Building a Smarter Favela: IBM Signs Up Rio | Fast Company
Reading list. Tech saving cities? Emergency Preparedness options?
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Abbe + Clyde from snowy NY
I forgot how awesome their place is - gorgeous modern-Japanese-style furniture and big-name modern art prints on the walls (Chagall, Keith Haring, Jim Dine), mixed in with usual middle-aged couple/parent stuff. Plants and teapots everywhere.
More pics from the city this weekend.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Moving a Yup'ik village, a story of climate change | Mark Dowie | Orion Magazine
Moving a Yup'ik village, a story of climate change | Mark Dowie | Orion Magazine
Reading list note for later.
I'll be following up on the previous post/comment tomorrow. Thanks Anon for your info, I'm going to look more into it and answer you properly when I'm not hosting a party/drinking cocktails/watching Die Hard.
Reading list note for later.
I'll be following up on the previous post/comment tomorrow. Thanks Anon for your info, I'm going to look more into it and answer you properly when I'm not hosting a party/drinking cocktails/watching Die Hard.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Sourdough Starter-Along: Day Zero | Slice Pizza Blog
Sourdough Starter-Along: Day Zero | Slice Pizza Blog
A project for when I return from the holidays.
Also just gave a little cash to Heifer International, a FANTASTIC charity that I helped raise money for back in my tele-fundraising days. The best thing about that job was learning what the good charities are, and Heifer is one of them.
You can give a gift of a specific animal, or give to a project, or just give money for them to put where they need it. They provide people in need with enough livestock to start breeding, training in how to care kindly for the animals, and how to make money off of the gift. The requirement is, once babies start arriving, those babies go to their neighbors to start the cycle anew. Entire areas can start to get an economic base and food supply going. Great stuff.
PS - charities really, really REALLY love monthly donations rather than one-time gifts.
A project for when I return from the holidays.
Also just gave a little cash to Heifer International, a FANTASTIC charity that I helped raise money for back in my tele-fundraising days. The best thing about that job was learning what the good charities are, and Heifer is one of them.
You can give a gift of a specific animal, or give to a project, or just give money for them to put where they need it. They provide people in need with enough livestock to start breeding, training in how to care kindly for the animals, and how to make money off of the gift. The requirement is, once babies start arriving, those babies go to their neighbors to start the cycle anew. Entire areas can start to get an economic base and food supply going. Great stuff.
PS - charities really, really REALLY love monthly donations rather than one-time gifts.
Friday, December 10, 2010
'The Land is Washing Back to the Sea' | OnEarth Magazine
The Land is Washing Back to the Sea | OnEarth Magazine
This is heartbreaking. I've studied/wrote papers on some of the physical factors mentioned here (subsidence due to oil & gas drilling, Mississippi levees preventing soil deposits, and the accelerated pace of erosion when buffer wetlands disappear, particularly during storms/hurricanes) but I hadn't found anything about the impact on the Tribal lifestyle.
Protecting the wetlands in the Gulf is a more complex issue than protecting the barrier islands of the Outer Banks or the Waddenzee. Mostly because of the major influence of the Mississippi and how many different states it crosses, all of which would have to agree to a sediment management plan that would put probably billions of dollars of development and infrastructure at risk upstream, in order to save the Gulf wetlands.
It's one thing when someone who's lived on the Banks for generations to see their house get swallowed by the ocean - that's a way of life, it's how things have always been. Same in the Waddenzee islands. But here, where the land was fairly balanced for generations, only to have it disappear within a single lifetime because of the ignorant, selfish or poor decisions of others, must be frustrating to the extreme.
I read part of an excellent book about the early history of the Army Corps of Engineers and the single man whose stubborn ego and bitter personal feud created the massive problems we have today. It was borrowed, so I couldn't finish it, but I'll be adding it to my next Amazon purchase: Rising Tide: The Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America, by John M. Barry.
The sad thing is, even if they had the money and policies in place, the rate at which the land is disappearing and the time it would take to institute the changes make it impossible to save what's there. With appropriate changes to land use and some hard engineering solutions, it could be possible to rebuild it and resettle it, though. Just ask the Dutch.
This is heartbreaking. I've studied/wrote papers on some of the physical factors mentioned here (subsidence due to oil & gas drilling, Mississippi levees preventing soil deposits, and the accelerated pace of erosion when buffer wetlands disappear, particularly during storms/hurricanes) but I hadn't found anything about the impact on the Tribal lifestyle.
Protecting the wetlands in the Gulf is a more complex issue than protecting the barrier islands of the Outer Banks or the Waddenzee. Mostly because of the major influence of the Mississippi and how many different states it crosses, all of which would have to agree to a sediment management plan that would put probably billions of dollars of development and infrastructure at risk upstream, in order to save the Gulf wetlands.
It's one thing when someone who's lived on the Banks for generations to see their house get swallowed by the ocean - that's a way of life, it's how things have always been. Same in the Waddenzee islands. But here, where the land was fairly balanced for generations, only to have it disappear within a single lifetime because of the ignorant, selfish or poor decisions of others, must be frustrating to the extreme.
I read part of an excellent book about the early history of the Army Corps of Engineers and the single man whose stubborn ego and bitter personal feud created the massive problems we have today. It was borrowed, so I couldn't finish it, but I'll be adding it to my next Amazon purchase: Rising Tide: The Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America, by John M. Barry.
The sad thing is, even if they had the money and policies in place, the rate at which the land is disappearing and the time it would take to institute the changes make it impossible to save what's there. With appropriate changes to land use and some hard engineering solutions, it could be possible to rebuild it and resettle it, though. Just ask the Dutch.
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Tió de Nadal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tió de Nadal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This just in: other countries have strange and fucked-up holiday traditions. I'm wondering which of ours seem the weirdest to others.
Bum-rushing stores at 2 a.m. on Black Friday is probably one of them.
This just in: other countries have strange and fucked-up holiday traditions. I'm wondering which of ours seem the weirdest to others.
Bum-rushing stores at 2 a.m. on Black Friday is probably one of them.
Friday, December 03, 2010
Vegan Italian Sausage Recipe
via the Everyday Dish TV
Spicy Italian Vegetarian Sausages
Makes 8 links
2 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup chickpea flour
2 tbsp Bills Best Chik’Nish Seasoning (if using another brand which is salty, or saltier than Bill’s Best, you’ll want to greatly reduce the amount you use)
2 tbsp granulated onion
1 to 2 tbsp fennel seed, optional
2 tsp coarsely ground pepper, preferably freshly ground
2 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp dried chili flakes, optional
1 tsp ground smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground allspice
2 1/4 cups cool water*
6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1. In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. Whisk together the water, garlic, olive oil and soy sauce and using a fork, gently stir into the dry ingredients. Stir just until ingredients are mixed. If dough mixture is too dry, you can add another tablespoon of water or as needed.
2. Scoop 1/2 cup dough mixture at a time and shape into logs. Place logs on piece of aluminum foil and roll up, twisting ends. Place sausages in steamer and steam for 30 minutes. Once sausages have cooled, remove from foil and refrigerate until ready to eat. After cooling, the sausages may feel a bit dry on the outside. Don’t worry, as they will soften and firm up considerably after chilling.
Variation: You can shape the dough into little patties instead of links. If you don’t want to use aluminum foil, you can wrap the links in damp muslin or tea towel and tie ends with cotton twine.
***************
There was exactly a 1" strip of aluminum foil left in the box (WTF?!) so I tried it with cheesecloth. What a freaking pain that was. We'll see if they explode or not.
***
Edited to add: This recipe is GREAT. Easier and definitely better texture than the last time I tried - I think it's using chickpea flour instead of mashing the beans. The cheesecloth worked but is a pain in the ass to take off - definitely wrap with wax paper or similar next time before putting the cheesecloth on. Or just use foil!
Spicy Italian Vegetarian Sausages
Makes 8 links
2 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup chickpea flour
2 tbsp Bills Best Chik’Nish Seasoning (if using another brand which is salty, or saltier than Bill’s Best, you’ll want to greatly reduce the amount you use)
2 tbsp granulated onion
1 to 2 tbsp fennel seed, optional
2 tsp coarsely ground pepper, preferably freshly ground
2 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp dried chili flakes, optional
1 tsp ground smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground allspice
2 1/4 cups cool water*
6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1. In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. Whisk together the water, garlic, olive oil and soy sauce and using a fork, gently stir into the dry ingredients. Stir just until ingredients are mixed. If dough mixture is too dry, you can add another tablespoon of water or as needed.
2. Scoop 1/2 cup dough mixture at a time and shape into logs. Place logs on piece of aluminum foil and roll up, twisting ends. Place sausages in steamer and steam for 30 minutes. Once sausages have cooled, remove from foil and refrigerate until ready to eat. After cooling, the sausages may feel a bit dry on the outside. Don’t worry, as they will soften and firm up considerably after chilling.
Variation: You can shape the dough into little patties instead of links. If you don’t want to use aluminum foil, you can wrap the links in damp muslin or tea towel and tie ends with cotton twine.
***************
There was exactly a 1" strip of aluminum foil left in the box (WTF?!) so I tried it with cheesecloth. What a freaking pain that was. We'll see if they explode or not.
***
Edited to add: This recipe is GREAT. Easier and definitely better texture than the last time I tried - I think it's using chickpea flour instead of mashing the beans. The cheesecloth worked but is a pain in the ass to take off - definitely wrap with wax paper or similar next time before putting the cheesecloth on. Or just use foil!
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Thanksgiving post-mortem
Well, Thanksgiving was pretty crazy. I ended up getting started a bit late because the kitchen was occupied by a cooking roommate until about noon, and I didn't get around to making the sweet potatoes early as I had planned. Then the whole turkey smoking thing was kind of a fiasco.
First, we had to stop by the grocery store and pick up a pan to catch the drippings and hold the wine, onion & celery. So we do that and I realize I forgot to bring charcoal and matches, but figure that Tyler's left some charcoal in the shed along with the wood chips, so I just need a lighter. Which takes me forever to find and I end up causing a scene with me holding up a line on Thanksgiving and then having to chase down the checkout guy to tell him I already found it.
Then we go down to the in-laws' house, I almost slip and fall on the icy street, and get the extra thingies and frighten Tyler's mother-in-law in the process. She's lovely though so it was all good.
We get to the house and hey, the shed is locked. No charcoal, no wood chips. Sam calls, comes over with charcoal and we realize we have no idea how much charcoal to put in. We start the fire, go back to the same store and pick up more charcoal and woodchips, and Sam buys about $80 worth of beer. Of course.
Now the smoker's going fine, we put the turkey in... turkey is too tall. We have to flip all sorts of things over, which have now been roasting in a 800 degree smoker for 30 minutes. We have no tools or gloves. Eventually we find a random metal pipe and maneuver things. Turkey is still too tall, but the turkey neck fits in the smoker neck and maybe it'll work except now it's 250 degrees, instead of the 350 we were aiming for.
We head home and watch a few instructional youtube videos about how to use the Green Egg and I start cooking like a madwoman, leaving Sam & Matt to figure out the turkey business. Turns out, though needed more charcoal, that we did everything right. Also, not using match-light charcoal is best for taste reasons but apparently it came out okay, though worryingly pink because smoked turkey is always pink? Well the USDA said it, good enough for me. Everyone was a bit unsure at the dinner, I found out later.
I'll summarize the craze of cooking, but everything turned out... okay. Not great because I was just doing too much, even with help, and unless I had 2 ovens it's really hard to cook everything and keep it warm for the table. Brussels sprouts ended up overdone so it wasn't as tasty as Evangeline's and I think I put too much something in the dressing. Stuffing was dry, mashed potatoes were a bit dry, gravy was lumpy (no idea how the turkey gravy tasted). Sweet potatoes awesome as always, love that recipe. Pumpkin pie turned out great.
Well anyway we had a shit-ton of food, and leftovers lasted a good few days anyway. Damn it, that's what counts!
First, we had to stop by the grocery store and pick up a pan to catch the drippings and hold the wine, onion & celery. So we do that and I realize I forgot to bring charcoal and matches, but figure that Tyler's left some charcoal in the shed along with the wood chips, so I just need a lighter. Which takes me forever to find and I end up causing a scene with me holding up a line on Thanksgiving and then having to chase down the checkout guy to tell him I already found it.
Then we go down to the in-laws' house, I almost slip and fall on the icy street, and get the extra thingies and frighten Tyler's mother-in-law in the process. She's lovely though so it was all good.
We get to the house and hey, the shed is locked. No charcoal, no wood chips. Sam calls, comes over with charcoal and we realize we have no idea how much charcoal to put in. We start the fire, go back to the same store and pick up more charcoal and woodchips, and Sam buys about $80 worth of beer. Of course.
Now the smoker's going fine, we put the turkey in... turkey is too tall. We have to flip all sorts of things over, which have now been roasting in a 800 degree smoker for 30 minutes. We have no tools or gloves. Eventually we find a random metal pipe and maneuver things. Turkey is still too tall, but the turkey neck fits in the smoker neck and maybe it'll work except now it's 250 degrees, instead of the 350 we were aiming for.
We head home and watch a few instructional youtube videos about how to use the Green Egg and I start cooking like a madwoman, leaving Sam & Matt to figure out the turkey business. Turns out, though needed more charcoal, that we did everything right. Also, not using match-light charcoal is best for taste reasons but apparently it came out okay, though worryingly pink because smoked turkey is always pink? Well the USDA said it, good enough for me. Everyone was a bit unsure at the dinner, I found out later.
I'll summarize the craze of cooking, but everything turned out... okay. Not great because I was just doing too much, even with help, and unless I had 2 ovens it's really hard to cook everything and keep it warm for the table. Brussels sprouts ended up overdone so it wasn't as tasty as Evangeline's and I think I put too much something in the dressing. Stuffing was dry, mashed potatoes were a bit dry, gravy was lumpy (no idea how the turkey gravy tasted). Sweet potatoes awesome as always, love that recipe. Pumpkin pie turned out great.
Well anyway we had a shit-ton of food, and leftovers lasted a good few days anyway. Damn it, that's what counts!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Vegan Thanksgiving
I may update this later with a post-mortem, but thought I'd go ahead and put all of my recipes in one place for selfish reasons.
This year I'm hosting and cooking 90% of the dishes for myself and 7 other people, one of whom is vegetarian. I'm paying extra for a $1.99/lb free-range fresh turkey rather than a $.39/lb frozen Butterball. My friend Tyler, who lives a few blocks away, has graciously offered us the use of his Big Green Egg to smoke the sucker, which will leave our oven free and generally be less of a hassle.
Other than that, I picked up a lentil-sage and a wild-mushroom Field Roast as the protein since I'm making lots of stuff. A chopped salad with romaine hearts & assorted veggies, choice of dressings; basic mashed potatoes (Yukon gold + soymilk + margarine + salt & pepper); Pillsbury crescent rolls, and canned cranberry sauce. Approximating the stuffing recipe on the back of the bag, 1 with turkey juice and 1 vegan with pecans and apples.
Pre-dinner noshes will be Safeway salsa + chips, assorted veggies & dip (dressing or I might make a hummus or onion/tofu dip), leftover cheese and crackers.
Others are bringing a lemon cream pie, pfeffernusse cookies and fresh cranberry sauce.
Here are my recipes for everything else:
Gram's Cranberry Sherbert
4 cups fresh cranberries
2.5 cups water
1.5 cups of sugar
Juice and zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon.
1 teaspoon of gelatin (I used 2 teaspoons of vegan cherry-flavored jel dessert)
1. Cook berries in water until berries stop popping and strain into pot, saving juice.
2. Using food mill or a fine metal sieve, a flat metal spoon and a lot of effort, smash the pulp out of the cranberries into the pot, keeping the skins out.
3. Add sugar, cook on low until dissolved.
4. Add gelatin; cool.
5. Stir in juice and zest.
6. Pour into freezer tray.
7. Beat with mixer 2 days prior to serving, refreeze and serve on Thanksgiving.
Evangeline's Brussels Sprouts, Apples and Walnut Salad
I sliced the sprouts in half and steamed them (I cooked mine for too long, they should be just underdone). Then I pan-seared them in olive oil and a couple cloves of crushed garlic, really letting the sliced sides get crispy. Just before removing them, I stirred in some maple syrup (1 tsp? 1 tbsp? a little goes a long way) and removed them from the heat before the sugar burned too much. Actually, it got pretty smoky. Good luck. I added chopped fresh apple (I used half a medium-sized apple, something tart, sweet and crispy but I don't remember what kind) and walnuts pan-roasted with a pinch of salt and a little maple syrup. I can't remember if I added shallots, but they would be good in this. I made a dressing out of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lots of thyme, a pinch of cumin, 1-2 tsp of brown deli mustard and something sweet, either a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup again, I'm not sure which.
Praline Topped Sweet Potatoes
3 one-pound cans of yams in light syrup, DRAINED
1/2 c. margarine, melted
1/2 c. cashew cream (equal parts raw cashews to water, blended)
2 Tbsp milled flax seed mixed with 1/2 cup water (i.e. 2 large eggs)
1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 c. chopped pecans
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
1. In a food processor, puree yams with 6 Tbsp. margarine and 2 Tbsp. cashew cream.
2. Add flax/water and 1/2 c. brown sugar, process until blended.
3. Pour into 2 qt. baking dish.
4. Preheat oven to 375.
5. In a small saucepan, combine remaining ingredients EXCEPT for vanilla. Bring to boiling, simmer 5 mins.
6. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.
7. Spoon mixture over potatoes.
8. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly.
Serves 6-8.
Vegan Pumpkin Pie
(adapted from this recipe
9" store-bought graham cracker crust (because pssssh)
2 cups canned pumpkin or puréed home-cooked fresh pumpkin (see note)
1 cup low-fat soymilk or rice milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar cane syrup
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 Tbs. dark molasses or to taste
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. In large bowl, mix all remaining ingredients until smooth and blended. Pour into prepared crust and smooth top. Bake 10 minutes.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350F; bake until filling is set, about 50 minutes. Set on wire rack to cool, then refrigerate overnight. Top with your choice of dessert topping if desired.
This year I'm hosting and cooking 90% of the dishes for myself and 7 other people, one of whom is vegetarian. I'm paying extra for a $1.99/lb free-range fresh turkey rather than a $.39/lb frozen Butterball. My friend Tyler, who lives a few blocks away, has graciously offered us the use of his Big Green Egg to smoke the sucker, which will leave our oven free and generally be less of a hassle.
Other than that, I picked up a lentil-sage and a wild-mushroom Field Roast as the protein since I'm making lots of stuff. A chopped salad with romaine hearts & assorted veggies, choice of dressings; basic mashed potatoes (Yukon gold + soymilk + margarine + salt & pepper); Pillsbury crescent rolls, and canned cranberry sauce. Approximating the stuffing recipe on the back of the bag, 1 with turkey juice and 1 vegan with pecans and apples.
Pre-dinner noshes will be Safeway salsa + chips, assorted veggies & dip (dressing or I might make a hummus or onion/tofu dip), leftover cheese and crackers.
Others are bringing a lemon cream pie, pfeffernusse cookies and fresh cranberry sauce.
Here are my recipes for everything else:
Gram's Cranberry Sherbert
4 cups fresh cranberries
2.5 cups water
1.5 cups of sugar
Juice and zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon.
1 teaspoon of gelatin (I used 2 teaspoons of vegan cherry-flavored jel dessert)
1. Cook berries in water until berries stop popping and strain into pot, saving juice.
2. Using food mill or a fine metal sieve, a flat metal spoon and a lot of effort, smash the pulp out of the cranberries into the pot, keeping the skins out.
3. Add sugar, cook on low until dissolved.
4. Add gelatin; cool.
5. Stir in juice and zest.
6. Pour into freezer tray.
7. Beat with mixer 2 days prior to serving, refreeze and serve on Thanksgiving.
Evangeline's Brussels Sprouts, Apples and Walnut Salad
I sliced the sprouts in half and steamed them (I cooked mine for too long, they should be just underdone). Then I pan-seared them in olive oil and a couple cloves of crushed garlic, really letting the sliced sides get crispy. Just before removing them, I stirred in some maple syrup (1 tsp? 1 tbsp? a little goes a long way) and removed them from the heat before the sugar burned too much. Actually, it got pretty smoky. Good luck. I added chopped fresh apple (I used half a medium-sized apple, something tart, sweet and crispy but I don't remember what kind) and walnuts pan-roasted with a pinch of salt and a little maple syrup. I can't remember if I added shallots, but they would be good in this. I made a dressing out of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lots of thyme, a pinch of cumin, 1-2 tsp of brown deli mustard and something sweet, either a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup again, I'm not sure which.
Praline Topped Sweet Potatoes
3 one-pound cans of yams in light syrup, DRAINED
1/2 c. margarine, melted
1/2 c. cashew cream (equal parts raw cashews to water, blended)
2 Tbsp milled flax seed mixed with 1/2 cup water (i.e. 2 large eggs)
1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 c. chopped pecans
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
1. In a food processor, puree yams with 6 Tbsp. margarine and 2 Tbsp. cashew cream.
2. Add flax/water and 1/2 c. brown sugar, process until blended.
3. Pour into 2 qt. baking dish.
4. Preheat oven to 375.
5. In a small saucepan, combine remaining ingredients EXCEPT for vanilla. Bring to boiling, simmer 5 mins.
6. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.
7. Spoon mixture over potatoes.
8. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly.
Serves 6-8.
Vegan Pumpkin Pie
(adapted from this recipe
9" store-bought graham cracker crust (because pssssh)
2 cups canned pumpkin or puréed home-cooked fresh pumpkin (see note)
1 cup low-fat soymilk or rice milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar cane syrup
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 Tbs. dark molasses or to taste
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. In large bowl, mix all remaining ingredients until smooth and blended. Pour into prepared crust and smooth top. Bake 10 minutes.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350F; bake until filling is set, about 50 minutes. Set on wire rack to cool, then refrigerate overnight. Top with your choice of dessert topping if desired.
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