Tuesday:
Ham & Barley Soup, Whole Wheat Garlic Bread
Wednesday:
Broccoli-Cauliflower Tetrazzini, Whole Wheat Garlic Bread
Thursday:
Vegetarian Schnitzel Burgers, Corn on the Cob
Friday:
Pumpkin-Apple Quick Oatmeal, Cinnamon Rolls
Saturday:
Nachos with Roast Tomato Salsa, Chocolate Pudding
Sunday:
Chicken Chip Bake, Croissants, Fruit Salad
or
Father's Day Dinner with In-Laws
Monday:
do-it-yourself dinner
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Monday, August 25, 2014
Menu Plan -- August 26-September 1, 2014
Tuesday:
Sweet & Sour Noodles
Wednesday:
Savory Chicken Pies, Ice Cream Sundaes
Thursday:
Lentil Burgers, Butter Scalloped Potatoes
Friday:
Pancakes, Sausage, Fruit Salad
Saturday:
Vegetarian Schnitzels, Corn Spoon Bread
Sunday:
Crispy-Spiced Chicken, Yellow Rice, Green Beans, Black Forest Pudding Cake
Monday:
do-it-yourself dinner
Sweet & Sour Noodles
Wednesday:
Savory Chicken Pies, Ice Cream Sundaes
Thursday:
Lentil Burgers, Butter Scalloped Potatoes
Friday:
Pancakes, Sausage, Fruit Salad
Saturday:
Vegetarian Schnitzels, Corn Spoon Bread
Sunday:
Crispy-Spiced Chicken, Yellow Rice, Green Beans, Black Forest Pudding Cake
Monday:
do-it-yourself dinner
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Planning a Plan
I post at several message boards, one of them is a cooking-related board. On that board, some members post their weekly menu plans. I'm among those who do.
In perusing the menu plans of the other posters, I have noticed something. Most of them eat far more meat than I do. Many posters will participate in "Meatless Mondays" or give up meat on Fridays during Lent, but even then, it's far more meat-based meals than I plan.
Most weeks, I cook six dinners leaving the seventh night as a do-it-yourself dinner because dearest works both late and a split-shift and doesn't really have time for a sit-down meal, while I have tap class and don't really want to tap on a full stomach. Of the six meals I plan, I try to plan three vegetarian meals, not just meatless but truly vegetarian, and three meals with meat as the main protein.
Additionally, I try very hard not to repeat either cuisines, or major ingredients over the course of the week. So while I may have chicken or beef for two of the three meat-based meals, I try to vary the preparations and cuisines for the meals. This sometimes makes meal planning a bit difficult, especially since most of the time if I can't think of or find something, I default to noodles and butter or pancakes.
I was talking about meal planning with dearest this morning, as I was planning out the menu for the coming week, and commenting that I have only room for two more weeks in my current notebook. Yes, I plan old-school using a notebook -- one page for each week, Sunday to Saturday, and I write the plan in pencil, the same way my mother always did. In fact, when I moved to Australia, she gave me the notebook to plan my meals the way she had always planned hers, though she planned meals a month at a time, I plan only a week at a time.
The thing that stuck me most, was not the fact that I plan three vegetarian meals a week, but that if you were to compare my weeks' menus with the same period of an average native-born Australian's they would most likely be remarkably different. And I'm not sure if that's because I still plan mostly dishes I would have planned at home with my mother in US, or because I simply do not know how to cook traditional Australian dishes. And then I begin to wonder if maybe I should learn to cook traditional Australian dishes. But then the more I think about it, the more I realize that I'm not a traditional Australian. I'm not even a traditional American!
Yep, I'm going to continue planning my meals my way. And that means at least three vegetarian meals a week and trying not to repeat cuisines or major ingredients over the week.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Moving to a Better Place
Usually my Facebook feed is quiet and mundane, with friends posting innocuous and unobjectionable things about their lives and their children's lives. I like it that way. It allows me to keep up with everyone and keep as much controversy as possible out of my leisure time.
This week, however, my Facebook feed has exploded.
There are two subjects that are coming up over and over on my feed, and people are either on one side or the other. There is no middle ground it seems.
The first controversial subject is the death of Robin Williams. Posts are either public service announcements about understanding and seeking help for depression or comments on several public figures' alleged inappropriate comments in the wake of revelations following Mr. Williams' death. (I have not read these comments and cannot and will not comment on them. I have no intention of seeking them out just to do so either. As I said, I prefer to keep as much controversy as possible out of my leisure time.)
The other subject that has everyone talking this week is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, or one of a number of disorders under the umbrella description of Motor Neuron Disease). Many of the Ice Bucket Challenge posts are of friends/family participating in the challenge by dumping buckets of ice and ice water over their heads. But still others are opinion pieces on how stupid the challenge is and how and why people should not participate in the Challenge and instead should just donate money to the charity of their choice quietly and anonymously.
I have no real comment on either subject. I have enjoyed watching the Ice Bucket Challenge videos, and I particularly like Team Gleason's "Naked Ice Bucket Challenge." I have nothing to say regarding Robin Williams' death and/or depression that has not already been said, and as I mentioned, I have not read the allegedly disgusting remarks any number of media personalities have made in response to that.
I just find it quite interesting that the two things that have polarized my Facebook community are the kind of thing that one can avoid if they really wanted to. The controversy seems to be simply for controversy's sake. It's almost as if everyone everywhere has come down with a major attack of collective trolling. And it's not even as if the trolling is necessary. If people want to dump ice on their heads and donate to ALS research or any charity, what difference does it make that they have announced they have done so? How is that any different than my posts that I have made gingerbread-marshmallow sandwich cookies to celebrate Christmas in July? If you don't care about it, just don't read it. Or hide my posts!
Similarly, any objections to comments made by media personalities can be just as easily ignored. I long ago decided to stop listening to or seeking out comments made by people who have proven themselves to be idiots, and that includes Rush Limbaugh and the leaders of the Westboro Baptist Church.
A book of advice I have suggests that to be happy, one should:
(Normal Is Just a Setting on the Dryer by Adair Lara)
I want to live in a place where the likes of Rush Limbaugh and the leaders of the Westboro Baptist Church do not exist, so I have moved there, by completely ignoring them. It's a really great place to live. Come join me!
This week, however, my Facebook feed has exploded.
There are two subjects that are coming up over and over on my feed, and people are either on one side or the other. There is no middle ground it seems.
The first controversial subject is the death of Robin Williams. Posts are either public service announcements about understanding and seeking help for depression or comments on several public figures' alleged inappropriate comments in the wake of revelations following Mr. Williams' death. (I have not read these comments and cannot and will not comment on them. I have no intention of seeking them out just to do so either. As I said, I prefer to keep as much controversy as possible out of my leisure time.)
The other subject that has everyone talking this week is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, or one of a number of disorders under the umbrella description of Motor Neuron Disease). Many of the Ice Bucket Challenge posts are of friends/family participating in the challenge by dumping buckets of ice and ice water over their heads. But still others are opinion pieces on how stupid the challenge is and how and why people should not participate in the Challenge and instead should just donate money to the charity of their choice quietly and anonymously.
I have no real comment on either subject. I have enjoyed watching the Ice Bucket Challenge videos, and I particularly like Team Gleason's "Naked Ice Bucket Challenge." I have nothing to say regarding Robin Williams' death and/or depression that has not already been said, and as I mentioned, I have not read the allegedly disgusting remarks any number of media personalities have made in response to that.
I just find it quite interesting that the two things that have polarized my Facebook community are the kind of thing that one can avoid if they really wanted to. The controversy seems to be simply for controversy's sake. It's almost as if everyone everywhere has come down with a major attack of collective trolling. And it's not even as if the trolling is necessary. If people want to dump ice on their heads and donate to ALS research or any charity, what difference does it make that they have announced they have done so? How is that any different than my posts that I have made gingerbread-marshmallow sandwich cookies to celebrate Christmas in July? If you don't care about it, just don't read it. Or hide my posts!
Similarly, any objections to comments made by media personalities can be just as easily ignored. I long ago decided to stop listening to or seeking out comments made by people who have proven themselves to be idiots, and that includes Rush Limbaugh and the leaders of the Westboro Baptist Church.
A book of advice I have suggests that to be happy, one should:
Figure out where you want to live and go live there.
Everything else will follow.
(Normal Is Just a Setting on the Dryer by Adair Lara)
I want to live in a place where the likes of Rush Limbaugh and the leaders of the Westboro Baptist Church do not exist, so I have moved there, by completely ignoring them. It's a really great place to live. Come join me!
Monday, August 18, 2014
Menu Plan -- August 19-25, 2014
Tuesday:
Split Pea Soup, Pretzel Rolls
Wednesday:
Patty Melts, Corn on the Cob, Green Salad
Thursday:
out to dinner
Friday:
Fried Rice, Fruited Jell-O
Saturday:
Chickpea Tacos, Fruited Jell-O
Sunday:
Crock-Pot Lemon Chicken over Egg Noodles, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Monday:
do-it-yourself dinner
Split Pea Soup, Pretzel Rolls
Wednesday:
Patty Melts, Corn on the Cob, Green Salad
Thursday:
out to dinner
Friday:
Fried Rice, Fruited Jell-O
Saturday:
Chickpea Tacos, Fruited Jell-O
Sunday:
Crock-Pot Lemon Chicken over Egg Noodles, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Monday:
do-it-yourself dinner
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Rambling Walks
I have started a new walking-for-exercise program. I found a walking program similar to the Couch-to-5K running program that was popular a while ago. It was very important to me that it be (1) a walking program and (2) time-based not distance-based.
As for the first requirement, there is no way I am ever going to run unless I am in danger and/or being chased, so I knew anything involved with running was just setting up for failure. But walking, I can do that.
And I need it to be time-based not distance-based because I know I can carve out 20 minutes three days a week to walk, but the idea of walking a mile is daunting. It's another setting-up-for-failure kind of thing. I have no intention of walking a 5K at the end of the 6-week program, but that's not a reason to not start. And this one program did have reasonable time-based targets that I know I can handle, even in really hot summer weather, though I may have to wake up early in the mornings to walk in the cool.
Last Sunday, I was setting out on my walk and I invited my dearest to come with me, especially since I was using the walk to run by the grocery to pick up a few things I needed for dinner that night. It was nice.
My new iPod has a walk/run tracking pedometer app[lication] and I've been using it to keep track of my walks, and listen to episodes of the Dragnet radio series while I'm walking. Dearest thinks it hilarious that the podcasts I listen to on my walks are interrupted by advertisements for Fatima Cigarettes, but I like the show and it's nice to walk to.
The walk tracker for the grocery run says our walk, including the time in the grocery store, took 29 minutes and covered approximately 1.18 miles (1.89 kilometers), which is not a bad total. Yes, I know I could be doing better, but that was only the second week of the walking program, and this is not about beating anyone anyway. It's about getting into a sustainable exercise program.
On the way back, dearest and I were talking about the way we walk when we are walking for exercise and not for a purpose (like to go to the store). I prefer to have a lap-circuit route, and am okay with making circles and figure-8 patterns, though I do not like to walk past the house if I can avoid it. Dearest prefers to walk on an out-and-back circuitous route, not walking home the same way he walked out. He also likes to judge his progress by distance rather than time.
We talked about the difference, because either way you look at it, distance and time are connected. And that's where we differ. I can see and understand what a 20-minute walk means. It means I'm walking for 20 minutes, and however far I walk in that 20 minutes is immaterial. I have no real concept of how long walking 1 mile would take me in actual time. I can't think of it that way. I know that Dragnet episodes are approximately 25 minutes long, and have a break roughly halfway and about 2 minutes before the end. This gives me a rough estimate of how long I've walked without me having to look at a clock. I understand and feel the concept of time much better than the concept of distance.
Not that any of this matters. The thing that matters is I'm out there walking for 20-25 minutes and I'm enjoying it. Though, I will say, with the walking tracker, I have noticed that on my purpose walks (as opposed to walks combined with errands) in just three weeks, I have been able to shave 5 minutes off the time required to do the 1.25 mile (2 kilometer) route I take. I'm not sure what I'll do when I shave more time off and it takes me less than 20 minutes…
As for the first requirement, there is no way I am ever going to run unless I am in danger and/or being chased, so I knew anything involved with running was just setting up for failure. But walking, I can do that.
And I need it to be time-based not distance-based because I know I can carve out 20 minutes three days a week to walk, but the idea of walking a mile is daunting. It's another setting-up-for-failure kind of thing. I have no intention of walking a 5K at the end of the 6-week program, but that's not a reason to not start. And this one program did have reasonable time-based targets that I know I can handle, even in really hot summer weather, though I may have to wake up early in the mornings to walk in the cool.
Last Sunday, I was setting out on my walk and I invited my dearest to come with me, especially since I was using the walk to run by the grocery to pick up a few things I needed for dinner that night. It was nice.
My new iPod has a walk/run tracking pedometer app[lication] and I've been using it to keep track of my walks, and listen to episodes of the Dragnet radio series while I'm walking. Dearest thinks it hilarious that the podcasts I listen to on my walks are interrupted by advertisements for Fatima Cigarettes, but I like the show and it's nice to walk to.
The walk tracker for the grocery run says our walk, including the time in the grocery store, took 29 minutes and covered approximately 1.18 miles (1.89 kilometers), which is not a bad total. Yes, I know I could be doing better, but that was only the second week of the walking program, and this is not about beating anyone anyway. It's about getting into a sustainable exercise program.
On the way back, dearest and I were talking about the way we walk when we are walking for exercise and not for a purpose (like to go to the store). I prefer to have a lap-circuit route, and am okay with making circles and figure-8 patterns, though I do not like to walk past the house if I can avoid it. Dearest prefers to walk on an out-and-back circuitous route, not walking home the same way he walked out. He also likes to judge his progress by distance rather than time.
We talked about the difference, because either way you look at it, distance and time are connected. And that's where we differ. I can see and understand what a 20-minute walk means. It means I'm walking for 20 minutes, and however far I walk in that 20 minutes is immaterial. I have no real concept of how long walking 1 mile would take me in actual time. I can't think of it that way. I know that Dragnet episodes are approximately 25 minutes long, and have a break roughly halfway and about 2 minutes before the end. This gives me a rough estimate of how long I've walked without me having to look at a clock. I understand and feel the concept of time much better than the concept of distance.
Not that any of this matters. The thing that matters is I'm out there walking for 20-25 minutes and I'm enjoying it. Though, I will say, with the walking tracker, I have noticed that on my purpose walks (as opposed to walks combined with errands) in just three weeks, I have been able to shave 5 minutes off the time required to do the 1.25 mile (2 kilometer) route I take. I'm not sure what I'll do when I shave more time off and it takes me less than 20 minutes…
Monday, August 11, 2014
Addressing the Address
Today's rant is brought to you by my college -- well, they don't know that, but they are definitely the (most recent) cause of the rant.
Not everyone lives in the United States!
My college/university has a new online community for its alumni and is asking all alumni to sign up and register with the new community. I am perfectly happy to do so. The only problem is that they are asking everyone to update their contact information, and as such a mailing address is required. I have no problem giving out my mailing address, how else will I get the alumni magazine and keep up with what's happening on campus, or hear about reunions and activities of my graduating class. My issue comes in with the fact that they address options only allow for people who live in the US, there is no option to select anything other than the United States from the drop down list under "Country" and no option other than US states and territories under "State." And a mailing address is required to complete registration with the new online community.
The university has been in operation since 1884. Surely I am not the only graduate ever to move overseas for any period of time. And in this world of Internet communication and shrinking worlds, it cannot be that hard to imagine that one graduate may be stationed or living overseas, even for a little while. I would have thought better of my university. I would have thought the Alumni Association considered that option. I would have thought someone would have put their hand up at the meeting and commented that there might be a graduate overseas and there might be a need to consider that.
I am already battling my high school alumni association over the very same issue. It cannot be that hard to imagine or that unheard of for a university that welcomes international students to have a graduate that might live outside the United States.
Please get with the times and create an option for me to register as an alumna without having to enter 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20500 as my address. Honestly!
Not everyone lives in the United States!
My college/university has a new online community for its alumni and is asking all alumni to sign up and register with the new community. I am perfectly happy to do so. The only problem is that they are asking everyone to update their contact information, and as such a mailing address is required. I have no problem giving out my mailing address, how else will I get the alumni magazine and keep up with what's happening on campus, or hear about reunions and activities of my graduating class. My issue comes in with the fact that they address options only allow for people who live in the US, there is no option to select anything other than the United States from the drop down list under "Country" and no option other than US states and territories under "State." And a mailing address is required to complete registration with the new online community.
The university has been in operation since 1884. Surely I am not the only graduate ever to move overseas for any period of time. And in this world of Internet communication and shrinking worlds, it cannot be that hard to imagine that one graduate may be stationed or living overseas, even for a little while. I would have thought better of my university. I would have thought the Alumni Association considered that option. I would have thought someone would have put their hand up at the meeting and commented that there might be a graduate overseas and there might be a need to consider that.
I am already battling my high school alumni association over the very same issue. It cannot be that hard to imagine or that unheard of for a university that welcomes international students to have a graduate that might live outside the United States.
Please get with the times and create an option for me to register as an alumna without having to enter 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20500 as my address. Honestly!
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Menu Plan -- August 12-18, 2014
Tuesday:
Black Bean Flautas with Salsa Verde, Tortilla Chips, Vanilla Pudding
Wednesday:
Cheesy Egg Wedges, Hot Biscuits, Vanilla Pudding
Thursday:
Ham & Pineapple Pizza
Friday:
out to dinner
Saturday:
out to dinner
Sunday:
Salisbury Steaks with Gravy, Rice, Green Beans, Cocoa Cookies
Monday:
do-it-yourself dinner
Black Bean Flautas with Salsa Verde, Tortilla Chips, Vanilla Pudding
Wednesday:
Cheesy Egg Wedges, Hot Biscuits, Vanilla Pudding
Thursday:
Ham & Pineapple Pizza
Friday:
out to dinner
Saturday:
out to dinner
Sunday:
Salisbury Steaks with Gravy, Rice, Green Beans, Cocoa Cookies
Monday:
do-it-yourself dinner
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Pretty Little Things
Today, as I was cleaning my house I was thinking about a comment one of my friends made on Facebook. She was noticing a trend toward ombré dyed handles on wooden utensils on her Pinterest pages. Her comment was "All the things do not have to be pretty."
Initially, I agreed with her. There is no real reason for wooden spoons to be ombré dyed. They will fulfill any stirring and serving functions just as well in its natural state.
But the more I thought about, the more I wondered, why not? Why can't all the things be pretty?
I know I would rather furnish my house with pretty things over plain, utilitarian things. And while I'm would not necessarily pick ombré-dyed wooden spoons, I am certainly going to pick the prettiest one I can find, if I have the option. All other things being equal, I'm picking the pretty things over the plain ones.
My friend is right, "All the things do not have to be pretty."
But there isn't a real reason for them not to be either.
Initially, I agreed with her. There is no real reason for wooden spoons to be ombré dyed. They will fulfill any stirring and serving functions just as well in its natural state.
But the more I thought about, the more I wondered, why not? Why can't all the things be pretty?
I know I would rather furnish my house with pretty things over plain, utilitarian things. And while I'm would not necessarily pick ombré-dyed wooden spoons, I am certainly going to pick the prettiest one I can find, if I have the option. All other things being equal, I'm picking the pretty things over the plain ones.
My friend is right, "All the things do not have to be pretty."
But there isn't a real reason for them not to be either.
Friday, August 8, 2014
Losing on Jeopardy!
For as long as I can remember, I have been watching the television game show, Jeopardy!. And for most of that time, I have been keeping score with my mother. We decided on our at-home rules when we first decided to keep our score. Our rules were:
When I moved to Australia, I had to give up my Jeopardy! games with my Mom, not only because I was on the other side of the world. The real reason I had to give them up was because Jeopardy! is not one of the American television shows that is imported to Australia for broadcast. I'm sure that has something to do with syndication rights, but I miss Jeopardy! almost more than anything else. I would be willing to pay for an iTunes subscription, but it's not offered as an option in any iTunes store I have searched.
Finally I managed to find a website that streams American television live and, if you fulfill the requirements, via a 4-hour DVR. This was perfect for me! I could stream my Jeopardy! and share it with my dearest -- an occasionally with my mother, at least my exceptional scores.
So dears and I started watching Jeopardy! and I returned to keeping score. I invited dearest to keep his score as well, and he does, on occasion. He uses the calculator on his computer, while I use a notebook that I mock-up with the amounts of the clues and tick the off the way I did on the score sheets with my mother. It's the difference between us. I'm low-tech for most things and he's much more of a high-tech kind of guy. Anyway, we have been keeping score since I found the streaming service online back in February.
Only recently, dearest suggested that we try a game or two, with penalties for wrong answers, to get a better idea of out actual score. I can see the point, I began penalizing myself for wrong answers. One of my biggest objections to the penalties for wrong answers was that it does not encourage attempting an answer, though my fears have so far been unfounded I really have not noticed myself changing the way I call out answers.
Before the change, I was averaging $27,400 per game. After the change I've been averaging $20,000 per game. Admittedly, I've been keeping score since mid-May, and it's only been since last Thursday that I have been deducting for wrong answers. And those games have been the Two-Day Final of the Teen Tournament and the Semi-Final games of the Teacher's Tournament. They are new games to me, so no re-runs have affected the outcome, though I find I always remember the wrong answers and never the right ones.
I think I'll keep going with the penalties to see if it really does make a significant difference to my average score, unless I'm playing with my mother, and then, it's anything that will help me win!
- In the Jeopardy and Double Jeopardy rounds, everyone could get the amount of the clue if they knew the answer and called it out before the time expired.
- Daily Double clues earned us the original amount of the clue, no betting.
- No penalty for wrong answers.
- In Final Jeopardy, there was a minimum bet of $100 and the answer had to be written down and submitted to the score keeper prior to the end of the Think! music.
When I moved to Australia, I had to give up my Jeopardy! games with my Mom, not only because I was on the other side of the world. The real reason I had to give them up was because Jeopardy! is not one of the American television shows that is imported to Australia for broadcast. I'm sure that has something to do with syndication rights, but I miss Jeopardy! almost more than anything else. I would be willing to pay for an iTunes subscription, but it's not offered as an option in any iTunes store I have searched.
Finally I managed to find a website that streams American television live and, if you fulfill the requirements, via a 4-hour DVR. This was perfect for me! I could stream my Jeopardy! and share it with my dearest -- an occasionally with my mother, at least my exceptional scores.
So dears and I started watching Jeopardy! and I returned to keeping score. I invited dearest to keep his score as well, and he does, on occasion. He uses the calculator on his computer, while I use a notebook that I mock-up with the amounts of the clues and tick the off the way I did on the score sheets with my mother. It's the difference between us. I'm low-tech for most things and he's much more of a high-tech kind of guy. Anyway, we have been keeping score since I found the streaming service online back in February.
Only recently, dearest suggested that we try a game or two, with penalties for wrong answers, to get a better idea of out actual score. I can see the point, I began penalizing myself for wrong answers. One of my biggest objections to the penalties for wrong answers was that it does not encourage attempting an answer, though my fears have so far been unfounded I really have not noticed myself changing the way I call out answers.
Before the change, I was averaging $27,400 per game. After the change I've been averaging $20,000 per game. Admittedly, I've been keeping score since mid-May, and it's only been since last Thursday that I have been deducting for wrong answers. And those games have been the Two-Day Final of the Teen Tournament and the Semi-Final games of the Teacher's Tournament. They are new games to me, so no re-runs have affected the outcome, though I find I always remember the wrong answers and never the right ones.
I think I'll keep going with the penalties to see if it really does make a significant difference to my average score, unless I'm playing with my mother, and then, it's anything that will help me win!
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Petting the People
For the past couple of days, we have been dog sitting my in-law's dog. She's a very good dog, housebroken, well-trained, and really well-behaved. And I've loved having another living creature in the house. I miss that. But, and this is where I am going to get controversial, after much consideration, I definitely prefer cats to dogs as household pets.
Don't get me wrong, there is something very special about being greeted by an exited, yippy, tail-wagging, jumping up-and-down dog when you come home, even if you've only been gone for a walk around the block. But still, I prefer cats -- even with the indifferent greetings upon returning home.
I love having an animal on, or near, my lap, but I miss the purr. I know, dogs wag their tails, but that's not the same as a purr. And licking is not the same as kneading. Overall I prefer the gentle, quiet nature of cats' affection to the boisterous, in-your-face-ness of dogs' exuberance.
Also, cats do not require getting up and dressed and going outside in the cold, grey rain of winter mornings. Though I will be the first to admit I complained often enough about managing litter boxes, so it's really a wash on that score as far as I can tell.
Yes, I am happy to have an animal sharing my space, but this particular animal, no matter how great a dog she is, reminds me that she is not a cat. And while it's not her fault, there are moments when I can't quite forgive her. Though, if she learns how to purr…
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Scrummy
Zealous sports fans and where: Peel Pub, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
On one of my visits to Montréal, we stopped for dinner at the Peel Pub. It was still early evening, so the pub-cum-sports bar had not filled just yet. We were escorted to a table just in front of the big screen, but didn't really think anything about that location. It was obvious we were not locals, if only because we did not speak French as easily as everyone else. (Aside: despite what I have heard from other people, I find Montréal to be less English-friendly than Ville Québec.) I am not sure if the hostess put us there because she knew we would not be interested in what she knew was going to happen, or just because she decided to torture the foreigners in a bit of good-natured inside-joke hostess-fun.
Not long after we ordered our meals, the big screen came on. Two things about sitting directly in front of one of those huge sports-bar tv screens: (1) the noise is not nearly as loud as I thought it would be because the speakers are not on the screen as they are on tv's; and (2) those things generate an immense amount of heat! It was a chilly autumn evening, so we had light jackets on, but very quickly after the big screen came on we all had to take our jackets off, and I was really wishing I had another layer I could take off and still be decent.
But anyway, the bar filled up and the big screen came on. I was sitting with my back to the screen, so I could not see without turning completely around. And when I did, I found a France vs. New Zealand rugby game on. I knew very little about the game then (and still know very little about it), and while I understand French, it's not really the best idea to try and figure out what's happening during an unfamiliar game while trying to hear announcers speaking a foreign language in a crowded sports bar. I could tell when something good happened for France because the crowd would cheer. I could tell when something bad happened to France because the crowd would boo, with more than a few curse words mixed in -- which for some reason were predominately in languages other than French!
I'm not sure I would have truly described them as zealous, and never felt unsafe in the crowd, but it was certainly the largest bunch of sports fans I ever encountered on vacation. Well, until I saw Simon & Garfunkel in Melbourne on the same night an Australian Rules Football game was being contested next door, but that's a story for another time.
Just in case you were wondering, yes, we politely waited until a commercial break to leave so we would not block the view of the game for any of the, increasingly inebriated fans by getting up and waking in front of the screen.
On one of my visits to Montréal, we stopped for dinner at the Peel Pub. It was still early evening, so the pub-cum-sports bar had not filled just yet. We were escorted to a table just in front of the big screen, but didn't really think anything about that location. It was obvious we were not locals, if only because we did not speak French as easily as everyone else. (Aside: despite what I have heard from other people, I find Montréal to be less English-friendly than Ville Québec.) I am not sure if the hostess put us there because she knew we would not be interested in what she knew was going to happen, or just because she decided to torture the foreigners in a bit of good-natured inside-joke hostess-fun.
Not long after we ordered our meals, the big screen came on. Two things about sitting directly in front of one of those huge sports-bar tv screens: (1) the noise is not nearly as loud as I thought it would be because the speakers are not on the screen as they are on tv's; and (2) those things generate an immense amount of heat! It was a chilly autumn evening, so we had light jackets on, but very quickly after the big screen came on we all had to take our jackets off, and I was really wishing I had another layer I could take off and still be decent.
But anyway, the bar filled up and the big screen came on. I was sitting with my back to the screen, so I could not see without turning completely around. And when I did, I found a France vs. New Zealand rugby game on. I knew very little about the game then (and still know very little about it), and while I understand French, it's not really the best idea to try and figure out what's happening during an unfamiliar game while trying to hear announcers speaking a foreign language in a crowded sports bar. I could tell when something good happened for France because the crowd would cheer. I could tell when something bad happened to France because the crowd would boo, with more than a few curse words mixed in -- which for some reason were predominately in languages other than French!
I'm not sure I would have truly described them as zealous, and never felt unsafe in the crowd, but it was certainly the largest bunch of sports fans I ever encountered on vacation. Well, until I saw Simon & Garfunkel in Melbourne on the same night an Australian Rules Football game was being contested next door, but that's a story for another time.
Just in case you were wondering, yes, we politely waited until a commercial break to leave so we would not block the view of the game for any of the, increasingly inebriated fans by getting up and waking in front of the screen.
Present-ing the Past
Today I was watching a re-run of the Jeopardy! Teachers Tournament. During the break in the Jeopardy round, Alex asked one of the contestants about his unorthodox teaching of history. The contestant said he made a decision to revise the order in which he taught the required elements, not in the traditional past-to-present order, but instead in reverse order present-to-past. When queried about it, he explained he felt it was far more important that students know and understand what's going on now than it is to know and understand the War of 1812. He said he teaches history with the question "How did we get here?" taking precedence over "Where are we going?"
I've spent much of the day pondering this idea. Even when I was in history classes in school, I felt we teach history wrong. World events do not happen in a vacuum. One even influences the next. The repercussions of World War I are still being felt and tackled, even 100 years later. And that is only (relatively) recent history. Everything else is interconnected as well. The American Revolution influenced the French Revolution, which in turn set up the rise of Napoleon, an era which flowed into the Crimean War.
History should not be taught as isolated events, because it is not. Yes, it is important to know that William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, and the Magna Carta was signed in 1215, but those events are not isolated in terms of the overall history of the world. Yes, Columbus sailed to the new World in 1492, in a (failed) effort to find a faster route to the East Indies, but that was not the end of the impact of that misguided exploration. Nothing in history is isolated. It may seem isolated at the time, but in the clarity of hindsight, it is easy to see that it is not.
I have always felt we needed to teach history not as a timeline for France, a separate timeline for Germany, another for the Holy Roman Empire, still another for England and the Commonwealth, and yet another for the United States of America, and on and on. I have always felt it was a much better idea to teach history as a continuum -- detailing what was happening all over during the period in question. While I could answer the question that the state of Virginia was named such in honor of Queen Elizabeth I, I was in college before I connected that it was named in her honor because it was settled during her reign. Maybe that was me not connecting the dots, but I can't help but think some of that was also the way history was taught.
I am not sure the Jeopardy! contestant's idea of reversing the timeline is the answer, because it is important to learn history, so we can learn from it. But at the same time, starting at the "end" of the story does make it easier to pick out the important bit when they happen.
Yes, teaching history needs an overhaul. It needs to be re-thought and re-examined, not only so we can be sure our students know the facts, but so we can be sure they know what the facts mean. We need to be sure students (of all ages) learn not only the story of history, but the lessons as well.
I've spent much of the day pondering this idea. Even when I was in history classes in school, I felt we teach history wrong. World events do not happen in a vacuum. One even influences the next. The repercussions of World War I are still being felt and tackled, even 100 years later. And that is only (relatively) recent history. Everything else is interconnected as well. The American Revolution influenced the French Revolution, which in turn set up the rise of Napoleon, an era which flowed into the Crimean War.
History should not be taught as isolated events, because it is not. Yes, it is important to know that William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, and the Magna Carta was signed in 1215, but those events are not isolated in terms of the overall history of the world. Yes, Columbus sailed to the new World in 1492, in a (failed) effort to find a faster route to the East Indies, but that was not the end of the impact of that misguided exploration. Nothing in history is isolated. It may seem isolated at the time, but in the clarity of hindsight, it is easy to see that it is not.
I have always felt we needed to teach history not as a timeline for France, a separate timeline for Germany, another for the Holy Roman Empire, still another for England and the Commonwealth, and yet another for the United States of America, and on and on. I have always felt it was a much better idea to teach history as a continuum -- detailing what was happening all over during the period in question. While I could answer the question that the state of Virginia was named such in honor of Queen Elizabeth I, I was in college before I connected that it was named in her honor because it was settled during her reign. Maybe that was me not connecting the dots, but I can't help but think some of that was also the way history was taught.
I am not sure the Jeopardy! contestant's idea of reversing the timeline is the answer, because it is important to learn history, so we can learn from it. But at the same time, starting at the "end" of the story does make it easier to pick out the important bit when they happen.
Yes, teaching history needs an overhaul. It needs to be re-thought and re-examined, not only so we can be sure our students know the facts, but so we can be sure they know what the facts mean. We need to be sure students (of all ages) learn not only the story of history, but the lessons as well.
Monday, August 4, 2014
Forty-Seven and One-Half Percent of My Life
Years spent traveling: Nineteen
Well, in some form or another, we are all traveling from birth. And I routinely went to my grandmother's house in the summer. Some of those summers, we took either day-trips or slightly longer trips -- one was to Mansfield, Missouri to see the Little House museum there. I still have my Charlotte doll and the copies of The Long Winter and These Happy Golden Years I got on that trip. I am so sorry I lost the sunbonnet along the way, because it would really be perfect (if a bit quirky) for my walks to the grocery.
But as far as leisure travel, with the destinations chosen by me and paid for with my own money, it's been since 1995 when I went with my best friend to Washington, DC to celebrate graduating from college. It was a great trip and one day I'm going to go back. And when I do, I WILL see the White House. Yes, I know it's touristy, but as I've said before, I'm a tourist. Besides, when I went to DC on CloseUp in high school, we were supposed to tour the White House but the First Gulf War broke out and between that and a snowstorm, everything closed. Then on the trip after college, my friend had already seen the White House, so we decided to skip it. It's the one thing in DC I have not done and I still want to!
Anyway, leisure travel has really only been in the past 19 years. I think I've packed a lot of seeing in those years -- 3 continents, 12 cruises, 4 big land tours, and I've lost count of the long-weekend-type trips around the US. I admit I've missed a good number of popular destinations, but I've been to unusual ones. I've been to France, but not that France, and I love being able to say that! (We went to Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon on a cruise, and it is France, though in all honesty it's more Canada than France. I understand from locals that France tends to forget it's there and part of the country.)
Leisure travel is only worthwhile if the traveller enjoys it. Life is not a competition. There are no prizes for racking up the most entry stamps in your passport. Each trip, no matter where or how long, should provide memories for a lifetime. Each trip is special. And each trip is memorable, even if it includes nothing but touristy attractions. See what you want to see of the world, not what guidebooks or other people tell you you need to see. Stand on the Jordan Staircase because you want to, not simply to tick off an experience box. Collect the experiences you want. That's what I do. And why the next time I'm in DC I am going to the White House, with or without my traveling companions!
Well, in some form or another, we are all traveling from birth. And I routinely went to my grandmother's house in the summer. Some of those summers, we took either day-trips or slightly longer trips -- one was to Mansfield, Missouri to see the Little House museum there. I still have my Charlotte doll and the copies of The Long Winter and These Happy Golden Years I got on that trip. I am so sorry I lost the sunbonnet along the way, because it would really be perfect (if a bit quirky) for my walks to the grocery.
But as far as leisure travel, with the destinations chosen by me and paid for with my own money, it's been since 1995 when I went with my best friend to Washington, DC to celebrate graduating from college. It was a great trip and one day I'm going to go back. And when I do, I WILL see the White House. Yes, I know it's touristy, but as I've said before, I'm a tourist. Besides, when I went to DC on CloseUp in high school, we were supposed to tour the White House but the First Gulf War broke out and between that and a snowstorm, everything closed. Then on the trip after college, my friend had already seen the White House, so we decided to skip it. It's the one thing in DC I have not done and I still want to!
Anyway, leisure travel has really only been in the past 19 years. I think I've packed a lot of seeing in those years -- 3 continents, 12 cruises, 4 big land tours, and I've lost count of the long-weekend-type trips around the US. I admit I've missed a good number of popular destinations, but I've been to unusual ones. I've been to France, but not that France, and I love being able to say that! (We went to Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon on a cruise, and it is France, though in all honesty it's more Canada than France. I understand from locals that France tends to forget it's there and part of the country.)
Leisure travel is only worthwhile if the traveller enjoys it. Life is not a competition. There are no prizes for racking up the most entry stamps in your passport. Each trip, no matter where or how long, should provide memories for a lifetime. Each trip is special. And each trip is memorable, even if it includes nothing but touristy attractions. See what you want to see of the world, not what guidebooks or other people tell you you need to see. Stand on the Jordan Staircase because you want to, not simply to tick off an experience box. Collect the experiences you want. That's what I do. And why the next time I'm in DC I am going to the White House, with or without my traveling companions!
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Menu Plan -- August 5-11, 2014
Tuesday:
Three Cheese Calzones, Green Salad
Wednesday:
Whiskey Marmalade Chicken, Jasmine Rice, Carrots
Thursday:
Black Bean Flautas with Salsa Verde, Tortilla Chips, Vanilla Pudding
Friday:
Savory French Toast, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Vanilla Pudding
Saturday:
Parmesan-Crusted Turkey, Pasta Alfredo, Baked Chicken
Sunday:
Baked Spaghetti, Pesto Soda Bread, Black Forest Pudding Cake
Monday:
do-it-yourself dinner
Three Cheese Calzones, Green Salad
Wednesday:
Whiskey Marmalade Chicken, Jasmine Rice, Carrots
Thursday:
Black Bean Flautas with Salsa Verde, Tortilla Chips, Vanilla Pudding
Friday:
Savory French Toast, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Vanilla Pudding
Saturday:
Parmesan-Crusted Turkey, Pasta Alfredo, Baked Chicken
Sunday:
Baked Spaghetti, Pesto Soda Bread, Black Forest Pudding Cake
Monday:
do-it-yourself dinner
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Testing the Technique
MasterChef Australia has finished for 2014. I really do not know why I got caught up in it. Those kind of shows only aggravate me. But for whatever reason I did and I was, unsurprisingly, not happy with the result. I am pretty sure the show is rigged for ratings and not necessarily to pick the best amateur cook from the pool of applicants. It is television, after all.
I've discussed my feelings about various parts and challenges from the show before. Hint, I really have nothing to good to say about them. Tonight as I was turning leftover Spanish rice into something different for dinner, I got to thinking about actual challenges for amateur cooks. I know there is a difference between being a home cook and being a restaurant chef, but the basic skills are the same. And to be successful at either, you need to contend with the same ingredients. Kitchen chemistry is the same no matter where you are cooking. Eggs are tricky to time and cook well weather you're in a professional kitchen or a home kitchen. Fresh pineapple will prevent gelatin from setting in your home kitchen exactly the same way it will in a professional one. Basics are basics no matter where the ingredients are coming together.
It's wonderful that cooking competition shows are showcases fancy foods and complicated techniques, but somewhere along the way, producers decided that the basics are unnecessary. It's wonderful that the chef-testants can turn beets into gelled blobs resembling cherries, but if they don't understand how or why the technique works, how can they use the same technique to turn turnips into peaches?
Somewhere along the way, these competition shows really need a back to basics challenge. Take basic ingredients and turn out something good and honest, even if that is nothing more than muffins and fried eggs. It's a basic technique. Knowing how to make a basic muffin means you know how and why a muffin is a muffin and not French bread rolls or a cake. This is equally as important as knowing how to make truffle purée, and a lot more practical for the dinner that needs to be put on the table.
I was thinking about basics as I was making dinner. The Spanish rice was originally used for rice & bean tostadas, but I was out of tortillas so I could not serve it again that way. That meant I had to do something with it, using only things I had on hand. In the end, I added a drained can of tomatoes to the rice, and then using the juice from tomatoes, I made am enchilada-style sauce to bind it all together and baked the mixture as a casserole with some cheese sprinkled on top. It was this sauce that really made me think more and more about a basics challenge for cooking competition shows.
One of the best, and frankly, easiest, things to make in a kitchen is a roux-based sauce -- cream sauces or gravies. Once you master the technique and proportions, you have literally hundreds of options on what to do with the result. From béchamel to velouté, from sausage gravy to enchilada sauce the roux-based sauces are the base for many things. In and of themselves, they are not difficult, but they can be a bit finicky, especially if you care not careful to incorporate the liquids well. That is one of the points where it can all go wrong, leaving you with a bunch of lumps of flour in a thin, watery sauce. But if you're careful it can be a smooth, flavorful, fantastic thing! And you can turn leftovers into something truly special.
Roux-based sauces are certifiable kitchen magic. And they are basic: one tablespoon of flour, one tablespoon of fat, and one cup liquid will produce a really great sauce, and the base for literally hundreds of dishes. I think that the chef-testants on shows need to demonstrate an understanding of the basics, and really, being able to make a good béchamel sauce is far more useful than being able to create cherries from beet juice! Besides, I am pretty sure you have not earned the title Chef until you have demonstrated a mastery of basic sauces.
I've discussed my feelings about various parts and challenges from the show before. Hint, I really have nothing to good to say about them. Tonight as I was turning leftover Spanish rice into something different for dinner, I got to thinking about actual challenges for amateur cooks. I know there is a difference between being a home cook and being a restaurant chef, but the basic skills are the same. And to be successful at either, you need to contend with the same ingredients. Kitchen chemistry is the same no matter where you are cooking. Eggs are tricky to time and cook well weather you're in a professional kitchen or a home kitchen. Fresh pineapple will prevent gelatin from setting in your home kitchen exactly the same way it will in a professional one. Basics are basics no matter where the ingredients are coming together.
It's wonderful that cooking competition shows are showcases fancy foods and complicated techniques, but somewhere along the way, producers decided that the basics are unnecessary. It's wonderful that the chef-testants can turn beets into gelled blobs resembling cherries, but if they don't understand how or why the technique works, how can they use the same technique to turn turnips into peaches?
Somewhere along the way, these competition shows really need a back to basics challenge. Take basic ingredients and turn out something good and honest, even if that is nothing more than muffins and fried eggs. It's a basic technique. Knowing how to make a basic muffin means you know how and why a muffin is a muffin and not French bread rolls or a cake. This is equally as important as knowing how to make truffle purée, and a lot more practical for the dinner that needs to be put on the table.
I was thinking about basics as I was making dinner. The Spanish rice was originally used for rice & bean tostadas, but I was out of tortillas so I could not serve it again that way. That meant I had to do something with it, using only things I had on hand. In the end, I added a drained can of tomatoes to the rice, and then using the juice from tomatoes, I made am enchilada-style sauce to bind it all together and baked the mixture as a casserole with some cheese sprinkled on top. It was this sauce that really made me think more and more about a basics challenge for cooking competition shows.
One of the best, and frankly, easiest, things to make in a kitchen is a roux-based sauce -- cream sauces or gravies. Once you master the technique and proportions, you have literally hundreds of options on what to do with the result. From béchamel to velouté, from sausage gravy to enchilada sauce the roux-based sauces are the base for many things. In and of themselves, they are not difficult, but they can be a bit finicky, especially if you care not careful to incorporate the liquids well. That is one of the points where it can all go wrong, leaving you with a bunch of lumps of flour in a thin, watery sauce. But if you're careful it can be a smooth, flavorful, fantastic thing! And you can turn leftovers into something truly special.
Roux-based sauces are certifiable kitchen magic. And they are basic: one tablespoon of flour, one tablespoon of fat, and one cup liquid will produce a really great sauce, and the base for literally hundreds of dishes. I think that the chef-testants on shows need to demonstrate an understanding of the basics, and really, being able to make a good béchamel sauce is far more useful than being able to create cherries from beet juice! Besides, I am pretty sure you have not earned the title Chef until you have demonstrated a mastery of basic sauces.
Friday, August 1, 2014
Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away
eXcellent view and from where: open deck on a ship
I've mentioned enough in these that my favorite views while traveling are from the open decks of whatever cruise ship I happen to be on at the time. My preference is for a ship sailing in the Saguenay Fjord, but I'll take just about anything short of the five days at sea from San Diego to Hawaii. There was a surprising lack of scenery on the majority of that 16 day cruise!
I love to be on deck looking at whatever I can see, even if what I can see is a working, commercial port. Something about being on vacation makes even the dullness of a commercial port pretty. Besides the comings and goings are interesting. My first few cruises were from commercial docks, not purpose-built cruise ship terminals. In many ways, I kind of prefer those to the cruise ship terminals, but I can see the advantages to the terminals, if only for the readily available and reasonably clean facilities.
I particularly like to be on deck during sail-away, so I can watch as the ship pushes away from the dock. I like to be out well before sail-away too, so I can watch the ship and dock workers prepping the ship to leave. I always like to see the guy whose job it is to collect the rat baffles. (Aside: do they really baffle the rats? I would think most rats are smart enough to figure out how to circumvent the trash can lids with a V-notch cut in them, but who am I to speak for most rats?) I like to watch as the last straggling passengers running down the pier, and there are always stragglers, no matter how many times the cruise director reminds us of the all-aboard time. I like to watch the gang-way pulled up and stowed. I like to watch the dock workers unhooking the lines from the bollards and the ship reeling them in again. When the ship starts the thrusters and the water is churned up and the birds come, that's one of my favorite times of any cruise.
I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but sail-away is always an interesting show, and one of the best views on the cruise. And if it happens at sunset at a particularly scenic port, all the better. It really is one excellent view.
I've mentioned enough in these that my favorite views while traveling are from the open decks of whatever cruise ship I happen to be on at the time. My preference is for a ship sailing in the Saguenay Fjord, but I'll take just about anything short of the five days at sea from San Diego to Hawaii. There was a surprising lack of scenery on the majority of that 16 day cruise!
I love to be on deck looking at whatever I can see, even if what I can see is a working, commercial port. Something about being on vacation makes even the dullness of a commercial port pretty. Besides the comings and goings are interesting. My first few cruises were from commercial docks, not purpose-built cruise ship terminals. In many ways, I kind of prefer those to the cruise ship terminals, but I can see the advantages to the terminals, if only for the readily available and reasonably clean facilities.
I particularly like to be on deck during sail-away, so I can watch as the ship pushes away from the dock. I like to be out well before sail-away too, so I can watch the ship and dock workers prepping the ship to leave. I always like to see the guy whose job it is to collect the rat baffles. (Aside: do they really baffle the rats? I would think most rats are smart enough to figure out how to circumvent the trash can lids with a V-notch cut in them, but who am I to speak for most rats?) I like to watch as the last straggling passengers running down the pier, and there are always stragglers, no matter how many times the cruise director reminds us of the all-aboard time. I like to watch the gang-way pulled up and stowed. I like to watch the dock workers unhooking the lines from the bollards and the ship reeling them in again. When the ship starts the thrusters and the water is churned up and the birds come, that's one of my favorite times of any cruise.
I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but sail-away is always an interesting show, and one of the best views on the cruise. And if it happens at sunset at a particularly scenic port, all the better. It really is one excellent view.
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