books of the year - 2009

The Financial Times list of books of the year is out.

Man, they sure can make every work of fiction sound amazing. Also, if you are 20 months old and need a new book, there is a Children's section as well.

joshua tree

Through wind storms, cold fronts, hail storms, rain storms and even a mild snow storm we survived. The high points were hiking up Ryan's mountain (no pun intended) and night photography. I haven't downloaded all the photos yet but here are a few that I did download.
[Sorry if a couple of the pics look blown out. They looked a lot better before I uploaded them.]





1) rain's coming
2) painted desert
3) i call this winter tree
4) dinosaur rock
5) skull rock
6) orion
7) interstellar space travel

turkey day

Happy Turkey Day to you and yours.
We will be out of commission from now until Monday.

As for me, I will be out of cell phone range as well.
I'll be settin' around staring at these:

I hope my favorite college football team can manage to eek out a win without my buoyant fandom around to "help."

Happy T-Day!

I am so excited that Thanksgiving is almost here! I am starting my baking today and getting all ready and packed so we can head up to my family's house tomorrow to enjoy the day, the company and the food. This year I am bringing green bean casserole (from scratch - no canned soup nonsense), which I make every year and this new stuffing recipe which I have been dreaming about ever since I first spied the recipe on Food52. I am also going to try and make some cinnamon rolls which were a tradition of my Grandma's to enjoy with dinner or the next morning with leftovers. I am so excited to eat myself silly with creamed corn, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and of course the pie! I hope everyone has a very Happy Turkey or Tofurkey Day! I will be back to posting on Monday.

creamed corn

2 Tbsp butter
1 Cup chopped onions
1 Tbsp flour
2 ½ Cups half and half
2 (16 ounce) packages frozen yellow corn, thawed and well drained
     Sub 4-5 Ears of Corn
2 Tbsp diced green Anaheim or Jalapeno chiles
Seasoned salt and Cayenne pepper to taste
1 Tbsp sugar
2/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Shaved Gruyere cheese pieces for top

NOTE: I prefer to add a LOT more gruyere. So you can sub some gruyere for parmesan.

In a large skillet or saucepan, heat butter until melted. Add onions and saute over high heat until soft, about 2 to 3 mins. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, 1 min. Gradually whisk in half and half. Heat to boiling over medium high heat, whisking often, until thickened. Stir in well drained corn and chiles and bring back to boiling. Stir in seasoned salt, cayenne pepper, sugar and 1/3 cup parmesan cheese.

Transfer to a shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and top with Gruyere cheese pieces. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven 10 to 15 min. to melt cheese and until top is golden. Garnish with jalapeno chile slices.

***By the way, this is our 100th post. Thanks for reading.

grandma a's house

1. gnarly bougainvillea trunk
2. plumeria
3. behind the garage
4. rock garden
5. backyard
6. snack time
7. kitchen
8. flower arranging
9. spare bedroom
10. bedroom altar
11. garden statue
12. tv room
13. gramp's space
14. gram's room
15. front room
16. closing the blinds
17. garage
18. front yard flower beds
19. sitting on the porch
20. patio
21. clothesline against a charged sky

crock pot jambalaya

Busy week for recipes. More to come later in the week. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breasts or tenders, boneless, cut in 1-inch cubes
8 to 12 ounces smoked sausage, sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons dried leaf oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound shrimp, cooked
2 cups raw rice, cooked

Preparation:
Combine chicken, sausage, chopped bell pepper, and chopped onion in slow cooker. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, wine, oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, and pepper; stir gently. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. About 30 to 45 minutes before eating, add cooked shrimp and hot cooked rice; heat thoroughly.
Serves 8.

NOTE: This makes a TON of food. So be careful if you have a smaller size crock pot. You may need to skimp on the rice.

Dear Ladies,

Dear Ladies,

This is madness. Please stop it.

Sincerely,

Me

Have a Great Weekend!

Have a Great Weekend! I hope you are able to enjoy a sunset or two.

Littlest Dandy

Meet Arlo Weiner.

I read about this stylish little Fop quite awhile ago but it seems that he is the hot new thing since I have been seeing him everywhere these days. If you are in need of a little wardrobe inspiration, then Arlo might just be your man.

new bike rack at work

Seriously, this new rack is life changing. I am getting all verklempt just looking at these pictures. Thank you Velo Orange.

Northwoods Inn Red Cabbage

½ Head of Red Cabbage
½ Cup Oil
½ Cup plus 2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
3 Tbsp Sugar
4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Seasoned Salt
¼ tsp Black Pepper
¼ tsp Onion Powder

Shred cabbage (cut into various sized pieces). Put in bowl. Add oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, seasoned, salt, pepper and onion powder. Mix well. Let sit for 6-8 hours.

Use Reality But Get Out Of It

Very interesting interview with Agnes Varda here.

Girl Power

Since having a daughter, I have found myself much more contemplative on the experience of being a girl and what this experience will be like for my daughter as she grows. I am currently reading, The Curse of the Good Girl: Raising Authentic Girls with Courage and Confidence by Rachel Simmons. I'm only a few chapters in, but it is very interesting and certainly makes me think about my own experience and how I can help with the little bird's. I used to be kinda turned off by the "girl power" mentality. I mean, I like girls and am a feminist but the whole Spice Girls, "Girl Power", thing just irked and embarrassed me and I rejected it. But I know that says a lot about me and how I perceived things and not everyone has to go around "wooo-hooing" or screaming "Girl Power!" to feel confident and secure and satisfied. I have come to fully embrace the idea of Girl Power and certainly wish it for my daughter and for her generation. There are still many uphill battles for women. Just imagine how much we could accomplish if we banded together to encourage and support one another. I do hope that A.O.K will feel pride and courage and confidence in being her authentic self, whatever and whoever that may be.

So I am learning new things about my daughter, about myself, about women and about human beings in general. You may or may not be interested in any of this but if you are, here are a few links for you:

This is the interview I heard on KPBS with Rachel Simmons which prompted me to read her book. She was very impressive. And here is the book.

I read this blog for the first time and I enjoyed this particular post. Kinda summed up how I feel and my own hopes for A.O.K.

I'm Going to Get Naked In a Minute, So Watch Out!

"This is the best thing to wear for today, you understand. Because I don't like women in skirts and the best thing is to wear pantyhose or some pants under a short skirt, I think. Then you have the pants under the skirt and then you can pull the stockings up over the pants underneath the skirt. And you can always take off the skirt and use it as a cape. So I think this is the best costume for today. "

Apparently, Anita felt this was the best costume for today:

This is how I found her when I went to get her up from her nap. Pajama pants...now on head.

Little Edie would be proud, I think.

Newest and Foodiest

I have a list of websites that I read everyday. It's almost like my internet to-do list. In fact, if I go on the computer I feel like I "have" to check these sites before I look at anything new. Weird. Anyway, here is the newest website I have added to my daily list. This list is getting quite long.

I made the Spicy Shrimp last week and it was a huge success. T. barely took one bite before saying "oh man, definitely make this again." And it was so incredibly easy. Can't wait to try other recipes, including the cookies above.

Can I be Amanda Hesser when I grow up?

i am not sure of many things.

"With cash in your pockets you are wise and good looking and can sing." - Yiddish proverb.

On what level do we connect, you and I? Do we share interests? Do we use each other to better ourselves? Or, do we commiserate over our shared flaws? How did we come to be acquainted at all?
And, what are our expectations of each other? Why do we expect such? These questions are all related and important. To know the answers to these questions is to have a high emotional intelligence. And, if I am to believe what I have been taught in Business 40013, a high emotional intelligence can pave the way for many successful business and personal relationships.

One key part of the equation is trust. If I trust you then I most likely expect more from you and from myself. Another part, assuredly, is perception. The way we perceive and are perceived has so much to do with the way we interact. So yes, with more money or more confidence we find the world much easier to conquer with our wits and our talents.

Of course, we cannot overlook luck in all of this. In each friendship, wasn't there some luck in our getting to know each other. But what is the other part of this social equation? What mysterious dark matter fills the gaps? Some may call it spark. It can cause us to fall in love or be best friends or just merely acquaintances. It cannot be controlled or understood, but we should all be aware of its existence. But what value do we place on luck and spark?

Gee whiz. I analyze, re-analyze, over-analyze, self-analyze, cross-analyze and pre-analyze. It's a marathon race around a high school track. It's a lot of work with no reward and sometimes you never get anywhere at all. Notice, there are more questions in this post than there are ideas. And, this is as exhausting to write as it is for you to read. But sometimes in this world, sometimes you take a long walk down a dark alley towards an unknown destination. You go there not to be right or be happy. You go there because you have never been and at the moment that just sounds nice. You've got cash in your pockets and you're good at traveling.

Hat tip to alw for the Yiddish quote and for also allowing me to quote her for the title of this post. Thanks.

in the country . . .

Dock went back to his old stuff, which included sinkers and sliders but relied on the fastball and on location. He went back to winning. "Everything down and away," he remembers, like all of us who forget from time to time the most important things we have learned in our lifetimes. "Everything down and away - how can you lose?" *

Emphasis mine.

This is like a great horoscope or fortune from a fortune cookie. Have you forgotten the important lessons in your life? Take time to check your life lesson inventory.

Dock's face beams as he cries: "Continuous recovery! I'll be recovering until I die!" All teaching is transference to an admired example. *

Substitute 'growth' or 'learning' for 'recovery'/'recovering' and you have yourself a mantra. Continuous growth! I'll be learning until I die!

* Excerpts from In The Country of Baseball by Donald Hall with Dock Ellis (shown above wearing curlers while warming up for a baseball game).

UPDATE: Dock Ellis was most famous for pitching a no-hitter while on acid. Care to see what that was like?
Hat tip to Jon Weisman at the LA Times for the video.
And a hat tip to James Blagden for making the video. Kudos.

An Eater's Guide

Avoiding Factory Farm Foods: An Eater's Guide. Written by a vegetarian who married a cattle rancher.

gunga din

Gunga Din, a poem by Rudyard Kipling.
It was made into a great feature length film; one that I saw many times as a child. I think of my dad when I think of the movie. He loves it and first showed it to me.
The bugle is so clear in my memory and, naturally, I think of my sister. There once was a motivational audio tape that my father's company used to inspire a 'never give up' attitude in the employees. It was an unintentionally humorous account of the story of Gunga Din. Over the rumble of charging horses, Gunga Din heroically sounds the alarm until his last breath is spent, thus saving the British army and aiding in their conquest of the Thugs. Why so humorous? On the tape, Gunga Din is shot dozens of times and still keeps trying to play that damn bugle. Near the end, each note sounds like the call of some sort of prehistoric animal. We must have listened to that cassette 50 times the day my dad first brought it home. To us, it was absolutely hilarious. Days later when we played it for my grandparents in their backyard, my sister laughed so hard that she fell from the bench on which she had been standing, hitting her head on the concrete patio. But she kept right on laughing. Minutes afterward, once we were satisfied that she was ok, we came to realize that the cassette was still playing in the background with good old Gunga Din trying to belt out just one more cautionary note before he perished. And we laughed some more.

On another occasion, I acted out the parts of the Gunga Din audio cassette for guests of my parents. It was probably a bit obnoxious to have to watch a five year old boy dressed in his Mickey Mouse pajamas act out a redundant story like that. Getting shot and falling down some 30 times. I imagine at some point they were hoping the bullets would start coming in for real. I would have.

This poem came to mind back in January when my grandfather passed away. Though I didn't know it by heart, I had seen the film often enough to remember the last few lines. I wished above all other wishes that I could write something with emotion that spoke to my grandfather's greatness as the last few lines of this poem speak to Gunga Din's. Someday I hope to still.

You may talk o' gin and beer
When you're quartered safe out 'ere,
An' you're sent to penny-fights an' Aldershot it;
But when it comes to slaughter
You will do your work on water,
An' you'll lick the bloomin' boots of 'im that's got it.
Now in Injia's sunny clime,
Where I used to spend my time
A-servin' of 'Er Majesty the Queen,
Of all them blackfaced crew
The finest man I knew
Was our regimental bhisti, Gunga Din.
He was "Din! Din! Din!
You limpin' lump o' brick-dust, Gunga Din!
Hi! slippery hitherao!
Water, get it! Panee lao!
You squidgy-nosed old idol, Gunga Din."

The uniform 'e wore
Was nothin' much before,
An' rather less than 'arf o' that be'ind,
For a piece o' twisty rag
An' a goatskin water-bag
Was all the field-equipment 'e could find.
When the sweatin' troop-train lay
In a sidin' through the day,
Where the 'eat would make your bloomin' eyebrows crawl,
We shouted "Harry By!"
Till our throats were bricky-dry,
Then we wopped 'im 'cause 'e couldn't serve us all.
It was "Din! Din! Din!
You 'eathen, where the mischief 'ave you been?
You put some juldee in it
Or I'll marrow you this minute
If you don't fill up my helmet, Gunga Din!"

'E would dot an' carry one
Till the longest day was done;
An' 'e didn't seem to know the use o' fear.
If we charged or broke or cut,
You could bet your bloomin' nut,
'E'd be waitin' fifty paces right flank rear.
With 'is mussick on 'is back,
'E would skip with our attack,
An' watch us till the bugles made "Retire",
An' for all 'is dirty 'ide
'E was white, clear white, inside
When 'e went to tend the wounded under fire!
It was "Din! Din! Din!"
With the bullets kickin' dust-spots on the green.
When the cartridges ran out,
You could hear the front-files shout,
"Hi! ammunition-mules an' Gunga Din!"

I shan't forgit the night
When I dropped be'ind the fight
With a bullet where my belt-plate should 'a' been.
I was chokin' mad with thirst,
An' the man that spied me first
Was our good old grinnin', gruntin' Gunga Din.
'E lifted up my 'ead,
An' he plugged me where I bled,
An' 'e guv me 'arf-a-pint o' water-green:
It was crawlin' and it stunk,
But of all the drinks I've drunk,
I'm gratefullest to one from Gunga Din.
It was "Din! Din! Din!
'Ere's a beggar with a bullet through 'is spleen;
'E's chawin' up the ground,
An' 'e's kickin' all around:
For Gawd's sake git the water, Gunga Din!"

'E carried me away
To where a dooli lay,
An' a bullet come an' drilled the beggar clean.
'E put me safe inside,
An' just before 'e died,
"I 'ope you liked your drink", sez Gunga Din.
So I'll meet 'im later on
At the place where 'e is gone --
Where it's always double drill and no canteen;
'E'll be squattin' on the coals
Givin' drink to poor damned souls,
An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!
Yes, Din! Din! Din!
You Lazarushian-leather Gunga Din!
Though I've belted you and flayed you,
By the livin' Gawd that made you,
You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!

chicken and dumplings

Ingredients:
3 1/2--4 1/2 lbs. chicken parts
salt and pepper to taste
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1/3 cup flour
2 cups hot water
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
8 ounces mushrooms,sliced
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced (1 cup)
2 large stalks celery, diced (1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 or 2 bay leaves(my addition)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream
several drops of fresh lemon juice
Dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk

Directions:
Separate the legs into thighs and drumsticks; cut each breast half diagonally in half through the bone. If you wish, remove the skin. Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper. Heat in a heavy 8 - 10 inch skillet over medium heat until fragrant and golden with the 4 T. unsalted butter. Place as many chicken pieces in the pan as will fit comfortably and cook, turning once, until pale golden, 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to a plate and brown the remaining pieces in the same manner. Add to the fat in the pan the chopped onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Next, stir in the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute then remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the water and chicken stock. Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Add the vegetables and seasonings through the pepper. Return the chicken pieces with all accumulated juices to the pan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat so that the liquid barely bubbles. Cover tightly and cook until the dark meat pieces are almost done, they should be just slightly undercooked, probably 20 minutes. Skim off the fat from around the sides of the pan with a spoon. If you wish stir in the whipping cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper and lemon juice.

Dumplings:
Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Bring just to a simmer in a small saucepan the butter and milk. Add to the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork or knead by hand 2 to 3 times until the mixture just comes together. Push the chicken pieces down so that they are submerged in gravy and gently drop spoonfuls of the dumpling dough over the top. Cover pan tightly and simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Don't remove the lid. Serve immediately.

NOTE: I had a leek in the fridge so I added it. It worked out very well.

Aging Graceully

Aging gracefully seems to be out of style these days. At least that's what I see when I look at all of these plastic and pulled faces on the screen and on the street. At the same time, getting old and losing your faculties is certainly a scary prospect. When I turn 84, I hope I can be as "fit and feisty" as Polly Mellen here. And without the plastic thank you.

Liber Novus

A 100 year old book, locked in a vault in Switzerland, described as either holding "infinite wisdom" or as the "work of a psychotic", written by one of the "era's greatest thinkers" and only a small handful of people have had a chance to get close to it. Fascinating, don't you think?

*Through writing on this blog I have become keenly aware of the fact that I use the word fascinating, a lot. Just so you know, I know. But I am still gonna keep using it.

Lonny

For any of you former subscriber/current mourners of shelter mags Domino and Blueprint who haven't already heard about Lonny magazine, well here you go. It is an online magazine that was created by two former Domino staffers. It is pretty neato, you can turn the pages just like a real magazine, adjust the layout and zoom in and out and all that fancy computer stuff. The first issue can be viewed now with a new issue due in December. I still miss having a new issue of Domino to pour over on Sunday morning but this helps fill the void.

fortune

My fortune from yesterday:

A kiss?
The renunciation of the heart when one is no longer alone.

It's as if the fortune cookie computer from The Last Dragon went haywire and started spitting out jibberish. (Link. It's at the 8:00 mark)

Bleary Eyed

Bleary Eyed is my most favorite adjective. I love it. I mean I just, love it. To me, it is so perfectly descriptive. Perfect. It might seem odd but I think about it, about this adjective, quite a lot.

As in, I cannot wait for Sunday morning when, bleary eyed, I will sit and watch CBS Sunday Morning, snuggled on the couch with my daughter and a cup of green tea and a chocolate croissant. Perhaps the tea and croissant are what help make it more appealing. :)

OBSESSIONS...

I am easily obsessed with things. Lots and lots of things. Lately, I am kinda overboard obsessed with Maira Kalman. I mean I have been reading and loving her stuff for awhile but lately, I can't stop thinking about it or reading it. I can't even count how many times I have read this particular one. In love, indeed.

bob's big boy

It's official. The Big Boy is back! On October 19, a NEW Bob's Big Boy opened in Downey. This one is actually a drive-in. Also, the Blasters (from Downey) were the opening day entertainment. Look for more (of the non-drive-in variety) around Southern California.

so long halloween

One last ode to Halloween.


Hat tip to the AV Club.

Halloweenie!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween! Ours was awesome.