Another short(er) post today. I have a few work things to take care of, as well as school work that's still undone. Anyone who is planning on starting an online course should know they will be doing two things: reading a lot and writing a lot. Sometimes it is overwhelming. I'm hoping to have another more-substantial post later in the week.
Obviously, from the theme of this blog readers can gather that I love to cook. Less-well known is how much I love to garden. Gardening and cooking make a wonderful combination--especially when I'm able to grow my own vegetables for my meals. Living in an apartment, however, doesn't leave much room for a garden. Having no balcony or patio to populate with pots leaves even less. Right now, I have five pots arranged by my front door and under my living room window that constitutes the little garden I have now. A range of color from my impatiens, marigolds, poppies, pansies, and English daisies greet anyone who stops by. I'll have to take some pictures to possibly include in a future post.
This last weekend, I made a pot of split-pea soup for my mom: comfort food since she is sick. Scooter and I also enjoyed our share. Then Sunday night, I decided to try a fish recipe that I had been eying for a couple of weeks: sautéed sole with orange-shallot sauce. The original recipe can be found here.
What you'll need:
4-6 fillets of sole
1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper (or to taste)
2-3 Tbs. olive oil
1 large shallot, chopped fine
1/2 c. white wine
1 c. orange juice w/ pulp
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. butter or margarine
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
What you'll need to do:
1. In a metal pie pan (or plate if you don't have one), mix together the flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the sole fillets in the flour, thoroughly covering each side with flour. Gently shake off any loose flour.
2. In a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, heat 1 Tbs. of the oil. Add the fish and cook until each side is lightly browned, no more than 4 minutes per side. Don't cook more than two pieces of fish at a time. Add a little olive oil after each batch, as the flour will soak a lot of it up. After cooking all the fillets, put them on a plate, cover, and set aside.
3. Add the shallot to the frying pan and cook, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Add the white wine and bring to a simmer. Cook the wine down until little liquid is left. Add the orange juice and mustard. Stir everything together and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly. Add the butter and parsley, and stir until the butter is completely melted.
4. Serve fillets with rice and/or your vegetable of choice, topped with the sauce.
If you use a white wine that you like to drink for this recipe, that wine will complement the dish well if you have a glass with the meal. This is a relatively healthy meal that lacks nothing in taste. I would certainly recommend it!
Enjoy!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Comfort Food - Stuffed Porkchops
Lots of storms moving through my area lately have really increased my craving for "comfort food": warm, hearty meals that will stick to my bones. Not particularly healthy, and Scooter is trying to get me back on a "healthy" eating regimen after last weekend's trip away and all the yummy food we indulged in. It was a weekend of freshly-made cracked crab (we cooked the crabs ourselves), lamb, biscuits and gravy, and pineapple upside-down cake. Not exactly nutritional.
Yesterday were the last remains from the weekend: stuffed pork chops. They are surprisingly easy to make. So for today's (short) post, I'll be sharing the recipe we used to make them.
What you'll need:
3 large boneless pork chops
1 Tbs. butter or margarine
1/3 of a purple onion
1 portabello mushroom
1/4 c. mild or medium cheddar cheese, cubed
1/4 c. sharp-flavored cheese (like a bleu cheese), cubed
1 Tbs. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Wash the pork chops and dry with a paper towel. Use a sharp knife to cut a slit into the fatty side of the pork chops starting from 1/4" from one end to 1/4" from the other end. Do not cut all the way through the chops; you want to create a "pocket."
3. Dice the onion into medium pieces, about the size of your thumbnail. Chop the portabello mushroom into pieces about the same size.
4. Over medium heat, add the butter into a medium frying pan. After it melts, add the onions, salt and pepper, and garlic powder and saute for 5 min or until soft. Lower heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the onions are caramelized and brown, another 7-10 minutes. Add the mushroom and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool.
5. Add the cubed cheese and stir everything together until it is mixed well. Divide the mixture into three portions and stuff each into one of the pork chops. Use toothpicks to help hold them closed.
6. Place pork chops onto a rack inside a baking pan. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the top. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
This is a good dish to serve with rice (or roasted potatoes if you prefer) and fresh pineapple for dessert. A nice red wine would go well with this, I think--the strong flavors of the stuffing are too much for a white wine.
Enjoy!
Yesterday were the last remains from the weekend: stuffed pork chops. They are surprisingly easy to make. So for today's (short) post, I'll be sharing the recipe we used to make them.
What you'll need:
3 large boneless pork chops
1 Tbs. butter or margarine
1/3 of a purple onion
1 portabello mushroom
1/4 c. mild or medium cheddar cheese, cubed
1/4 c. sharp-flavored cheese (like a bleu cheese), cubed
1 Tbs. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Wash the pork chops and dry with a paper towel. Use a sharp knife to cut a slit into the fatty side of the pork chops starting from 1/4" from one end to 1/4" from the other end. Do not cut all the way through the chops; you want to create a "pocket."
3. Dice the onion into medium pieces, about the size of your thumbnail. Chop the portabello mushroom into pieces about the same size.
4. Over medium heat, add the butter into a medium frying pan. After it melts, add the onions, salt and pepper, and garlic powder and saute for 5 min or until soft. Lower heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the onions are caramelized and brown, another 7-10 minutes. Add the mushroom and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool.
5. Add the cubed cheese and stir everything together until it is mixed well. Divide the mixture into three portions and stuff each into one of the pork chops. Use toothpicks to help hold them closed.
6. Place pork chops onto a rack inside a baking pan. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the top. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
This is a good dish to serve with rice (or roasted potatoes if you prefer) and fresh pineapple for dessert. A nice red wine would go well with this, I think--the strong flavors of the stuffing are too much for a white wine.
Enjoy!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Libraries and World Events
The world is moving.
It is being shaken by protests and people crying out and voicing their needs/wants/demands for betterment and acknowledgement of their rights. We all watched in awe as, day after day, the people in Egypt went to the streets and demanded change in their country, change to make their lives better. I was amazed at the dedication and responsibility that the protestors exhibited. Far from being a mindless mass, these people had a purpose and took steps towards reaching their goal. They remained mindful of the situation, creating checkpoints to deter those with violent intentions, because nothing causes more havoc in a crowd than an armed assailant shooting at anyone nearby. They impressed me, these people that showed an uncanny sense of duty to their fellow citizens. Things there could have been so much worse than they were. And in the end, the people got what they wanted: their president is president no more. (A perspective of the protests from Bibliotheca Alexandrina Director can be seen here.) Now the people in the neighboring countries are looking at this model of human achievement and thinking that maybe things could be different for them too.
An earthquake has razed the town of Christchurch in New Zealand. For this, the earth has literally moved. Buildings are down, people are dead or still missing, and the town has suffered billions of dollars in damage. Growing up where I did, earthquakes are a fact of life; but that doesn't lessen the impact that this natural disaster has on the community where it occurs. It's always a trajedy. It is in Christchurch; it was in Haiti and Chile too.
Even here in the US, there is unrest. Wisconsin especially is a current mover and shaker. The governor is trying to ban collective bargaining rights. This situation is troubling at best; mostly it has me scratching my head wondering "is that even legal?" What I find remarkable is the overwhelming support the opposers of this bill have received, from every thinkable source. Fire fighters, police, university students, teachers, nurses, electrical engineers, sheet metal workers, iron workers--public sector, private sector, people from all walks of life are joining together to show Governor Walker that he needs to re-think his bill. (One article on the protests can be found here.)
I'm sure you're thinking "what does this have to do with the topic of your blog?" Most people wouldn't think that these three world events have a common thread, but they do: libraries.
Remember those protests in Egypt? Well, Cairo is the city where the Alexandria Library (Bibliotheca Alexandrina) is located. There are thousands of items in there that, if destroyed, would be a great loss. Not only are those items still safe even through the protests, but many of the protestors themselves were barring the way with a human chain around the library. Throughout this time of unrest, the library sustained not one fingernail's worth of damage (for more, you can read this article). A library by its very nature is a symbol of democracy; the information it holds is available to any who want it. The Alexandria Library embodies democracy both in this way and its symbolic role in the protests.
Unfortunately, not all libraries in Egypt were so well protected. An article in American Libraries Magazine highlights the damage two libraries sustained in Egypt during the protests. Books, computer equipment, and even furniture were stolen from one library before it was set on fire. Over 19,000 books were lost. The day after this attack, locals helped to save 13,000 books by moving them into their homes. The other library was also looted and lost 1,200 books and some equipment. Luckily, police, local residents, and security officers were able to prevent the building from being burned.
As for Christchurch, there are several libraries in the city that have sustained damage along with the rest of the buildings. This article looks at the damage sustained and people's experiences in buildings across the city, including the library. The Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa posted a blog entry about the effects of the earthquake to the various libraries in Christchurch. As with damage to any library that houses not only contemporary books and sources but also historic items, these libraries and the cultures of this community have felt a great loss.
The Wisconsin protests also have connections to libraries. The most obvious reason is because many librarians are union workers. While I fully admit that unions do have some flaws, I do not think that eliminating bargaining rights is the answer. The whole purpose behind bargaining rights is to attain fair wages and working conditions for workers. The ALA headquarters is in Chicago, only a hop, skip, and a jump away from where this legislation is being proposed. ALA President Roberta Stevens issued a statement regarding the issue stating that "the ALA supports library employees in seeking equitable compensation and recognizes the principle of collective bargaining as an important element of successful labor-management relations. We affirm the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively with their employers, without fear of reprisal. These are basic workers' rights that we defend for thousands of academic, public and school library professionals." A post on the Union Librarian blog says that employees from the Library of Congress have joined a rally in Washington DC--it seems that union rallies are popping up all over the country to address this issue and protest Governor Walker's proposed legislation (here's a list of nation-wide locations of rallies).
Whoever thought that libraries merely witness history in the making have gotten the story wrong. When the world moves, the libraries move with it.
It is being shaken by protests and people crying out and voicing their needs/wants/demands for betterment and acknowledgement of their rights. We all watched in awe as, day after day, the people in Egypt went to the streets and demanded change in their country, change to make their lives better. I was amazed at the dedication and responsibility that the protestors exhibited. Far from being a mindless mass, these people had a purpose and took steps towards reaching their goal. They remained mindful of the situation, creating checkpoints to deter those with violent intentions, because nothing causes more havoc in a crowd than an armed assailant shooting at anyone nearby. They impressed me, these people that showed an uncanny sense of duty to their fellow citizens. Things there could have been so much worse than they were. And in the end, the people got what they wanted: their president is president no more. (A perspective of the protests from Bibliotheca Alexandrina Director can be seen here.) Now the people in the neighboring countries are looking at this model of human achievement and thinking that maybe things could be different for them too.
An earthquake has razed the town of Christchurch in New Zealand. For this, the earth has literally moved. Buildings are down, people are dead or still missing, and the town has suffered billions of dollars in damage. Growing up where I did, earthquakes are a fact of life; but that doesn't lessen the impact that this natural disaster has on the community where it occurs. It's always a trajedy. It is in Christchurch; it was in Haiti and Chile too.
Even here in the US, there is unrest. Wisconsin especially is a current mover and shaker. The governor is trying to ban collective bargaining rights. This situation is troubling at best; mostly it has me scratching my head wondering "is that even legal?" What I find remarkable is the overwhelming support the opposers of this bill have received, from every thinkable source. Fire fighters, police, university students, teachers, nurses, electrical engineers, sheet metal workers, iron workers--public sector, private sector, people from all walks of life are joining together to show Governor Walker that he needs to re-think his bill. (One article on the protests can be found here.)
I'm sure you're thinking "what does this have to do with the topic of your blog?" Most people wouldn't think that these three world events have a common thread, but they do: libraries.
Remember those protests in Egypt? Well, Cairo is the city where the Alexandria Library (Bibliotheca Alexandrina) is located. There are thousands of items in there that, if destroyed, would be a great loss. Not only are those items still safe even through the protests, but many of the protestors themselves were barring the way with a human chain around the library. Throughout this time of unrest, the library sustained not one fingernail's worth of damage (for more, you can read this article). A library by its very nature is a symbol of democracy; the information it holds is available to any who want it. The Alexandria Library embodies democracy both in this way and its symbolic role in the protests.
Unfortunately, not all libraries in Egypt were so well protected. An article in American Libraries Magazine highlights the damage two libraries sustained in Egypt during the protests. Books, computer equipment, and even furniture were stolen from one library before it was set on fire. Over 19,000 books were lost. The day after this attack, locals helped to save 13,000 books by moving them into their homes. The other library was also looted and lost 1,200 books and some equipment. Luckily, police, local residents, and security officers were able to prevent the building from being burned.
As for Christchurch, there are several libraries in the city that have sustained damage along with the rest of the buildings. This article looks at the damage sustained and people's experiences in buildings across the city, including the library. The Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa posted a blog entry about the effects of the earthquake to the various libraries in Christchurch. As with damage to any library that houses not only contemporary books and sources but also historic items, these libraries and the cultures of this community have felt a great loss.
The Wisconsin protests also have connections to libraries. The most obvious reason is because many librarians are union workers. While I fully admit that unions do have some flaws, I do not think that eliminating bargaining rights is the answer. The whole purpose behind bargaining rights is to attain fair wages and working conditions for workers. The ALA headquarters is in Chicago, only a hop, skip, and a jump away from where this legislation is being proposed. ALA President Roberta Stevens issued a statement regarding the issue stating that "the ALA supports library employees in seeking equitable compensation and recognizes the principle of collective bargaining as an important element of successful labor-management relations. We affirm the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively with their employers, without fear of reprisal. These are basic workers' rights that we defend for thousands of academic, public and school library professionals." A post on the Union Librarian blog says that employees from the Library of Congress have joined a rally in Washington DC--it seems that union rallies are popping up all over the country to address this issue and protest Governor Walker's proposed legislation (here's a list of nation-wide locations of rallies).
Whoever thought that libraries merely witness history in the making have gotten the story wrong. When the world moves, the libraries move with it.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Valentine's Day Not Just Commercial (At Least In My Case)
So forgive my segueway into something non-library or cooking related, but I couldn't let the day go by without a little mention about it--and a big thank you to my family and friends who have helped to make my day (and this last weekend) special. Scooter has really gone all out to spoil me. The flowers in the picture were delivered to work this morning for me from him.
One really good thing that has come of all this is that I was blessed to receive some very wonderful cookware and baking items--including a bunch of Wilton colors and icing tips to allow me to be really creative with my cake and cupcake experiments. I told Scooter this means I have the go-ahead to make lots of treats and sweets--which I can continue to post as I make them. Mother's Day this year may turn out some very creative desserts for my family's annual tea.
This week's recipe is one that Scooter and I created ourselves (and ate last night). It's relatively simple: foil-baked salmon. I would recommend a green salad and a good loaf of sourdough bread to go with it!
What you'll need:
2 large salmon fillets
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 lemon
2 Tbs. white wine
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste
What you'll need to do:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the salmon under cold water. Tear off two pieces of aluminum foil and lay them down, turning the top piece 45 degrees. Place a piece of salmon in the center. Repeat for the second piece.
2. Bring up the sides of the aluminum foil so the salmon is inside a little "bowl." Cut the lemon in half and squeeze one half over each piece of salmon, watching for any seeds (remove those if necessary). Add 1 Tbs. of white wine to each fillet. Sprinkle 1 tsp. of garlic powder and salt and pepper over each piece. Add half of the onions to each portion, sprinkling evenly over the top.
3. Gather up the ends of the aluminum, and fold and twist together to seal everything. Place into the oven directly on the rack (or on a baking sheet if you prefer). Cook for 30 minutes. Fish should be pale into the center and flaky.
Serve with rice or potatoes on the side, or keep it simple with salad and bread. The juices can be easily soaked up with a piece of sourdough. A nice citrus sherbert isn't too heavy and tastes really good after this light meal.
Enjoy!
Update @ 12:19pm: I found this while poring over Terry Pratchett's website for an update for the Reading Corner section of my blog. I couldn't resist adding it in.
I'm a Terry Pratchett Fan
Friday, February 11, 2011
The World of the Miscellaneous
Prior to this semester, the term "miscellaneous" heralded ideas of things "left over," things that don't really have a place in which they belong. A particular book required by one of my classes has brought new meaning to the term and really changed my previous world-view (perhaps "refined" is the better term) of information.
Online information has exploded. New content is being created every day. There is no way to organize it all--too much information is out there for any concerned cataloging effort to ever catch up. However, David Weinberger's book Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder is showing me that organizing it really isn't necessary. Part of the power of how interconnected things are is being able to start on a page about a food item's nutrition facts, bounce to pages of recipes, and end up at a restaurant at a vacation destination that specializes in dishes of that food. We become our own gateways into the vastness of available knowledge.
One thing Weinberger talks about is a third-order organization. This particular organization seems best explained through examples of sites that allow users to place tags on digital objects--like Flcker. The third-order introduces the idea that digital items, because of their lack of limitations with physical space, can be classified and located in an infinite number of places. A picture of a sunset in Hawaii could be labeled as "Hawaiian sunset," "Hawaii," "sunset," "tropical locations," "romantic beaches," "2007 summer memories," "wedding destination," "ocean view," etc. There is no limit to the number of tags that can be put onto a picture, which makes it meaningful and more accessible to more people--since not everyone would classify it as the same thing. That one picture could then be used in just as many collections with pictures of similar tags. A user could make a collection of "2007 Summer Memories" including that picture and a number of other pictures from the rest of the vacation; or the user could create a "Romanic Places" collection that includes that picture and a number of other pictures that are all tagged with "romanic." The possibilities are now endless. Information has truly become miscellaneous, but in doing so its accessibility has infinitely increased.
I know that I owe a recipe post, but unfortunately I haven't been doing a lot of experimenting lately. Class has required a large amount of reading, and I've been using every spare minute for keeping on top of all the reading I need to do. As a result, I've been sticking to well-known and quickly-made recipes, most of which I've already posted. I will however take some time for a couple of tips for things I discovered in the past couple of weeks.
1) If you need shredded chicken for any recipe (I use it for making enchiladas), cooking it in a crock pot with chicken broth, onions, and spices (and a can/bottle of beer if you're feeling really adventurous) is a good way to add flavor. Just put everything in the crock pot in the morning, set the crock pot on the low setting, and it'll be ready by the time you have to make dinner. For an added bonus, you can save the broth to use for making soup later. Just freeze in a container until you need it.
2) Add a surprise to your cupcakes by adding candy. You can chop up chocolate mints and mix in to chocolate batter or add candy-bar minis to cupcakes before you bake them for a yummy little something extra.
3) For frosting details on cakes or cupcakes, ziplocks are a easy replacement for professional icing bags.
Online information has exploded. New content is being created every day. There is no way to organize it all--too much information is out there for any concerned cataloging effort to ever catch up. However, David Weinberger's book Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder is showing me that organizing it really isn't necessary. Part of the power of how interconnected things are is being able to start on a page about a food item's nutrition facts, bounce to pages of recipes, and end up at a restaurant at a vacation destination that specializes in dishes of that food. We become our own gateways into the vastness of available knowledge.
One thing Weinberger talks about is a third-order organization. This particular organization seems best explained through examples of sites that allow users to place tags on digital objects--like Flcker. The third-order introduces the idea that digital items, because of their lack of limitations with physical space, can be classified and located in an infinite number of places. A picture of a sunset in Hawaii could be labeled as "Hawaiian sunset," "Hawaii," "sunset," "tropical locations," "romantic beaches," "2007 summer memories," "wedding destination," "ocean view," etc. There is no limit to the number of tags that can be put onto a picture, which makes it meaningful and more accessible to more people--since not everyone would classify it as the same thing. That one picture could then be used in just as many collections with pictures of similar tags. A user could make a collection of "2007 Summer Memories" including that picture and a number of other pictures from the rest of the vacation; or the user could create a "Romanic Places" collection that includes that picture and a number of other pictures that are all tagged with "romanic." The possibilities are now endless. Information has truly become miscellaneous, but in doing so its accessibility has infinitely increased.
I know that I owe a recipe post, but unfortunately I haven't been doing a lot of experimenting lately. Class has required a large amount of reading, and I've been using every spare minute for keeping on top of all the reading I need to do. As a result, I've been sticking to well-known and quickly-made recipes, most of which I've already posted. I will however take some time for a couple of tips for things I discovered in the past couple of weeks.
1) If you need shredded chicken for any recipe (I use it for making enchiladas), cooking it in a crock pot with chicken broth, onions, and spices (and a can/bottle of beer if you're feeling really adventurous) is a good way to add flavor. Just put everything in the crock pot in the morning, set the crock pot on the low setting, and it'll be ready by the time you have to make dinner. For an added bonus, you can save the broth to use for making soup later. Just freeze in a container until you need it.
2) Add a surprise to your cupcakes by adding candy. You can chop up chocolate mints and mix in to chocolate batter or add candy-bar minis to cupcakes before you bake them for a yummy little something extra.
3) For frosting details on cakes or cupcakes, ziplocks are a easy replacement for professional icing bags.
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