Happy Halloweenies!
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October 31, 2006
Phenomena!
It has a name! That tendency we all have to be birds and flock together. Check out this Washington Post article on homophily. Ah, the joys of election time, when we tend to get even more birdy with the flocks flocking together, yet ultimately leading more of us apart.
Go forth and seek ye another flock and fly for awhile.
Fine print: homophily can lead to homogamy!
October 21, 2006
Creative writing does a body good
October 17, 2006
Now I get it
Fall in New England is amazing. Last fall when people said it hadn't been that great of a year for fall foliage (because it might not have been cold enough at the right time and the rains and wind wiped out the fun early), I had no idea. Until this year. I have piles of photos (400+) on flickr that don't even begin to do it justice. Whoa. It may rain soon, so we'll see how long the color lasts. For now, sin precio!
It is getting colder, however. I'm not sure how brave I'm feeling. Another thing they said about last year ... the winter wasn't that bad. Dang.
October 11, 2006
If only Mom knew then, what I know now ...
I might have eaten more vegetables when I was a youngin. (Ah, the sad curse of a public health nurse stuck with a stubborn child.)
My adult discovery (yes, I'm an adult) is that I'll actually eat broccoli (!) if it's smothered in cheese sauce, soy sauce, or some other variation of an Asian sauce (recommendation: mix up soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil for your broccoli beef stir fry).
Since I can't eat dairy (due to a tragic allergy-like/hangover-like/full malais reaction), eating broccoli with cheese sause is problematic. NEVER FEAR! CHREESE IS HERE!
I decided to try to see if I could make a Chreese Broccoli Soup work. Sometimes when I read about Mrs. H having mac and cheese for dinner, I get out the Mac and Chreese. I know it's not the same as the real Satanic cheesey deal, but it's close enough. I'm sure Mrs. H would back me up on the sentiment: if you need Mac and
ch(r)eese, you need it.
On to the soup ... I surfed on the intersnot for recipe idears, bought me some organic broccoli, and went to work. I started with this recipe from Diana Rattray, as the basic framework.
Here's what I made tonight:
INGREDIENTS
2 bunches organic broccoli, washed and trimmed
1 sliced onion
5-7 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine (depends how much fat you like and how good you are at making a roux)
6 cups organic chicken broth, divided
1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crumbled
4 1.1 oz packets of Gluten-free Cheddar-style Chreese
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (you could add more too if you want)
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup soy milk
sea salt to taste
PREPARATION
Cut florets off broccoli and divide into small sections. Simmer in lightly salted water for 2 minutes; drain and immerse in cold water to stop cooking then set aside.
Cut stalks into small pieces; place in a large saucepan.
Add sliced onions and 3 tablespoons of soy margarine to saucepan; sauté over medium low heat for 5 minutes. Add 3 cups chicken broth and oregano to the saucepan; simmer 20 to 30 minutes. Carefully process hot mixture in batches in a blender until smooth.
Melt remaining 2-4 tablespoons soy margarine in saucepan; stir in 4 packets of Chreese and cook for a bit, making a roux. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and keep stirring until all the lumps are out of the Chreese mixture. Stir in mustard and pepper. Gradually stir in blended broccoli mixture and remaining 2 cups of chicken broth. Continue to cook, stirring, until mixture begins to bubble. Add soy milk. Add remaining broccoli florets and heat through. Broccoli chreese soup serves 8.
Someone had seconds tonight, and it wasn't Lucy! I served it with Redbush Chai, but I suspect there's some other beverage out there that's more appropriate.
October 8, 2006
What am I doing this semester?
A couple of inquiring minds out there still may want to know.
1) Poetry workshop with Peter Gizzi. Readin, writin, talkin.
2) Continuing my Wave Books internship. Poetry bus! Subscriptions! And so much more! Last summer I put together this page on Dara Wier.
3) Teaching
4) Independent Study -- Contemporary Poetry. Read books, write about books. I plan to focus on a lot of Wave Books authors.
5) For fun - writing articles for the Montague Reporter.
6) For fun - taking piles of photos.
Emily insists on more entries
so ... here we go!
Stevie upstairs is starting a contest to see who can last the longest this fall/winter before turning on the heat in our building. He says he made it until December 1st last year. This brick building stays pretty toasty, but I think I only made it until sometime in November last year. Now that there's a competition though, I'll be getting the long undies out. Hey, what's the prize? This would be Stevie of the bricks by the river fame:
Bo's Arts is coming to UMASS! Opening reception is at the UMASS student union art gallery this Tuesday evening. Go team Bo! I'd like to have an entry in the artfest, but I'm not sure if I can get it together in time. Maybe this one?
I'd have to figure out how to get it printed by Tuesday and on a holiday weekend. Teaching the youngins has been eating too much of my time!!
Speaking of youngins -- they're brats, btw.
The Poetry Bus was in town a week and half ago, and I was the diligent intern helpin out with everything from getting coffee urns to getting housing for errant poets to serving applie pie to the poetry fan masses. I got to hear great poetry and scored apple pie and whiskey from the reception. Sweet! Heidi my Seattle equivalent stayed at my apartment, and we had fun poetry and Turners Falls conversations.
The allergies have got ahold of me this weekend, but tomorrow or Monday I'm hoping to get out and see leaves! So far this fall seems to be much more showy for the whole New England leaf thing than last fall, so I must take advantage. When I drive to campus lately, I try not to veer off the road as I space out looking at the leaf beauties.
Here's a shot down by the river last weekend:
And I'll leave ya'll with Tio's nose:
And Lucy Loo too:
