to simmer, and let cook for about 30 minutes or until pumpkin has softened. Add beans and greens, and more water if necessary. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes until flavors have been incorporated. Serve with toppings, a small salad, and a slice of savory bread.

Erinhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-15635115488747040152007-10-10T09:01:00.001-04:002008-12-11T03:47:35.360-05:00granola!I ask you: WHY have I never made granola?

Reasons for asking why:
1. We go through copious amounts of granola/fancy organic no-HFCS cereal in my house.
2. It is expensive to buy boxed granola!
3. All of those boxes add up to a lot of waste, right? (although...all those bags you use to get stuff out of the bulk bins does, too...unless you save them like a good environmentalist would)
4. Making granola is SOOO easy!

A super-duper friend of mine gave me La Dolce Vegan! for my birthday this year, and I have been so happy and excited by all the new recipes at hand. I wanted to make something easy for this week's breakfasts...and then I came across a few tasty-sounding granola recipes. I've always thought about making granola, but I have just never done it..and now I suggest that you quickly whip up a batch. You can collect all the right amounts (or estimates of the right amounts) of the ingredients at the bulk bins - then go home and just dump all that shit into a bowl...and you are almost there! OK - enough with all of this granola praise...on to the recipe.

Cranberry Almond Pecan Granola
(altered from La Dolce Vegan!)

4 c. rolled oats
1 1/3 c. sliced almonds
1 1/3 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/3 c. pecans
1 scant c. unrefined sugar
2 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
2/3 c. cranberry juice
1/4 c. oil
1 1/2 c. dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 325. In a large bowl, combine the oats through the spices, then add the juice and oil, and mix until well combined. Spread granola in a single layer on two large baking pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring and rotating the pans after 10 minutes. Let granola cool, untouched (no stirring! you will get better clusters that way), then add cranberries when cool. Store in an airtight container and enjoy all week long with delectable soy milk.
p.s. don't the pictures look better? (granted, the ones from the last post are cell phone pics) I bought a new camera with my birthday money - yay!
Erinhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-68721819802922486842007-09-20T18:32:00.000-04:002008-12-11T03:47:35.857-05:00I caught a good one.It was my birthday this week, and it turned out to be one of the best ones in a while. Chris and I have been away from each other on my birthday for the past couple of years, and this was extra special just because he was there and being so great to me all day long. He woke me up with a cup of coffee under my nose (not really out of the ordinary) and lured me into the dining room, which was all aglow with this spread:I had been sleeping soundly, and he had been up for an hour in the dark, whipping up whole wheat blueberry pancakes and soysages and coffee and orange juice. This is extra special, you see, because he is not exactly an experienced pancake-maker. I was very proud of him. Also, he really hates wrapping presents - he told me that you can tell that he loves me because he wrapped ALL of those presents. I always kind of considered his family tradition of unwrapping presents in the morning with birthday breakfast (and not after dinner with birthday cake, which is my family tradition) to be cheating, but this whole fabulous experience kind of debunked that theory (especially since I was not even supposed to get presents this year). This bonus gift came at the end:Anyways, I told him after that fantastic breakfast it really didn't matter what happened during the rest of my busy day - he had set the tone right and that was all that mattered. I ended up having a really nice day, especially capped off with dinner and drinks at Malibu with some of our great friends.

Then, he upped the ante even more by cooking dinner for me the next night! He made another of our Giada favorites, Rigatoni with Red Pepper, Almonds, and Breadcrumbs. I don't have a picture, but you can look at the one with the recipe here. To sum it up: Boil a pound of penne or rigatoni. Place a 5 oz. bag of garlic-flavored croutons and 1/4 c. toasted slivered almonds in a food processor until like breadcrumbs. Toss pasta with crouton mix and 3/4 c. olive oil and/or pasta water. Top with a jar of roasted red peppers that have been julienned and a rinsed can of garbanzo beans (that is our own addition - it makes it really good). It's cheap, fast, easy, and really really good - the makings of a perfect weeknight dinner.
Erinhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-74226990314665362792007-09-11T00:53:00.000-04:002007-09-11T01:09:58.467-04:00Moroccan Roasted VegetablesSo, this recipe is probably what I would consider my "signature" dish, only because every time I cook it, I get asked for the recipe. Then, those people seem to misplace the recipe (just as I would if I had originally requested it), and then they ask again. Then they pass it on to their loved ones and cook it for other people and get asked for the recipe themselves. It's a good recipe.

I was just asked for it by my friend Chez Megane, and I realized I have never posted it here before. Since it is one of those recipes that gets lost, I figured I would post it now to be used by all. Although I don't have photos of it to share, trust that it is a beautiful and humbly delectable dish.

Moroccan Roasted Vegetables
slightly adapted from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics

note: I generally add a good bit more spice than called for by mounding up the spices in the measuring spoons as I measure them - it makes it better.

1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch thick semi-circles
1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes or semi-circles
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick cubes or semi-circles
1 large red bell pepper, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch strips
2 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped
15.5 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 T. olive oil
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. ground cumin
1 1/2 t. turmeric
1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 t. paprika
1/4 t. cayenne
2 t. salt

Optional, but HIGHLY recommended for toppings:
chopped toasted almonds
raisins
crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together ingredients.

Spread vegetables onto parchment-lined baking 11x17-inch baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven and stir well, then bake for another 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Serve warm over couscous, topped with suggested toppings.
Erinhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-65495262591973784242007-09-09T02:06:00.000-04:002008-12-11T03:47:37.438-05:00Yay for Functioning iPhoto...and a trip down Pitchfork Lane...For miz-onths my iPhoto has been completely f'ed, making it a super-frustrating and lengthy process to do anything with photos. Yes, I could have brought my computer in to the shop, or bought a new version of iPhoto, to possibly get the problem solved, but that seemed so complicated... There was a much easier solution in the forecast for us, and that was a new computer. :) Now that it is here, I couldn't be more happy - I love laptops, but there is something really nice about sitting down to a desktop - especially one that organizes all of your photos into events (sort of - I think there is a husband that did most of the legwork there)!

As I perused my newly organized photo library this evening, I came across photos from Pitchfork '07, which was a delightful quartet of days filled with great food, beer, music, more food, great friends, more beer, more food, and lots of fun. I immediately looked through the pictures hoping for ones of eating the out-of-this world jerk seiten wrap, or the grilled corn on the cob, or the soy ice cream cones, or the watermelon lemonade, or the tofu pad thai, or the pineapple salsa...but my search came up dry. It turns out that we scarfed down those bad boys all too fast. There is something so great about sitting in the hot hot sun on a nasty, nubby woolen blanket named Baby James, taking runs to the food area every hour or so just because your body needs fuel to ward off the elements. R.I.P. Baby James, R.I.P.The food pics I do have are from our great trip to Orange for brunch, so I will share those here.

First up is my pan-seared steel-cut oatmeal, cooked in apple cider and spices and served up with fruit compote (sooo good! my personal favorite):Next is C's crazy-ass Veggie Sandwich on toasted brioche with jalapeno mayo and spicy garlic yogurt (really good, but damn...that is a lot of veggies in the morning):The flashiest selection was E's pancake flight, with a summertime theme: smore's, watermelon-cucumber(?), one about a pool with basil and blue curacao, and a pork BBQ stack (which was supposedly the best):
Last but not least were A's French Toast Kebobs (really tasty, but poor A wasn't too crazy about the coconut-infusion going on) shown with the cucumber water, orange peel-infused coffee, and our very own freshly squeezed juice selections (I tried a tame and delicious watermelon-cantelope juice):I think we all really enjoyed our experience at Orange - it was fun and tasty, and I would definitely go back. But, if I had to pick, the food at Pitchfork was surprisingly better and less expensive (huge water bottles for $1!). It would be so nice to make a trip back to the midwest next summer for the festival again, just to sink my teeth into one of those jerk seiten wraps one more time. Erinhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-3832328662855870072007-08-23T08:40:00.000-04:002008-12-11T03:47:38.132-05:00Summer FavesIt is so very clear now that the summer days are coming to an end. I of course mean the official season of summer, since the actual feeling of summer is long gone. During the transitional period, I was having panic attacks about it - stressed about balancing school and multiple works and putting my house on the market, and upset about my lack of a summer vacay. But now that I am almost completely crossed over into the new school-year lifestyle, I know everything will be fine. I am actually really looking forward to the fall season...the leaves, the warm food, and the non-unbearable weather. We are already experiencing chilly mornings and a lil' bit of fall color :)

During the summer, I was lucky to reap the benefits of friends with gardens as well as the ever-bountiful WonderLab garden. We've had some really delicious eggplant, tomato, and squash, and I found some new favorite recipes that worked well with the season. Also, I realized I want to try to plant a vegetable garden at my next house. It's a hell of a lot of work, I know, but wouldn't it be so nice?
My #1 summer fave is this amazing broiled eggplant, onion, and hummus sandwich that I made after trying a super-bland eggplant and hummus sandwich at Bloomingfood's a while back. The BFood's sandwich was JUST eggplant and hummus on bread. blah. So, I decided it would be best to toast the bread, spread both sides with a layer of hummus, pile up thinly-sliced eggplant and red onion (both broiled with olive oil, salt & pepper) on one half, mixed greens on the other half, and top it off with black pepper and a touch of salt. Oh my goodness...this thing is da bomb. So it wins the gold prize for summer food love. The picture above was taken on a night when I packed a couple of these up with some Miller Lite tallboys and popcorn to take to the Starlite Drive-In. It was fun. Another summer fave is this summer corn salad that is delicious either warm or cold. This is an adaptation of a recipe from The Red Cat Cookbook, which I received as a gift last Christmas. I am especially fond of the added soybeans, which make it a delicious full meal, all on its own.

Summer Corn Salad

6 small Yukon Gold potatoes, diced

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut crosswise into bite-size pieces

fresh kernels removed from from 6 ears of corn (don't use frozen)
5-6 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 can soybeans, drained and rinsed
juice and zest from one lemon
approximately 1/4 c. olive oil
1 T. chopped thyme
1 T. chopped fresh basil
1 clamshell package of arugula

Boil potatoes in salted water for about 5 minutes, or until tender when pierced, drain (it is best to fish them out or use a pasta pot so you won't lose the hot water), and add to a very large mixing bowl. Return the water to a boil and add the asparagus, cooking for about 2 minutes or until bright green, but crisp. Remove asparagus from water and add to the large bowl.

Meanwhile, heat 2 T. olive oil in a wide, deep saute-pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the corn and toast until beginning to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes until heated through and beginning to break apart. Add soybeans to the pan and stir together until heated through.

Add corn mixture to the large mixing bowl and top with lemon juice, a sprinkle of lemon zest, and a hefty drizzle of olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper, add thyme and basil, and mix to combine. (Note: if you are not eating all of the salad right away, reserve the basil to top the individual portions. It will turn brown if left overnight.) Serve salad on top of a bed of arugula when warm or refrigerate and serve cool.

Erinhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-69651727984186892652007-08-03T08:23:00.000-04:002008-12-11T03:47:38.552-05:00Polenta & Phicken with Blackberry-Nectarine SalsaI have shaved away all of my cooking magazine subscriptions except for one - Eating Well - which I love. It was a gift from my sister-in-law, and I am so glad that she introduced me to it. I notice that sometimes when I am thumbing through a cooking magazine, I gloss over the meat dishes without thinking about it, and that really eliminates so many tasty options. I have to remind myself sometimes to keep an open mind . . . it usually only takes an easy substitution or two to make things work.

This recipe jumped out on the page at me, and Chris, actually. We had both seen the photograph and had this discussion about how it made us both kinda want to eat it with chicken, which rarely happens. But of course, that was an option I didn't want to consider - I had to make this work, and there was a fantastically easy solution that I had almost forgotten about completely. My favorite veggie brand on the plant, Quorn, makes frozen naked cutlets that you can sub into almost any chicken dish. Unlike the Morningstar Farms pre-seasoned strips (yuck), these actually hold together, have a great firm texture, and are not already covered in weird dehydrated flavorings that don't match with the dish you are making.

The original Eating Well recipe can be found here, but I will let you know about my substitutions.
1. As I don't own a grill, I used my faithful broiler for this one (I know, not as fun - but it works).
2. Obviously, I replaced the chicken with Quorn Naked Cutlets (straight from the freezer).
3. I doubled the amount of spice rub mixture - it was tasty, so why not?!
4. As you can see from my photograph (which I am embarrassed to post alongside a link to the pretty pretty EW picture), the nectarines overcooked to a pulp - and quickly. Based on my experience using the broiler for this one, I would place the Quorn, polenta, and nectarines on one pan and place in the broiler at the same time - then remove the nectarines first - after 3 or 4 minutes, not 6 to 8 like the recipe suggests. Then, keep the polenta in the oven until the Quorn is done, so it gets a nice golden crust.

Let me just end this by saying that I was kind of amazed at how easy this was to throw together, in that you only need to use one pan for cooking, and you can make the salsa in the time it takes the Quorn and polenta to finish cooking...so you are really looking at only 15 or 20 minutes. Beyond that, the flavors and fresh and full and hearty (yum!), while the dish is still really light and good for you. You will probably want to bust into the leftovers, so I suggest eating this with a small salad so that you don't ruin your chances of having an equally scrumptious lunch the next day.
Erinhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-85749034508971436142007-07-28T20:32:00.000-04:002008-12-11T03:47:38.936-05:00From the Archives::Black Bean Soup

So, I kind of can't believe that this one has not made it onto the blog yet, because this is probably the dish (aside from plain pasta and sauce) that I have made more than any other. It requires very few ingredients, barely any time, and almost no effort. This is an absolute favorite of ours in the fall and winter months (I know this is totally out of season), served with a simple salad and bread or tortilla chips. Cheap, filling, and delicious!

I originally got the recipe from Everyday Food, but adapted it somewhere along the way - I can't seem to find the original recipe anywhere. Here is my quick and dirty version:

Ingredients:

3 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 medium onion, diced

3-4 cloves garlic, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, diced

2 or 2 1/2 t. cumin

2 or 2 1/2 t. oregano

1 or 2 vegetable bouillon cubes (optional)

juice of 2 limes

handful of cilantro, chopped (if you belong to the "cilantro tastes like soap" club, I am sure Italian parsley would do the trick)

Heat 1-2 T. olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened and beginning to brown, then add garlic and jalapeno and cook for about one minute more. Add cumin and oregano (I usually eyeball the spice measurements to taste), season with salt and pepper, stir to combine, and cook for another minute. Add the beans, and pour water into the pan until the beans are covered by 3/4" or so of water. Add the bouillon cubes, stir, cover, and let cook until the flavors have combined and heated through, about 10 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender, transfer to an upright blender, or my favorite - use a potato masher to mash the beans, leaving some in tact for texture. Stir in the lime and cilantro, and season to taste. Serve topped with soy sour cream and cilantro.
Erinhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-64773862540657878322007-07-26T12:46:00.000-04:002008-12-11T03:47:39.090-05:00From the Archives::Hummingbird Cake
I came across an old box of undeveloped film and throw-away cameras in my craft room recently, and found some fun discoveries when I developed the film onto photo CDs. One of my favorites were pictures from Chris's 24th birthday, which we celebrated a little over a month after moving to Bloomington. It is so odd to think back to those days, when Indiana was so new and SO midwestern. We were both still very unemployed, spending our days doing projects on the house & becoming increasingly depressed about not having places to go aside from the hardware store.

Every year (except for one maybe?) since Chris turned 20, I have made him a birthday cake - it is one of those traditions that we have established and I really love it (even if I don't necessarily get a birthday cake in return, ahem, brownie mix ;). For this particular birthday, I made Martha Stewart's Hummingbird Cake, which is so beautifully covered in dried fresh pineapple slices. The cake is good - kind of a twist on a carrot cake - but really, my favorite part has to be the frilly frilly pineapple.

You can find the recipe here. Notice that it calls for 3 cups of mashed ripe banana - Lord knows I love my husband when I mash up 3 RIPE bananas for him (erhghgh - *gag reflex*).
Erinhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-51398930364588186012007-06-23T13:02:00.000-04:002008-12-11T03:47:39.896-05:00For the love of frittata. While recently debating about what to serve at a big museum brunch, the topic of frittatas, and just how good they are, came up. I have sort of stayed away from frittatas (and other heavily egg-laden dishes) for some time in my quest to eat a little less egg & dairy. Plus, lots o' egg can make me sick at times. :( But, this delectable conversation about the goodness that is a frittata got me salivating.

My friend and I reminisced about a particular Cooking Light recipe that included corn and smoked mozzarella, and was absolutely to die for. I remembered a delectable Giada receipe from my pre-veggie days that included sausage frittata on slices of buttered baguette. I decided it was time to make a frittata. Now, a frittata is obviously the kind of quick-cooking dinner that is best made without the fuss of measurements. So, I used what I thought looked good - I prefer a high vegetable content (I think you could even get away with less eggs), but you should make it however you think works best.

Summer Frittata with Corn, Asparagus, Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella

In a small bowl, whisk together 3 whole eggs and 2 egg whites (or whatever combination of egg : egg whites you prefer) with a healthy pour of soymilk (or regular milk). Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a nonstick pan, saute 1/2-3/4 lb. chopped asparagus, 20 or so grape tomatoes (cut in half), and a cup or so of fresh or frozen yellow corn until the asparagus begins to turn a vibrant green. Add a medium-sized ball of fresh mozzerella, diced, and a small handful of basil chiffonade. Stir the mixture together and add the egg mixture to the pan. Shake the pan to evenly distribute the eggs and vegetables. Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to set from the bottom, and then place in a 400 degree oven until the top sets. If you like the eggs a bit browned, turn the broiler on for a moment.

When the frittata has set, loosen it from the pan, cover with a plate or cutting board, and invert. Slice the frittata into 8 or 9 square-ish slices. Slice a thin baguette lengthwise, butter the inside, and then cut into 8 or 9 pieces. Place a warm wedge of frittata on each piece of buttered baguette and thank me for sending you to heaven.

I roasted the asparagus that I had leftover and served it up with some of the tomatoes on a healthy bed of baby arugala with my new favorite dressing. Yum.

Erinhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-1456989450631241482007-06-15T14:18:00.000-04:002008-12-11T03:47:40.574-05:00Blueberry-Lemon Muffins with Coconut Crumbs
I love those glorious mornings when you have the energy (and time) to not just make coffee, but also to whip up a delectable batch of warm muffins (or french toast, or waffles, or other yummy stuff). Sounds cheesy but it's true. I also love a good muffin, and I have to say these are my most favorite muffins that I have made in a really long time - maybe even ever.

I don't know, maybe they just hit the spot today, but there was something about the way that these whole wheat, low fat, fairly low sugar things baked up super moist, light and flavorful (perfect for summer). After I had one, I had another, and then, as I passed by the still-warm muffin pan, I realized that I could seriously eat a half a dozen of them if I wasn't standing guard with a serious dose of self control.

Blueberry-Lemon Muffins with Coconut Crumbs

for the topping:
2 T. flour
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 c. shredded coconut (I used sweetened)
1/2 t. cinnamon

for the muffins:
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour + 2 heaping T. flour
1 1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
2 T. butter
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. sour cream
1/4 c. soy milk
zest of 1 small lemon (or about 1/2 of a large lemon)
1 c. frozen blueberries, thawed under warm water and drained, or fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place the topping ingredients in a bowl and mix together with your fingers, breaking the butter up into small clumps until the dry ingredients have been incorporated. Set aside.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Mix the sour cream and milk in a liquid measuring cup and set aside.

Cream the butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then add brown sugar and mix until incorporated. Add egg until well blended, scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, mix to combine, then alternate adding 1/2 of the milk mixture, and continue until dry and wet ingredients are incorporated. Add lemon zest and mix in. Toss the blueberries with the 2 heaping T. flour until coated and fold into the batter.

Divide batter among 12 lined muffin cups (for small muffins), and top with the coconut topping (use it all!). Bake for 21-23 minutes.
Erinhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-11313234389746167222007-06-13T21:25:00.000-04:002008-12-11T03:47:40.920-05:00Holy Knitballs!
If you know what is good for you, check out these unbelievable cupcakes at VeganYumYum. I am almost tempted to try them for a Knit-Pic/Pic-Knit, but I know this would never work for me in a million years. Never.
Erinhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-70618244209845742022007-06-09T13:03:00.000-04:002008-12-11T03:47:41.068-05:00Please forgive me . . . with a slice of rhubarb coffeecake on top.
Dear loving readers,

Please forgive me for my absence of the past six months. I have no excuse, except for the fact that my life became insanely crazy last semester and I lived off of pb & j, grilled cheese, hummus & vegetables, pasta, trail mix, toast, cereal, pizza, and take out. I have started to cook again, and I feel confident that I will continue as I have in the past. I vow today to inform you in the future if, blog-god forbid, I need to take another extended leave of absence.

With loving apology,
xoxo,
E

p.s. the puppy pic is just a ploy to win back your hearts

Okay, now that that's taken care of, let's move onto this coffeecake. In Wednesday's Dining In section of the NY Times, Melissa Clark included her recipe for Rhubarb 'Big Crumb' Coffeecake, which she designed as a lower-sugar alternative to baked goods with rhubarb that contain copious amounts of sugar to offset rhubarb's tart bite. The bright red stalks at the grocery store have been flirting with me lately, so I decided this would be an excellent way to get them back to my place.

My only substitution to the recipe was the use of whole wheat pastry flour (in both the cake and the crumb topping) instead of cake flour. This certainly makes a difference in the final product, but I think it worked out well, considering I hoped to eat this with my morning coffee and not as a dessert. I was pleased in general with the results (except for the fact that I think I over-baked it by a minute or two), although I think I would make just a couple of changes for the future:

1. I hesitantly purchased only one large stalk of rhubarb that weighed in at just over half a pound, so after trimming, I had just the amount that the recipe called for. I think the cake could stand for almost double the amount of rhubarb, or even better, a half pound of apples, strawberries, or raspberries in addition to the rhubarb. Next time I will try it with apples, as I think this would work perfectly with the hint of cinnamon and ground ginger in the cake.

2. The recipe calls for the crumb topping to be shaped into large crumbs that are 1/2-3/4" in diameter. Although I really enjoyed shaping the crumbs and sculpting my cake into a rocky landscape with towering peaks and deep crevasses (just like the ones I have been watching on Planet Earth), in the end, I don't know if they needed to be so big. I kind of enjoyed the bites with the smaller, dustier, crumbly topping, and I think I will take that route next time. Of course, my opinion might be different here if I had used cake flour.

This recipe, although a tad more labor intensive than simpler crumb cake recipes I have used in the past, was well worth the effort. I was very pleased with the results, which made an excellent companion to my coffee this morning (and my wine last night). This time of year, we all need a little rhubarb in our lives, even if it is not in a pie.
Erinhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-31540688021592272782006-12-12T23:06:00.000-05:002006-12-12T23:32:45.099-05:00the recipe that saved my ass...Me: Finally taking a moment to relax, pretending to be done with finals, getting into some knitting and sipping on a nice big glass of red wine, joyfully watching the Enron movie
Francis (cat): Kind of bored, playing with a bug that she found, waaay to close to my wine glass (which I have precariously placed on the carpeted floor next to me, naturally)
Me: hmmmm.....I'll just move that wine gl-
Wine Glass: spppppllllllaaaaaaasssssshhhhhHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! (ALL OVER - totally my fault, by the way....Francis is innocent)

So, yeah, I started flipping out just a little bit in my brain...it seems like only yesterday when we steam cleaned the carpet from the last red wine spill...and hmmm....we don't have any more stain remover left, and hmmm......this carpet is seriously only 3 years old?.....and hmmmm.....won't that just make Chris's day when he comes home at 1 am to this? So, I took every towel out of the linen closet, and while blotting, quickly looked for home remedies online (thank god for the internet, by the way). I tried everything that was suggested that I had in-house. I poured a quarter of a bottle of white wine on it to "neutralize" it, then some tonic water (only thing I had with bubbles), then I had to hit the grocery store for regular stain fighting stuff plus ingredients for this very magical-looking concoction that I found on the stain-fighting sites. All I know is, the wine and tonic water maybe helped a little, but it's the $.97 bottle of hydrogen peroxide that I want to marry. I now have an unopened $5 bottle of double-chambered-oxy-high-powered-
ridiculousness for what? Here is the recipe that will save your life:

1 c. hydrogen peroxide
1 t. (or a little more if you don't believe a t. will work, like me) of Dawn

Mix, and pour the magic all over that stain. You talk nice to the stain. You give it your best sexy eyes. You watch it bubble up and foam just a little for you (I think it giggled at me), then you coax the stain, with nothing but an old tattered bath towel and your barest of feet. I did that like 3 times. Now, I bet Chris wouldn't be able to pick out where the 2 1/2 foot wide stain was. It's magic, people. I believe.
Erinhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-1163918251534467782006-11-19T00:00:00.000-05:002006-11-19T01:57:52.903-05:00Party Food!A couple of weekends ago, we had a party at our place, and I made just a few easy things for people to snack on while they were nursing the keg :) - Fat-Free Bean Dip, Fresh Salsa, and Chez Megane's Pumpkin Bars. It turned out that people were very happy with them, and I got many recipe requests, which was really nice. Unfortunately, the only picture I have is of the bowl from the bean dip, which was clearly emptied out...

Fat-Free Bean Dip
adapted from the Foster's Market Cookbook

2 cans rinsed black beans
scant 1/2 c. tomato juice
juice of 2 limes
1 T. cider vinegar
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
4 scallions, trimmed and chopped
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. chili powder
2 t. salt
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1/3 c. fresh cilantro

Place all of the ingredients, except for the cilanto, into the bowl of a food processer and blend until smooth. If you add a full 1/2 c. of tomato juice, the dip will be a bit thinner than a typical bean dip...so you may want to add a bit less and test it depending on your taste. Then, add the cilanto and pulse until cilanto is roughly chopped into the dip.

Fresh Salsa
adapted from the Foster's Market Cookbook

7 cored, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
One 14 1/2 oz. can petite diced tomatoes, drained (or 3 more fresh tomatoes)
One 4 1/2 oz. can diced mild green chiles
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lime
2 t. ground cumin
2 t. salt
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
1 t. red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and adjust seasonings to taste. This makes a mild salsa - plan on added extra jalapenos, red pepper flakes, or hot sauce to spice it up if you prefer a hotter salsa. This makes a lot - 6 cups or more, and keeps for about a week.

So...lastly, I made the fantastically delicious Pumpkin Bars, which are posted here and here. I doubled the recipe, which seemed to fit nicely in one 11x17 jelly roll pan and a 9x 13 baking dish. I did make one change to the original recipe - Chris was kind enough to pick up a couple of things from the grocery store for me, and when he returned with the items on my list (cinnamon and ginger) he handed me a bag of ground cinnamon....and a big ol' hunk of ginger root. So, I decided it was better to up the nutmeg and cloves by 1/4 t. each rather than attempt to add grated ginger root to the recipe (although I am sure that would have worked out fine...). These were a hit as well - they were all gone!

Erinhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-1162588308079476232006-11-03T11:48:00.000-05:002006-11-12T13:34:38.493-05:00One month later...Many apologies. A month? It's ridiculous. I'm gonna kick-start the return to my semi-abandoned- for-school blog by sharing this spicy (not too spicy) delicious Malaysian-Inspired Tofu Curry. It's a great, easy, tasty one that will fill you up in a healthy way and keep you warm as the temperatures drop low. (can you hear Barry White?)

Malaysian-Inspired Tofu Curry
(adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone)

1 lb. firm tofu
2 15 oz. cans light coconut milk (or one can plus one can water)
2 t. light brown sugar
1/2 t. salt plus more to taste
1 T. ground coriander
2 t. curry powder
1/2 t. turmeric
1/4 t. cayenne
1 t. tamarind paste
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 T. finely chopped ginger
4 Roma tomatoes or 2 Beefsteak tomatoes, seeded and diced
4 scallions, chopped (white and green parts)
8-10 oz. green beans, okra, peas, broccoli or asparagus
juice of 1 lime
chopped cilantro or scallions for garnish

Drain and chop tofu into cubes. Place coconut milk through ginger into a rimmed skillet and bring mixture to a boil. Boil for one minute, whisking spices in until combined, and add tofu. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes, then add tomatoes and scallions and simmer for about 8 more minutes. Add green vegetables and simmer for about 5 more minutes or until crisp-tender. Add the lime juice and taste, add salt if necessary. Serve on top of steamed brown rice and garnish with cilantro or scallions.

Garlic Naan
(adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone)

1 c. warm water
1 envelope active dry yeast (2 1/4 t.)
1 8 oz. container plain yogurt
1/4 c. melted butter
1 1/2 t. salt
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. wheat bran
3 c. all-purpose flour

Sprinkle the yeast over 1/4 c. of the water and let sit for about 10 minutes or until foamy (you may need to lightly stir the yeast into the water). In a large bowl, combine 3/4 c. warm water, yogurt, butter, and salt, then stir in the prepared yeast, whole wheat flour and bran. Add as much of the all-purpose flour is needed to form a heavy dough, then turn out to knead (adding more flour if necessary) until smooth and slightly tacky. Turn ball of dough around in an oiled bowl, then cover and leave to rise for about one hour, or until dough has doubled.

Dice up 4-5 cloves of garlic and place in a small bowl with a few tablespoons of olive oil or melted butter and set aside. Place a cookie sheet or pizza stone in the oven (add a couple if you only want to bake one batch) and preheat to 450 degrees. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide into 8-10 pieces, then roll into balls and leave, covered, to rest for 10 more minutes. After resting, flatten out the dough balls with your fingers, spreading them and turning them until they have reached about 6-7" in diameter. I found it helpful to pull the dough out into a circle in the air instead of on the counter (gravity is your friend). Pull the preheated sheet pan(s) from the oven and place the dough rounds on top. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until beginning to puff, but not yet browned. Remove from the oven and baste with the garlic mixture (alternatively sprinkle on the diced garlic and place a small pat of butter on each naan) and return to the oven to finish baking for about 2-5 minutes, or until the breads are slightly browned and the garlic begins to fill your kitchen with it's oh-so-lovely aroma. Depending on how long you leave them in the oven, they will be slightly crispy and cracker-like where thin and soft and chewy where thick.

Erinhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-1159856503558920202006-10-03T01:47:00.000-04:002006-10-26T23:40:07.930-04:00A Fab Night @ The Strokes
Emily, Mandy and I just returned from our evening in Muncie, Indiana at the Strokes concert - I don't think ANYONE knew why it was in Muncie...especially considering the small auditorium was about halfway full...but, whatever - we had so much fun rocking that halfway full house down. We arrived in Muncie, had some delicious pineapple tofu fried rice and pad woon sen at a place called Thai Smile (I had to mention it considering this is a food blog), then kicked it at "The Bird" for a few quick drinks before heading to the show. Our tickets were great...but we found even better seats right in the middle, 16 or 17 rows back. Yeah, the pictures aren't so great - it's a bummer that I didn't get better shots... oh yeah - except for that one of us and FABBY!!! Holy crap!You should be jealous. Not only was he super sweaty (in the cute i-just-played-in-a-rock-show-way), but he was super nice (and apologizing for the sweat). Way cute, Fabrizio Moretti, way cute.

Erinhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-1159040536299293072006-09-23T14:11:00.000-04:002006-09-25T22:30:30.796-04:00drinks...more drinks...and chiliIt all started last weekend with my friend Mandy's bachelorette party in Chicago. It was a great time. I went up early with some of the girls and had a great day of super shopping with my partner in crime, Emily, and hung out with her family a bit. Then, Saturday night came where the sangria, mango margaritas, tequila shots, dirty martinis, beer, blow job shots and whiskey flowed like honey. It was wild n' crazy and so much fun...especially because the bars stay open and bumping so late in the city, so me and the 2 other wildest ladies stayed out until 5:30 our time...something that happened without our realizing it, which is the best part. How often can you party so effortlessly for 12 hours straight? Anyways, I blame it all on Mandy, a true top-notch bachelorette:Then, we all awoke tenderly...and slowly made our way out to a superb hangover breakfast at Glenn's Diner (in Ravenswood, I believe). I ordered the scrambled eggs with parmesan and chives along with a tasty potato pancake and some slammin' thick, soft, raisin toast with butter. It also happened to be my birthday, so the sneaky gals ordered me a short stack with a candle:That night, Chris made some Ghirardelli brownies with added peanut butter chips, and sang to me.Fast forward through one busy week of school, and we are ready for another weekend made for partying. Last night we had another wine gathering at our house, this time in honor of Chez Megane's return to Bloomington for a visit. Beforehand, a couple of fine ladies came over for a vegan dinner - Mandy clearly loves Tofutti sour cream :) I made this chili after hearing so much about it from my friend Emily, and then seeing it posted on Chez Megane's  blog...I used the same spice combination, but veganized it and used a different combination of beans. It was delicious! I think in terms of texture at least, the results were fairly different, considering mine was really super thick, and the original seems to be a tad more soupy. The ladies brought over yummy bread and cheese, and made a beautiful salad of mache, radishes, yellow bell peppers, tomatoes, and (avocado). It was really good, and made me realize that I need to use mache and radishes more in salads.  Quinoa and Three Bean Chili

adapted from this Epicurious recipe

 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onions chopped
 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
 1 1/2 c. quinoa (for a thinner chili, try 1 c.)
 1/4 cup chili powder
 2 bay leaves
 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
 3 cups vegetable stock (or 3 c. water and one vegetarian bouillon cube)
 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
 3 15-ounce cans of beans (I used black, garbanzo, and kidney), rinsed & drained
chopped fresh cilantro, parsley, chives, or green onions
soy sour cream

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until light brown and tender, about 10 minutes. Add oregano and cumin; stir 1 minute. Add quinoa; stir 1 minute. Stir in chili powder, bay leaves (which I didn't have, but would be delicious I'm sure), cocoa powder, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Add tomatoes with their juices, stock and tomato sauce. Mix and bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
 Add beans to chili and simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaves. Ladle chili into bowls. Top with fresh herbs and sour cream. Serves 8.

After our delicious dinner, the wine started to flow, and although it was raining, we managed to find a point in the evening to start a modest fire and make s'mores as promised...and then we danced for the rest of the night to the tunes of D.J. Ninja RumbleKid. Now I have a couple of really pooped out kitties on my hands...
Erinhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-1158198770216092282006-09-13T20:58:00.000-04:002006-09-23T15:47:45.086-04:00i <3 new cookbooks :)I FINALLY bought Vegan with a Vengeance the other night, and was so excited to cook from it. It looks like it is going to be a good book - nice flavors, new ingredients, and simple, straightforward recipes. Chris picked out a stuffed pepper recipe to start with, which I liked a lot. I guess the recipe is inspired by one that was found on the back of a box of veggie crumbles - - but because the cookbook is made without the use of prepackaged faux meat ingredients, she used quinoa and black beans instead - yum! The quinoa/black bean combination is not only a great source of protein, but it also tastes really good together, it's fast and easy to cook, and provides a nice textural appeal. As Giada would say, "...oooh....the beans are so smooooth and chrrreamy....and the toasted quinoa gives a little crrunch in your mouth." (that's for you, EBM)

Black Bean, Mushroom, and Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers
slightly adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance

4 large bell peppers (any color)
2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 minced cloves of garlic
2 cups finely chopped mushrooms
1 T. chile powder
1 t. salt
1/4 c. water
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 c. quinoa
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
(optional) 1 t. maple syrup
(optional) fresh cilantro or parsley

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cut the tops off of the peppers and remove the stems, seeds, and ribs. Decide if you would like to stuff the peppers whole standing up (nice presentation but not practical) or in halves laying down (not quite as pretty but much more practical) and slice or not slice accordingly. Place the peppers in the boiling water for about 5 minutes, remove, drain, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the onions and saute until the onions are becoming transluscent. Add the garlic and mushrooms, and saute for about 5 minutes more. Stir in the chile powder and salt, then add the quinoa, water, and 1 c. of the tomato sauce. Stir well to combine, then lower the heat to a simmer and cover for about 20 minutes, stirring once. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add the beans and optional syrup to the quinoa mixture, then taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. At this time, you can also add a small handful of chopped fresh herbs to the mixture if you would like. Stuff the peppers, top with the remaining sauce and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and top with a sprinkling of fresh herbs.

Curried Carrot Bisque
"yummmmm"

I had to pick out a quick side to go with the peppers, and since it has been so grey lately, I was drawn to this sunny soup. It's got an amazing flavor, vegan or not - I just LOVE anything made with coconut milk and curry powder. It's really easy to make - if you want to be super lazy you can even just buy grated bagged carrots and use those with barely any prep work. You can get this recipe at the Post Punk Kitchen site, which has a lot of other recipes from the book (and elsewhere). I highly recommend this, so go right now.

In other news, in case you haven't read the Dining Out section of today's NYTimes, I just wanted to draw your attention to these great articles on tea (yay for new and improved tea bags!), coffee (yay for artisinal latte patterns!), and the Eating Well section (yay for spraying viruses on cold cuts instead of cleaning the factories!).

Erinhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-1157943532806136742006-09-10T20:11:00.000-04:002006-09-16T17:40:10.256-04:00a winey weekend...This weekend, we ended up having a little last minute wine gathering at our house (which was so much fun!). My time window to cook and eat dinner beforehand was really small, and I hadn't planned anything, so I just picked up some veggies at the grocery store to throw in the oven. It made me remember how much I love having plates of just vegetables for meals - it's simple, really tasty, and super healthy, of course.
With the oven at 400 degrees, I put two sweet potatoes (cut into 4 wedges each) in the oven for about 20 minutes, then added a bunch of asaparagus (with the ends trimmed) and 2 sliced shallots to the oven, tossed with a bit of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Everything will finish roasting in about 10-15 minutes. I put the asparagus on a bed of mixed greens, topped the sweet potato wedges with butter, lime, chili, salt and pepper, and enjoyed it quickly before my peeps arrived for an evening of fun...

Then, I woke up in the morning, one fire pit, 8 bottles of wine, several crown and cokes, lots of s'mores, and a few beers later...and headed off to....Oliver Winery. Yes, Chris and I were both feeling semi-nasty in the morning, but it was worth it. Some of the girls in the Arts Administration program organized a tasting and pitch-in picnic, and it was lots of fun. We chose super-fruity light wines to taste, because I simply couldn't handle drinking anything too heavy...and then settled on a bottle of Savignon Blanc, which was really good. I decided to bring this white bean dip to share, which has sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and a bit of heat to keep it interesting. It was really tasty and easy to make, and the leftovers will make an excellent filling with veggies in pita pockets.

Provencal White Bean Dip

adapted from The Foster's Market Cookbook

2 15 oz. cans of cannelini beans, rinsed
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 jalapeno pepper
1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes (I used those packed in oil, if dried, plump in hot water before using)
2 T. drained capers
juice of 1 lime
1 t. hot sauce
1/2 T. dried oregano (or 2 T. fresh oregano)
1 t. salt
1/2. t. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the onion to 400 degrees. Toss garlic cloves and whole jalapeno pepper with 2 T. of the oil and place in the oven for 15 minutes, or until soft and light golden brown. Slice jalapeno in half and remove the stem, seeds, and skin. Fit a food processer with the metal blade attachment, add all of the ingredients to the bowl of the processer, and puree until smooth. Serve with crostini, pita, or crudites or use on sandwiches.

Erinhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-1157693999012761552006-09-08T00:17:00.000-04:002006-09-09T03:03:33.256-04:00Gonna Go Back in TiiieeemeYes, I have been a horrible blogger. The truth is, now that I am back in school, and no longer chained to a desk chair, suckling on internet pop culture to survive each day (yes, part of me misses that)...I find it more difficult to sit down and do this when I know I have hundreds of pages to be reading and papers to be writing. So, I thank you for your patience. Stay with me, you few readers of mine, and I will strive to post more often than I have been. Also, my fellow classmates and I are looking into speed-reading techniques, so that should help...if it works out.

With that out of the way, let's get this time travel thing off the ground. Starting from this week and going backwards, I present to you (didillidilldoo, didillidilldoo, didillidilldoo, didillidilldoo, didillidilldoo,.....):

Macaroni n' Sneeze

I got a really nasty cold this week, and this super simple feast of deliciousness hit the spot. The best part is that it reminds me of my family's potato and onion pierogis, without the hours of intensive labor. It's from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and consisted of just a few simple ingredients...

 - 2 sliced onions sauteed until beginning to brown in 2-3 T. of the oil/butter of your choice
- 4 potatoes (I used Yukon which was fantastic) diced up and boiled until just fork-tender
- a pound of macaroni (I used whole wheat - also fantastic) boiled in the potato water after they are fished out
- a cup or two of grated Gruyere (I used a .4 lb chunk)
- a big 'ol handful of chopped parsley
- salt n' pepper
It's super easy - saute onions, boil potatoes, boil macaroni, toss in bowl with everything.

I do have a couple of tips/suggestions:
- Deborah suggested pouring the onions on top of the other mixed ingredients, but I say mix it all, so your leftovers will also have onions.
 - When the potatoes are done, and the pasta is boiling, cover those potatoes in the bowl with plastic wrap - "keep 'em hot"
- Definitely eat this with a salad, preferably one with apples on it, or better yet, saute apples with your onions. Believe me, the apple combo is one you will not regret.
- Also better yet, why not add green beans, or peas, or broccoli, or....? (but not with the apples)
- A pat of butter or drizzle of oil won't hurt the mixture either :)

Nut Butter French Toast

In my quest to use less eggs, I haven't actually bought eggs in a while. So, when I decided to whip up a batch of french toast the other day, I just looked at a few recipes online and made up my own conconction with what I had. A lot of vegan recipes use tofu (which I didn't have) or bananas (which I hate), so I used peanut butter. Although not exactly a substitute for eggy french toast, the peanut butter worked nicely and was a good twist on the breakfast classic.  It works well in terms of texture, but it does stick to the pan more than regular french toast does, so prepare the pan accordingly. Next time, I think I'll top it with jam and crushed peanuts.

 Place the following ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth:
- 1/4 c. nut butter
- 2/3 c. soy milk
 - 1 t. cinnamon
- 1/2 t. nutmeg
- 1/2 t. vanilla
That's it! I think you know the drill from there...

Coconut-Crusted Tofu Salad

I went out to dinner with my friend Emily at Upland Brewing Company a couple of weeks ago, and we split an amazing combo of the tofu salad (coconut-breaded deep fried tofu on salad greens with tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts and cucumbers) and the famous mac n' cheese. I love coconut-crusted anything...so I whipped up my own version of the salad. I think I need to do some research into the best way to coat tofu to get maximum coconut coverage, but other than that - this was really tasty. The salad at Upland was served with their amazing homemeade orange-ginger vineagrette. Since I had a bottle of sesame orange dressing on hand, I just used that, but any sweet-ish asian inspitred dressing would do. Enjoy!

- 1 package of extra firm tofu, drained, cut into pieces, and rolled in soy milk and sweetened dried coconut, and toasted to a golden brown in a non-stick pan with a tablespoon or two of oil
- salad greens
- sliced red bell pepper
 - shredded carrots
- bean sprouts
- sugar snap peas
- dry roasted peanuts
- thinly sliced scallions

Double Berry Smoothie

So, there is not much to this - strawberries, blueberries (thanks E & A!), soy milk and ice in a blender. I made this when it was still officially August in celebration of the fleeting days of summer...which are almost gone now. I decided after making this that I need to make more smoothies with fun recipes, so let me know if you have any good ones.

Giada's Sausage, Peppers, and Onions

I made this after watching the Everyday Italian episode, "Italian Street Food," so this recipe was intended to be served on sandwiches. For dinner, I decided some whole wheat pasta was a better fit. I know a lot of us like to poke fun at poor Giada, but every time I have made a recipe of hers, I have liked it. Granted, she makes a LOT of meat, much of it being roasts and shoulders and the like that isn't easily replicated with soy or gluten, so I can't speak for that. Anyways, I encourage you all to have this recipe for sausage, peppers, and onions at the very least. She has a tendency to do things that are so simple, but that I might not have thought of if I were attempting the same thing from scratch - like tomato paste (which I find I LOVE in dishes like this) and wine. Simple, inexpensive ingredients....but she usually layers a lot of flavors for good depth of flavor in the final product. One note about the substitute meat that I used here - they were out of my favorite Boca Italian Sausage, so I tried Tofurkey Italian Sausage...and I don't recommend. The flavor was good and spicy, but the texture was like a damp kitchen sponge. Me no likey. Use something else (unless you like that damp kitchen sponge feel in your mouth).

I hope you have enjoyed this trip going back in tiiiieeeme (didillidilldoo, didillidilldoo, didillidilldoo, didillidilldoo, didillidilldoo,.....).
Erinhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989314.post-1157235386860939672006-09-02T18:14:00.000-04:002006-09-10T09:03:35.056-04:00Carnivorous Kid
Yeah, that's me.

Erinhttp://email@example.com


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Townsquare Media Bangor
10 Reasons Why Bangor Is Way Better Than Portland
We know. Portland's abut twice the size of Bangor. So what? Portland has more people, restaurants, bars and just about everything else. Big deal. Plus, Portland's on the ocean. Whoop-dee-doo.
Blues, Brews + BBQ Weather Forecast Looks 'Fantastic'
It's official: The sun will be shining on the 3rd Annual Blues, Brews & BBQ on the Bangor waterfront!
Here's Your Chance To Meet Sam Hunt + Maren Morris In Bangor
You know we love hooking our listeners up with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. That's what it would be for many of you to meet Sam Hunt and Maren Morris in one night!
Bangor Fireworks Cap 2017 Independence Day Celebration [VIDEO]
If you couldn't get downtown Tuesday night, here's a look at the Bangor fireworks.
July 4th Fireworks Shows In and Near Bangor
Bangor's Fourth of July fireworks show draws thousands of people each year to the city. Here's the rundown of what's going on in Bangor and the surrounding areas on July 4, 2017.
Did You Wonder What These Two Were Doing in Downtown Bangor?
Did you hear a lot of honking in Downtown Bangor last Thursday?
Kip Moore To Play Balsam Valley Amphitheater In Washington County
Kip Moore will perform at the Balsam Valley Amphitheater in Columbia Falls.
Brantley Gilbert To Perform On Bangor Waterfront
Brantley Gilbert will perform on the Bangor waterfront in September, adding another country show to the summertime lineup.
Gilbert, with opener Luke Combs, will bring The Devil Don't Sleep Tour to Darling's Waterfront Pavilion on Friday, Sept...
Gilbert, with opener Luke Combs, will bring The Devil Don't Sleep Tour to Darling's Waterfront Pavilion on Friday, Sept...
10 Best Bangor Area Restaurants 2017
There are lots of great restaurants in Bangor and the surrounding area, and these are the 10 best, so say the reviewers on Yelp.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Violinist Gerardo Ribeiro has appeared as featured soloist with major orchestras throughout the world and given recitals at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Metropolitan Museum, and the Kennedy Center. Recent performances include the Walton Concerto with Lisbon's National Orchestra of Portugal and the Sibelius Concerto with China's Qingdao Symphony Orchestra. James Giles regularly performs in important musical centers in America, Europe, and Asia and has appeared with New York's Jupiter Symphony, the London Soloists Chamber Orchestra, the Kharkiv Philharmonic, and the Opera Orchestra of New York. As a chamber musician he has collaborated with members of the National and Chicago Symphony Orchestras as well as members of the Pacifica, Cassatt, Ying, and St. Lawrence Quartets.
Franz Schubert, Sonatina No. 3 for Violin and Piano in G Minor
Johannes Brahms, Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor
Sergei Prokofiev, Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Major
Maurice Ravel, Tzigane
Tickets are $8 for the general public and $5 for students with valid ID.


text:
Inventory Planner, Global Omni Planning, Men's Pants & Suiting - Banana Republic Factory StoreThe Gap Inc. - San Francisco, CA
Inventory Planner, Global Omni Planning, Men's Pants & Suiting - Banana Republic Factory Store','222053','!*!Planner, Global Omni Planning, Banana Republic Factory Store
Who We Are: Banana Republic is a global apparel and accessories vertical specialty retail organization focused on delivering versatile, contemporary classics designed for today with style that endures. We outfit those who see every day as full of opportunity and seek to make the most of every moment. At Banana Republic, we believe in seeing life a little differently, taking it all in, adding to it and making it your own. We live with style.
What We Do: The role of the Global Omni Planning team is to maximize sales, margin, and inventory through pre-season optimization across all customer channels. This work requires strong analytical and story-telling skills, the ability to build close partnerships with other functions, and a focus on executing best in class customer experience while delivering/exceeding financial targets. The Global Omni Planner will own a department or category's pre-season planning through seasonal tops-down financial planning, item level buy plans, and assortment architecture while creating strategic pre-season alignment across functional teams, markets, and channels. This role will also be responsible for executing responsive capabilities and managing of year-round basics programs.
Major Responsibilities include:
Manage sales, gross margin, gross margin return on investment (GMROI) and inventory goals by creating compelling pre-season strategies and inventory investments to support
Collaborate with merchant teams to develop comprehensive pre-season strategies that align financial and product opportunities across multiple departments
Create department and class pre-season sales, GM, and inventory plans that align to company budget targets and support compelling commercial plans
Ensure assortments support seasonal key concepts, campaigns, and marketing
Create inventory investment (style-color level buy) plans for BR global business including stores in US, Canada, Europe, and Japan that support brand product strategies and hit divisional financial plans inclusive of sales, margin, IMU%, and inventory targets
Analyze historical data and current trends to identify risks and opportunities
Manage planning and execution of in-season quick to market buying strategies
Manage strategic positioning of size investments and distribution center splits for purchased inventory
Core Competencies:
Business Acumen: Knowledge of financial measures and how in-season strategies impact them. Understands the broader marketplace and competition. Aware of changing trends and customer behaviors that impact the way we do business.
Presentation Skills & Comfort Around Higher Management: Strong story-telling ability to synthesize large amounts of data into conclusions and recommendations in oral and written formats
Peer Relationships: Collaborates with peers and cross functional partners to share best practices and develop strategic knowledge
Customer Focus: Constant focus on customer thinking within all tasks. Has a passion for product and how it shows up to the customer across all touchpoints.
Dealing with Ambiguity: Flexible and adaptive to changing priorities with a willingness to learn and improve processes
Drive for Results: Proven track record of adding more value within the same role over time
Organizational Agility: Ability to work independently and with teams interchangeably to deliver results
Technical Learning: Strong skill set in Microsoft Excel (Comfortable with: VLookup, Pivot Tables, Creating Formulas, Using Macros); Proficient in PowerPoint & Word, and has the ability & interest in mastering new and available technical applications','!*!
Minimum 3 to 4 years inventory management experience
Four year college degree or equivalent required','US-CA-SAN FRANCISCO','','Full-time','Banana Republic Headquarters','Inventory Management/Planning','Amy Engler','email@example.com','Inventory Planner, Global Omni Planning, Men's Pants & Suiting - Banana Republic Factory Store']);
171 days 3 hours ago
The Gap Inc.
applyInventory Planner, Global Omni Planning, Men's Pants & Suiting - Banana Republic Factory Store The Gap Inc. - San Francisco, CA, United States
View More Jobs in San Francisco, CA:
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text:
- Join over 1.2 million students every month
- Accelerate your learning by 29%
- Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month
Educating Rita is set in the 1970's and is about a young woman called Rita who is 26 years old and works in a hairdressers.
Extracts from this document...
Educating Rita is set in the 1970's and is about a young woman called Rita who is 26 years old and works in a hairdressers, she is fed up with it and wants to change but cant due to the fact that she doesn't have an education because she left school at the age of 15. Therefore she sets out to get an education and she enrols in an open university where she has a tutor called Frank. However frank is reluctant to teach her. Frank believes he has nothing to offer her but Rita is determined to have frank as her teacher "you're bloody well gonna teach me" In this essay I will comment on how Willy Russell shows how Rita's character changes throughout the play, I will comment on changes in Rita's change in language, in her name, mannerisms, habits and relationships. You can see in the play that Russell is also commenting on society as Russell is almost like Rita, she lives near Liverpool with little education and works in a hairdressers and tries to get the opportunity to have choice by getting an education as Russell also came from Liverpool During the play Russell shows that the class system is apart of modern society and Rita wants to change classes, from working to middle I think this is because of self-betterment she feels that people don't listen to her because she is a lower class to them. ...read more.
This shows that Rita is ambitious and has goals that she wants to achieve like for example she wants to break away from her background but to do this you need determination and that is exactly what Rita is doing. To help Rita understand the "chekhov play" Frank suggests that she should go to the theatre so Rita asks frank to come with her and frank says no. So she goes on her own and sees Macbeth "I had to come an' tell y' frank, last night I went to the theatre" Rita thinks that the theatre is so amazing and tells frank all about it and frank explains to her the difference between tragic and tragedy When Rita was supposed to go and have dinner with Frank and Julia she does not turn up. Her reason for this was that she did not know what wine to pick and when she did pick one she had picked the wrong one that was Spanish plonk. She felt embarrassed by this because if you are going to take some sort of drink you take champagne and Rita turns up with Spanish plonk this says something about her class and where she comes. It just shows that working class people don't get invited to many formal parties or dinners. ...read more.
So what did she get out of it she gets an education, which is what she always wanted, but the question is it all worth it because if you look at what she has lost trying to get an education she has lost her husband. All the students she made friends and Trish she nearly lost Frank all because she was on the path to discover who she was. My personal opinion is that when she starts to get educated she snubs off frank even though Frank is a higher class to her yet she goes and makes friends with Trish who Rita thinks knows everything but she really doesn't know everything. Yes she may know which music to listen to and what to say to people but she is a hypocrite. I think by the end of the play Rita achieves an education, which is going to give her lots of choices in her life, she is her own self towards the end and she has her own individuality and she doesn't use other peoples opinions she has own. Also by the end of the play we the audience start to like Rita again because she is her self. I think Russell was trying to show in Educating Rita that everyone has a choice in life no matter what you do and that you should not follow others and don't let peer pressure get to you Educating Rita English Literature Sahera Begum 10T Page 1 ...read more.
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text:
Abdul Rahim, Erween and Ibrahim, Rosziati and Mohid, Zazuli and Ahmad, M.F. and Shahrudin, M. (2014) Study on temperature, force and specific energy of AlSl 1020 under MQL grinding process. Applied Mechanics and Materials , 465 . pp. 1119-1123. ISSN 1660-7482
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.4...
Grinding is one of the most difficult processes in machining operations. Normally, the flood coolant method was used as a cooling agent in the grinding process. The most common defects using flood coolant are higher grinding friction, higher heat generation, and thermal damage. Therefore, the minimum quality lubricant (MQL) was introduced to minimize the defects. The main objective of this project is to compare the performance of MQL and flood coolant techniques in terms of grinding temperature, grinding force and specific energy. Three levels of cutting speeds, three levels of feed rate and depth of cut are adopted in the evaluation. The experiments were conducted on a thin plate of mild steel AISI 1020. The result shows that the MQL technique was effectively supplied to the grinding contact zone. This research revealed that the MQL technique exhibited an advantages on the surface temperature compared to the flood coolant.
|Item Type:
|Uncontrolled Keywords:
|force; grinding; grinding power; specific energy; temperature
|T Technology > TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery > TJ1125-1345 Machine shops and machine shop practice
|Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering > Department of Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering
|ID Code:
|Deposited By:
|Normajihan Abd. Rahman
|Deposited On:
|12 May 2014 12:01
|Last Modified:
|12 May 2014 12:01
Repository Staff Only: item control page


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Review: Tomorrowland
By Floyd Rock
With the success of their Pirates of the Caribbean franchise Disney has decided to look to another attraction from their parks to adapt into a major motion picture. With its visually arresting appeal and history as a significantly personal project to Walt Disney himself Tomorrowland was a prime candidate for their next theme park adaptation. With the 1964 New York World's Fair as inspiration and intensions of creating a big budget science fiction adventure around the attraction Disney made the likely choice of Brad Bird to direct. One could hope that this was a recipe for success but unfortunately it looks like Tomorrowland is one of the bigger box office failures of the year. The movie opens with Frank Walker (George Clooney) recalling his visit to the World's Fair when he was a young boy aspiring to be a great inventor. Arriving with a partially functional jet pack of his own design Frank presents it to David Nix (Hugh Laurie) whom is in charge of judging prospective inventors and their creations at the fair. Nix turns Walker away because his invention is both impractical and unfinished but a mysterious young girl named Athena (Raffey Cassidy) gives him a pin featuring a large "T" upon it and tells him to follow her. The pin assists Frank in entering Tomorrowland, a futuristic city of boundless invention and wonder. After telling Frank's back story the movie shifts to modern day, focusing on Casey Newton (Britt Robertson), a teenage girl enamored by dreams of space travel and spends her nights sabotaging the dismantling of a decommissioned NASA launch pad. The mysterious Athena returns hiding another pin, which appears to be her last, in Casey's motorcycle helmet. The following night when Casey returns to the NASA launch pad she is arrested. When released she finds the pin among her belongings. Unaware of where it came from she is amazed to discover that when she touches it she is given a transported vision of Tomorrowland. When the vision ceases Casey treks out by herself to learn more about the pin and futuristic city she saw and she meets Athena whom implores Casey for her help. The planet is in danger and they need to return to Tomorrowland. To find a way back into the city they must first find Frank Walker, now a pessimistic adult.
Tomorrowland's setup is where it first falters. Casey's story is our window into this picture and we should have been with her from the very beginning, learning about Frank when she does, and more importantly being awestruck by Tomorrowland when she first sees it. However, when the movie follows Casey it's at its best. Her enthusiasm drives its own wishful idealism with reckless abandon and Tomorrowland's idealism may be its biggest strength and greatest conceptual difficulty. Rather than an action adventure movie about stopping a specific event or definitive villain it's a movie not only about the power of ideas but their implementation and the importance of positive thinking in achieving them while facing seemingly impossible odds. Unfortunately, since no major studio would ever fund My Dinner with Andre at the World's Fair, Brad Bird and screenwriter Damon Lindelof have given their movie about the battle between positive thinking and indifference some action adventure escapades. This is where Brad Bird lives as a filmmaker. Channeling nostalgia for yesterday and prospects for tomorrow while wrapping things around action sequences that could only come from an imagination fostered by his work in animation, where anything is possible. Some of the movie's creative high points include a raid on Frank's home by a robot security force and a precognitive elevator assisting Casey in the movie's finale.
The picture's finale may be one of the central reasons that critics and audiences have failed to connect to Tomorrowland en masse. Conceptually it's apparent that Bird wants his movie to focus on the mentality behind cynicism, trying to locate and correct the motivation that leads individuals to the conclusion that it would be easier to quit. Because of this the global catastrophe that Casey and Frank must avert is intentionally left unknown. This is a decision which is sure to meet a large amount of criticism but I feel it deserves support. It's central to the crux of Bird's argument and the purpose of his movie. To make the finale about stopping a bomb, a global war, epidemic disease, or any other specific event ceases to make the movie about the mentality behind it but rather about that specific event itself. It would be the equivalent of treating the symptoms of an illness rather than the illness itself. Unfortunately, the catch-22 of making an action adventure movie of this kind is that Bird is forced to have a final tangible conflict anyway. Something tactile for his audience to grasp onto in an engaging way and this makes the climax somewhat befuddled. Though this causes its final moments to be a little rickety Tomorrowland still reaches its goal fueled by unabashed earnestness.
Even with its shortcomings it's difficult not to enjoy Tomorrowland and even harder not to admire it. Under Bird's idealistic call to arms his creative synapses are still firing. He's still able to deliver an inventive, enjoyable, and at times odd big budget movie. It's a movie unlikely to come out of a major studio and given its unfortunate poor box office numbers will remain that way which is disheartening because even with its faults this is the kind of purposeful entertainment that studios should be making. It's a picture for the dreamers of the world and at its best can be genuinely inspiring. Tomorrowland's importance, both in context of the movie itself and its own plot, isn't as a physical location but as a state of mind, striving constantly with ingenuity and positive thinking to make tomorrow better than today. Tomorrowland isn't just a movie or a place, it's an ideal.


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Yesterday as it was bank holiday and I really didn't want to stay in doors, I got on my bike, literally and cycled to the outlet village in Swindon. This has been house in the old GW Railway works, which closed in 1986 it is a grade 2 listed building and so has retain so much of it's original features, cleaned up of course but still a great place to take my camera and snap away.
I also decided that it was time I went into the railway museum, which I have never visited before although I have lived in the area for 31 year. I asked if I could take photos and was giving the assurance that as long as it was not for commercial use that I could snap away to my hearts content. What a wealth of interest is there, with wax figures so lifelike that I felt I was intruding on their work.
I know that sometime I will be doing a page or two using some of the photos I took but for now here are a few.
the wheel here is for the broad gauge railway with a statue of Brunel himself
The secretary at work on her typewriter and a comptometer (early adding machine) I have actually worked with one of these machines and it is surprising how fast you can add on them probably faster than a calculator as used today.
A carpenter at work on a carriage, his tool box beautifully inlaid and the framework of the carriage
Women working on a boiler of a steam engine
Goods including livestock waiting to be transported
The buffet car
that is just a brief look at what life was like in the days of steam
I did do a double layout of some of the features in the Outlet Village itself, this is for the challenge 52in10, this being 'My home town'. I have done a lot of pages of the town centre and at least one of the parks I wanted to find something new to use and thought that this would be ideal.
if you click on the image you should be able to get to my Flickr page and see a bigger version so you will be able to read the journalling. This is just a potted history of the Railway in Swindon information taken off the web.


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Creaform Reviews
By: PrimaForce
For years all I did was take protein shakes after a workout. Later I learned a bit more about amino acids, recovery, and creatine. I have now learned to add creatine to my workouts. Some people have said that creatine is a steroid, but they need to know the difference between the 2 things so I want to cover this creatine product and why it is not a steroid.
Ingredient Profile: 10/10
The PrimaForce makes what they call a "Creaform" which is Creatine Monohydrate. The PrimaForce Creaform is a basic creatine monohydrate which consists of 5 grams of creatine monohydrate in one scoop. Creatine comes in different forms. Monohydrate can upset some stomachs so there are other options. Types of Creatine are Monohydrate, Ethyl Ester, Tri-Creatine Malate, Buffered Creatine, Micronized Creatine, Liquid Creatine, and Conjugated. Later, I will discuss the monohydrate and why I prefer it. Creatine ethyl ester is creatine monohydrate with an ester attached. The attachment of an ester is significant because esters are found in the fat tissue of animals. Tri-creatine malate is a compound made from creatine monohydrate and malic acid. The substance is so named because the compound is made from three creatine molecules attached to one molecule of malic acid. Buffered creatine is a patented product that combines creatine and magnesium. Micronized creatine causes your body to retain water in your skeletal muscles. This water retention will leave your muscles looking bigger and fuller, but may also leave you more susceptible to dehydration. Liquide Creatine does not require loading and has no water retention. Conjugated creatine is a creatine that is combined with something else. This combination can be anything from a protein to an amino acid or anything else a manufacturer wants to combine the creatine with.
Taste/Mixability/Dosing: 10/10
The mixability is pretty normal. One scoop is 5 grams of creatine. No taste so I would usually add it to another mix (pre-workout, water mixes, protein powder, etc...). Mixability was also easy. Fine with any liquid I would use it with.
Effectiveness: 9/10
For the most part, the PrimaForce Creaform served its purpose of promoting lean mass, maximizes strength gains, and enhance recovery. I could not say that I had a huge gain in these 3 things, but do feel that creatine serves a purpose in weight lifting. The thing I want to focus on is the use of creatine monohydrate and why I prefer this form of creatine. Creatine is like the protein but is not a true protein and is known as a "non-protein" nitrogen. Creatine monohydrate is found in some food like meat and fish. When we lose creatine, energy can shut and our muscles are no longer able to produce force. Increased creatine in the muscle will increase performance. Creatine is a well-researched supplement. Creatine Monohydrate is the standard by which to compare, no form of creatine has shown more powerful or potent. Creatine Monohydrate is the cheapest of the other creatines and easier to find. With all this being said, I prefer the Creatine Monohydrate over the others. I could list all of them but that would be a class that would take some time.
Value: 9/10
I was able to get this at my local pharmacy. PrimaForce Creaform was $15 and contained 80 servings. This works out to about $.19 per scoop which is cheap compared to other supplements you may use. Creatine Monohydrate comes in many forms. It can come in pills or mix. Some creatine monohydrate is in protein some powders or pre-workouts. This price is pretty close to the other available options, but like I said, a cheap supplement.
Side Effects:
None noticed
Conclusion: 9/10
I have researched creatine monohydrate and found many ideas and views on what is best for this supplement. The main thing I found out is low scientific evidence to prove one way is better than another. All I can do is tell you what I did. Some people take it before, during, or after a workout while others take it anytime they can. I would take mine after my workout. I would mix it in with my protein shake so that the creatine would have a good taste. The ingredients say to take one scoop a day. I would use the creatine just once a day and only one scoop which was 5 grams. I will usually cycle off after about 3 months.
Now, I said this at the beginning and I want to take the time to point out that creatine is not a steroid. Creatine is naturally produced by the body and found in foods like meat and fish. If you consume too much creatine, side effects can occur, but as long as you take the right amount of creatine, you should not have side effects. Everybody is different and responds in different ways. The major difference between creatine and steroids is that steroids are a person made function that increases testosterone. Steroids have many side effects regardless of how much you consume. Testrone is naturally in the body but steroids change that which can cause an increase in muscle mass. Creatine is legal while steroids are not, so if steroids are illegal, then I would recommend not doing it. Creatine is a completely different structure compared to that of steroids so please do not put these two things together.
With all this being said, I found the PrimaForce Creaform is a good source of creatine. It mixed well and tasted fine when mixed with something other than just plain water. It did help my recovery and while taking it, I did feel that some muscle growth and I did find myself increase in weight lifting. This is a good product and is part of my everyday workouts. I do know that some reviewers that will have different ideas of what is right and what is wrong. I am not trying to start a debate, just letting you know how I used it. I am not saying my way is the only way. I am just letting you know what I have done.
August 12, 2017
Steroid is a very wide classification that has to do with molecular structure. By definition, creatine can never be considered a steroid. Creatine is anabolic and some steroids are anabolic steroids, but that's where the comparison ends. It's like comparing a race car and a horse. They aren't alike in any way, but both can be used to get somewhere.


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We had a wonderful dinner. It is located just across the street from the river and fairly close to the Charles Bridge. There are tables inside located along the window and tables outside on the terrace. Either is where you want to sit. I had a risotto to start and venison for my main. Both were outstanding! My wife had a bisque and quail with foie gras for her main. She also loved both of her dishes. Comprehensive wine list. Beautiful dining room and service was very professional. Highly recommend for a fine dining experience!
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.


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Four Points to open second Tucson Hotel
Four Points by Sheraton will open a second Tucson hotel this month with a 150-room property just steps from Tucson International Airport.
Located on a five-acre oasis at 7060 S. Tucson Blvd., Four Points Tucson Airport is situated within five miles of major corporate headquarters and government operations, including the Arizona Air National Guard, the Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Raytheon, Lockheed-Martin, Texas Instruments, Intuit, LearJet, Boeing, and Bombardier.
For corporate guests, Four Points Tucson Airport features 3,500 square feet of flexible meeting space with a 55" wireless-remote flat-screen monitor.
The hotel's new R&R Grill and Sports Bar will offer delicious, Arizona-tinged American cooking in a relaxing dining room that overlooks the pool and garden. And the pool, in a quiet courtyard, offers an "oasis" in the desert, surrounded by lush palm trees and striking 180-million-year-old petrified wood.
Guests staying at Four Points Tucson Airport will find themselves close to key area attractions including the Tucson Greyhound Racetrack and the University of Arizona campus, along with important destinations like the University of Arizona, the Pima Air & Space Museum, and Tucson Electric Park.
"We think both business and leisure travelers in Tucson will appreciate the singular service, style, and value of Four Points," said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President of Specialty Select Brands for Starwood. "Tucson is a dynamic corporate hub, and we think guests will find the airport location ideal."
Raymond Johnston, CEO of Las Brisas Hotel Group, the property's developer and partner, agreed. "The Four Points flag, a bulls-eye location, and unbeatable amenities make the Four Points Tucson Airport a win for corporate and business guests," he said. "We're eager to deliver the Four Points experience of timeless and stylish comfort to travelers visiting the Tucson area."
The Four Points brand's billion-dollar revitalization, combined with its great value proposition, has helped elevate it to become one of the fastest-growing brands in Starwood's portfolio. Four Points continues to delight guests with everything they need to travel the way they like: stylish design, comfortable beds, free high-speed Internet access, free bottled water, and a delicious breakfast with great coffee. It's all combined with great "can-do" service, making Four Points hotels a massive hit with business and leisure travelers worldwide.
News of the opening comes on the heels of the Four Points brand's announcement of its milestone 150th hotel. The Four Points brand's momentum will continue into 2011 as it opens in business and travel hubs around the world. With the openings, Four Points will command a presence in 28 countries, up from 24 just this year.
This month, new Four Points hotels will open their doors in Lagos, Nigeria (222 rooms) and Galveston, TX (118 rooms). In November, Four Points will inaugurate properties in Tripoli, Libya (205 rooms), Bangkok, Thailand (268 rooms), and Tai'an, China (311 rooms).
Global growth will propel Four Points through the end of the year, with December debuts in Pune, India (215 rooms), Visakhapatnam, India (122 rooms), Houston, TX (79 rooms), and Memphis, TN (125 rooms).


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text:
Regular price
This is a deposit only for a pre-order of Pier & Land Snacks.
Pre-Order for Dress, Peplum Top, or Skirted Leo
Remaining balance will be due in approx 4 weeks. (Deposit is non-refundable)
This fabric is custom made and pre-ordered thru my supplier. Processing time for fabric can take up to 12 + weeks to reach me. Usually sooner but no guarantees. If you are not comfortable waiting that long please do not order. I will order extra fabric and offer limited RTS sales after custom orders are shipped. The only way to secure a spot is to pre-order. Your deposit is not refundable and any unpaid balances will forfeit your spot.
Price ranges:
Peplums $49-$59
Dresses $59 - $69
Tutu Dresses $59 - $69
Skirted Leos - $69+
Sizes 18mo-10
Please use the drop down menu to pick your style. Final pricing will be determined when the balance is due. At that time you will be able to specify some specifics (size and sleeve style).
See photos below for examples.
** Rep codes discounts will only be applied for one transaction on pre-orders**