"Gators, dead cows, keep families from hunting kin"

I thought this was about starving families munching on cows and gators to keep from eating their own family.

I love copy editors at CNN. No wonder they have t-shirts for their horrible headlines. Incompetence = money. Amazing.

I had a dinner party this past weekend which was pretty fun. I was able to feed 17 people. Biggest dinner party yet.

This was an easy and tasty dish to make. The fresh corn can be substituted with two 10 oz. packages of sweet frozen corn. To make this dish totally awesome, and since it’s tomato season, get heirloom tomatoes at the farmer’s market and buy a lot of fresh basil, too. I actually made this dish twice and was incredibly pleased with it both times. It seems long and there are a lot of ingredients, but it really does take (if you use frozen corn) about 1/2 an hour to put together and the pop into the oven. I did not use any butter in this. Three-fourths stick seemed like a lot of butter, especially for a late summer dish.

Servings: Makes 6 to 8 (side dish) servings.

Ingredients
4-6 large tomatoes cut crosswise into half-inch-thick slices
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper (optional)
4 cups fresh corn kernels (from 6 to 8 ears)
1 and a half cup whole milk
half cup heavy cream
2 cups fresh bread crumbs (Unseasoned italian breadcrumsb or panko are fine)
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 oz finely grated parmesan (1 cup)
three-fourths stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus additional for buttering pan (optional)
Additional Parmesan cheese OR Asiago cheese for topping

Preparation
Arrange tomato slices in 1 layer on a rack set in a shallow baking pan and sprinkle on both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and a half-teaspoon pepper. Let drain 30 minutes. NOTE: (if you don’t have time to do this, just add more breadcrumbs to soak up the extra moisture that will come out during baking)

While tomatoes drain, bring corn, milk, cream, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a simmer in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until corn is tender, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly, uncovered.

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish (or a 13x9 baking pan).

Toss together bread crumbs, basil, cheese, dried basil, dried oregano, and remaining three-fourths teaspoon salt and one-half teaspoon pepper in another bowl.

Arrange one third of tomato slices in baking dish, then cover evenly with one third of bread-crumb mixture and dot with one third of butter. Spoon half of corn mixture over crumbs, then repeat layering with half of remaining tomatoes, crumbs, and butter, and all of corn. Arrange remaining tomatoes over corn, then top with remaining bread crumbs and dot with remaining butter.

Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and gratin is bubbling all over, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool slightly on a rack, about 15 minutes, before serving.

(Gratin can be assembled, but not baked, 4 hours ahead and chilled, covered. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking.)

This is an awesome Spring meal. Don't use any other pasta but cappellini for this.

8 -10 oz cappellini pasta
4 ears fresh, sweet corn, kernels removed
6 cups spring salad mix
6-7 TBS lemon juice
half cup chopped fresh parsley
one-third cup chopped fresh chives
one-third cup chopped fresh dill
half cup chopped fresh basil
6 cloves garlic, whole, roasted
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
half cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
one-eighth tsp salt, or to taste
one-eighth tsp pepper (optional)

How to roast garlic: Put 6 or 7 cloves of garlic onto tinfoil with enough olive oil to coat them all. Wrap them completely in the tinfoil, sealed so none of the oil can escape during roasting. Cook at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes

How to bake/roast corn: Put corn into bowl, drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil (use more if desired) and toss so corn is covered. On a cookie tray, spread out the corn so it is one layer. Cook at 400 for 20 minutes.

When both the corn and garlic are roasted, take them out of oven and combine them. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest, plus salt and pepper. Add cheeses (ricotta and parmesan). Mix throrughly.

Cook pasta in salted water according to directions (this type of pasta cooks extremely fast). Add a tsp of olive oil after it is cooked and drained so it doesn't stick. Cut the pasta in the colander if possible, or break the pasta in half before cooking it.

Combine pasta and cheese mixture and mix thoroughly. Add salad greens and herbs. Mix again.

Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings
Takes about an hour to make

A documentary worth watching.

This tastes nothing like macaroni and cheese and considering it’s really macaroni with a rich yeast sauce, it shouldn’t. Ever since I started going to Soul Vegetarian on Georgia Ave I fell in love with the “mac and cheese” they have there. So I started trying to figure out how they made theirs taste so good. For now, this is as close as I\'m going to get. I still can\'t quite get the nice, fluffy, velvety texture of theirs. This also makes your pee turn a very florescent yellow/green color. I think it\'s from the all the B vitamins in the yeast.



This is so easy to prepare. From start to finish (including baking time) it takes about 35-40 minutes.



Sauce:

11/2 c. plain soy milk or hemp milk

1/2 c. water

1/3 c. soy sauce

1 1/2 c. nutritional yeast (Red Star is a really great one, but most yeasts will do, though. If you\'ve never had nutritional yeast before, it tastes like what slightly overroasted pistachios would in the form of flakes. Do NOT buy baker\'s yeast.)

1 TBS. paprika

1 TBS garlic powder

1 tsp salt (or, to taste)

1/4 c. olive oil

1 package firm tofu (around 13 oz)

2 tsp yellow mustard

--------------------

Noodles

1 lb small noodles, like tubetti, elbow, small penne)

2-3 lbs sweet tomatoes (grape or cherry)

Breadcrumbs (optional)



Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees



2. Mix all ingredients for the sauce into a large blender. Pulse until thoroughly mixed.



3. Cook pasta according to directions



4. Mix pasta and sauce together



5. In a 13x9 glass baking dish, place a layer of sliced tomatoes at the bottom, put a layer of the macaroni mixture on top. Place another layer of tomatoes, put another layer of the macaroni mixture on top, then layer the top with the last layer of tomatoes. Sprinkle pepper and bread crumbs on top



6.Bake at 375 degrees for about 20-30 minutes.

This essay was written by an 8th grader in Pittsburgh in the spring of
2004. The assignment was to pick an enangered species, and explain why
it's important to save it. The typos and formatting are preserved from
the original.


I shouldn't do shit. I don't care about them they all
could die and it won't affect my life. I know a lot about them
but I don't need to think about them. They're just a waste of
time koalas are stupid they don't help me with shit so why
should I help them. If they all die there will be more room for
the panthers and all the other hard animals. Koalas are weak a
pit will get rid of their whole fucking family. That's why I
don't like koalas.

Koalas have sharp claws but they are weak. They all small
and fat and they be climing trees. I hope a storm just come
while theyjust chilling up in the tree thinking they is hard and
they're will all just fall off. They just break they neck and
shit. When they fall they claws are going to fall off and they
going to be crying like some little bitches.

Koalas aren't hard they some little bitches. They start
climbing up the tree soon as they see a deer from like 50feet
away. They stupid as hell they should put their brain in their
pouch and put the kid in they ten they're be able to think
better. They try to be in the fucking kangaroo family. They weak
as hell, talking bout they got a pouch a kangaroo so they their
cousins and shit. Kangaroo's have some big ass legs and whot do
a koala got? Some little ass legs, they tails is little and weak
as fuck kangaroo's got a big ass long tail that can kill a
fucking koala.

If a koala goes in the water it won't be able to breathe
with its little short ass. It'd fucking drown soon aas it take
one step into the water. While they at the river trying to get
something to drink a bear could just come to him and snatch its
ass up. It doesn't know protection because they don't have
protection. What they little ass going to do? It can't scratch
him. The bear will beat his fucking ass.

The important think about koalas is that just don't care
about tem and let them die by all the other animals in
Australia. They're not important just let nature do what it do
and kill them. Koalas do not have a place in this world there's
not enough room for all the bitches in this world. So let all
the koalas that's in the zoos and shit. Let them go and put them
back with their family. If you let them all go they won't
nothing except for that's what they was put in this world for.

Now you know why koalas aren't important. They have
nothing to do except for sitting around in the trees. It's like
they just was like they was sent have to die. Koalas don't do
nothing to help anybody. Thre would be just one more relative of
the kangaroo that will be six feet under. Now you know why
koalas are not important because there are dumb.

This is a great variation of mac and cheese for the winter. It’s also easy to make because you don’t have to make a béchamel sauce like you do for more traditional mac and cheese dishes. Start to finish, this takes about an hour to make.

24 oz. baby bella mushrooms (if you really love mushrooms, you can use 30-32 oz, but 10-12 oz will have to be roasted separately)
12 oz small pasta (small shells, elbow, etc)
8-12 oz. low fat sour cream OR 8 oz. regular sour cream**
3 TBS butter
2 TBS olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
8-12 oz. Gruyere cheese, shredded
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago cheese, shredded, to sprinkle on top
Fresh Chives
Fresh Chervil
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of nutmeg
9x13 roasting glass pan

**(the original recipe calls for 4 oz crème fraiche which tastes like a rich, silky, buttery, sour cream. It has 11 g of fat per ounce, more than twice the amount of regular sour cream. Adding more fat doesn’t enhance the flavor or texture of this dish; it just makes it drip-with-fat-greasy. Because this recipe already has olive oil and butter in it, I no longer put in the crème fraiche and just stick to the sour cream—low fat or regular.)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Start making pasta.

3. While waiting for pasta, put mushrooms in a large bowl. Add olive oil and mix immediately. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let stand.

4. In a smaller bowl, add sour cream, butter, pepper, minced garlic, and a pinch of nutmeg. As pasta is boiling, add ¼ c. of boiling pasta water to this mixture. Mix well.

5. After draining pasta, put in the 9x13 pan. Add chopped onions, half of the Gruyere cheese, and sour cream mixture. Mix well. Add mushroom mixture on top. Add rest of cheese, mixing in a smaller amount of parmesan/asiago/romano cheese on top (or this can be added right after it comes out of the oven).

6. Bake for about 20-25 minutes in oven.

Serve immediately with fresh herbs. Makes about 6 serving.

I let it sit in the fridge for a night so it would thicken a bit and then rewarmed it the next day, adding the thyme cream (it doesn't need to whipped, necessarily). Great soup and easy to make. Getting mushrooms already sliced really cuts down on the prep time.

The recipe is from Epicurious.com

Ingredients
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped (or to taste)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 pounds baby bella mushrooms (or crimini, or both), cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (10 1/2 cups)
3 large leeks, white and pale green parts only, cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 1/2 cups)
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 cups veggie broth
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation
Using electric mixer, beat cream just until soft peaks form. Fold in 2 teaspoons thyme. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours to blend flavors. (Thyme cream can be made up to 1 day ahead. If cream separates, whisk until soft peaks re-form. ) Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before serving to come to room temperature.

In 4-quart stock pot over moderately high heat, heat 2 tablespoons butter until hot but not smoking. Working in 2 batches (add 2 more tablespoons butter before second batch), cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to large bowl.

In same stock pot over moderate heat, heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in leeks, cover, and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add cooked mushrooms, sprinkle with flour, and stir until flour is evenly distributed. Stir in stock, then salt, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon thyme. Bring to boil, stirring often, then reduce heat to low, set lid ajar, and simmer 20 minutes. (Soup can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated, covered. Reheat before serving.)

Divide soup among 8 bowls and top each portion with dollop thyme cream.

Test-Kitchen Tip:
Leeks can be gritty—they need to be washed well before cooking. Chop the white and pale green parts only (the dark green top is bitter and should be discarded), and place them in a bowl of cold water. Stir them briskly to loosen dirt, then let them stand for a few minutes so the grit can sink to the bottom of the bowl. Lift the leeks out of the water, leaving the grit behind, and transfer them to a sieve to drain.

This is the reason I love my little food processor....for making pesto and recipes like this. This is so much better than making cheesecake. This was a big hit at the Halloween Dinner Party.

Time: 35 minutes (including prep)

Servings: Makes 16 squares.

INGREDIENTS:
Crust
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup (packed) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted in microwave
1 cup pecan halves (about 4 ounces)
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats

Filling
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 tsp pumpkin spice (if available at store)

Topping
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

PREPARATION:
For Crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan.

OPTIONAL:Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment.

Using on/off turns, blend first 4 ingredients in processor until coarse meal forms. Add pecans; using on/off turns, process until nuts are chopped. Add oats; process using on/off turns until mixture is moistened but not clumping. Press 3 1/2 cups crumbs onto bottom of prepared square pan (do not clean processor). Transfer remaining crumbs to lined baking sheet. Bake crumbs on sheet until golden, stirring once, about 12 minutes. Cool crumbs. Bake crust until golden, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven while preparing filling. Maintain oven temperature.

For filling:
Blend all ingredients in same processor until smooth. Spread filling over warm crust; bake until set, dry in center, and beginning to rise at edges, about 20 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

For topping:
Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Spread evenly over hot filling. Bake until topping sets and bubbles at edges, about 5 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. Sprinkle crumbs over topping; gently press into topping. Cover; chill until cold, about 2 hours. Do ahead Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Cut into squares.

This is one of the main dishes I served at my Halloween Dinner Party. It was a really good and extremely simple dish to make. I made it with Basmati rice. The prep time took about 15 minutes and the cooking time took about 20. No additional salt is needed, really , because the beans, broth, and tomatoes were already salted. Oh, how this dish made me love chili again.

Servings: 4 main-course servings.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 cups chopped onions
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium butternut squash peeled, seeded and diced in small, bite size pieces.
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed, drained
1 15 oz pink beans, rinsed, drained
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
3 cups (packed) coarsely chopped Swiss chard leaves (from 1 small bunch) (I used red chard and roughly chopped it)
OPTIONAL: make 1 cup of rice

Preparation:
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté until tender about 5 minutes. Add squash; stir 2 minutes. Stir in chili powder and cumin. Stir in beans, broth, and tomatoes with juices; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in chard; simmer until chard is tender, about 5 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle chili into bowls over rice and serve.

Top with chopped fresh cilantro, red onions, and grated cheddar cheese.

I had a Vegetarian Autumn Dinner Party for 8 people at the end of September and these are two dishes that came out really well. Figured I would pass them along to the foodies and/or vegetarians.

SPICED PUMPKIN SOUP
This is a pretty simple to make and tastes incredible. It’s better if you make it and let it sit for a few hours covered and then reheat it.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup chopped carrot
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped ripe banana
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bay leaf
1 whole clove
41/2 - 5 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 cups canned pure pumpkin
3/4 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2-3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2-3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried sage leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon yellow curry powder

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:
Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrot and next 6 ingredients and sauté until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Transfer mixture to processor and blend until smooth. Return mixture to pot. Add broth and all remaining ingredients except cilantro. Boil soup over medium-high heat 15 minutes to blend flavors. Cool slightly. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate.)

Bring soup to simmer. Divide among 8 bowls. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BUTTERNUT SQUAH LASAGNA WITH FRESH ROSEMARY AND GARLIC
This is a pretty work intensive meal but it’s truly worth it. Start to finish it takes about 3 hours. It goes a lot faster if you have help with the peeling and cutting of the squash.

Ingredients
6-7 pounds butternut squash, peeled, quartered, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 9 1/2 cups)
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups milk
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary crumbled, (2 tsp dried)
4-5 cloves garlic minced--NOT PRESSED
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) salted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 7- by 3 1/2-inch sheets dry no-boil lasagna pasta (these are worth it, believe me)
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan (5-7 oz)
1/2 teaspoon salt
(OPTIONAL) 1 cup heavy cream

Garnish: fresh rosemary sprigs
----------------------------

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F. and oil 2 large shallow baking pans.

In a large baking pan toss squash with olive oil until coated well. Season with salt and pepper. Roast squash in oven 10 minutes. Stir squash and roast 10 to 15 minutes more, or until tender and beginning to turn golden.

While squash is roasting, in a saucepan bring milk to a simmer with rosemary. Heat milk mixture over low heat 10 minutes.

In a large heavy saucepan cook garlic in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Stir in flour and cook roux, stirring, 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in milk mixture in a stream until smooth (when I first starting making bechemal sauce and had trouble with it clumping, if it began to clump I would throw it in the blender). Return pan to heat, add nutmeg, and simmer sauce, whisking constantly, about 10 minutes, or until thick. Sauce may be made 3 days ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap.

Reduce temperature to 375°F. and butter a baking dish, 13 by 9 inches.

Pour 1 cup sauce into baking dish (sauce will not cover bottom completely) and cover with 3 lasagna sheets, making sure they do not touch each other. Spread half of remaining sauce over pasta and sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan. Make 2 more layers in the same manner, then top with the rest of the parmesan cheese over it.

**(OPTIONAL) In a bowl with an electric mixer beat cream with salt until it holds soft peaks and spread evenly over with butternut squash, making sure pasta is completely covered.**

Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan over cream. Cover dish tightly with foil, tenting slightly to prevent foil from touching top layer, and bake in middle of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake lasagna 10 minutes more, or until top is bubbling and golden. Let lasagna stand 5 minutes.

(You can also cut out some of the butternut squash and add Portabello mushrooms seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little bit of butter)

I am moving out of my apt at the end of the month. It really pains me to do so. This apt. is a gem for its location and price, but so it goes. You gotta move on sometime.

It's located right behind the zoo (not the Cleveland Park side, the other side facing Adams Mill Road. Rock Creek Park is about a two minute walk. So is the back entrance of the zoo.
Mt. Pleasant is about a 5 minute walk, Dupont is an 8 minute walk, Woodley Park is a 5 minute walk. It is also close to the red line (5 minute walk).

Details:
Rent is $700
You can hear the monkeys in the morning and sometimes the big cats at night
The chorus of insects at night from spring to autumn is amazing
Air conditioning/heat (Pepco bills are extremely cheap, about $20 a month)
The windows were just fixed so there are no air leaks
Washers/dryers inside the building
24 hour desk in lobby
Quiet residential area right off Columbia Road between 16th and Ontario Road
Quiet, friendly building
2 blocks from CVS, Safeway
4 blocks from 18th Street strip (bars, places to eat, clubs, etc)

The main issue I had with this apartment is you have a dinette kitchen, not a full kitchen. And the fridge is very small. Like, very. Aside from that it’s a good apartment with 2 closets plus a walk in closet.

If anyone around the DC area knows of someone who would be interested in the apartment kmail me. If anyone responds to this that is not connected to a Killoggs member, I will not respond.

This is a nice dish because there is minimal cooking and you can complete it, start to finish, in about ½ an hour. This is supposed to be a room temperature salad, but it’s good heated, as well.

10 oz couscous (1 1/4 cups)
2 1/3 c. water
2 1/2 TBS curry
1 tsp garam masala (optional)
1 tsp salt (more to taste)
1 15-20 oz. can chickpeas, drained
1/4-1/3 c. olive oil
4-5 TBS vinegar (can be any kind: seasoned rice vinegar, red wine, white wine, apple cider, or a combination of any/all of them)
a splash of balsamic vinegar
2 tsp fresh chopped or grated ginger
6 cups of cut baby carrots, peas, cauliflower, broccoli (any combination and/or ratio of each, fresh or frozen)
Feta for sprinkling on top (optional if vegan)
1-2 green onions

Servings: 4-6

Pour 2 1/3 cups water and 1 tsp salt into very large saucepan or pan for pot for boiling water. Add curry powder. Bring to a boil. Add vegetables. Bring to boil; cover and cook 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in couscous. Cover and let stand until couscous softens, about 5 minutes.

Transfer couscous to large bowl. Mix in garbanzos, oil, vinegar(s), and ginger. Cool to room temperature or leave heated. Add feta and green onions; toss. Season with salt and pepper.

It's weird to see celebs in odd contexts, like in front of a liquor store in Georgetown asking someone for directions before hopping into a waiting cab.

For a recipe I thought would be complicated, it was a cinch to make. The longest prep is waiting for the potatoes to be tender enough to mash, but after that it took me less than 15 minutes to prepare.

It’s a light but filling dish. It’s also easy on the mouth, and since losing yet another tooth, having a crappy root canal, and still having a broken molar in the back with a loose chunk in it, I was surprised I was able to eat something that actually had nuts in it. This is the most solid food I've had other than mac and cheese, overcooked vegetables, instant grits, soup and smoothies in 2 months. It's pretty insane.

Fish
6 Tilapia fillets (the thin ones you get at the store, not the 6 oz. Fillets)

Topping Part 1
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cooked
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
4 teaspoons fresh orange juice (optional)
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger

Topping Part II
3 graham crackers, mashed to almost a powder
3/4 c. pecans, mashed to almost a powder
3 TBS butter
1/4 tsp of salt (optional)

Sauce:
5 tablespoons heavy or normal whipping cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fish stock, crab or shrimp stock, or water
Pinch of seafood seasoning or Creole seasoning

1) Boil, steam, or bake the sweet potatoes (I boiled them for about 30-40 minutes, though steaming would probably be better).

2) When done, mash the sweet potatoes, juices, butter, salt and ginger together and set aside.

3) Grind the graham crackers, pecans and butter together. Cover the fish with the sweet potato mixture, then generously sprinkle the pecan mixture over the sweet potato topping.

4) Fry them in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil, about 2-3 minutes on each side on medium heat (when you flip them, fry the potato/nut topping a little longer) or until flaky.

I've been eating a lot of soup lately for obvious reasons.

Buying canned soup cuts down so much on time and energy....this soup takes about 10 minutes to make. And the fresh herbs make it sooOOOoooo good. It's hard for me to buy dried herbs now.

1 can tomato soup
1 can milk (or 1/2 can water, 1/2 can milk)
4-5 TBS chopped fresh basil (more if desired)
2 TBS chopped fresh oregano (more if desired)
5 small, very ripe tomatoes (pureed in blender)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c. fresh mozzarella
1/4 c (or less) sharp cheddar cheese

1-2 pieces toasted bread for dipping or crackers.

Put soup in pot with milk (and/or water), wait until it heats up, add everything else, STIRRING CONSTANTLY (it will start to clump on the bottom of the pot immediately if you stop stirring). Serve with toasted bread or crackers.

...of Bush's nervous speech...argh....the implications makes me laugh and gag at the same time.

Amid this time of change, I have a message for those on the front lines:

To our enemies, do not be joyful.

Do not confuse the workings of our democracy with a lack of will. Our nation is committed to bringing you to justice. Liberty and democracy are the source of America's strength, and liberty and democracy will lift up the hopes and desires of those you are trying to destroy.

To the people of Iraq: Do not be fearful.

As you take the difficult steps toward democracy and peace, America's going to stand with you. We know you want a better way of life, and now is the time to seize it.

To our brave men and women in uniform: Don't be doubtful. America will always support you.

Our nation is blessed to have men and women who volunteer to serve and are willing to risk their own lives for the safety of our fellow citizens.

My cat rarely ever gets sick. Actually, in the 7 years I've had him he's been noticeably sick only once.

Last night when I came home I fed him and he wouldn't eat. My cat loves food more than any cat I've ever met. I thought maybe he was just being finicky, most likely bored with his food, so I brought out some treats and he wouldn't eat those, either. I'm going to bring home a can of tuna tonight and see if he eats that.

To all the cat owners on the Killoggs, how long do you wait before taking a cat to the vet because of disinterest in food? 1 day? 2? It's been less than 24 hours at this point. I check his littler and it seems fine. I cleaned it to see if he uses it at any point today.

He's giving me those mildly sleepy-eyed looks that terrify me. The last time i saw sleepy eyes on an animal was when I tried to save a fledgling bird Trout brought in to play with later. Before I went to bed I chekced in on the little bird and he looked up at me with sleepy eyes. The next morning he was dead.

I am very very sensitive to my cat's health and have rushed him to the emergency room for ailments that probably didn't even deserve a vet visit, let alone a $600 emergency room visit (they ended up operating on him, don't ask, long story). So I'm trying to figure out if I'm just overreacting about this.

Advice!

If anyone knows someone who is responsible with some experience in photography, etc, there is a freelance job available at the AARP for the next month. I'm not sure what they pay per hour--though I believe it's between $30-$50.

Here are some of the details:

The freelance job at The AARP bulletin would be a 10-6ish job, M-F. I need someone for stock searches, photo research and simple administrative tasks. It will be for about a month. Also, this person is expected to work in our office with me and will be required to go through a temp service.

I would have done this myself for some extra cash but it conflicts too much my work hours. If anyone knows anyone just kmail me. It seems pretty laid back and simple.

m.

I bought this book some time ago and didn’t much like it when I first began reading it. I picked it up again and suddenly really began enjoying it. This was the story she tells about a friend in the opening paragraphs of the moon chapter.

Lunacy

“During the glory days of the Apollo project, a young astronomer who analyzed moon rocks at a university laboratory fell in love with my friend Carolyn, and he risked his job and national security to give her a quantum of moon dust.

“Where is it? Let me see!” I demanded at this news. But she answered quietly, “I ate it.” After a pause she added, “There was so little.” As though that explained everything.

I was furious. In an instant I had dropped from the giddy heights of discovering the Moon right there in Carolyn’s apartment to realizing she had eaten it all without leaving a crumb for me.

In a reverie I saw the Moon dust caress Carolyn’s lips like a lover’s kiss. As it entered her mouth, it ignited on contact with her saliva to shoot sparks that lodged in her every cell. Crystalline and alien, it illuminated her body’s dark recesses like pixie powder, thrumming the senseless tune of wind chime through her veins. By its sacred presence it changed her very nature: Carolyn, the moon goddess. She had mated herself to the moon somehow via the act of corporation, and that was what made me so jealous.

Of course I had heard old wives’ tales advising women to open their bedroom curtains and sleep in the moonlight for heightened fertility and more regular menstrual cycles, but no folklore described powers to be won from the moon by eating its dust…

I still envy Carolyn and her taste of the moon. She has long since lost all traces of the moon morsel…What could it have contained, anyway, to preoccupy me all these years? A few grains of titanium and aluminum? Some helium atoms borne from the sun on the solar wind? The shining essence of all that is unattainable?

All of the above, probably, all rendered the more extraordinary for having traveled to her across 240,000 miles of interplanetary space, in the belly of a rocket ship, and hand delivered as a love token of a handsome man. Lucky, lucky Carolyn.

This is such an awesome meal but it’s ridiculously high in calories, so I try not to make it more than once a month…but I love it so… If anyone wants to gain weight quickly, this is a good way to do it. I’m trying to think of something I could replace the noodles with…maybe an assortment of veggies...

Serves: 3-4

Part 1:
1/2 c. natural peanut butter
3/4 c boiling water

Part 2:
2 1/2 tbs vinegar (rice or cider)
2 1/2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs sesame oil
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 tbs honey
4-5 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
13.5 oz. Firm (or extra firm) tofu
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Part 3:
1/2 pound vermicelli noodles OR soba noodles

Part 4:
3-6 tbs sesame seeds (black, white, or both)
1-2 cucumber(s), peeled and sliced
4-6 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 c. cashews (optional)
Fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Add peanut butter to boiling water. Use whisk to mix
2. Add ingredients in part 2. set to a low temperature
3. Cook noodles separately
4. When the noodles are done, drain and then add them to the peanut butter mixture. When completely mixed, add sesame seeds, fresh cucumber slices, scallion, cashews and fresh cilantro to taste.

This is a slightly modified version of the recipe I found in The Enchanted Broccoli Forest cookbook. There isn’t one recipe I’ve cooked from it that i haven’t loved. I was a little nervous about orange juice being the base for this but it turned out incredibly well.

Carrot-Cashew Curry

Part 1
1 tbs oil (can be canola, olive, peanut, etc)
1 tbs grated fresh ginger
1 tsp whole mustard seeds
1 tsp dill seeds

Part 2
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 red onion, sliced
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp salt (or, to taste)
2 medium red potatoes,(OR, 6-8 baby red potatoes), unpeeled and thinly sliced
20 baby carrots, thinly sliced

Part 3
2 c. orange juice

Part 4
1/4 tsp cayenne

Part 5
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
1-2 c. yogurt on the side
1 c. unsalted (roughly chopped) cashews
2 cups basmati rice cooked (well, cooked it would be 4 cups)


Directions:

1. Sauté the oil, fresh ginger, mustard seeds, and dill seeds for 3 minutes

2. Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric red onion, garlic, salt, potatoes, and carrots and sauté for another 5 minutes. (If it starts to stick add some orange juice)

3. Add the orange juice, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are tender

4. Add 1/4 tsp cayenne and cook for 3-4 more minutes

5. Serve over basmati rice (I actually just bought some ready made at an Indian restaurant, which had peas, cinnamon, cardamom, etc in it). Top with plain yogurt (to taste) raw bell pepper and roasted, unsalted cashews on top.