One of the topics in my current class is the online library catalog and how easy various types of catalogs are to navigate for novice users. We've looked at examples from all over the nation, including the Aquabrowser catalog as it's being used in the Santa Cruz Public Library system. Many of the online catalogs out there have their strong and weak points. The biggest concern of course is if it makes sense to the user and organizes information in a way that the user can 1) easily understand what information is being presented and 2) find the information that he/she was trying to locate. The Aquabrowser reminded me in some respects of Amazon.com in the look of the results (minus the word cloud, a feature I find distracting and useless) and the refine search options that the user is given. While this familiar look to the results would help the novice user, I feel like there should be another even more "friendly" option.
And so I posed the making of a new type of online catalog to my instructor and classmates. This catalog would read (pardon the pun) much like Facebook does--which would lend to user comfort and familiarity since so many people are using Facebook nowadays. Each item, be it book, movie, CD, or other type, would have its own page. The "profile" would include the bibliographic information of each item, including its physical location--or a link if it's an e-source--in the library. Each item would then be "friended" to other items that are related by title, author, subject, genre, or any other way the library deems appropriate to make a connection. Library patrons would be able to "like" items, and even post on each item's "wall" (maybe providing additional information about the item, for example a review). Tags would be initially set by library catalogers, but patrons would be able to then add their own tags, which may end up helping those users who are unfamiliar with formal catalog searching keywords.
My instructor seems to love the idea, even going so far as to suggest I talk about this with someone to make it a reality. The only problem is that I don't know who to talk to. So if anyone with experience in searching programs and online catalogs would like to flesh out this idea, please leave me a comment! Better yet, if anyone from Facebook decides to use this idea to create a program that libraries can subscribe to (for a REASONABLE fee!!!), then please contact me so we can talk about me selling you my idea.
Now for this week's recipe. This is a recipe that Scooter and I came up with. We had only a little help from a pasta sauce we saw on the back of a package of lobster raviolis. We took down the ingredients needed, added some, took some away, changed around the amounts, and came up with the following pasta sauce:
What you'll need:
2 shallots, diced
5 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 sausages, precooked
1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 c. white wine (Chardonnay preferably)
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tbs. flour
1 1/2 c. cream
1/2 milk
1 lb. fettuccine pasta, cooked
What you'll need to do:
1. Cut the sausages up into small chunks. You can also substitute 1/4 lb. cooked loose sausage meat.
2. In a large sausepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and shallots and cook until the shallots are soft, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the sausage and cook until sausage is heated through, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the flour and stir until completely mixed in.
5. Add the white wine and lemon juice and cook until liquid is reduced, about 5-7 minutes.
6. Add the cream and milk and cook until the sauce is slightly thickened.
7. Remove from heat and serve over fettuccine pasta or another pasta of your choice.
You should be able to get 4-6 servings out of this recipe, and I would highly recommend having a slice of french bread on hand to catch any extra sauce still left in your plate. Also, a disclaimer: this is NOT by any means a low-fat food. However, I can almost guarantee that you will enjoy it!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Another reason to keep reading the fiction I love
For class this week, we were assigned to read an article regarding fiction and the psychological benefits it might have (Oatley, 2008). As someone who thrives on reading fiction--and loyally collects all published works of three authors as they are released in paperback--I found this study to be particularly interesting. Oatley (2008) and some of his colleagues performed a study in which they examined the short- and long-term effects that reading fiction can have on a person.
To gauge the effects of long-term fiction reading, they used objective assessments with author's and non-author's name to determine how much the participants read. Once that was established, the participants were given "mind-in-the-eyes" tests in which they looked at pictures of people's eyes and tried to determine the emotion the person in the photo was feeling. Lastly, participants were asked to view 15 short video clips depicting various social interactions; participants then had to describe what was going on in the clip (Oatley, 2008). The results? "Fiction readers had substantially greater empathy as measured by the mind-in-the-eyes test, and also performed somewhat better on the interpersonal perception test than people who read predominantly non-fiction" (Oatley, 2008). So what this study turned up was that fiction could quite possibly be teaching readers what it means to be human, at least in terms of emotions and and how we interact with others.
They followed this up with another study to rule out the possibility that fiction attracts more empathic people, which would have skewed the results because they would be scoring high in empathy. Another group of participants were given a piece to read, either a fiction short story or a non-fiction essay of the same length. The participants were then given a social reasoning test and an analytical reasoning test. The social reasoning test asked multiple-choice questions regarding the beliefs, emotions, and intentions of characters in different situations. Again, those who read the fiction piece tested higher on the social reasoning test than the participants who read the non-fiction piece. There was no difference in analytical reasoning between the two groups (Oatley, 2008). So once again, we have some evidence that points to fiction developing social skills and empathy in its readers. And in the case with this particular study, the effect is immediate (Oatley, 2008). Not only does fiction help develop empathy in us, but it starts to do so right away.
I find this interesting, especially when considering the major protest against including "popular literature" during the 19th century when the purpose and intent of the American public library was in a state of evolution. Now, over 100 years later, we find that popular literature--fiction--plays a role in the psychological development of its readers. How ironic. That which was initially thought of as useless and without educational purpose has now been determined to have a psychological purpose. Maybe fiction won't necessarily teach us facts about science or mathematics, but it can teach us about cultures and the myriad of ways in which we interact with and respond to others on many levels.
So don't put down put down your Nora Roberts, Anne McCaffrey, or Dan Brown. Read on!
Updated 10/25/10: I neglected to include the bibliographic information for Oatley's article. Let me rectify that now:
Oatley, K. (2008). The science of fiction: A good novel is far more than mere entertainment. New Scientist 198(June 28, 2008) 42-43. doi:10.1016/S0262-4079(08)61619-X
To gauge the effects of long-term fiction reading, they used objective assessments with author's and non-author's name to determine how much the participants read. Once that was established, the participants were given "mind-in-the-eyes" tests in which they looked at pictures of people's eyes and tried to determine the emotion the person in the photo was feeling. Lastly, participants were asked to view 15 short video clips depicting various social interactions; participants then had to describe what was going on in the clip (Oatley, 2008). The results? "Fiction readers had substantially greater empathy as measured by the mind-in-the-eyes test, and also performed somewhat better on the interpersonal perception test than people who read predominantly non-fiction" (Oatley, 2008). So what this study turned up was that fiction could quite possibly be teaching readers what it means to be human, at least in terms of emotions and and how we interact with others.
They followed this up with another study to rule out the possibility that fiction attracts more empathic people, which would have skewed the results because they would be scoring high in empathy. Another group of participants were given a piece to read, either a fiction short story or a non-fiction essay of the same length. The participants were then given a social reasoning test and an analytical reasoning test. The social reasoning test asked multiple-choice questions regarding the beliefs, emotions, and intentions of characters in different situations. Again, those who read the fiction piece tested higher on the social reasoning test than the participants who read the non-fiction piece. There was no difference in analytical reasoning between the two groups (Oatley, 2008). So once again, we have some evidence that points to fiction developing social skills and empathy in its readers. And in the case with this particular study, the effect is immediate (Oatley, 2008). Not only does fiction help develop empathy in us, but it starts to do so right away.
I find this interesting, especially when considering the major protest against including "popular literature" during the 19th century when the purpose and intent of the American public library was in a state of evolution. Now, over 100 years later, we find that popular literature--fiction--plays a role in the psychological development of its readers. How ironic. That which was initially thought of as useless and without educational purpose has now been determined to have a psychological purpose. Maybe fiction won't necessarily teach us facts about science or mathematics, but it can teach us about cultures and the myriad of ways in which we interact with and respond to others on many levels.
So don't put down put down your Nora Roberts, Anne McCaffrey, or Dan Brown. Read on!
Updated 10/25/10: I neglected to include the bibliographic information for Oatley's article. Let me rectify that now:
Oatley, K. (2008). The science of fiction: A good novel is far more than mere entertainment. New Scientist 198(June 28, 2008) 42-43. doi:10.1016/S0262-4079(08)61619-X
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Recharging my battery...with biscuits and gravy
The school I work at has graduations four times a year. This may seem strange, but we are a year-round school and we have students starting and finishing their programs throughout the year, so it's hard to pick just one time for graduation. Even so, we do have students that have to wait for 2-3 months after their program is over to be able to walk at graduation.
Graduation is always a big to-do (as it should be). But each ceremony does require a lot of planning, and it just so happens that I am in charge of a good deal of the planning (as well as coordinating at the ceremony itself). I usually have to start 5 weeks in advance to make sure everything gets done in time and nothing is left to the last minute. Needless to say, when graduation is over, there is a profound sense of relief followed quickly by exhaustion as I stumble back to my car to head home. I am lucky that my boss is willing to let me take the Friday off after every graduation so I can pack up my car and head out of town to relax at my aunt and uncle's summer home on the coast. It's always a time for me to relax, recharge, have some good food, and read a couple good books.
Last week was our most recent graduation, so Scooter and I went to the coast this last weekend. It was cold and cloudy all weekend, perfect weather in our opinion for settling in front of the fire (which we did) and soaking in the hot tub (which we also did). And of course, we always plan food to cook. We ended up making lamb again on this trip because we loved it so much last time. Saturday breakfast was biscuits and gravy, which is always a team effort. I make the biscuits and Scooter makes the sausage and gravy to with it. I don't mean to brag, but I haven't yet had biscuits and gravy elsewhere that tasted so good. We were going to have pancakes and sausage for Sunday's breakfast, but we had managed to forget the pancake mix so it was eggs, toast and sausage instead.
For this week's recipe, Scooter has agreed to let me post our biscuits and gravy recipe. I'll be using the variation of the recipe we used on the trip (there were one or two ingredients we didn't have--we wanted to cut out another trip to the store--which we include in our best, and secret, variation). I'll start with the biscuits.
Buttermilk Biscuits
What you'll need:
2 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. butter/margarine, chilled
2 Tbs. shortening
1 c. buttermilk, chilled
What you'll need to do:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and shortening and use your fingers to mix everything together until the flour looks like crumbs. Make a well in the center of the mix and add in the buttermilk. Stir everything just until the dough comes together. It will be sticky!
3. Flour a flat surface. Turn dough out of the mixing bowl onto the prepared surface and dust a little flour on the top of the dough. Fold the dough over on itself 5-6 times. Avoid overworking it; your biscuits will be lighter if the dough isn't overworked. Press the dough into a round approx 1 inch thick. Using a round cookie cutter (or a glass), cut out biscuits. Reform scrap dough and continue cutting.
4. Place biscuits on a baking sheet. Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until biscuits are golden on top.
While the biscuits are baking, time to put together the gravy!
What you'll need:
1 lb. loose sausage meat (we prefer maple-flavored, but it's not necessary)*
1/2 c. chopped onions (optional)
2 c. milk
2 Tbs. flour
1 Tbs. Worcester sauce
1 Tbs. garlic powder
salt and pepper
What you'll need to do:
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the sausage meat until cooked through. If you are including the onions, quickly saute them in another small skillet until soft and add them to the sausage meat.
2. Add the milk, flour, Worcester sauce, and garlic powder to the sausage. Turn heat down to medium-low and saute until the sauce cooks down and thickens, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Pull open a fresh biscuit and use a ladel to pour sausage and gravy on top. Enjoy!
*A side note about the gravy: you will NOT want lean sausage meat for this. The fat that cooks off will help to flavor the gravy and make it really good. If you have it, adding 1 to 2 Tbs. of bacon fat would be even better; the flavor would be a little better and you would be able to cook the onion in the same skillet at the sausage meat because there would be enough fat that the onion wouldn't soak it all up as it cooks.
I will try to get back on schedule with my posts starting next week.
Graduation is always a big to-do (as it should be). But each ceremony does require a lot of planning, and it just so happens that I am in charge of a good deal of the planning (as well as coordinating at the ceremony itself). I usually have to start 5 weeks in advance to make sure everything gets done in time and nothing is left to the last minute. Needless to say, when graduation is over, there is a profound sense of relief followed quickly by exhaustion as I stumble back to my car to head home. I am lucky that my boss is willing to let me take the Friday off after every graduation so I can pack up my car and head out of town to relax at my aunt and uncle's summer home on the coast. It's always a time for me to relax, recharge, have some good food, and read a couple good books.
Last week was our most recent graduation, so Scooter and I went to the coast this last weekend. It was cold and cloudy all weekend, perfect weather in our opinion for settling in front of the fire (which we did) and soaking in the hot tub (which we also did). And of course, we always plan food to cook. We ended up making lamb again on this trip because we loved it so much last time. Saturday breakfast was biscuits and gravy, which is always a team effort. I make the biscuits and Scooter makes the sausage and gravy to with it. I don't mean to brag, but I haven't yet had biscuits and gravy elsewhere that tasted so good. We were going to have pancakes and sausage for Sunday's breakfast, but we had managed to forget the pancake mix so it was eggs, toast and sausage instead.
For this week's recipe, Scooter has agreed to let me post our biscuits and gravy recipe. I'll be using the variation of the recipe we used on the trip (there were one or two ingredients we didn't have--we wanted to cut out another trip to the store--which we include in our best, and secret, variation). I'll start with the biscuits.
Buttermilk Biscuits
What you'll need:
2 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. butter/margarine, chilled
2 Tbs. shortening
1 c. buttermilk, chilled
What you'll need to do:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and shortening and use your fingers to mix everything together until the flour looks like crumbs. Make a well in the center of the mix and add in the buttermilk. Stir everything just until the dough comes together. It will be sticky!
3. Flour a flat surface. Turn dough out of the mixing bowl onto the prepared surface and dust a little flour on the top of the dough. Fold the dough over on itself 5-6 times. Avoid overworking it; your biscuits will be lighter if the dough isn't overworked. Press the dough into a round approx 1 inch thick. Using a round cookie cutter (or a glass), cut out biscuits. Reform scrap dough and continue cutting.
4. Place biscuits on a baking sheet. Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until biscuits are golden on top.
While the biscuits are baking, time to put together the gravy!
What you'll need:
1 lb. loose sausage meat (we prefer maple-flavored, but it's not necessary)*
1/2 c. chopped onions (optional)
2 c. milk
2 Tbs. flour
1 Tbs. Worcester sauce
1 Tbs. garlic powder
salt and pepper
What you'll need to do:
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the sausage meat until cooked through. If you are including the onions, quickly saute them in another small skillet until soft and add them to the sausage meat.
2. Add the milk, flour, Worcester sauce, and garlic powder to the sausage. Turn heat down to medium-low and saute until the sauce cooks down and thickens, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Pull open a fresh biscuit and use a ladel to pour sausage and gravy on top. Enjoy!
*A side note about the gravy: you will NOT want lean sausage meat for this. The fat that cooks off will help to flavor the gravy and make it really good. If you have it, adding 1 to 2 Tbs. of bacon fat would be even better; the flavor would be a little better and you would be able to cook the onion in the same skillet at the sausage meat because there would be enough fat that the onion wouldn't soak it all up as it cooks.
I will try to get back on schedule with my posts starting next week.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Family Time
This last weekend was rather busy. Scooter and I ran errands all over, taking care of things that we had been putting off for awhile (including changing my cell phone carrier--yay for cheaper/better phone plans!). It felt good to finally get those things checked off my mental "to do" list. I also have family visiting--my cousin from Sweden, and my brother from upstate New York, so I've been spending a lot of time with them as well.
One thing that I'm glad that I had the chance to do was just have some hang-out time with my sister and younger brother (the one visiting from New York). The three of us haven't hung out together in a very long time. We ended up going to a nearby mall, as my brother was interested in getting more warm-weather clothing. I ultimately invested in some retail therapy myself, getting a couple of new outfits and a necklace that caught my eye. It was so nice to spend time not thinking about what I still have to read for class or what needs to be done at work (my two biggest worries right now). It was doubly nice to be able to spend the afternoon with my siblings, browsing through stores, joking, talking, and just enjoying each other's company.
And of course, I got some more cooking in. Scooter and I went to a local wholesale store and got a rack of lamb for a good price. And we made the Best Lamb. Ever. It was tender, beautifully rare, and of course absolutely delicious. So I will share with you the recipe that made it magic: Roast Rack of Lamb from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.
What you'll need:
2 1- to 1 1/2-lb. lamb rib roasts (with or without backbone)
3 Tsp. Dijon-style mustard (I used honey Dijon)
3 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. snipped fresh rosemary (I used a little extra)
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. soft bread crumbs
1 Tbs. butter or margarine, melted
What you'll need to do:
1. Stir together mustard, lemon juice, rosemary, and salt. Rub onto the meat. In a bowl, toss together bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle onto all sides of the meat.
2. Place meat on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast uncovered in a 325-degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour for medium-rare meat; a meat thermometer should read 135 degrees. (For medium, roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours; thermometer should read 150 degrees.) Remove from oven, cover with foil, and let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Slice the rib roast as desired and serve warm.
One thing to note: the original recipe calls for you to trim the fat from the meat before putting on the mustard rub. Scooter and I are of the opinion that leaving some fat adds flavor. My suggestion is to only trim off the fat that's grizzly when cooked. Using this recipe, our lamb tasted like honey-mustard butter, and it seemed to melt in our mouths. Do give this recipe a try--I hope you enjoy it as much as we did: there was nothing left on our plates when we were done!
One thing that I'm glad that I had the chance to do was just have some hang-out time with my sister and younger brother (the one visiting from New York). The three of us haven't hung out together in a very long time. We ended up going to a nearby mall, as my brother was interested in getting more warm-weather clothing. I ultimately invested in some retail therapy myself, getting a couple of new outfits and a necklace that caught my eye. It was so nice to spend time not thinking about what I still have to read for class or what needs to be done at work (my two biggest worries right now). It was doubly nice to be able to spend the afternoon with my siblings, browsing through stores, joking, talking, and just enjoying each other's company.
And of course, I got some more cooking in. Scooter and I went to a local wholesale store and got a rack of lamb for a good price. And we made the Best Lamb. Ever. It was tender, beautifully rare, and of course absolutely delicious. So I will share with you the recipe that made it magic: Roast Rack of Lamb from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.
What you'll need:
2 1- to 1 1/2-lb. lamb rib roasts (with or without backbone)
3 Tsp. Dijon-style mustard (I used honey Dijon)
3 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. snipped fresh rosemary (I used a little extra)
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. soft bread crumbs
1 Tbs. butter or margarine, melted
What you'll need to do:
1. Stir together mustard, lemon juice, rosemary, and salt. Rub onto the meat. In a bowl, toss together bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle onto all sides of the meat.
2. Place meat on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast uncovered in a 325-degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour for medium-rare meat; a meat thermometer should read 135 degrees. (For medium, roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours; thermometer should read 150 degrees.) Remove from oven, cover with foil, and let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Slice the rib roast as desired and serve warm.
One thing to note: the original recipe calls for you to trim the fat from the meat before putting on the mustard rub. Scooter and I are of the opinion that leaving some fat adds flavor. My suggestion is to only trim off the fat that's grizzly when cooked. Using this recipe, our lamb tasted like honey-mustard butter, and it seemed to melt in our mouths. Do give this recipe a try--I hope you enjoy it as much as we did: there was nothing left on our plates when we were done!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
There's politics in everything!
This last week in my class, I was surprised by how much politics is involved with libraries and librarians. I just wanted to note a few of my thoughts about this here.
My instructor brought to our attention a recent piece of news: privatizing libraries. In this story, we hear about LSSI--a privately-owned and run company--taking over public libraries in order to deal with the budget crisis that many libraries are facing. While this may come from good intentions, it really leaves a lot of questions unanswered. How will the libraries be run? Will the libraries still follow the value systems and credos inherent in the public library system? What about privacy--will the private company be as active in protecting its "customers" (patrons) as public libraries are now? I also find several of Mr. Pezzanite's comments to be very misleading, specifically those discussing the work ethic of librarians. "You can go to a library for 35 years and never have to do anything and then have your retirement." Despite what many people may think, librarians work hard. They have to in order to meet the needs of the patrons--and now more so than ever with the recession. Librarians assist patrons in a multitude of ways--and on many levels--while also often managing the administrative side of the library like building collections, managing budgets (which often includes grant-writing), and planning for future development. Many librarians publish in journals and/or teach on top of that. Mr. Pezzanite's practice of automatically getting rid of unionized employees just because they belong to a union isn't ethical either. Employees should be hired/fired based on ability (or lack thereof) and performance. It's not a guarantee that anyone the private company brings in has the level of training that librarians go through either. And I seriously question any company that won't discuss its profitability, especially in this case--it's too close to acting like there's something to hide.
The other hot topic in my class right now is the presence of homeless in public libraries. Some public libraries around the nation are enacting things like "odor policies" and other regulations that, in the end, exclude the homeless from public library services. Putting those policies/regulations on top of other laws that have been put into place, it's turned into a situation where we are criminalizing the poor/homeless by punishing them for something that's out of their control. We've taken their dignity by no longer treating them as human. In one of my posts to my class, I likened them to the Untouchables of the pre-modern Indian caste system. Many times, the local public library is the only sanctuary these folks have to rest, relax, and feel safe. To this end, I would like to see more social workers connected with libraries or groups of libraries (like those that are part of the same county system, for example) in order to provide services to the homeless and the poor that frequent the buildings (we learned that San Francisco Public Library is one of the few--if not the only--libraries that has a social worker on at the library for this reason). I've also decided that my first large-scale (grant) project will be to develop a directory of public libraries that offer any programs that focus on the poor and/or homeless and what those programs are. Librarians have become de facto social workers, but lack the training to effectively help these people. My instructor helped explain why this is--she said that often, this topic isn't taught in MLIS or MLS programs because it's thought to be too radical. I'm hoping the directory can provide guidance to those libraries that have no programs already in place. And maybe something even bigger will come out of it.
There are a lot more political topics in librarianship--censorship (Banned Book Week just went by recently), freedom of information, open access, and others--but I'll leave these other topics for another day.
My instructor brought to our attention a recent piece of news: privatizing libraries. In this story, we hear about LSSI--a privately-owned and run company--taking over public libraries in order to deal with the budget crisis that many libraries are facing. While this may come from good intentions, it really leaves a lot of questions unanswered. How will the libraries be run? Will the libraries still follow the value systems and credos inherent in the public library system? What about privacy--will the private company be as active in protecting its "customers" (patrons) as public libraries are now? I also find several of Mr. Pezzanite's comments to be very misleading, specifically those discussing the work ethic of librarians. "You can go to a library for 35 years and never have to do anything and then have your retirement." Despite what many people may think, librarians work hard. They have to in order to meet the needs of the patrons--and now more so than ever with the recession. Librarians assist patrons in a multitude of ways--and on many levels--while also often managing the administrative side of the library like building collections, managing budgets (which often includes grant-writing), and planning for future development. Many librarians publish in journals and/or teach on top of that. Mr. Pezzanite's practice of automatically getting rid of unionized employees just because they belong to a union isn't ethical either. Employees should be hired/fired based on ability (or lack thereof) and performance. It's not a guarantee that anyone the private company brings in has the level of training that librarians go through either. And I seriously question any company that won't discuss its profitability, especially in this case--it's too close to acting like there's something to hide.
The other hot topic in my class right now is the presence of homeless in public libraries. Some public libraries around the nation are enacting things like "odor policies" and other regulations that, in the end, exclude the homeless from public library services. Putting those policies/regulations on top of other laws that have been put into place, it's turned into a situation where we are criminalizing the poor/homeless by punishing them for something that's out of their control. We've taken their dignity by no longer treating them as human. In one of my posts to my class, I likened them to the Untouchables of the pre-modern Indian caste system. Many times, the local public library is the only sanctuary these folks have to rest, relax, and feel safe. To this end, I would like to see more social workers connected with libraries or groups of libraries (like those that are part of the same county system, for example) in order to provide services to the homeless and the poor that frequent the buildings (we learned that San Francisco Public Library is one of the few--if not the only--libraries that has a social worker on at the library for this reason). I've also decided that my first large-scale (grant) project will be to develop a directory of public libraries that offer any programs that focus on the poor and/or homeless and what those programs are. Librarians have become de facto social workers, but lack the training to effectively help these people. My instructor helped explain why this is--she said that often, this topic isn't taught in MLIS or MLS programs because it's thought to be too radical. I'm hoping the directory can provide guidance to those libraries that have no programs already in place. And maybe something even bigger will come out of it.
There are a lot more political topics in librarianship--censorship (Banned Book Week just went by recently), freedom of information, open access, and others--but I'll leave these other topics for another day.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
What a way to spend a vacation!
I know that I said I would post something about my weekend out of town with Scooter. We drove down the coast to a small town that's very lovely. He wanted to visit the aquarium there, so we got two-day passes for the price of one day through the hotel we stayed at. Between the aquarium, the vast array of restaurants specializing in seafood, all the local shops full of souvenirs and curious items, there was a lot to see and do. Two nights was not nearly enough! Here's a few highlights from the aquarium, the restaurant where we had dinner, and the trip.
Surprisingly, all of these pictures were taken with the camera from my phone. From what we learned using that for our pictures, we need to invest in a better camera--one that can deal better with movement. We had to delete a lot of the pictures simply because they were too blurred.
We also got a photo album that we're going to fill with pictures from this and future adventures. Scooter and I have the travel bug and look forward to our next trip!
 |
| This was the view from the balcony of our room at the hotel. The weather was perfect the whole weekend. |
 |
| One of the creatures featured in the jellyfish exhibit at the aquarium |
 |
| a sea anemone |
 |
| We caught the feeding time at this tank of kelp forest fish. |
 |
| I love the exquisite colors of tropical fish! |
 |
| It was a vacation, and yet we were up early enough to see the sun rise! So much for sleeping in. |
 |
| This is where we celebrated Scooter's birthday by having an absolutely incredible meal. Scooter is smart--he got us reservations in time to see the sky darken as the sun set. This entire room was covered by a big glass dome (as you can see in the picture). |
 |
| Around the outside of the room were green trees, some with twinkle lights that were lit as the sky darkened. |
We also got a photo album that we're going to fill with pictures from this and future adventures. Scooter and I have the travel bug and look forward to our next trip!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Dinner & Dessert
Between work, school, and life, I haven't had much time left over for things like posting to my blog. For this, I apologize. There won't be a lot of substance to this post in terms of personal opinion, anecdotes, or more of what I've learned. Rather, I've decided to post two recipes this week instead of just one. I did get the chance to make a good dinner for Scooter and me last night (including dessert!), so I figured I'd share more recipes instead of cutting this post short. So I have for you, my readers, dinner and dessert: beef stroganoff and creme brulee.
First, the beef stroganoff.
What you'll need:
2 lbs. beef chuck roast
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
4 oz. butter (1 stick)
4 green onions, sliced
4 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 10.5-oz. can of beef broth
1 tsp. mustard (I used honey Dijon)
1 6-oz. can of sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. sour cream
1/3 c. white wine
What you'll need to do:
1. Trim off any fat and gristle from the meat and cut into strips 1/2 inch thick and 2 inches long. Put into a bowl and season with the salt and pepper. Feel free to add a little more salt and pepper if you want (I did).
2. In a large frying pan, melt the butter and quickly brown the beef strips over medium-high heat. Once the meat is browned, reduce to medium heat and put the meat to one side of the pan. Add the onions and cook slowly for 3-5 minutes, then push to the side with the meat.
3. Stir the flour into the juices on the empty side of the pan. Pour in the beef broth, mix well, and bring the pan to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat to low and stir in the mustard. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender.
4. Five minutes before serving, stir in the mushrooms, sour cream, and white wine. Bring the heat back up to medium for 1-2 minutes, then remove the pan from the stove. Salt and pepper to taste (if desired) and serve over egg noodles.
The original recipe can be found here. I added more sour cream than the recipe called for because I like a creamier flavor. Serve with vegetables on the side and a nice glass of wine (the recipe recommends a syrah).
Now for dessert: the creme brulee!
What you'll need:
4 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. sugar
6 egg yolks
1/2 c. brown sugar
6 custard dishes
What you'll need to do:
1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and vanilla to simmer. Remove from heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.
3. In a bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks together. Whisk in the cream until everything is well-blended. Pour the mixture into custard dishes.
4. Place the dished into a large baking dish. Pour boiling water into the baking dish so that the water level comes half way up the custard dishes.
5. Put the baking dish into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Take the custard dishes out of the baking dish and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
6. When you're just about ready to serve dessert, top each custard dish with the brown sugar. You can either melt the sugar under the oven broiler until it bubbles or use a kitchen torch to melt it.
Voila! You are finished. I don't remember where I originally got this recipe (I've had it for years), but it's really easy, and creme brulee is such a fun thing to serve. You can also add cocoa powder to the mix before baking it if you want to add a little chocolate flavor. Serve with fruit or a light cookie (like a Madeline or Lady's Fingers) on the side if you wish.
I hope you enjoy these recipes!
First, the beef stroganoff.
What you'll need:
2 lbs. beef chuck roast
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
4 oz. butter (1 stick)
4 green onions, sliced
4 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 10.5-oz. can of beef broth
1 tsp. mustard (I used honey Dijon)
1 6-oz. can of sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. sour cream
1/3 c. white wine
What you'll need to do:
1. Trim off any fat and gristle from the meat and cut into strips 1/2 inch thick and 2 inches long. Put into a bowl and season with the salt and pepper. Feel free to add a little more salt and pepper if you want (I did).
2. In a large frying pan, melt the butter and quickly brown the beef strips over medium-high heat. Once the meat is browned, reduce to medium heat and put the meat to one side of the pan. Add the onions and cook slowly for 3-5 minutes, then push to the side with the meat.
3. Stir the flour into the juices on the empty side of the pan. Pour in the beef broth, mix well, and bring the pan to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat to low and stir in the mustard. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender.
4. Five minutes before serving, stir in the mushrooms, sour cream, and white wine. Bring the heat back up to medium for 1-2 minutes, then remove the pan from the stove. Salt and pepper to taste (if desired) and serve over egg noodles.
The original recipe can be found here. I added more sour cream than the recipe called for because I like a creamier flavor. Serve with vegetables on the side and a nice glass of wine (the recipe recommends a syrah).
Now for dessert: the creme brulee!
What you'll need:
4 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. sugar
6 egg yolks
1/2 c. brown sugar
6 custard dishes
What you'll need to do:
1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and vanilla to simmer. Remove from heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.
3. In a bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks together. Whisk in the cream until everything is well-blended. Pour the mixture into custard dishes.
4. Place the dished into a large baking dish. Pour boiling water into the baking dish so that the water level comes half way up the custard dishes.
5. Put the baking dish into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Take the custard dishes out of the baking dish and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
6. When you're just about ready to serve dessert, top each custard dish with the brown sugar. You can either melt the sugar under the oven broiler until it bubbles or use a kitchen torch to melt it.
Voila! You are finished. I don't remember where I originally got this recipe (I've had it for years), but it's really easy, and creme brulee is such a fun thing to serve. You can also add cocoa powder to the mix before baking it if you want to add a little chocolate flavor. Serve with fruit or a light cookie (like a Madeline or Lady's Fingers) on the side if you wish.
I hope you enjoy these recipes!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)