Christmas Eve hors d'oeuvres

My family tradition is a dinner of hors d'oeuvres on Christmas Eve. All the rich, heavy, trashy things you have to moderate at parties are suddenly unlimited and in excess. It's a great celebration and it keeps you full until late the next morning when either the cinnamon rolls or breakfast casserole are done.

The past several years I've been making vegan equivalents of a few dips so I can have something, as the usual offerings are heavy on the meat, cheese and sour cream. My standards are: 1) hot cheeze dip: Follow-your-heart cheddar mixed with half a can of Rotel (chopped tomatoes + jalapenos/green chiles) and melted on the stove, to be eaten with tortilla chips; and 2) onion dip: instant onion soup/dip mix with a container of sour supreme. I'm usually fighting for a corner of the kitchen and begging for rides to the 'hippie' store so my options are generally limited.

This is the first year ever I haven't been with my family for Christmas, so to keep me from getting too sad about it I decided to host my own Christmas Eve hors d'oeuvres party with friends.

It was a great success! As the only vegan I was only concerned with feeding myself, and everyone else was welcome to bring their favorites. Friends brought veggie plates, fruit plates, cheese plates, crackers, spiced nuts, walnut spread, baguettes, cookies, beer, wine and bourbon to spike the rice nog. It ended up being an impressive spread and a lot of fun, as we sat down to watch Die Hard and munched on Chex Mix.

Grace made My New Roots' Warm Cabbage Salad (the goat cheese was in a bowl on the side). It was delicious and I'm having the leftovers alongside some wonton-wrapper-perogi and caramelized onions for dinner this week.

In addition to all of the above, I made a hot spinach artichoke spread/dip. I tend to make variations on this often, usually without the dip mix and cream cheeze, but added both for the special occasion. Half a can of coconut milk instead of the cashew cream will still add a nice creamy, smooth consistency without actually tasting of coconut.

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip/Spread

• 1/4 cup raw cashews
  
• 2 garlic cloves
  
• 1 can cannellini beans (white beans), drained & rinsed
  
• 1 tsp miso paste mixed into 2 Tbsp water
  
• 1 tsp lemon juice
  
• 1 package Simply Organic spinach dip mix
  
• 1 tsp basil flakes
  
• 1 can artichoke hearts, drained
  
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed (optional)
  
• black pepper
  
• 1 package Tofutti Cream Cheeze
  
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

1. Soak the cashews in enough warm water to cover them, at least 30 mins but several hours/overnight is better.
   
2. Preheat the oven to 350F. Put cashews and the soaking water, plus garlic cloves, in food processor and liquefy until it resembles (stinky) heavy cream. This may take 5-10 minutes of processing and pauses to scrape the sides and the paste off the bottom. A little 'grit' is fine.
   
3. Add beans, miso and juice and process. Add water as needed to thin enough for beans to process (hummus consistency).
   
4. Add dip mix, basil flakes, artichoke hearts, and thawed/squeezed spinach. Process until mixed.
   
5. Add the cream cheeze, nutritional yeast, and black pepper to taste. Puree until smooth. If the mixture is too thick for the processor, dribble in water.
   
6. Pour dip into a shallow baking dish (oval or 8x8") and bake until the edges begin to brown, about 20 minutes.
   

Vegan Gluten Free Chex Mix

• 1/2 cup of margarine
  
• 4 1/2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce (see recipe below)
  
• 1 1/4 tsp of season salt
  
• 2 2/3 cup of Rice Chex
  
• 2 2/3 cup of Corn Chex
  
• 2 2/3 cup of Honey Nut Chex
  
• 1 cup salted mixed nuts

1. Preheat oven to 250F.
   
2. Pour the cereals and nuts into a clean paper grocery bag, fold over the top and shake well until mixed.
   
3. In a large baking pan (8x13 is usually tight, a roasting pan is great), melt the margarine either in the preheating oven or on two stove burners on low heat.
   
4. Mix sauce and salt into margarine and stir.
   
5. Pour cereal/nut mix into baking dish and mix with the margarine, flipping and stirring to coat as much as possible.
   
6. Bake for 60 minutes, stirring every 10 or 15 minutes.
   
7. Store in paper grocery bag in the freezer.
   

Vegan Gluten Free Worcestershire Sauce
adapted from this recipe

• 6 Tablespoons water
  
• 4 Tablespoons wheat-free tamari or soy sauce
  
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  
• 4 TBSP of regular molasses + 1 TBSP water (or 6 TBSP brown rice syrup)
  
• 1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
  
• 1/4 tsp tamarind paste (optional)
  
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
  
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  
• a pinch of onion powder
  
• a pinch of powdered cloves or pumpkin pie spice

1. Pour all ingredients in a jar with a tight lid and shake well until mixed. Store in fridge and use measure-for-measure to sub for regular Worcestershire sauce, or add a little extra of this. Shake well before using.

Happy Festivus!

I like to have tea with cats in Japan because I'm shy

Perhaps I should move to Japan after all. Cat cafés? Fantastic idea. Maybe animal shelters should coordinate with cafés and feature their pets. Or something. I don't now how it would work here.

I'd rather go to a cat café than a "family friendly" one.

Meow Meow Meow | VICE: "United States" 'via Blog this'

Wild Rice Pilaf (Hunger Games)

So I'm in this Book Club that my friend Grace started. It's all girls and we have had some pretty excellent discussions, both about books and Big Important Things. Mostly I joined to get me reading again, which in a sort of post-traumatic way I stopped doing after grad school.

ANYHOO we've been doing potluck book discussions and since the Hunger Games, as you can infer from the title, deals a LOT with food, it was themed around the hearty foraged foods in the book. The party was a feast - leek and potato soup, two hearty veggie stews with mushrooms, root veggies, kale, peas, carrots, etc. Several rounds of goat cheese, some wrapped in herbs, with crackers. Venison meatballs (these last two, I did not partake, obvs). Homemade tomato jam, homemade berry jam on fresh home-baked wheat bread, red cabbage and apple slaw, wild greens salad with edible flowers, caramel corn with pepitas, and mulled wine. My contribution was wild rice pilaf - I tried to base it off of one recipe but I kind of messed it up and didn't have some of the ingredients, so I added a bunch of white jasmine rice that I made just in case and it came out perfectly.

I'm also going for low salt due to my blood pressure so you might need to add more salt, especially if you use no-salt broth or water.

3/4 cup (6 oz) wild rice
4 scallions
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups or more broth (I used imitation chicken flavoring + water)
1 cup white jasmine rice
2 cups frozen baby peas
8 mushrooms (6 large, 8 med or 12 small)
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped or sliced almonds, toasted (see step 4)

Directions

1. Wash the rice thoroughly, changing the water several times. Cut off the green parts of the scallions and set aside. Chop the white part of the scallions fine.
   
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add the minced white scallion and saute until tender. Add the rice and two cups broth. Bring to a boil, stir once and reduce the heat. Cover tightly and cook over low heat until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about thirty-five minutes. If necessary add more broth as the rice cooks. (Note - it took me about 45 minutes for the rice to cook, so leave extra time).
   
3. In a separate pot, prepare jasmine rice according to directions (usually: rinse rice, boil 1 1/2 cups of water, add rice and stir, bring to a boil, reduce heat & cover, simmer 10-15 minutes, let sit off heat for 5-10 minutes).
   
4. Meanwhile, slice the almonds and lightly toast them. Cut the green scallion stems diagonally into two-inch lengths. Cut the mushrooms into thin slices.
   
5. Five minutes before the wild rice is done, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the scallion stems, peas, mushrooms, and almonds and saute only until the mushrooms are tender and peas are hot.
   
6. Transfer both of the cooked rices and vegetable mixture to a casserole. Add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Mix lightly and keep hot for serving in a very low oven.
   

The next book club selection is a local Seattle food blogger (she owns Delancey -fancy pizza- and is known on the 'net as Orangette): A Homemade Life. It includes several recipes, but I'll be hosting it the day after Thanksgiving so we'll just have leftovers. Simplicity!

99% Curry

I was going to title this "Curry for Poor People" but decided to be TIMELY instead.

This took about 45 minutes, start to finish, with cheap & frozen ingredients. I got the tofu on sale for a buck a pound. I buy onions, frozen veggies, oil and rice in bulk from Cash & Carry. Curry paste, coconut milk & garlic from the Asian grocery up the street. Probably a total of $5 or $6 for the portions of ingredients used, so about $1.25-$1.50 for a meal.

This uses the Moosewood method of cooking short grain brown rice because it makes it a million times more awesome (separate grains with a firm bite rather than a ball of mush).

Curry pastes are different so see how much the package recommends for a pound of 'meat' or veggies, and use that. You can always add more if it's not tasty/spicy enough.

Makes 4 large servings.

5 tsp olive oil, divided
1 cup short-grain brown rice (or carb of choice)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb frozen tofu
1 lb frozen veggies of choice
1/4 cup favorite vegan curry paste (I used panang)
1/2 can coconut milk

1. Defrost the frozen tofu in the microwave (2 turns of 5 minutes on low/defrost should do).
   
2. Wash the rice thoroughly. Heat 1 tsp oil in a medium or large pot over high heat. Add the rice and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add 2 cups of cold water. Stir and cover. When steam escapes from the lid, turn the heat off. Set a timer for five minutes. When the timer for the rice goes off, turn the rice on simmer and set a timer for 35 minutes.
   
3. Drain the tofu package, then squeeze the excess liquid out with your hands or between two small plates (no need to be gentle with the tofu, but don't break the plates). Cube the tofu.
   
4. Heat 2 tsp oil in a large sautee pan on medium heat, then add the tofu to the sautee pan and let sit for a few minutes. Start flipping the tofu cubes over to check and see if they are turning golden brown, even lightly. If they are, start flipping the cubes over. Feel free to squash the water out. Once a few sides of the cubes are browned, set tofu aside on a plate for later.
   
5. In the same sautee pan, heat 2 tsp oil. Add onion and sautee until it starts to soften. Add garlic, sautee until fragrant. Add frozen veggies & stir. Add 1/4 cup of water, stir, and cover.
   
6. When the veggies start to boil, remove the cover and cook until veggies are softened/defrosted. Add curry paste & stir well. Add tofu, stir. Add coconut milk plus half a can of water (1/2 or 3/4 of a cup, depending on how thick your coconut milk is). Reduce heat to simmer, let cook for five to ten minutes depending on your patience.
   
7. When the rice timer goes off, turn off the heat and let it set for ten minutes. At this point, the curry and the rice should both be done. If the curry is too thin, cook for a few more minutes, uncovered. If it's too thick, add water.
   
8. NOM.
   

Bay Area Adopts Historic Climate-Change Rules

A great step forward, it sounds like. The wording makes it sound like it could be a bit subjective, so I'm curious to see how future projects will pan out. In the case of an area as densely populated and expensive as the Bay Area, it seems that smart, adaptive building combined with focused restoration projects elsewhere may be the better solution than banning all development.

Bay Area Adopts Historic Climate-Change Rules - The Bay Citizen

Reading list of the day

Sorry for the radio silence lately. Work, lovely weather, friends in town and general stress-related activities have made my internet time less productive.

Two different items about relocating to prevent future disasters, one on the East Coast post-Irene:

After the Flood: Hard choices for communities and citizens

and one about an island village in Alaska:

As waves lap at their doorsteps, Alaskan islanders take on climate polluters

Also, I have an interview at FEMA on Thursday before I fly out to Charlotte for my friend's wedding. Wish me luck!

Maybe It's Time to Start Listening to Tom Low

This is an excellent article on New Urbanism's take on sprawl, with a bonus of being about my hometown of Charlotte:

Maybe It's Time to Start Listening to Tom Low - Charlotte Magazine - July 2011 - Charlotte, NC

The firm they refer to, DPZ, and its co-founder, Andres Duany, are the reason why I'm a planner. Six years ago I went to the US Green Building Council's GreenBuild Expo in Atlanta, GA. Ayako and I met up there to look for environmentally-friendly product design jobs, but the expo floor was filled was stalls hawking bamboo flooring and high-efficiency HVAC systems--nothing for high-style consumer product designers.

So, we spent most of our time attending lectures. I continually found myself drawn to urban planning topics. I vaguely remembered learning about planning senior year at CMU, when PennFutures protested the building of a tolled highway by offering an alternative project that boulevarded existing street networks (sound familiar, Seattle?). Ayako, and her then-boyfriend Ryan, went to mostly different lectures, and thus I found myself sitting alone in the back of a large auditorium listening to Andres Duany talk about New Urbanism.

He explained the basic tenets of New Urbanism and how they sought to imitate, and update, old town centers. Then he compared the functions of those centers - open space, gathering places, entertainment - to the specialized rooms being offered in Texas McMansions built on the outskirts of town. Massive homes, 5,000 square feet and more, with personal theater rooms and sun-filled breakfast nooks that resembled outdoor cafes. Huge lawns, in the desert, in the middle of nowhere.

Meanwhile, he says, the owners of these homes will be stuck in traffic for over an hour to get back into the city for work or services, where they will pass by movie theaters, parks and outdoor cafes. Then an hour through terrifying, stressful, frustrating traffic to arrive home cranky, missing two full hours of time with their kids, for the privilege of having a private movie theater, huge lawn and cafe that they don't have time to use.

"The lifestyle of the American middle class is the number one thing ruining the environment," he stated baldly*. It was like a light switch went on in my head. I don't know that he's 100% right, but he's close enough. I lived that life, I know those people. He's right, I said. If I want to do something for the environment, designing environmentally-friendly products that will be purchased once is next to useless if the people buying them are living in 5000 square foot homes with gigantic lawns in the middle of a desert. The real opportunity for change, for helping people and the environment, is in where and how people live their everyday lives. Those are the effects that add up, because it's not just millions of products, it's millions of people doing the same thing, over and over again, every day of their lives.

Sitting in the back of that auditorium I felt my perception shift, and feelings of joy and determination filled me. I had been saying for years that I didn't want to go back to school until I knew what I wanted to do. Until then, it was Starbucks and fruitless applications to design firms where, deep down, I didn't really want to work. School is difficult, expensive and worthless if you don't believe in what you're doing. Now, I knew. I felt sure. As he wrapped up his lecture, my mind was whirring, planning out the next few years of my life.

Now, six years later, I have a master's degree in Urban Planning. I've written a thesis on the relationship between dense development and the ability of natural systems to adapt to climate change. I have three years of planning experience. And it's all because of a single 90-minute lecture by Andres Duany.

*This is not an exact quote - it was six years ago.

Weed control

I just spent almost two hours pulling various weeds - mostly vines - out of the 3-foot walkway between our house and the neighbor's fence. Wondering if there were any easier control methods, a quick googling led me to King County's noxious weed photo identification page. Here's what I have in my backyard:

-bindweed. HATE THIS STUFF. I think it might be hedge rather than field, luckily.
-Rush Skeletonweed. Sounds badass; isn't.
-bittersweet nightshade. Also sounds badass; kind of is.
-English ivy. Hate this stuff, too.
-Herb Robert. Actually I like this stuff. One of its nicknames is "Death come quickly", which is badass. In Washington it's called Stinky Bob because it smells like burning tires when you crush the leaves. Still kinda badass, but in a dive bar sort of way.
-Nipplewort. Heh. Hehehe.

Sorry for anyone who's actually reading this. This is mostly just to keep track of things I have.

Can Underground Water Cool City Houses?

Reading List!

Can Underground Water Cool City Houses? | This Big City

Vegan Southern-style meal, and why factory meat is terrible for everyone

This article covers a lot of ground about why people go vegetarian, or why spending more money on quality meat is important: How the meat industry turned abuse into a business model | Grist

I've said multiple times that I don't expect most people to go vegetarian, let alone vegan. What I would like to see is people buy better meat, less often. Spend the same amount of money, eat less meat, have that meat be delicious and healthy (for the animals, the workers, the environment, and you).

I figure the least I can do is offer some yum meatless meals for those who feel lost at the concept. Here's what I made the other night. It'd be perfect for a True Blood watching party, as it's vaguely Southern-style food.

Vegan Southern Greens

2 tsp cooking oil
1 medium onion, coarse chopped
1 TBSP minced garlic
2 LBS of washed, chopped greens (Collard, mustard or turnip greens, spinach, kale - any mixture works. Trader Joe's sells a big bag of Southern Greens that's perfect - use 2 in this recipe)
3/4 cup vegetable broth (sub water or wine, just add more salt)
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 TBSP rice vinegar (sub: red or white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
salt & pepper to taste
Tabasco sauce to taste (optional)
2 tsp sesame oil, to finish (sub liquid smoke or smoked salt/paprika)

1. Heat oil in your biggest stew pot or wok on medium-high heat. Add onions & sauté until partially translucent.
   
2. Add garlic & sauté until fragrant.
   
3. Start adding handfuls of greens and mixing top-to-bottom. As they cook down, add more greens until they're all in the pot.
   
4. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Stir greens in broth until they're fully wilted (they should reduce by 80% or more).
   
5. Add the red pepper, vinegar, salt, pepper & Tabasco & stir.
   
6. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 30+ minutes, until the greens are tender but not falling apart.
   
7. Taste & add any extra seasonings as needed. Turn off the heat and stir in the sesame oil.
   

Serve with a slotted spoon. They'll be soupy, so either serve with something to soak up the broth or strain it for the next time you make rice or soup. While the greens were simmering, I made a box of Zatarain's Dirty Rice (Jambalaya would work) and in place of meat, drained, washed and mixed in a can of black beans and a can of black-eyed peas (sub kidney, garbanzo or white beans). I feel ok about using Zatarain's once in a while, because they're a New Orleans-based company and there's not too many sketch ingredients as processed food goes, but if you want you can make your own from scratch - I don't like TVP so I would still sub in beans.

Serve side by side with some limeade, sweet tea, bourbon or a mint julep and watch you some "vamperrs".

The Self-Sustaining, Solar-Powered Emergency Shelter

The Self-Sustaining, Solar-Powered Emergency Shelter: We’re Going to Need It - Environment - GOOD

YES.

Dutch-influenced New Orleans Water Management

I do agree with the style that the Dutch have taken, in terms of using natural systems to their best advantage (they are cheaper, durable and scalable in the long run, whereas most manmade infrastructure can be costly to maintain and even more difficult to upgrade). I'm not sure how easily and quickly they'll be able to implement it, based on the typical response to government in the area, with good reason.

The Dutch approach partially depends on cooperative agreement and large scale land-use changes. If they're able to couch their solutions by taking an urban design approach (i.e. canals or parks) they may have a better shot. Perhaps New Orleans citizens are more willing to try new and different things, since the old ways failed spectacularly. Or perhaps they're still gunshy. I could understand either, and the architects and planners should be prepared for both concerns, if they're using a combination of those approaches. I hope they're able to make the choices they want to, and they're able to communicate their intentions clearly and not in engineer-speak.

Architecture Firm Waggonner & Ball Tapped for New Orleans Water Management Project | News | Architectural Record

“The Daily Rind”, a Better Way to Plan the Day

Possible scheduling solution, which I desperately need:

“The Daily Rind”, a Better Way to Plan the Day — A. King in Society via Lifehacker.

White Bean & Artichoke Dip

I based the following recipe off of the comment on this recipe:
· 3 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 t fresh rosemary
· 2 t dried basil, thyme, Italian spices or whatever you prefer
· 1 can white beans (15.5 oz), drained and rinsed
· 2 t extra virgin olive oil
· 3/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
· 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts (set aside 4 hearts), packed in water and drained
· Lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and/or pepper to taste
· 1/4 c nutritional yeast
· 10 kalamata olives, pitted
· 2 oz pine nuts
· 1/8c of sun-dried tomato pieces, as a topping

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Put everything except for the 4 reserved artichoke hearts and the sun-dried tomatoes in the food processor and blend until it has an even consistency.
3. Add the reserved hearts and pulsed a few times until they're chopped up but still chunky.
4. Spoon into a shallow baking dish (8" oval or 6x6" should fit).
5. Top with sun-dried tomatoes, pressing them into the dip slightly. Make a little design if you're a nerd like me.
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges and tips start to brown.

You could also serve it cold, just let it sit for 20+ minutes before serving to the let the flavors meld.

Use as a spread on bread or sandwiches, or as a dip with chips, crackers or veggies.
-----------

I actually made a Double Batch Chickpea Cutlers before this, so the oven was already hot. I make the following changes:
-leave the gluten out, and put everything else in the food processor. Mix the gluten in last.
-instead of breadcrumbs, use Hot & Spicy Shake and Bake, and 3/4 cup of water instead of the soy sauce and broth (Shake & Bake is salty!)
-a couple drops of lemon oil instead of lemon zest

Nobody tells this to people who are beginners

Via nancylicious:

"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through."   Ira Glass

Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse - Blog

The CDC released a zombie preparedness kit. Like I said, people like to think about zombies way more than pandemics or floods.

CDC | Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse

I never finished my game but I would like to work on it when I have a break and see if I can use it for zombies, alien invasions, werewolf outbreaks etc.

Designing Streets for Emergencies

I like this take on explaining why street grid systems lead to a safer, more resilient city. It's logical, as opposed to a lot of urban designers who just say "it's ugly, we don't like it" or talk about density and paved surface areas.

Sometimes the people who don't care about the environment do care about themselves and their families, and you need to tailor your argument to them. I don't think it's being dishonest, as long as your facts are correct. Tailoring the message to your audience is a basic communication skill.

I also like how traffic is good for business, and narrow streets have fewer accidents. So far I haven't seen a great argument for hiking parking rates or creating pedestrian areas for business, though. It's so risky to own a business, the owners are not going to want to experiment based on what a planner thinks is good for society.

Cul-de-sacs suck, though, and it really is dangerous to only have a main road in and out of an area. I love being able to take side streets to avoid traffic, buses, garbage trucks, construction, etc. I have like 20 routes home depending on what variables are in play.

Designing Streets for Emergencies | Medill National Security Zone

Make Your Own Veggie Chips

This one is definitely going on my list:

Make Your Own Veggie Chips - Project - Food News - CHOW

I also had some parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes and leeks to get rid of, so I made maple-roasted root veggies based on this recipe (I added 2 small chopped leeks).

My garden is mostly in the sunroom/arctic entry because it's still in the 40s at night and we have another cold front on the way (boo!). I want to transplant my tomatoes, damn it! The beet seeds are finally going in the ground today, though. YEAH.

Jane Jacobs, Andy Warhol, and Eyes on the Street

Jane Jacobs, Andy Warhol, and Eyes on the Street: Places: Design Observer

Reading list: old life vs new life.

Royal wedding live online

BBC News - Watch the royal wedding live online

It's pretty cool that I can sit here, partially tipsy on my couch in Seattle, watching a live feed of what's happening in Westminster Abbey right now.

Also, between the wedding and the Kentucky Derby next week, it's a good time for millinery. Also also, I like that there are different words for hat-making and they're both fun. Haberdashery is a tad more enjoyable to say, though.

Make A Cheap & Easy Solar USB Charger With An Altoids Tin

Make A Cheap & Easy Solar USB Charger With An Altoids Tin : TreeHugger

Altoids aren't vegan, but Trader Joe's sells a knockoff type that has a similar sort of tin. It may work?

Buying in bulk and selling them for cheap might be nice, or they'd make good gifts for eco-minded friends.

I picked up a bunch of dried bamboo today and I'll be going back to get more. I hope I manage to complete projects with these a little faster than those pallets I picked up 9 months ago that are still sitting in my driveway. Le sigh.

Working Best at Coffee Shops - Conor Friedersdorf - Business - The Atlantic

Working Best at Coffee Shops - Conor Friedersdorf - Business - The Atlantic

I've noted this before. Coffeeshops have just enough distraction and noise that I'm forced to blare music over headphones and really focus. I can crank out so much in a short amount of time.

Plus I can't procrastinate as easily. I'm never sure if my internet browsing or Google reader feed will serve up something embarrassing, risque or NSFW that others might glimpse and judge me by. I'm also not about to watch a TV show instead of working.

Matt swears he can only work in libraries sometimes. I think it may also have something to do with always working with music in the background. I can't work in silence. It drives me crazy. I'm hyperaware of every sound I make, every click of my keyboard. Each minor change in the environment pulls me out of my focus. At a noisy coffeeshop full of banging portafilters and music and people laughing, I'm in my focus until someone specifically grabs my attention. Either that or until I'm out of coffee and go to drink an empty cup several times. That's how deep in I am.

On an unrelated note, it's a beautiful sunny day. I know I shouldn't garden because I'll be doing some of that the next couple of days, but damn, I want to go play in the dirt.

Why I hate Mountaintop Removal

NASA Satellite Photos Show Coal Mining Destroy a Mountain Range Over 25 Years : TreeHugger

Really, people? Really? You suck.

An Emergency Manual for Non-Doctors

Ships Captain's Medical Guide Is an Emergency Manual for Non-Doctors

Mental disaster kit

The earthquake kit: How to unpack for a disaster and survive the unexpected | Grist

Also an interesting take on disasters. Some of this is new to me and needed to be said. Nice.

Gardening!

40 Gardening Tips to Maximize Your Harvest - Organic Gardening - MOTHER EARTH NEWS

Once my check arrives and I can get some compost and stuff, I'm on this shizz. Got some free seeds from a buddy and a friend to help me do prep. I just need to finish job applications and y'know, actual job work things.

Oh Snap!

Someone indeed just got told.

Work-safe, but loud.

Pakistani Actress Defies Mullah Accusing Her of Immoral Behavior on an Indian Reality TV Show

Green Renters

Green Renters

(via Treehugger)

A much-needed site, but it looks like it's in process and still has some major coding and navigation issues. Unfortunate that it's based in Australia, but I'm sure most of the info is still relevant.

Click on the room in the house illustration at the top of the page for a list of related articles. I'll have to read this at another time, when it's not 2 a.m.

Menu for the last couple of days

For posterity!

Lentil Shepherd's Pie

I sort of made this up based on several recipes and didn't measure as I went along. Doing the best I can from memory. Serves 8? It's a lot of dense food. Tastes even better the next day.

6 russet potatoes, cubed
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic (3-4 large cloves)
2 cups frozen veggies (I used peas and corn)
1 Tbsp thyme
1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
3 cups cooked lentils
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil (or 1/4 tsp liquid smoke)
3 Tbsp margarine, plus extra
1/4 cup unsweetened plain soymilk, plus extra
salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring large pot to a boil and put potatoes in for 18-20 minutes, until a piece crumbles when you try to put a fork in it.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil on medium-high in a large pan. Sautee onions about 5 mins, until translucent. Add garlic and frozen veggies, cook 5 mins. Mix in spices, then add lentils and cook 5 mins. Reduce heat to medium-low and mix in soy sauce and sesame oil.

3. The potatoes will be almost done - CAREFULLY use a ladle to scoop out some hot water and add to lentil mixture. Keep adding until there is some spare liquid, enough to seem like a gravy. (You can also just dissolve 1/2 tsp corn starch in hot water instead.)

4. Preheat oven to 400.

5. When potatoes are done, drain well. Return to pot and immediately add margarine and soymilk. When the margarine melts, mash until there are no more lumps - if it seems dry, add splashes of soymilk and mix until you get the texture you want. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Pour lentil mixture into deep 2.5 quart casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes. Use a fork to draw lines in the top and dot with margarine (optional).

7. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top of the potatoes start to brown.

Strawberry Cobbler! Except I only had 6 cups of fresh strawberries (sliced) so I added 2 cups of frozen blueberries from last season. Oh, and went light on the sugar in the topping. I used a mystery flour (thanks Joni) so the topping looks different than the ones on the website.

Next up: Olive Lentil burgers as we have olives, lentils and mushrooms to use up.

Eat Wild

After commenting on this Grist article about a vegan/omnivore alliance against animal factories, a helpful commenter pointed me towards Eat Wild to use as a resource for my omni friends. Basically it's a clearinghouse of information about pasture-raised meat, eggs and dairy.

It includes maps of local suppliers with bios and information about each farm, plus suppliers who will ship.

I haven't spent a ton of time looking around on it yet, and it seems like it could have a bit slicker of a design, but I'm really really glad it exists.

I will never eat meat again, but that's more of a personal issue I have based on how I think about and interact with animals. I know a lot of people just don't have that kind of relationship or perception and I don't expect them to.

What I do hope for is that when people do eat meat, they choose a source that is healthier for them, less dangerous, better for water and air quality, and preferably minimizes pain and suffering over the life of the animal. It's good for everyone - except gigantic factory farms, and EFF those guys. I'm talking to you, Monsanto!

Instead of putting the brakes on nuclear plants, should we be building safer ones?

Instead of putting the brakes on nuclear plants, should we be building safer ones? | Grist

An interesting counterpoint to the knee-jerk anti-nuclear argument. I admit that radiation and nuclear plants freak me out in a way that's somewhat of an irrational fear, but I just really hate the idea of an area that's contaminated for SO long.

Mainly I like that a good design goes a long way towards solving major problems, like almost everything else in the world.

Also, as the XKCD radiation dose chart shows, you get more radioactive exposure next to a coal plant than a nuclear plant (in a non-emergency situation obviously). Coal plants have higher on-average health risks than nuclear plants, it's just worse during the rare times when everything goes horribly wrong.

Kind of like how I'd rather live in an area at risk of earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes but they don't happen very often, rather than in a place like Kansas where I'm at a more common risk of tornadoes and living in Kansas.

xkcd: Time Management

xkcd: Time Management

How to drive away from a tsunami

How to drive away from a tsunami

Unless you're being warned several hours in advance, it's true that driving away usually won't get you anywhere. The wave hits land at 500 or so mph (obviously it slows down after that but still).

If you only have a few minutes, or even half an hour, get vertical. Take the car (or bike!) to the edge of a cliff or hill or tall, concrete building and climb.

Japan Before and After Tsunami

Satellite Photos - Japan Before and After Tsunami - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com

Heartbreaking. Makes me feel sick.

vegancooking: Home-made REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups

vegancooking: Home-made REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups

YESSSSSS

Top 10 Solutions to Real Life's Most Annoying Problems

Top 10 Solutions to Real Life's Most Annoying Problems

Really, this is the Top Solutions to Real Life's 10 Most Annoying Problems but eh semantics.

What I wanted to say was this is why I love Lifehacker and want to have its babies, as long as those babies are websites and not actual babies.

Japan’s Strict Codes and Drills Are Seen as Lifesavers - NYTimes.com

Japan’s Strict Codes and Drills Are Seen as Lifesavers - NYTimes.com

Good article on what preparedness can do. Without these precautions it's almost certain that the death toll would be much greater.

Make Sure You're Prepared for Disaster with a 72-Hour Kit

Make Sure You're Prepared for Disaster with a 72-Hour Kit

When in doubt, aim for 7 days or more. 72 hours is the bare minimum.

Can't believe the images/video coming out of Japan. Terrible and amazing at the same time, that something like that can actually happen. Luckily Ayako's family all seems to be safe.

The Lifehacker Guide to Staying Focused

The Lifehacker Guide to Staying Focused

MOTHERLODE

Understanding - and Maximizing - Your Brain's Reward and Planning System

Understanding - and Maximizing - Your Brain's Reward and Planning System | Psychology Today

Summary of good tips for self-motivating, backed up by SCIENCE!

Also, a haircut can do wonders.

AKA every night

Every. Single. Night.

Snowpocalypse? Puh-leez.

Snowpocalypse? Puh-leez.

Spent about 4 hours today playing various zombie flash games, so... yeah. Truth.

Hold a Nail Steady with These Household Objects (and Avoid Crushing Your Fingers)

Hold a Nail Steady with These Household Objects (and Avoid Crushing Your Fingers)

Good tip for those who are terrified of hammers (e.g. Grace) or bad at hammering things in straight (e.g. me).

Vegan Super Bowl Menu (Steelers!)

Well, it's a bit late now. Sorry Steelers, I guess you'll just have to be satisfied with SIX rings, for now.

I went a bit crazy pants with my food provisions.

Here was my menu:

• Pigs-in-a-blanket served with HEINZ ketchup (eff yeah) and 4 kinds of mustards
• Chips with a variety of salsas, including Steelers Black & Gold Salsa
• Potato pierogies with caramelized onions and applesauce (from Vegan Brunch)
• Crackers & TJ's hummus

Here's the recipe I'm using for the 'pigs':
V e g a n D a d: Vegan Bratwurst

But I changed a couple of things:
subbed 1/4 cup chickpea flour, plus some liquid, instead of mashing beans
instead of grinding dried mushrooms, buy some freaking mushroom powder, what a pain

I simmered them in a pan in some beer before I cut them into thirds and wrapped each piece in crescent roll dough (2 tubes). Baked at 425 for 20 minutes (check at 15, mine were a little burnt/dry). Next time I might aim for a Kielbasa center instead.

I got some black and yellow chips to mix together and serve with Black and Gold Steeler Salsa:

Black and Gold Steeler Salsa

1-1/4 cup Black Beans
1-1/2 cup Yellow Corn, thawed
1/2 cup Red Bell Pepper, finely chopped
1 Jalapeno Pepper, minced (optional) (I used a can of diced green chilies and a few shakes of Tabasco)
1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar (I did more like 1/4 cup)
1/3 cup Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and let marinate at least 1 hour before serving.

Pine Ridge Rising: Community-Based Development Project Gets Underway

Stephanie Woodard: Pine Ridge Rising: Community-Based Development Project Gets Underway

Sounds interesting - perhaps they can benefit in some similar ways as Tulalip, combining land leasing/ownership with shopping, tourism, or some similar model. Glad it's being done from the bottom up instead of the other way around.

Lifehacker, tips and downloads for getting things done

Lifehacker, tips and downloads for getting things done

Good to know! Now I just have to figure out if I have a UPS. I don't think I do. Maybe I should get one?

12 Post-Apocalypse Floating Cities and Homes: From Crazy Concepts to Reality : TreeHugger

12 Post-Apocalypse Floating Cities and Homes: From Crazy Concepts to Reality : TreeHugger

A few of these concepts are super interesting and may have some merit; a lot of them just seem like they're asking for trouble.

I like the idea of water-based communities, though. The floating homes in Seattle seem to work fairly well in that regard.

Lower the Thermostat to Lower 60s, Lose Weight! : TreeHugger

Lower the Thermostat to Lower 60s, Lose Weight! : TreeHugger

OH SNAP! BONUS.

When coworking comes to town | New Urban Network

When coworking comes to town | New Urban Network

Interesting article about the emerging face of freelancing. I hadn't thought to tie it in to urbanism and Richard Florida, of all people, but I suppose it makes sense. His infamous creative class often doesn't work well within the confines of a standard office.

The only problem is, how about a co-working site that's a little more affordable? I guess we're stuck with cafés.

Rising waters threaten the coast of North Carolina - CharlotteObserver.com

Rising waters threaten the coast of North Carolina - CharlotteObserver.com

Perhaps I should send them my thesis? Judging by the comments, many of the caveats I put in still hold true. Massive amounts of government distrust, scientific disbelief and more interest in personal economic impacts than community would still prevent major changes having impacts anytime soon.

PLANPGH: What It Means for Pittsburgh

Next American City - PLANPGH: What It Means for Pittsburgh

Reading list. How do you write a comprehensive plan for a shrinking city that was built out a hundred years ago?

Mike is moving to San Diego. Erin is spending the next 5 months in India. Various of my friends now have permanent jobs instead of the contract, temp, part time or volunteer jobs they started with.

I need to figure my bidness out, and whether I'm staying in Seattle or not. HRRRRM.

SPOILERS: Dexter's victims graphic

(click to embiggen)

AWESOMESAUCE

(actual sauce)

Reading list for the day (Hazard Mitigation flavor)

Two stories about hazard mitigation:

The first, lessons learned from "Snowpocalypse" in New York. Mayors take heed, people really hate it when you eff up snow removal, so make sure you support your emergency planners lest you get the ax the following November:

With more snow on the way, NYC shakes things up.

And what does the central California valley have in common with the Netherlands, and even more with pre-Katrina New Orleans? A hell of a lot, actually. (Note: this is an excellent article, and well worth the time to read it):

California's Delta Water Blues