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Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Pulling it all together
Our guests were to arrive at 7:00 pm on Friday, so I worked backwards from that deadline.
I made the creme fraiche on Wednesday.
On Thursday I mixed the Olive Focaccia and Cranberry-Pecan sourdough, let them rise, shaped them, and put them in the extra fridge overnight to proof. They finished proofing at room temperature before I baked them Friday morning. Good bread is not supposed to be eaten warm; it just tastes like steam. The flavor is not fully developed until the loaves cool, so I was not trying to wait until the last minute to bake these. (My only exception to this is soft dinner rolls, which I like to serve warm from the oven.)
Also on Thursday, I washed all the salad greens and stored them in a 2-gallon ziploc bag in the refrigerator so they'd be ready to go the next day.
Friday morning, after the bread was baked, I toasted the pecans that would go in the salad and left them at room temperature to cool.
(At this point I took a break from the kitchen to straighten the rest of the house and go to the gym)
Friday afternoon I washed the beets and put them in my large crockpot with a little olive oil to roast for several hours. I put butter out to soften, though no one actually used it on their bread.
About 5:00 pm I started cooking in earnest. First off, I made the carrot soup and put it in my small crockpot on low to stay warm. I put the salad plates in the frig to chill. I browned the pork chops and shallots and let them simmer. I scrubbed the potatoes, par-boiled them just until tender and drained them.
About 6:00 pm, the beets were done, so I slipped the skins off under warm, running water and cut them into quarters or eights, drizzled them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a dash of sea salt and put them in a bowl back inside the crockpot to keep them warm.
I made the berry-vinaigrette for the salad. I set the table. I tore up the lettuce and put it in a tupperware bowl in the frig.
About 6:45 I lit the candles and made one last swipe of the bathroom sink and fixed my lipstick!
I sliced the bread and put it in a basket on the table. I put ice in the glasses--non-drinkers all of us, we had ice water with our dinner.
When our guests arrived, right on time, I was still washing up some dishes (so the kitchen wouldn't be a total disaster) but the food was ready.
I filled the soup bowls, garnished them with a dollop of creme fraiche and put them on the table just before we sat down to eat.
After we finished our soup, I cleared the bowls, then quickly chopped the apple for the salad, dumped the lettuce into my myrtlewood salad bowl and added the pecans and dried cranberries, then tossed it with the berry-vinaigrette. I served the salad on the chilled plates and then put the bowl on the table in case anyone wanted seconds.
After the salad, I needed a few minutes to finish preparing the main course, so I suggested my husband give our guests a quick tour of the guest room/laundry room/canning and baking kitchen we are in the process of adding on. This gave me a chance to finish the sauce for the pork and saute the potatoes in a bit of butter. I served the main course family style, placing the pork chops with their sauce, the pan-roasted potatoes and the warm beets on the table in serving dishes and we passed them around.
And finally, I cleared the dinner plates and we enjoyed the cookies and a selection of dark chocolate for dessert before we moved into the living room with our herb tea. Oh, and I did take a minute to put the food away, for safety's sake, but waited until our guests had left to do all the dishes!
Yes, it was a lot of work, but this is my idea of fun. I can't sing or dance or paint a picture--cooking and baking are my hobbies. I hadn't had a "real" dinner party like this in years, so once-in-a-while it's nice to go all out.
Monday, December 14, 2009
A Winter Dinner for Four
I planned a local winter menu. We started off with bowls of Pureed Carrot Soup garnished with homemade creme fraiche, accompanied by a basket of Olive Focaccia and Cranberry-Pecan Sourdough slices. For the salad course, I made My Favorite Salad, using Fuji apples and toasted pecans with a raspberry vinaigrette. Pork chops in a creamy shallot sauce, roasted beets with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and pan-roasted baby potatoes from my garden made up the main course. Our guests provided the dessert and entertainment; delectable chocolate thumbprint cookies and classical guitar-playing.
After dinner, we sipped our herb tea by the fire while we listened to a selection of traditional Christmas carols. The perfect finish to a lovely evening with dear friends.
If I had my way, I'd forego all the holiday gift-giving frenzy for more occasions like this; good food, uplifting conversation, and the sharing of talents with family and friends.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Local Food Gifts
Flavored vinegars using local berries (frozen berries work even better than fresh because they are already broken down). Put in a pretty recycled bottle and attach a berry-vinaigrette recipe with ribbon.
Local walnuts or hazelnuts--shelling them is a gift in itself.
Gift certificate to a local restaurant: Dino's and The Mark V top my list.
A basket with fresh Lighthouse breads and some of their jam. Or a gift certificate for their bread.
Baklava from The Baklava lady.
Chocolates from Arrow's Delight or Umpqua Valley Chocolates (Kathey at 430-5600).
Delicious Hazelnut Toffee from Donna Holm.
A couple half-gallons of Umpqua Dairy Ice Cream (or gift certificate) with local nuts and homemade berry topping.
Gift certificate for a Cooking for Charity class. $$$
Local wines.
A pie from Kruse Farms.
Culinary herbs from Bunyard's Barnyard or culinary lavender from Double P Soap & Lavender Farm (733-5287)
A combination of any of the above into a gift basket.
A dvd of the movie FOOD, INC.
Local jerky from Oakland Lockers.
I'll post more if I think of any. Help add to the list with your suggestions
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Butternut Squash Pie
I used a butternut squash I bought at the farmers market before it closed for the season. It had been sitting in a basket on my kitchen table for nearly a month and it was still perfectly good. Winter squash will keep for months in a cold garage and Kruse Farms still has some to stock up on.
(adapted from Libby's Pumpkin Pie recipe)
Makes one 10-inch pie
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (I used freshly ground and I counted 50 swipes across my grater)
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups cream, half-n-half, or evaporated milk (I used evaporated milk)
For the pastry, I made one batch of all-butter pie crust (see Perfect peach pie) and used half for the butternut squash pie and half for the Dutch apple pie.
Preheat oven to 425. Combine pureed squash, sugar and spices. Blend in eggs and cream or evaporated milk. Pour into unbaked 10-inch pie shell. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 45 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Note* To prepare the squash: Wash thoroughly, pierce with a sharp knife ( I make a two or three-inch slit in one side) and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 1 hour, until soft. Let cool, remove skin and puree in blender or food processor until smooth. If not using right away, cooked squash may be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen. One 3 1/2 pound uncooked squash yields about 4 1/2 cups of puree.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Update on The Lists and the Day in Photos
I asked my son Kevin to photograph the day for me and told him I would buy any photos I could use on my blog. A buck a piece is his going rate, he says, so this post ought to just about pay his way into a movie with a friend this afternoon!
So lists are good. And though there's always a mad rush at the end, trying to get the gravy made and the peas cooked, ice in the glasses, and rolls baked at the very last minute while my husband carves the turkey, things went more smoothly this year than they ever have. I didn't get everything on my lists done. I decided to forgo making cinnamon rolls and sticky buns in favor of an hour-long bike ride to the Discovery Gardens with my son. But the lists definitely kept me on track and there was no last minute panic at having forgotten an important part of the meal.
Birthday presents didn't get wrapped until just before I handed them to my husband, the sweet potatoes didn't get prepped the night before (and I ended up cooking them on the stove, instead of in the oven), I decided to use butternut squash instead of pumpkin for the pie and didn't bother roasting the seeds. But it all came together pretty much on schedule and we sat down with thankful hearts to a glorious feast just after 2:00 pm.
We were a small group this year, just six of us. We took our time enjoying the food and conversation and eventually ended up in front of a crackling fire in the living room listening to and telling old family stories. To me, that's the best part of all holidays and celebrations and if a delicious meal helps bring everyone together, then I am happy to do my part.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Prepping for the Big Day
The following notes are not meant to make me look like a martyr or slave to my kitchen. Cooking is my thing and this is my favorite holiday. But for anyone who is cooking a big dinner for the first time (my oldest daughter is doing her first Thanksgiving dinner in North Carolina) , I thought these lists might come in handy.
Roast Turkey
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Cornbread Dressing
Buttered Peas
Fruit Ambrosia (Mom's bringing it)
Macaroni & Cheese (Mom's bringing it)
Cranberry Sauce
Featherlight Rolls w/butter and homemade jam
Candied Sweet Potatoes
Olives and Sweet Pickles
Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Sparkling Cider & San Pellegrino
Here's the game plan:
Several days ahead--
Big grocery trip for all of the non-perishable items. DONE!
Make a huge batch of granola for easy breakfasts. DONE!
Bake 100% whole wheat buttermilk bread and freeze several loaves for turkey sandwiches after Thanksgiving. DONE!
Refresh dormant sourdough starter so I can make Pain au Levain to use in the McDaniel Family Cornbread Dressing (that's my twist on it--it only calls for cornbread and whole wheat bread, but I like the slight tang of sourdough). DONE!
Iron all the cloth napkins. DONE!--I paid my son to do it.
Chop onions for the dressing and freeze. DONE!
Put the frozen turkey on a tray in the extra fridge to begin defrosting. DONE!
Make pie crusts and freeze. TOMORROW
Chill beverages. TOMORROW
Make cranberry sauce. TOMORROW
Bake Pain au Levain. TOMORROW
Cook pumpkins and puree for pie. Roast seeds. TOMORROW
Last trip to grocery store for perishables. TOMORROW
No school this week, so my son is home to help with all of the above!
Tuesday morning--
Make cornbread.
Wrap birthday gifts. Sign card.
Mix whole wheat cinnamon roll/sticky bun dough.
Clean house for the last time before the holiday.
Wednesday evening after we get home--
Leave cornbread out to dry.
Mix featherlight roll dough.
Make custard for ice cream.
Prep sweet potatoes (peel, slice, layer in buttered casserole with brown sugar, butter, a bit of salt and lemon zest. Cover and refrigerate.
Shape cinnamon rolls and sticky buns.
Bake pumpkin pie and apple pie.
On Thanksgiving Day--
Bake cinnamon rolls and sticky buns.
Get the turkey in the oven.
Set the table.
Soften butter for rolls.
Make ice cream.
Divide and shape rolls.
Bake sweet potatoes.
Make and bake dressing.
Whip cream for pumpkin pie.
Put out olives, pickles and cranberry sauce.
Boil and mash potatoes. (Save potato water for breadmaking)
Bake rolls.
Cook peas.
Make gravy.
Enjoy dinner with my family! (then relax while they do all the dishes)
I don't know if I will have time to post anything during all this, but I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with your family and friends.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Canning Venison
We froze the tenders and backstrap and had the rest ground into burger for chili, tacos, and spaghetti this winter.
Monday, November 9, 2009
A Food-filled Weekend
Saturday morning I headed out early for our OSU Extension "Gifts from your Kitchen" class in Sutherlin. Twenty-five people turned out to learn some new ideas for homemade holiday gift-giving. My part of the two-hour class was to demonstrate making flavored vinegars. I brought lots of vinegars to sample: Chive Blossom, Blackberry, Raspberry, Rosemary, Blueberry-Lemon and Mulberry. Geri Johnson then did a demo on microwave peanut brittle and creamy caramels and Clara Langton finished up with some hands-on cookie and soup mixes.
I had to dash out a bit early to make it to my next event--being one of the five judges at the Umpqua Dairy recipe contest cook-off. Two of us were local home cooks and three were professional chefs from the Valley River Inn, Seven Feathers and Market of Choice. Umpqua Dairy had narrowed the entries down to nine finalists: three desserts, three appetizers/side dishes, and three main dishes. We got to review the recipes and sample each one, then score them on ease of preparation, originality, appearance/appeal, and taste. It was fascinating to listen to the chefs discuss and critique the recipes from a professional viewpoint. They thought of things that didn't cross my mind. We chose a winner in each category and grand prize winner overall. I am sure the News Review will do an article with all the details and the local tv station covered it, though I didn't get to see the news. We sampled a Fall Citrus Carrot Salad, Cheese Tarts, Crab, Spinach, and Artichoke Macaroni and Cheese, Creamy Chicken Chowder, Spiced Chicken Fettuccini, Holiday Bread Pudding, Sour Cream Panna Cotta, and Crab and Spinach Stuffed Tomatoes, but the grand prize went to Nancy Woodside of Roseburg for her Razzapple Sour Cream Streusel Pie, which was divine. Something I will definitely make soon for Sunday dessert. I got to keep my copy of all the recipes, but I can't post them because Umpqua Dairy is going to publish them in a cookbook next spring. Trust me, if you like dairy products, you're going to want the cookbook.
We finished the judging by 4:00 pm and as luck (or gluttony) would have it, my husband and son and I had tickets for the 7:00 pm seating of the annual Scandinavian Smorgasbord at Faith Lutheran church! It's a fundraiser for their church missions and one of our family traditions. So, after putting away all the supplies from my morning demo and taking a quick nap, we headed over to the church to listen to the German Band before filling our plates with Swedish meatballs (my favorite), potato sausage, cold poached salmon, Swedish Beans, red cabbage, lefse, homemade breads, red potatoes, pickled herring, pickled beets, cucumbers in sour cream, apple salad, cheese, liver pate and Swedish apple dessert. The ladies (and a few men) must spend the entire week cooking and prepping for this event. One of these years I'm going to see if they'll let me help out so I can get a behind-the-scenes look (and maybe a few recipes?) at all their hard work.
You'd think I wouldn't be able to eat for a week after all this, but it was my mom's turn to cook Sunday dinner and she made her fabulous pork roast with mashed potatoes and gravy, so there was no holding back.
Time to hit the gym this week!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Maple-Covered Walnuts
Local walnuts are ready at Cleveland Rapids Orchards. The Lehne's have a great crop and they've kept the price the same as last year.
Walnuts and blueberries are two of my favorite local foods and I generally toss a handful of each into my morning bowl of oatmeal or cold cereal. For a great recipe that uses both of these superfoods, check out my Blueberry-Walnut Zucchini Bread.
The following recipe is quick and easy and great for holiday gift-giving.
Maple-covered Walnuts
1/2 cup real maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups walnut halves
Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. In a heavy skillet (I use cast iron), combine the maple syrup, cinnamon, butter and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is dark and thick and the consistency of raw egg whites, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Add the walnuts and toss until well-coated with the glaze. Spread out on the waxed paper to cool.
Note: If you did not cook the glaze long enough and the nuts are still sticky even after they have cooled completely (give them at least an hour or so, depending on the weather and humidity in your kitchen), just put them in a low oven for a bit to help them dry out.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
G is for Apple
Farewell to the Farmers Market
The Baklava Lady had cleverly transformed ordinary gingerbread boys into mummies. I'm gonna have to remember that for next year.
These golden persimmons will be cut up and tossed with some orange juice, dried cranberries, and perhaps some toasted walnuts, for a lovely autumn fruit salad.
I bought one more jar of honey from Kauk's Bees for my winter food storage and then picked up some garlic, a bag of arugula and a loaf of honey wheat bread from the Lighthouse folks.
I bought two small "naked seeded" (hull-less) pie pumpkins from Jim and Joni Leet. The seeds I roasted last year were excellent and the pie I made with the flesh was a hit.
The market really took off at its new location on Diamond Lake Blvd. this year. People are beginning to see how satisfying it is to put their money directly into the hands of the people who grow their food. Here's to buying and eating local!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Frozen Yogurt Survey
My daughter, Laura, is currently involved in research a project for her college advertising class. Her group is doing some primary research about TCBY through a random, nationwide survey and she would love it if you would take a minute to click on this link and answer a few questions. You don't have to give your name or e-mail or location and it really only takes about sixty seconds to complete.
Thanks for helping her out!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Gifts from Your Kitchen
OSU Extension and the Douglas County Master Food Preservers will hold
their next In the Kitchen cooking class
Homemade for the Holidays: Gifts from Your Kitchen
Saturday, November 7, 2009
10:00 to noon
Sutherlin Community Center
150 S. Willamette St.
Master Food Preservers Jennifer Coalwell, Clara Langton, and Kathey Linn will share ideas, samples, demos, and recipes for a variety of easy and economical gifts you can make ahead, including microwave peanut brittle, flavored vinegars, soup mixes, cookie mixes, master mixes, homemade caramels, flavored teas, cocoa mix, and more.
Cost for the class is $15.00. You must preregister with payment by noon on Thursday, November 5.
Stop by the Extension office at 1134 SE Douglas in Roseburg to pick up a registration form or go to the webpage at: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/douglas/food then click on menu item 2a. Mail the completed form with your check to:
Douglas Co/OSU Extension
Attn: MFP-CL
PO Box 1165
Roseburg, OR 97470
Questions? Call the OSU Extension office at 672-4461.
Food, Inc. is coming to town.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
A Dinner Group
Yesterday was Laura's turn to cook. The menu: Crockpot Roast Beef, Roasted New Potatoes (from her local farmers market!), Sour Cream & Chive dinner rolls, cut-up plums, apples and carrot sticks (also from the farmers market).
Thank goodness for IN-Calling with Verizon! I even got picture messages to show me how the Sour Cream and Chive Potato dough looked while she was kneading it! This was only her second attempt ever at making bread.
In the end everything turned out well and the homemade rolls were a hit. Laura wrote a hilarious blog post about shopping for the roast which you can read here.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Chocolate-Mint Brownies
I used to use York Poppables in the batter, but I don't think they make them anymore; I haven't been able to find them in a couple years. Today I cut up York Peppermint Patties into small pieces, but you could use Junior Mints, Andes Mints or mint-flavored chocolate chips. Those minty M & M's that are out during the holidays might be good too, come to think of it. Whatever you decide on, you'll want to set aside some for grating on top of the frosting as the finishing touch.
As always, I recommend baking on a preheated baking stone, if you have one.
1 pound unsalted butter
8 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
4 cups (1# 12 ounces) sugar
8 large farm-fresh local eggs (weighs 1 lb.1 oz. in the shell, if you have odd sizes)
1 teaspoons real vanilla extract
1 teaspoon mint extract
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 ounces)
1 12 oz. package York Peppermint Patties, chopped (or see above for other choices)
1 recipe Mint Buttercream Frosting (below)
a few extra chocolate mint candies for grating on top. Frozen Junior Mints work well.
Line a 12 x 17-inch jelly roll pan with unbleached parchment or grease and flour well. Preheat the oven to 350 degreees (with a baking stone, if you have one).
In a large, heavy saucepan melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate over very low heat just until melted. Stir in the sugar, turn off the heat and let stand for 5 or 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sugar is melted.
Whisk the eggs, salt, vanilla, and mint extract together in a very large bowl. Slowly pour in the chocolate mixture, stirring constantly until well-combined.
Gently fold in the flour until no dry particles are visible. Pour into the prepared pan.
Scatter the chopped York patties evenly over the surface of the batter. Using a rubber scraper or the back of a spoon, gently smooth the top so the candy pieces are covered with batter.
Place on the baking stone or center rack of the oven and turn the heat down to 325 degrees. Bake for exactly 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
When completely cool, frost with Mint Buttercream frosting and grate additional chocolate-mint candies over the top before the frosting sets. I use the same Zyliss grater I use for Parmesan cheese.
Brownies will be easier to cut if covered tightly and then refrigerated several hours or overnight. If you're in a hurry you can chill them in the freezer. I slide a metal spatula under the parchment and lift the whole thing out onto the counter before cutting into squares.
Makes 48 small or 24 large brownies. As with all my brownies, these freeze very well.
Mint-Buttercream Frosting
In a large bowl beat together 1 stick softened, unsalted butter and a 1 lb. box of powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon mint extract and a pinch of salt. Gradually beat in up to 6 tablespoons milk or cream until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Market Round Up
--An absolutely gorgeous Cinderella (rouge vif d'etamp) pumpkin and an heirloom "Long Island Cheese" pumpkin. These will grace my doorstep for the next few weeks along with a Japanese kuri squash until I am ready to cook and eat them.
--a large bunch of carrots and a mixed bag of red and golden beets
--one last local canteloupe
--three ears of Bodacious corn
--a yellow acorn squash and a butternut squash for soup
--a bag of slender green beans
--a pound or so of just-dug sweet potatoes
and for munching....two spanakopita tarts and two Greek wedding cookies.
Two markets days left this year and I am making the most of it.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Whole Wheat Crepes
Dinner at Dino's
We started off by devouring Debbi's freshly-baked bread, tearing off hunks and dipping them in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. My husband ordered a bowl of the corn chowder and the Osso Buco; I chose the Wild Alaskan Salmon. The salmon filet was seared with Sicilian spices and served on a bed of baby greens, topped with a cherry tomato-basil vinaigrette. A mix of orzo and slender yellow wax beans were served on the side. The vegetables were straight from the DeNino's garden and everything on the plate was superb.
A slice of the housemade Tiramisu was the perfect finish to an outstanding meal.
I'll be back soon. I'm hoping Debbi will put her mouthwatering Pumpkin Lasagne (cubed, seasoned pumpkin layered with sheets of egg pasta, bechamel sauce and parmesan and mozzarella cheeses--yumm!) on the fall menu.
Dino's is located at 404 SE Jackson St. in downtown Roseburg. 673-0848.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Blog and Bake Day
I scalded some milk for a batch of homemade yogurt, which is now incubating in my food dehydrator. I'm also drying some green bell peppers and a red paprika pepper at the same time on the top rack, hoping my yogurt does not take on a pepper flavor!
I cleaned out the crisper in the refrigerator and decided to roast the odds and ends of root vegetables in my mini slow-cooker. I pared the baby carrots and left them whole. Pared and quartered the yellow beets, sliced the red onion and tossed them all together in some olive oil and gros sel de mer (fancy french sea salt). That will be our side dish for dinner.
No football practice for my son today, which means we actually get to sit down for a family dinner before 8:00 pm. The main course will be chicken breasts that have been pounded thin and quickly browned in olive oil, topped with a marinara sauce I have simmering on the stove. A friend gave me a big bag of tomatoes, which I combined with some of the Black Krim heirloom tomatoes from my garden, and my own bell peppers and onions. I cooked the onions and peppers, along with three giant cloves of garlic from the farmers market, in some olive oil until everything was tender, then added the washed and quartered tomatoes and a huge handful of fresh basil. I crushed some of the tomatoes with the back of a spoon to make enough juice to get things simmering. When the tomatoes are soft, I'll run it all through a food mill to strain out the peels and seeds and then continue simmering it, uncovered, until it's thick. Seasoned with salt and pepper, it should make a fine topping for the chicken and for mopping up with a slice of semolina bread. I'll probably serve it over spaghetti with some freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano I splurged on at the Rogue Creamery, but it would be good over brown rice too.
We are entirely out of cookies, which is a cardinal sin at my house. I almost always have cookie dough balls in the freezer, just waiting to be plopped on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and baked, or (my personal indulgence) eaten straight from the freezer. The butter is softening on the counter and I will whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies shortly, putting a smile on my son's face when he gets home from school and making the house smell wonderful.
I got carried away buying different varieties of apples at the farmers market the last few weeks and we haven't eaten them all quickly enough. Some are past their perfection for fresh eating, so I'm getting ready to make a batch of Lazy Lady Applesauce in another slow-cooker. I'm thinking of adding the last of the frozen cranberries I have and turning it into cranberry applesauce (incredibly good if you've never tried it) because it's time for a trip to Bandon to stock up on fresh cranberries for the coming year.
With all the chopping and peeling I've been doing today I managed to clog up my garbage disposer. I know, I know, I should have taken it all out to the compost pile, but I'm still in my slippers and I just didn't feel like it. Anyway, here's my method for getting things unstuck: Pour a half cup of baking soda into the clogged sink, right through the standing water, if there is any. Follow that with 1 cup of plain old white vinegar. It will bubble a bit. Let that sit while you heat a tea kettle full of water to boiling. Pour the boiling water in and let it work a minute or two, then give it a quick plunge, if necessary. For some clogs you might have to repeat the process, but unless something is actually jamming the disposer this method always works for me.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Harvest Festival at the Farmers Market
Fresh Figs
The Umpqua Valley Farmers Market will hold their annual Harvest Festival this Saturday, October 3 from 9:00 to 1:00 and you won't want to miss it. This is the place to buy your one-of-a-kind pumpkin for Halloween. There will be music, prizes and fresh, local produce at its peak.
Along with a wide array of squash, you'll find perfectly ripe melons at the Happy Valley booth and fresh figs. And the folks at Sterken Farm have a great selection of crisp juicy apples you can't buy at the store.
Bring the kids and enjoy the local fall harvest in all its glory.
Monday, September 21, 2009
From Russia With Love
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Only Six Market Days Left
Today my first stop was for melons. I have learned to buy them first and take them to the car, so I don't have to carry them around the market with me. I bought a long and slender Charleston Grey watermelon, two canteloupes (different varieties) and one other melon that I can't remember the name of. That should be enough for the week. Don't know the vendor's name, but he helped me pick out the sweetest, juiciest melons he had.
Next I bought some green beans and butterstick squash from Jim Leet.
At the Big Lick Farm stand I chatted with Susie and Asinete and loaded up on carrots, French fingerling potatoes, golden beets, arugula, garlic and small red onions.
I picked out a huge bouquet of bright yellow sunflowers and had Dang hold them for me until I was through with my shopping.
I stopped by the Double P Soap Company booth and bought a bar of Lavender-Oat soap--smells divine.
I chose a variety of apples from Sterken Farm: winesap, macintosh, golden delicious, pink lady. They even had Granny Smith's, which seems a bit early to me, so I decided to wait a few more weeks before buying some to make an apple pie for my dad.
I browsed the handmade greeting cards at the Black Dog Woods booth and chose one for my daughter's birthday. These are delightful all-occasion and blank one-of-a-kind cards with a butterfly theme, painted by local artist Claudia Lapham. Gift tags are also available.
Finally, I topped off my bag with a dozen fresh eggs and some local lettuce, picked up my flowers and headed for my car.
If only someone sold milk at the farmers market, I wouldn't have to go to the grocery store at all this week.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Ingredients (the film)
Still posting from the library.....
Chocolate and Flowers
I adore fresh flowers, but, being on vacation, I wasn't prepared to buy any, so I headed straight for the chocolate sampling. I tried several varieties of chocolate from chocolatiers around the world, including a 100% cacao Franch Pralus bar, but the Dark Milk Chocolate with Fleur de Sel from Askinosie Chocolate in Springfield, Missouri was my very favorite. Made with single origin "Trinitario" cacao beans, organic cane juice, goat's milk powder, cocoa butter and sea salt, it was the smoothest chocolate I think I have ever eaten. I bought a 3 ounce bar for $8.00 and I have been savoring a square or two after dinner. This would be the perfect chocolate to make "kisses". I am spoiled now--can't ever go back to Hershey's!
I also tried the Aztec Drinking Chocolate, but it had a bit too much bite (heat?, kick? It has chile in it) for my tastes. Made me think of the movie Chocolat.
If you are headed up or down I-5, this shop is certainly worth a detour off the freeway.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Gifts from the Kitchen...I need your help!
I will be teaching a class in November on Gifts from the Kitchen. Do you have a favorite gift you like to make to give away during the holidays? Do you have a special gift someone makes for you each year? Send me your ideas at email@example.com and I will enter your name in a drawing for a surprise gift box from me. Not sure what all will be in it, but it will most certainly contain something delicious baked just for you. The more ideas you send my way, the more chances you have to win!
I'm hoping to be back online at home sometime this week. We shall see....
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Lunch at Summer Jo's
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
A S'moretilla?
Monday, August 10, 2009
Suncrest Peaches
Friday, August 7, 2009
What's for Dinner? New Mexican Cooking!
OSU Extension and the Douglas County Master Food Preservers will hold
their next What's for Dinner? cooking class
Thursday, September 17, 2009
11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Sutherlin Community Center
150 S. Willamette St.
Master Food Preserver Lori Salars and her husband Mark
will teach the basics of New Mexican cuisine featuring green chiles:
1. Roasting and peeling (and discussing preservation methods of) green chile
2. Making chile rellenos
3. Making a quick and easy chile relleno casserole
4. Making and frying up sopaipillas
Cost for the class, which includes a full lunch, is $15.00. You must preregister with payment by noon on Monday, September 14.
Stop by the Extension office at 1134 SE Douglas in Roseburg to pick up a registration form or go to the webpage at: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/douglas/food then click on menu item 2a. Mail the completed form with your check to:
Douglas Co/OSU Extension
Attn: MFP-CL
PO Box 1165
Roseburg, OR 97470
Questions? Call the OSU Extension office at 672-4461.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Homemade Fruit Fly Trap That Really Works
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Store Wars
Local Nectarines
I was actually after peaches, but was told their u-pick peaches won't be ready for another 2 or 3 weeks. I'm planning to make two Perfect Peach Pies for a pool party this Saturday. I attended a potluck last weekend and disappointed several people (mostly men) by showing up with coleslaw. (Hey, I was assigned to bring a salad!) Apparently, I have a reputation as a piemaker, so I will try to redeem myself.
It was 108 degrees here yesterday, setting a new record, and feels that hot again today. I hope the local crops survive!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Food, Inc.
After the part about E. Coli and a mother's efforts to get "Kevin's Law" passed in Congress, which would give the FDA the authority to shut down operations that consistently fail to meet the safety standards, my own Kevin decided he would like to try being a vegetarian for a month.
One of the farmers interviewed, who raises pastured beef and free-range chickens, was wearing a t-shirt that said "Grassfed" and Laura and I both decided we need one.
I highly recommend the movie.
*The Bijou is a funky former funeral home turned arts cinema that shows independent films and foreign films. It's the first theater where, when I ordered my usual movie snack of Junior Mints, I was asked if I wanted them frozen and and the clerk pulled a box out of the freezer behind the counter. Really refreshing! (They also sell Genesis Juice, Naked Juice, Thomas Kemper Rootbeer, you get the idea.) One of my daughters mentioned this a few years ago to a friend who worked at our local cinema and now we have frozen Junior Mints available in Roseburg, too.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Dutch Babies with Blueberries
Friday, July 10, 2009
Old Glory
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Independence Day at the Market
Happy 4th of July!
Happy Independents Day!
Local Wine Tasting
Norm Lehne Gardens
Everything was delicious. The dressing on the salad was superb and the combination of chocolate and raspberries for dessert finished off the meal perfectly.
The Local Pages Guide is Here!
I took a boxful of guides to the Umpqua Valley Farmers Market this morning. Several vendors who are Think Local Umpqua members will have them available at their booths. You can also drop by Umpqua Community Development Corporation and pick up a copy at the front desk. Other member businesses will have them soon. Look for the Think Local Umpqua logo in their window.
Check it out and give me some feedback. I think you'll be impressed.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Lovely Local Lavender
Several varieties of dried lavender.
Pam recommends these two types for culinary uses.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Cherry-Picking Time
Shady Lane cherries are $1.00/pound, u-pick or you can buy them picked for $1.85/pound. Sterken Farm and Kruse Farms in Garden Valley and Brosi's SugarTree Farms in Winston also have cherries right now.
Squash Blossoms and Other Culinary Adventures at the Market
I still don't know whether it's Romanesco broccoli or cauliflower--I've heard it called both; googling it seems to favor cauliflower--but it's so unusual-looking that I can never resist buying it.
The blue potatoes are supposed to be deep blue all the way through and Jim Leet recommends them, along with the reds and Yukon golds, for a Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad for the Fourth of July.
And I'm not a big onion-lover, but I bought a Walla Walla sweet onion just for the heck of it.
Didn't buy any flowers today, as the bouquet of Canterbury Bells I bought last week is still looking fine.
Mulling over Some Mulberries
We ate some fresh and I started my first ever bottle of mulberry vinegar. The rest I laboriously pinched the stems off of and made into a cobbler. It was good, but mulberries do not have any of the tartness that blackberries or Marionberries do and even though I added a bit of lemon juice, the cobbler was still rather bland. I wouldn't go out of my way to pick them again, but at least I know what they're like now.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
One-Stop Shopping for a Father's Day Feast
The beautifully-slender carrots from Sterken Farm will be cut into chunks and simmered with the top sirloin I bought from Kathey Linn for a savory Boeuf Bourguignon. Petite red potatoes from John at Riggs Family Farm will be combined with the Yukon Golds from Jim at Linnea Marie Farms for Parmesan Roasted Potatoes. I'm still deciding on the veggies. Stir-fried snow peas? Roasted beets? Grilled baby zucchini? So many local choices!
I'll probably toss together My Favorite Salad and I still have some Basil Butter in the freezer to mix a batch of Semolina Bread with Basil Butter Filling this afternoon so I can pull it out of the frig and bake it fresh tomorrow.
Dessert? Perfect Peach Pie and perhaps a Mulberry Cobbler (Dad likes pie; husband prefers cobbler), with Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.
Happy Father's Day!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Mo's Clam Chowder
My mom and I spent a few days on the Oregon Coast last week. Mom's "must do" list included a bowl of clam chowder at Mo's in Old Town Newport. We ate at the annex on the waterfront. Locals and tourists were elbow-to-elbow, but we were lucky to get a table-for-two at the window overlooking Yaquina Bay.
First Peaches of the Year
I've never tried this variety before, but local peaches were in very short supply last summer due to the snow we had in April, so I am excited to see what these are like. They are small, but the three trees were loaded with easy-to-reach fruit.
I'm hoping enough will soften in time to make a peach pie for Father's Day.
Local Bing Cherries are Ready
Brosi's is open from 9 to 6 daily. Call 679-1472 to check availability.
Sterken Farms in Garden Valley (541-260-7755) also has some varieties ready-to-pick, though the bings I saw this morning didn't look quite as ripe as I would like. A few more days of sunshine will sweeten them up.
Shady Lane Orchard should be opening up soon, too.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Field Trip, part one
I'm in charge of organizing a field trip for our Master Food Preservers group so a friend and I went on a little scouting expedition the other day, checking possible food-related destinations. Our first stop was at The Rogue Creamery in Central Point, Oregon. Famous for their blue cheeses and cheddars, visitors can sample the many varieties: Oregonzola, Crater Lake Blue, Oregon Blue, Lavender Cheddar, Chipotle Cheddar, Chocolate Stout Cheddar, to name a few. A viewing window lets you see the cheesemakers in action, but nothing was in the vats when we were there.
Next we headed on foot to the Lilliebelle Farms factory and retail store. This is only separated from the creamery by a parking lot and a vineyard tasting room. If you park in the middle, you can walk to all three, though, being non-drinkers, we skipped the wine tasting. Central Point is billing this as the Exit 33 Artisan Corridor, but if you weren't looking for it, you'd just see it as an industrial area. Great idea and in five years time it will probably be all trendy and touristy (and crowded).
Jeff Shepard, Master Chocolatier at Lilliebelle Farms, makes exquisite artisan chocolates. Many are filled with organic berries from his own farm. The lavender caramel with fleur de sel is a favorite, but I think I liked the raspberry cordial I bought even better. Here too, there is a viewing window where one can get a glimpse of process.
A chocolate painting, entirely edible.
I'll post more after the field trip. I'm still working on the itinerary. My goal is to time it just right, so we are able to see cheese being made, chocolates being dipped and flour being ground all in one day.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Smokin' Chicken Strips
I cut chicken breasts into strips, tossed them with the rub so each piece was fully coated and refrigerated them for about 6 hours. Then I threaded them on (soaked) wooden skewers and my husband cooked them on the grill with some alder chips for smoke. I lost track of how many my 10-year old ate, but he was raving about them the whole time.
I used a family pack of chicken breasts and the whole bag of spice rub. We took the leftovers on our hike as part of our picnic lunch, with some house dressing from Anthony's Italian Cafe to dip them in. They are just as good cold as they were hot off the grill.
Today I chopped a few strips up and added them to a bowl of romaine and red oak leaf lettuce, tossed in some dried cranberries, toasted a piece of Laura's garlic bread for makeshift croutons and topped the whole thing with some more of the house dressing. Sort of a delicious smoky Caesar salad for an al fresco lunch on this gorgeous, sunny day. I know, I know, three days in a row, but these are really, really good.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Jam Session
Laura has a list of things she wants me to teach her to do while she's home from college for a few months (on her days off from work) and "How to make jam" is on the list. We made three batches: Raspberry, Raspberry-Strawberry, and Strawberry-Rhubarb, for a total of 22 jars. We sampled all three and I think the Strawberry-Rhubarb is my favorite.
Stay tuned...I think breadbaking is next.
Farmers Market Round-up
I also picked up a quart of pure plum juice (canned with no added sugar) from the Sterken Farm booth. It will be the base for several berry smoothies during the week--juice, frozen berries, a handful of pumpkin seeds, some homemade yogurt or protein powder added to the mix--I can just feel all those antioxidants going straight into my bloodstream.
Both Sterken Farm and Linnea Marie Farm had the first local strawberries of the season and I bought 2 pints. If there are any left by tomorrow, they'll go into a fruit salad.
At the Big Lick Farm booth I chose one more pepper transplant (ancho) for my garden and watched Suzi while she bagged up some beautiful spinach leaves for a whole line of customers.
And my daughter, Laura, couldn't resist buying a loaf of Garlic Romano bread from the folks at Lighthouse Center Bakery.
Shopping local is so much fun!
Friday, May 22, 2009
McKenzie Cranberries
I ordered 10 pounds of dried cranberries at $3/pound. Even with the additional $10 shipping, the total cost of $4/pound was still less than buying them from the bulk bins at the supermarket. The regular price at Sherm's is $5.29/pound and right now they are on sale for $4.39/pound.
OceanSpray Craisins work out to $5.12/pound. The bag says "processed in the USA from North American cranberries" or something like that, which means they could be from Maine or Oregon or Canada. There's no way to tell.
These are incredibly good dried cranberries. I tried drying my own last fall for a Think Local dinner and even steeping them in a sugar syrup before drying didn't keep them as plump and soft as these are. Worth every penny to buy them, in my opinion.
FYI...the blueberries are $5.88/pound and the cherries are $4.00/pound plus shipping. Both are sweetened. I have never tasted dried blueberries, but I did dry 40 pounds of pitted bing cherries last summer. They are easy to dry and don't need any sweetening, though it can take a 24 to 30 hours in the dehydrator if you don't cut them in half.
You can e-mail Gloria at email@example.com to place an order. I mailed them a check on Friday, they shipped the cranberries on Monday and I received them on Tuesday.


text:
LOS ANGELES – Stan Van Gundy's wife likes to remind him about the other part of coaching, the part that doesn't necessarily result in on-court outcomes.
"When I get too carried away with nothing but wins and losses, life's about relationships," Van Gundy said before Monday's game against the Clippers. "I've been very, very lucky throughout my coaching career at the college level and then even into the NBA that I've coached some great, great people who I have tremendous respect for. When it's mutual, that's obviously a great feeling."
And with Van Gundy and J.J. Redick, that respect is certainly mutual.
"I think just in terms of intangibles and characteristics I think any NBA player should have, I think he taught me those things and he reinforced those things in me – professionalism, accountability, playing hard and the same way every game, not taking any nights off, all that stuff, because he lives that," Redick said. "I see how hard he works, how much he invests in his craft, and so as a player, playing for him, you really have no choice but to do the same."
The two were together in Orlando, where Van Gundy coached Redick starting in his second season. And even though Redick's minutes actually went down that season, he began forming a relationship that would shape his NBA career.
In addition to reinforcing the idea that accountability was a necessary trait, on the court, Van Gundy helped shape Redick into a valuable defender despite athletic limitations that keep him from being a one-on-one stopper.
"Pretty much any sort of team defense concept that's pertinent to modern NBA basketball, I learned from Stan," Redick said.
And, it's strong team defensive principles that have the Clippers' atop the league in efficiency through the first six games this season.
"This is the second year of us doing the same defense," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "Last year, it took us awhile and once we got going, we were good. This year, I think we picked up where we left off."
Rivers pointed to the Clippers' off-the-ball defense as the reason why they're even better this year, and that's the exact area where Redick blossomed under Van Gundy.
"When you have a great commitment to winning like J.J. does and you play hard and you're tough and you're smart as hell, you're gonna be a pretty good defender, especially as a team guy," Van Gundy said. "Smart, tough guys who want to win, it usually won't be too hard for them to pick up the defense."
And, Redick has.
"You have to be a great team defender. That's just following the rules of where you're supposed to be and understanding where you're supposed to be," Rivers said. "If you're not a great individual defender, you have to study the team defense and understand exactly where your body has to be. As long as you're there, it's tough for Stan or me to complain.
"I think J.J. has figured that out."
Jamal Crawford isn't making a ton of shots and he's not scoring a ton of points, but he's making a significant impact on the Clippers' improved second unit.
"He's in a great place, probably the best place I've seen him since I've had him," Rivers said. "He's been a facilitator a lot. He scores when he needs to score. He's really kind of tutored Austin (Rivers) and Raymond (Felton) on how to play together with that group. This is the best place I've ever seen Jamal. I think he realizes where he is in his career. I don't know that, but it's just my assumption. He's in the best place I've ever seen."
Contact the writer: email@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Mercedes Benz of Fairfield
Fairfield, California
The main scope of this new 40,800 sf dealership is a two-story building constructed with tilt-up concrete panels and a structural steel roof. CMU is also used throughout the facade.The entrance to the 30-car showroom incorporates a 35-foot high radiused storefront curtain wall. Other features include a 26-bay vehicle service department, and both automatic and manual car wash areas. A retail department displays all types of products from apparel to parts. The owner will be submitting this project for LEED Certification.
Price-Simms, Inc.


text:
I want to type out my opinions regarding a controversial issue that is currently taking place in Malaysia. It is the Low Yatt incident. To those who might not know, there are some racial controversy between the Malaysian-Malays and Malaysian-Chinese over a smartphone. Yes, people are going crazy over an incident that started out with a smartphone and somehow turned into extreme racism between the two races that I mentioned earlier. Me being myself, I am always on the fence until I am sure of the truth. However, lets face it, I don't know if I will ever know what really happened on that day. There are many versions of what happened, but there are two versions that I see all over my Facebook. The first version will be two Malays stole a smartphone from a shop that runs by Chinese, the two got caught, and sent to the police, the police made a mistake by releasing one of the Malays and the one that was released called some Malay gangster group and made up a story saying the Chinese are selling them fake smartphone and they were only trying to get an exchange. This caused riot and a few Chinese who has nothing to do with the incident got injured just because they are Chinese. The second version is probably the flip side of the first version. Which is the Chinese sold fake smartphone, refused to make an exchange, and were being harsh to the Malays, and threw racist comments which caused the riots and now the Chinese are saying that the Malays are trying to steal their phones to cover things up. There are a few other versions, but lets just go with these two. The police made a statement that the first version is the one that really happened and was caught on CCTV, but now people are saying the police are just saying that so the rioting stop...possible, I can't deny that. Meanwhile, the attorney of the Malays are saying that the second version is the truth because that's the statement of the two Malays...assuming that they're not lying...then it's also a possible scenario as well.
Honestly speaking, I don't know which version is the truth. The police said the act was caught on CCTV, but until I actually see the CCTV footage, I can't say that the statement is true. On the other side of the story, if the Malays were really trying to make an exchange, there should be a receipt or something as evidence? Unless the receipt has been destroyed or if there's no other evidence to support that story, I can't really say that what happened either. So, in a way, the possibilities of both stories being true and/or false...is there. So, which side should I choose? None. I don't want to blindly support a side without knowing the facts and the truths. I don't want to choose a side just because I'm a Malay, or because I have a lot of Chinese friends...if I want to choose a side, I want to choose the side of justice. Regardless of the race, if it's wrong...it's wrong. That what justice means. What bothers me is how this incident just become out of control and turned into acts of racism from both Malays and Chinese of this country. Again, I'm not going to choose side, if I want to bash someone, I will do it to both sides, and if I want to support someone, I will do it to both sides as well. The hard truth is...that a lot of Malaysians are racist. You can't deny it, regardless of your race...Malaysians are racist. I'm not saying all, but there's a large number of racist Malaysians out there. I've heard all races saying bad things about other races. On top of that, I even heard a Malay says bad thing about the race of Malay, a Chinese saying bad thing about the race of Chinese and an Indian saying bad things about the race of Indian. So, say all that you want, we are all the same. We are Malaysians afterall. I've always heard Malaysians saying one of the things they are proud of about Malaysia is its diversity. The multi-racial, multi-religion, multi-cultural country, and yet, here we are refusing to be united as a nation. Instead, we only want to look at the negative side of people with different skin colour.
The hypocrisy of racist people will be that they hate other races, but they always end up using or needing the product produce by that particular race that they hate...for example, a racist Malay say bad things about an Indian and hates Indian so much but later that day this Malay go to Mamak stall to eat Chapati or Naan. Or, a racist Indian saying bad things about a Chinese and hates Chinese so much but then go to eat Chinese food. Or a racist Chinese saying bad things about a Malay and hates Malay but go and buy Nasi Lemak from a Malay food stall. Don't you see the hypocrisy of this situation? If you hate a race so much and don't want to have anything to do with them...why you go eat their food? Eat your food only lahh!! (Pardon the Manglish) I know it's probably stupid to be comparing this situation with food, but hey, Malaysians love food so much right? Why not just throw in some food into all scenarios.
|*photo taken from Tumblr
I consider myself lucky, because I spent my life mixing with people of many races. I might call myself a Malay, but my grandfather was an Indian man, so in a way, I'm mix. I was raised as a Malay, I learned music surrounded by Chinese. During my primary school, I have lots of Malay friends, during high school years, I went to a school with majority of the students to be Indian (let's just categorized all as Indian), and when I went to UiTM for my diploma I was again surrounded by Malays, and during my Bachelor, I went to UCSI where I was the only Malay in my course and majority of the students are Chinese. Not to forget along the way in my musical journey, I've mixed with people from all over the world. So, I consider myself lucky to literally be in diversity. This probably explains my personality now for not putting my race as a priority like the mentality of a group of many Malays out there that was involved with the riot on the basis reason of "We don't care what's the truth, we have to fight for our race even if the Malays ended up the one stealing the phone" Yes, I read the comment in Facebook...in Malay of course, I'm just translating it.
|*photo taken from Tumblr
Let me put it this way...if you want justice, you must understand that justice is determine but what's right...not by what race you should give priority to. If you don't have a solid evidence to prove your side of the story, then there's a possibility that your story might be false. A little harsh, but that's how it works. The problem with the society these days will be that justice are becoming a word that people use to take advantage of in a situation. It's very difficult to see actual justice in life nowadays. People always place their version or idea of justice based on someone's gender, or someone's sexuality, or someone's race or religion instead of the plain idea of fighting for what's right in life. With the current status of today's life, it's not a surprise that you can barely see any real justice anymore. So, whatever happens later in this Low Yatt case, I'm not surprise if there's some injustice in it. But my real concern is this: Is it no longer possible to achieve unity among Malaysians of different backgrounds?
Can we no longer respect and be kind to each other? Again, I must say that kindness and respect is not determine by race, or religion, or gender...it is something that comes from the heart, and what comes from the heart only see others as equal...as another human being. If you only be kind and respectful to people of your own race or beliefs...then you must understand that you are not being kind...you are being prejudice and discriminating, as well as unfair...and not to forget assholes. Okay, you can argue with me by saying "those people of different races or religions don't respect us, so why should we?" and I must tell you...so what? Why can't we, as people, as Malaysians, be the bigger and better person and teach them, who are racist and narrow-minded, how kindness and being respectful look like? Why must you continue the cycle of negativity and keep making it bigger? To end the vicious cycle of negativity, someone has to stop reacting negatively...someone has to start being positive. So, why can't you be the one to start? How to start? Well, you can start by stop saying bad things about other race. All of us has good and bad things, we are humans afterall, we all have our good and bad sides. We become racist when we only focus on the bad sides and start to stereotyping each race. So, why not stop stereotyping...and look at the good sides of each people around you regardless of their race and religion and gender. Be kind to them, smile. Start talking to them with an open mind, get to know them and let them know you. Set an intention in your heart that you want to create something positive. Teach younger generations about creating this positive relationship rather than teaching them to hate. Can't you see how much better this country, as well as the world...will be like if we start to just be kind to each other? Kindness is contagious...it is, once you do kindness to someone, they will want to do it to someone else. It's something that we call Pay-It-Forward. Why can't we make this country and world a better place? How we are as a nation will definitely make an impact to our economy and politics because right now everything is a mess because people with power are taking advantage of us, the people...because we are not uniting as a nation. Don't let racist people rule your life, instead, shower them with kindness to the point where the racism will be washed out of their minds. A lot of people in this country has been brainwashed to hate other races, it's time to wake up Malaysians. Wake up...and unite!
Look at these cats, they are of different colours, but we only see them as cats...and together, they are so beautiful, don't you think so?
|*photo taken from Tumblr
Again, let's throw in some food since Malaysians love food so much. Look at these doughnuts, they are different but we only see them as doughnuts and each of them taste so good and they all look so yummy in this box together...
|*photo taken from Tumblr
Life is meant to be diverse. Life without any diversity is a boring life. I for one am not planning to live a boring life. I want to see buildings of different cultures, traditional clothes of different races, food of different country, music, dance, paintings, and arts in general of the world. I never want to lose any of these diversity in life. I want to see and meet and be friends with people with different race and religions and of different sexuality. Heck, I don't even mind to be in an interracial relationship! I know a lot of people out there wants the same thing, but there are so many of us out there who are still blinded by things that doesn't make sense. This country's independence was shared with our ancestors of different races...it belongs to all of us. This country was...WAS known as Tanah Melayu but that was before colonization time. Now, this country belongs to Malaysians...MALAYSIANS. We are our nationality first, before our race. That's why we call Malaysian-Malay or Malaysian-Chinese or Malaysian-Indian instead of the other way around. Wake up people...it's time to unite. It's time for all of us to actually be Malaysians. Put aside all the differences and start acting like Malaysians.


text:
UPDATED at 1:52 p.m.:
A three-car crash that was blocking the left lanes of westbound and eastbound state Route 512 has been cleared, the state DOT and Washington State Patrol reports.
The crash was reported just after noon near Golden Given Road.
The State Patrol reports that the cable barrier was hit. There were minor injuries to those involved, the State Patrol reported.


text:
How are the female vs male conflicts brought about in A Raisin in the Sun?
- print Print
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The male vs. female conflict is brought about in the play through a variety of different plot elements. There is obvious conflict between Walter and Beneatha, as both want the money from their father's insurance pay out to fund their dreams of setting up a liquor business and becoming a doctor. This also brings Walter into conflict with both Mama and Ruth, as he tries to get Ruth to help him persuade Mama to give him the money and Mama, at first, refuses to have her husband's money spent on a liquor business.
There is also conflict between Beneatha and George and Joseph, as both men vie for her affections. This conflict is expressed most clearly when Beneatha starts wearing her hair in the traditional African style, much to George's shocked amazement.
Perhaps the biggest conflict between the genders in this play is when Mama tells Walter about Ruth's pregnancy and her planned termination. She expects him to become like her husband and to stand up for his family, yet he seems unable to act:
I'm waiting to hear how you be your father's son. Be the man he was... Your wife say she going to destroy your child. And I'm waiting to hear you talk like him and say we a people who give children life, not who destroys them...
It is Walter's inability to become the man of the house and take up his role as head of the household that causes such conflict between him and Mama.


text:
People say "college" like it's just a stage of life. You go somewhere called college, you party, you learn, you're happy, and after that, for the rest of your life, you get to say things like, "Aw, man…college…." with a distant look in your eyes and a slow, wistful shake of your head.
But on a really basic level, there is good college and bad college. I know, because I went to both. I started out at a giant state school, and then I went to a small, Ivy League school. When people ask me about the state school, I usually defend it. I say, "You know, that kind of environment forces you to be self-sufficient. And there are some incredible professors. If you're in the right department, it's a great education, and you don't go completely bankrupt after."
(college. it doesn't always look like this. source)
These things are all true. But I don't mention the part about getting locked out of the dorm in the rain when I forgot my keycard by a big, mean guy who told me he'd let me in if I could prove that I wasn't a thief. About my adviser retiring without anyone letting me know, and then receiving an email two months before graduation that stated I wouldn't be able to graduate because my language requirement hadn't been properly fulfilled. Or the night I called the campus police three times in a row because I couldn't leave my room– there were guys pounding each other to a pulp in the hall. The dispatcher sounded unsympathetic. "It might take a while. They're across campus."
They never came. Eventually, an ambulance came, to take away someone who was unconscious.
Or what about the girl who cursed me off in class, for asking her to please stop using the word "faggot"? She called me a lot more things than that, in front of a quivering, helpless assistant professor, who, after she'd stomped out, told me apologetically, "Kids say these things a lot, I hear. Even in middle school. It's not a big deal."
Or my personal favorite: the teacher who found out that I'd been homeschooled and when I tried to answer a question in class informed the other students conspiratorially, "Kate doesn't understand how these things work because she was homeschooled." Awesome.
These are things that just don't happen at some schools. Like at Stanford, where my husband went. When I talk about freshman year with him, he says, "I don't even want to tell you about how annoyingly nice everyone was to everyone my freshman year." He wished they would give him some space and stop bringing him cookies. I wished boys would stop yelling things about sex positions at me on the way to the dining hall. I wished I felt safe doing my laundry (a girl had been raped somewhere in the labyrinthine basements). I wished I had called 911 when a man tried to break in through my ground floor window in the middle of the night, rather than freezing in my bed and waiting and waiting.
(or this. sheesh, it really looks like a place where the people are nice…source)
I am proud of the scholarships I got, and the practically negligible cost (compared to the small liberal arts schools that are so desirable) of a lot of my education. I'm proud of myself for being strong and finding mentors and doing well academically.
But I'm also angry. I'm angry that there are two distinct worlds of college, and that many students only have access to one of them. I'm angry that as a homeschooler, I didn't know that there was a different kind of college out there. I thought that maybe all schools were just terrible. I hadn't known what to expect, and so I accepted the environment without asking the right questions. I figured, "Well, everyone has to put up with this stuff to get a degree."
But when I went to the other school, I realized that wasn't true. At the Ivy League school, there were other problems. Frustratingly arrogant people, entitled people, intimidatingly famous professors, and flawless designer clothes. But no one was cruel. I never felt physically threatened. I never felt like a loser for being interested in the subject. I felt like I should be smarter, like I should try harder. I felt outmatched and intellectually naive. But when I wrote a good paper or made a good point, and people congratulated me or smiled or gave me an A, I knew it was because I was doing really well. Not just because I wasn't asleep, or had actually read the book. Not just because I was one of the few who cared.
In the end, though, I think college is mostly about two things: getting a degree, and networking.
My biggest regret is that I didn't get to network with enough people I respected at the first school I went to. People didn't act as dedicated to their futures. They didn't end up going into fields that interested me. There's a whole discussion about class and wealth that needs to happen here, but it requires a lot more attention than I can give it right now. I will say that at the state school, some of the students I knew were working two jobs and commuting. They were almost too exhausted to pass. Many of the students were happy to have gotten into college, and had no goals beyond it. A lot of the students retained attitudes that must've worked well for them in middle school and high school. "Learning is lame." They were not the students who had done well in their classes as kids. They had learned to be defensive.
Going to college did a lot of important things for me. I learned a lot about the way the world works. About sucking up. About fitting in. About avoiding being raped. Important skills. And most importantly, I got the degrees I needed to look valid. But if I could have spent the whole time at the second school and forgone the first, it would have been better, without question. I wish I had had that option. I wish everyone had that option. Or the option not to go at all.
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Wild fun list: Play with a kitten. I'm going to do that today, when my brother brings his over, and I'm so excited.