Mmmm... yeasty...

As a reward for suffering through my massive "must-read" list yesterday, I give you a recipe... and it's a good one.


For a while now, I've been looking for a good sandwich bread but every recipe comes out either too heavy (think almost quickbread-y) or too light (like a french baguette). They either don't toast or the jam on your pb&j leaks through the holes.

Ah, but this one. This one is good. Light but substantial. Perfect for your standard American breakfasts and lunches.

The recipe is not my own but I will gladly share it. My only word of caution is to make sure you don't let it rise for too long in the pan (as I did) - otherwise you'll end up with what Pete is calling "the horn", which is that little bit that flopped over the pan when it was rising and which prevents it from fitting in the toaster. Then again, our toaster is his older brother's that somehow survived the life of a male college student and therefore is certainly brave...


...but probably doesn't compare to the spiffy modern one that you may have that can toast bread, horns and all.

A Tuesday night perusal...

Sorry. I can't help myself. I read all these food policy blogs and inevitably come across several articles that are particularly enlightening and then consequently feel the need to share them with you. Like I said, sorry, but-I-swear-these-are-really-good. I mean, I wouldn't just recommend that you read anything! So, without further ado, I give you tonight's line-up:


* Civil Eats, 13 November: great article on what consumers need to know about genetically engineered food.

* BBC, 2 November: reported on the link between depression and processed foods.

* Civil Eats, 3 November: reviewed the extent to which the Obama administration has followed through on campaign promises to improve the American food system.

* Eat. Drink. Better., 15 November: posted a follow-up article to the one they ran in early September - called "Diet Coke can kill you" - which examined the dangers of aspartame - a common ingredient in diet food and gum - in our food system.


Okay, just a couple more gratuitous links that have nothing to do with food policy. I like them because my brother went to school in Appalachia (check out the link! the new york times did a slide show on his college!) and mountaintop removal bites:


* Grist, 13 November: published a concise and well-written article explaining the history and dangers of mountaintop removal.

* Ilovemountains.org will show you whether the electricity you use comes from coal from mountaintop removal sites.

The Beard

Pete grew a beard earlier this year.



I loved it.



I mean, my heart just melted at the sight of it.









Unfortunately, his mother thought he looked like a hobo, so he ended up shaving it off.



Before he did though, I was able to snap these shots. (*PHEW*)



Oh how I miss the beard... please come back...