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| Bart the horse, Lawrence, Kansas |
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
deer friends
I got off the bus this evening, right after the sun set, and started my walk across the soccer fields to the main road. All of a sudden I spotted two deer in front of me, nibbling at the ground. They blend in so well at dusk that I hadn't seen them. A few seconds later they too saw me and stopped to stare. I'd never been so close to deer before! One had giant antlers that reached taller than me, and I wondered if deer had ever been known to head-butt anyone. Luckily, they didn't move, just watched me as I was passing and then continued to scavenge the soccer fields, although I'm not sure just what kind of foods they could find in such an area.
(I now know deer do sometimes attack, mostly during mating season, or if a mother is with fawns.)
(I now know deer do sometimes attack, mostly during mating season, or if a mother is with fawns.)
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| http://www.utahwildlifephotos.com/Largemammals/Mule-deer/muledeerbucksagebrushBookCliff/525168832_dKuJ4-L.jpg |
Monday, January 16, 2012
shelf life of pepper: forever and two days?
Because I love oatmeal, I decided I'd like to try something new today: savory oatmeal. After looking around the ever-helpful internet, I settled on simple hard cheese, salt and pepper. Now, the recipe I found insisted upon having the freshest and best ingredients in order for the full effect. That got me thinking, and I realized the black pepper I have has been sitting in its little owl-shaped shaker for six, yes SIX, years. (Clearly I do not use a whole lot of pepper...) Then add to that the fact that this pepper was left behind by a previous roommate!
After coming to this somewhat embarrassing conclusion, I returned to the internet to see what others though about the shelf life of pepper. Some say one year, some say one year is too long, and yet one other brought up the fact that the entire beginnings of the spice trade were such that people awaited spices that had been on a trade route for around two to three years.
Either way, my pepper still tastes like pepper to me. I've got other spices and herbs I'm sure are past their prime as well although they still seem to do their job just fine, so I'll keep them. They do say, if you decide your spices are not up to par, rather than throwing them out, you can sprinkle it into your grill to use up any lasting flavor. Good to know.
And by the way, savory oatmeal is worth a try!
After coming to this somewhat embarrassing conclusion, I returned to the internet to see what others though about the shelf life of pepper. Some say one year, some say one year is too long, and yet one other brought up the fact that the entire beginnings of the spice trade were such that people awaited spices that had been on a trade route for around two to three years.
Either way, my pepper still tastes like pepper to me. I've got other spices and herbs I'm sure are past their prime as well although they still seem to do their job just fine, so I'll keep them. They do say, if you decide your spices are not up to par, rather than throwing them out, you can sprinkle it into your grill to use up any lasting flavor. Good to know.
And by the way, savory oatmeal is worth a try!
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| http://www.tastespotting.com/features/basic-vinaigrette-recipe-salad-oats |
Interesting, huh?
Friday, January 13, 2012
yasai yaki soba
After a long winter break, and a long time not posting, I'm back to work! It's my final semester of school, so I'm preparing for the busiest semester, especially since in addition to classes I will be working on my final paper and looking for jobs. I am SO looking forward to having free time in my life after I'm finished-- not coming home in the evenings only to have more work to accomplish.
One thing all this schooling has (indirectly) taught me is how to be extra efficient in the kitchen. I've come to learn to either make mass amounts of food on Sunday evening, and spread the leftovers over the week nights, or I've found dishes I can make in a snap. My newest endeavor is "The wagamama Cookbook". I didn't know it at the time I bought it, but apparently wagamama (no, they do not capitalize...) is a Japanese restaurant located in the big cities of the world (except the U.S.) and so this cookbook is a collection of their recipes, conveniently portioned for two-- great for me since I'm only cooking for one. Anyway, restaurant-style recipes = fast! After practicing all this week, I've gotten one recipe down to 14 minutes flat, from the time I walk into the kitchen to when I am ready to sit down and eat. And hey, it's good...
Yasai Yaki Soba
(adapted from "The wagamama Cookbook")
9 oz. soba noodles (these are buckwheat, although I experimented
with egg noodles and they were good as well)
2 eggs
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 green onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
handful of bean sprouts
sesame seeds
3 T light soy sauce
1 T sugar
Cook the noodles in a pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.
Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the soy sauce, sugar, and garlic. Mix. Add the vegetables to this egg mixture and mix to coat.
Heat a wok (regular frying pan also works) over medium heat and add vegetable oil. Add the egg mixture with vegetables, and the noodles. Stir-fry for 3 minutes.
Divide between two bowls and top with sesame seeds. Easy!
One thing all this schooling has (indirectly) taught me is how to be extra efficient in the kitchen. I've come to learn to either make mass amounts of food on Sunday evening, and spread the leftovers over the week nights, or I've found dishes I can make in a snap. My newest endeavor is "The wagamama Cookbook". I didn't know it at the time I bought it, but apparently wagamama (no, they do not capitalize...) is a Japanese restaurant located in the big cities of the world (except the U.S.) and so this cookbook is a collection of their recipes, conveniently portioned for two-- great for me since I'm only cooking for one. Anyway, restaurant-style recipes = fast! After practicing all this week, I've gotten one recipe down to 14 minutes flat, from the time I walk into the kitchen to when I am ready to sit down and eat. And hey, it's good...
Yasai Yaki Soba
(adapted from "The wagamama Cookbook")
9 oz. soba noodles (these are buckwheat, although I experimented
with egg noodles and they were good as well)
2 eggs
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 green onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
handful of bean sprouts
sesame seeds
3 T light soy sauce
1 T sugar
Cook the noodles in a pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.
Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the soy sauce, sugar, and garlic. Mix. Add the vegetables to this egg mixture and mix to coat.
Heat a wok (regular frying pan also works) over medium heat and add vegetable oil. Add the egg mixture with vegetables, and the noodles. Stir-fry for 3 minutes.
Divide between two bowls and top with sesame seeds. Easy!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Mongolia's "Nine Nines" of Winter
(it's a countdown of winter by nine sets of nine days each)
1st Nine: Milk congeals and freezes.
1st Nine: Milk congeals and freezes.
2nd Nine: Vodka congeals and freezes.
3rd Nine: Tail of a 3-year-old yak freezes.
4th Nine: Horns of a 4-year-old yak freeze.
5th Nine: Boiled rice no longer congeals and freezes.
6th Nine: Roads become visible from under the snow & ice.
7th Nine: Hilltops reappear.
8th Nine: Ground becomes damp.
9th Nine: Warmer days set in.
I can't wait!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Jantar Mantar
If you have seen the movie The Fall (2006), you may recognize the following structures as part of the maze in one of the beginning scenes. (If you have not seen the movie, you should!)
"Jantar Mantar" translates to "instrument" and "calculation", and that's exactly what these were built for, this first one being used to tell the time of places around the world:
These were built starting in 1724 in India both in Delhi and Jaipur by Jai Singh II, ruler of the kingdom of Amber. The position of stars can be calculated with this:
This one is a giant sundial, aligned parallel to the Earth's axis and pointing toward the North Pole. The small copula at the top was previously used to announce eclipses and coming monsoons.
"Jantar Mantar" translates to "instrument" and "calculation", and that's exactly what these were built for, this first one being used to tell the time of places around the world:
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
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