Simple Fair

Something new...

2010-03-06T11:02:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone... I know it's been a while. Life hit and now that I'm finally catching my breath I wanted to try again. I've started a new blog over here. I'm going to try to keep up the same themes I've explored here at Simple Fair, but I wanted to start capturing my photography as well. I've been taking a lot of pictures since January... it helps me unwind. I'm going to try for a more minimalist format too. Sometimes I just can't pull myself together at the end of the day to write a post, but I can certainly put up a few photos or something I found that inspired me. So thanks for following and I hope that this next experiment will be as much fun for you as it is for me!

Xo,
Anne

What-Nots and Etceteras
http://whatnotsandetc.blogspot.com/

Mmmm... yeasty...

2009-11-18T17:00:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-11-15T08:11:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-11T19:43:00.000-08:00

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...

Apple Pickin'

2009-10-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

I finally had a Monday off a couple weeks ago and Pete and I drove into the wilds of Virginia to go apple picking.

Our plans were grand, but in the end, we were overwhelmed by the sheer mass of apples before us as well as the gnats hovering over our heads (hopefully because of the warmth rather than the smell). I was somewhat disappointed when we left with only half a bushel but we simply could go no further.

For I have had too much
Of apple-picking: I am overtired
Of the great harvest I myself desired.
((Thank you Mr. Frost))

During the past two weeks, however, as I stared at the massive bag of apples in my refrigerator, I began to think that maybe we had outdone ourselves. By this weekend, the (relatively large) batch of apple sauce I'd cooked earlier had barely made a dent. So, I took it to the mattresses... well, the oven at least.

About 25 apples met their demise last night in a massive batch of cranberry applesauce, and another six or so were baked into a cake this morning. Both recipes turned out wonderful and warmed our tiny apartment with the smell of cinnamon, fighting back the autumn chill that is quickly overtaking the city.

Cranberry Applesauce
I used a recipe for applesauce once, about 2 years ago, but the process was so simple that I never bothered with one again.

Just peel your apples and cut them into small chunks (or larger ones if that's your thing... just don't halve the apples, that's probably going a bit too far),
throw them in a large pot (Pete has an enameled cast-iron one that I'm a big fan of),
squeeze half a lemon's worth of juice over them,
pour in about a cup of water (you may have to add more if you like your sauce on the liquid-y side),
add some cranberries (I added half a bag for my batch),
toss in 1-2 handfuls of sugar (just depends on how sweet you like your sauce - if you use raw sugar, you'll probably want to add a bit more since it's less sweet),
and sprinkle on the cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves to taste (personally, I go real heavy on the cinnamon - at least a tablespoon - and usually use no more than a quarter teaspoon for the nutmeg and cloves if the spices are fresh; if they're not, just add a bit more).

All you have to do after that is set the pot over a low flame, cover it, and stir your concoction every ten minutes so nothing sticks to the bottom. In no time, you'll be blissfully floating on waves of cinnamon-y goodness and after 45-60 minutes you'll hit your desired consistency... try to wait for it to cool a bit before digging in.

Apple Cake
Alright, I'll admit I got really lucky with this one. I've been looking for a good apple cake recipe
for a couple years now, and this one definitely fits the bill. I based it on Dorie Greenspan's recipe for Apple Nut Muffin Cake, but made a few changes since I was (a) missing a few ingredients, (b) felt like it, and (c) because Pete hates dried fruit and nuts.

1/2 c buttermilk
1/4 c milk (you should use whole, but I only had skim)
1/4 c orange juice (trust me)
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1/2 t almond extract
1/2 stick melted butter, cooled
1/2 c safflower oil, or other vegetable oil (olive oil works!)
1 3/4 c (or 7.1 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 c sugar
3/4 c oats (if using steel-cut or oat bran, make sure to soak them until soft; if using rolled/breakfast oats, you're good - just pour them in)
1 T baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t cloves
1/4 t nutmeg, freshly grated if possible
1/4 t salt
1/4 c packed light brown sugar
6 small apples, peeled and diced

Heat the oven to 400F and grease a 9 in. cake pan (I used a springform). Mix together dry ingredients (not including the apples). Mix together wet ingredients (also not including the apples). Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix as little as possible, while still thoroughly combining them. Fold in apple chunks and pour into the prepared pan. Now, this is where I'm not going to be too helpful (sorry!) - Dorrie's recipe says her cake should be ready in 30-35 minutes and I was expecting much the same for my own, but it took more like 45-50 minutes. I'm not sure if the was a result of (a) not properly pre-heating my oven, (b) building a different recipe, or (c) a combination of the two. So... if you bake this, let me know what works for you. basically, i would just keep testing until your toothpick/knife/whatever/comes out clean.

Good luck!

Some reading to get you through the week...

2009-09-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hey there. I've been swamped, but I wanted to pass along some interesting articles that I've come across in the past week or so. Happy reading!

In Defense of Michael Pollan and a Civil, More Nuanced Food Debate: This issue completely slipped by me until I saw this article, but apparently the corporate food industry and their farmers are launching campaigns against the sustainable food movement. In many ways, this is probably deliberate, in others, it may just be a result of a major misunderstanding. This article lays out the case for the latter and what can be done to make the system more equitable for everyone involved - including the corporate guys.

The Farmworker Legacy In Your Fridge: One of the most frightening things when you start digging into America's food policy is not necessarily the pesticides used or the CAFOs or our over-processed diet, but the poor conditions some farmhands live and work in. This article lays out - better than any I've yet seen - the basics of this issue and what still needs to be done.

Big Food's 'Smart Choices' Label Raises Eyebrow at FDA: The 'Smart Choices' program was created by the corporate food industry (e.g. Conagra, Kraft, and Tyson's Food) and includes choices like fruitloops, lunchables, and mayonnaise. It seems to me that this is a clever way to take advantage of the public's newfound interest in healthy eating without making any substantial changes to existing products. Most of these products appear to have made the cut based on the number of calories or grams of fat - not the amount of sugar or sodium in them, and obviously without consideration for how processed the foods are or how the ingredients were produced.

Diet Coke Can Kill You: Melodramatic? Probably, but it's an interesting article that tracks with some other freaky stuff I've heard about artificial sweeteners.

My backyard...

2009-09-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

The bummer about apartments is not having a yard... fortunately, I can't really complain.

Hello, National Cathedral - you beautiful thing, you. Just across the street and full of beautiful gardens, a sequestered labyrinth of old brick buildings, and wide lawns - what more could you ask for?

It's so easy to forget that all this is hidden behind the cathedral's towering facade that I have to admit that I don't make it over there quite as often as I'd like. But it's a great place to read a book or take a stroll and it was truly a breath of fresh air this weekend.

To the last lingering days of summer...

Caught by the wind...

2009-09-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

I feel as if the earth is pulling me outside as DC's hot summer turns into a cool and beautiful fall. I always find the change of seasons to be an inspiring time and this poem wonderfully voices my sense of quiet elation as autumn presents a new beginning.

Flying
By Richard Wilbur

Treetops are not so high
Nor I so low
That I don't instinctively know
How it would be to fly

Through gaps that the wind makes, when
The leaves arouse
And there is a lifting of boughs
That settle and lift again.

Whatever my kind may be,
It is not absurd
To confuse myself with a bird
For the space of a reverie:

My species never flew,
But I somehow know
It is something that long ago
I almost adapted to.

A good excuse to use your oven in July...

2009-07-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

I've returned!!

After several months of weddings, travels, and moving-out-of-my-house-and-then-into-a-new-apartment, I think I've finally caught my breath.

Actually, I can't wait to show you some pictures of my new neighborhood and Pete and I's apartment... I just haven't had a chance to take any pictures yet! Haha. Oh well - maybe this weekend... you're going to die when you see some of these houses...

I did manage to snap one shot in this past week though... this month's Daring Bakers challenge!!

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

One thing I have learned about my new apartment is that using the oven makes the kitchen unbearably hot, so I have to admit that I wasn't particularly thrilled about baking anything this month. The idea of drizzling hot chocolate over hot marshmallow goo quickly bit the dust. But while I'm pretty sure the temperature hit about 400 degrees, I have to admit that the Milan cookies were a pretty perfect summer treat. To keep the ganache on the wafers, I threw the cookies in the fridge, which cooled them off, held them together, and gave them a great texture.

Gale's recipe called for lemon and orange extracts, and I personally am not a huge fan of mixing fruit with chocolate, so I replace the lemon extract with one tablespoon of almond extract and put about a tablespoon of coffee grinds (instant coffee would be good too) in the ganache instead of the orange. (If you don't like coffee, I'd nix the grounds or add just a half teaspoon to enhance the chocolate without making it taste like a cuppa jo.)

The recipe for the Milans and the Marshmallow craziness can be found on Nicole's site or on the Food Network website.

If you summon the courage to brave the heat this summer, I would strongly recommend pouring yourself a glass of cold brew when you're done and kicking your feet up by the fan. (What? You have air conditioning? Well, aren't you just Mrs. Fancy-Pants...)

Tea and Cake...

2009-04-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

I'm in! I've joined the Daring Bakers, a super-secret group that I've been wanting to be a member of since I first started reading blogs. Every month, members are assigned a recipe to bake - usually something difficult that we wouldn't try on our own or something fun that allows for a million different variations. The latter was the theme this month...

The April 2009 challenge was hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She chose Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

Now, I am not a huge cheesecake fan - they're tasty, but I'm not sure I would ever order one at a restaurant. This one was fantastic though and I may just be a convert.

I modified Abbey's basic recipe to make an Earl Grey tea and lemon cheesecake with a ginger/honey crust. Love of loves. It is delicious. The filling is smooth and rich - sweet but not to sweet - and mellowed by the tea. I'm a fan of the crust too, which I made from Anna's Ginger Thins (a cookie I have a seriously unhealthy addiction to).

I strongly encourage you all to try your own hands at cheesecake making - it takes a bit of planning but is actually quite simple to make.

Earl Grey Cheesecake
(Modified from Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake)

Warning: This cake needs to be chilled overnight and it will need an hour for baking and another hour or two for cooling before refrigeration.

Crust:
2 C (180g) Anna's Ginger Thins (or other crisp ginger cookie), crushed to crumbs
4 T butter, melted
2 T honey

Filling:
3 sticks (24oz) cream cheese, room temperature
1 C sugar
3 large eggs
1 C heavy cream
5 bags Earl Grey tea
1 T lemon juice

Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Begin to boil a large pot of water on the stove for the water bath.

Heat heavy cream on the stove but don't boil. (I heated 2 cups of cream to avoid burning one cup and have set aside the extra cup for coffee or ice cream later this week.) When hot, pull off the burner and add the tea bags. Let cool. Wring out the tea bags into the cream (it's okay - probably preferable - if a little of the tea leaves fall into the cream) and strain. Store in the refrigerator.

Mix together the crust and press into the bottom of the pan.

Mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each one and scraping down the bowl before adding the next. Add the cup of heavy cream and lemon juice and blend until smooth and creamy.

Pour batter into the crust. tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all the air bubbles to the surface. Place the pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If the cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until the cake holds together but still has a lot of jiggle in the center. It should be completely firm yet. Close the oven door; turn the heat off and let it cool for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven and lift carefully out of the water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, then let it chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Pan note: The creator of this recipe used to use a springform pan, but water always seeped in and made the crust soggy (not so in my case). She now uses one of those one-use foil "casserole" shaped pans from the grocery store. When it comes time to serve, just cut the foil away. I've also seen folks use ramekins and muffin tins.

One more quick update for you...

2009-04-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

...remember when Michelle Obama's organic garden at the White House took me by surprise?

Well, you're not going to believe this.

Isn't he the sweetest?

2009-04-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

Pete made me a cake yesterday for my birthday... from scratch... and... not only was it the first cake he'd ever frosted - it was the first cake he'd ever made! I swear you'd never know... it's delicious. :O)

A Whole Slew of Best Practices...

2009-04-08T16:53:00.000-07:00

...and here I thought I was doing a good job of giving you one at a time.

Treehugger has put together the Best of Green Awards, recognizing the most eco-friendly companies, people, products, and practices in a number of categories:

and...

Food and Health!!!

The results are pretty fascinating and include best health legislation, best local food blog, best food movement, best practices by a big food brand, and many others.

What's more, you get to vote on the Best of the Best! So go check it out and weigh in on who's setting the best example.

Homesteaders, Sharecroppers, and a Barbecue...

2009-03-22T08:29:00.000-07:00

...incredible pictures from the '40s, courtesy of the Library of Congress' Food Security Administration-Office of War Information Collection (via photo district news).

New Mexico Homesteader. October 1940.

Canned vegetables: yellow squash, peas, beets. Between 1941 and 1945.

Sharecroppers chopping cotton. June 1941.

Kitchen utensils and spices. Between 1941 and 1945.

New Mexico Homesteaders. October 1940.

Harvesting corn. October 1940.

Cutting pies and cakes at a barbecue. October 1940.

Best Practices: Ministry of Food

2009-03-21T22:45:00.000-07:00

I'd like to start this post off by picking up on my last one, when I quoted Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle:

Cooking good food is mostly a matter of having the palate and the skill.

A palate, I think, simply comes with time and a willingness to try a variety of foods. Take, for example, my beloved boyfriend - Pete:

Pete didn't eat vegetables for 25 years.

Seriously.

Probably not since he looked like this:

Pete's the crayon. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

He was raised on canned yams and microwaved broccoli, and when we met almost 6 years ago his philosophy was to avoid eating anything green.

I don't blame him.

Over time - after many trips to farmers markets and farms, after watching Jamie Oliver dig up and prepare veggies from his garden (god bless the Food Network), after buying and preparing fruits and vegetables in their natural state (brussel sprouts actually come on stalks and carrots more often resemble crooked crone's fingers than the symmetrical cones that Bugs Bunny munches) - Pete learned to love vegetables.

"I'll eat just about any vegetable now... as long as I respect where it came from," he comments from the other side of the room.

Skill is a little trickier.

Whatever skill Pete and I now have in the kitchen was accrued by trial and error over many home-cooked meals. I'm not sure I'll ever live down the time tried to cook chicken by mashing it into a frying pan with my spatula, burning it and the onions surrounding it and setting off the fire alarm in my apartment while my dinner guests asked if I needed any help. I wouldn't wish some of those experiences on anyone...

Fortunately, we have Jamie. Well... okay... we don't, but the Brits do. (Yes, I'm finally getting around to that "best practices" bit.) Jamie Oliver has set up Britain's first Ministry of Food. It's not actually an official ministry, but it is doing a bang-up job of getting people to cook their own meals and of educating the English on the origins of their ingredients. With this program, Jamie takes out a lot of the trial and error, imparting instantaneous skill and launching the participants directly into cooking tasty meals of their own.

How does he do it, you ask?

Simple: I know how to cook a few dishes (as messy as that learning process may have been) and I have at least two friends who don't know how to cook at all. It's simple arithmetic: if I host a dinner party and cook the meal with my two friends, teaching them how to make the dish in the process, then there are now 3 people who know how to cook a dish or two. His catch is that those two friends should then go and teach that dish to two of their friends, and so on... exponentially increasing the number of people who can cook.

Here's a promo for his program:

This video is a bit more informative, but they wouldn't let me embed it.

I just think the idea is genius in its simplicity - and who doesn't like to have a few friends over for wine and food? Brilliant.

This just in...

2009-03-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

Holy cow. They're actually going to do it.

Common Sense

2009-03-19T22:28:00.000-07:00

I've started reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (review to come later) and wanted to share a passage that struck a particular chord with me:

A handful of creative chefs have been working for years to establish this incipient notion of a positive American food culture - a cuisine based on our own ingredients... However, to the extent that it's even understood, this cuisine is widely assumed to be the property of the elite. Granted, in restaurants it can sometimes be pricey, but the do-it-yourself version is not. I am not sure how so many Americans came to believe only our wealthy are capable of honoring a food aesthetic. Anyone who thinks so should have a gander at the kitchens of working-class immigrants from India, Mexico, anywhere really. Cooking at home is cheaper than buying packaged foods or restaurant meals of comparable quality. Cooking good food is mostly a matter of having the palate and the skill.

The main barrier standing between ourselves and a local-food culture is not the price, but the attitude. The most difficult requirements are patience and a pinch of restraint - virtues that are hardly the property of the wealthy.

It's not common, but I certainly have been accused on multiple occasions of being a food snob, which is an offense that I take very personally. My frequent visits to the farmer's market (the one that sells local goods instead of the one with bananas and oranges and parmigiano-reggiano), my pursuit of organic food that is hormone/pesticide/fungicide-free and raised sustainably, my aversion to factory-made apple pies that can sit out for 2 months and not get moldy (true story)... I'm not doing this because I'm trying to keep up with the cool kids. I'm just trying to keep myself and my environment healthy.

It started in college when I was broke and trying to eat healthy. My boyfriend, Pete, and I watched a lot of Food Network between classes and it occurred to me that good food didn't have to be out of reach just because I had stooped to picking pennies out of the gutter (also a true story)... a few cheap ingredients (beans, pasta, tomatoes, etc.) thrown together with some spices (a bit more expensive, but worth it because of their shelf-life) can produce a really good meal.

As it happened, an appreciation for tasty food led to an appreciation for good ingredients, which naturally led to fresh ones... seasonal ones... ones that didn't have scary chemicals in them... and when I finally got out of college and got a job and could really afford to buy the food that fit my philosophy, I was disturbed that my new ingredients were oftentimes inaccessible to folks with less money - people like my former self - who neither have a garden nor the $5 for a gallon of organic milk. Before I knew it, I woke up one day with a strong bent toward food justice. Kingsolver seems to be down-playing the cost of food a bit too much for me... but that's precisely the problem... now that we know what good food is, we need to figure out a way of sharing the wealth.

Really, this is all to say: don't knock the sustainable, organic movement. Maybe it's a fad for some people, but for many it's just common sense. And, anyway, isn't a fad that promotes a healthier planet a good thing at its roots?

Cookbook Review: The Modern Baker

2009-03-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

In January I discovered the DC Public Library. Of course I knew one existed and had even visited a time or two before, but when the cold weather hit down here (my Michigan friends and family are probably laughing at me now) I decided to burrow in and read. I've gone through an average of a book a week since then, but little did I realize that I would soon have to up the ante.

Libraries have cookbooks.

I was shocked. I don't know why I didn't come to this conclusion earlier, but it caught me by surprise as I was browsing the non-fiction aisles last weekend. There are so many baking books I've been wanting to try out, but cost is a bit of a hurdle... I mean, who really has $40 to throw at a new cookbook every few weeks??

So I pulled a stack off the shelf and launched into Nick Malgieri's The Modern Baker on Sunday afternoon.

I have to say that the most impressive thing about this book is that it shows you how to make croissants and puff pastry in about an hour... for those of you who aren't crazy enough to devote the better part of a Saturday to what is now apparently the old-fashioned way of making these basic pastries, let me assure you that Nick deserves all the good things coming to him for sharing these secrets with the public. His process is quick and sensible, and is definitely the next thing on my "to bake" list.

In fact, I would have made croissants on Sunday if his Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tartlets weren't so darn attractive. The little sweet tart shells filled with homemade caramel folded into dark chocolate were just to hard to pass up... and, trust me, the results were phenomenal. I wish I could post the recipe for you all, but I'm afraid you'll just have to waltz into your own public library to get the goods...

Graham Crackers... who says they're just for kids?

2009-03-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

I mean, really, graham crackers were invented as a means of incorporating whole grains into the average American's diet, which in the early 1800s (as now) leaned more towards refined white flour than rye or whole wheat. We'll just ignore the fact that Reverend Graham conceived them as part of the Graham Diet, which was supposed to curb "unhealthy carnal urges..." yeah... feel sorry for the students at Oberlin College, who were forced to endure his regimen for the better part of the 1830s.

Anyway, I love 'em and it occurred to me a couple weeks ago that it was probably possible to make them at home.

The recipe below doesn't taste like Nabisco, but - trust me - they are totally addictive... and I've somehow fooled myself into thinking that they're healthy to boot. I mean, they do have whole grains and I kept the refined sugar far away from this recipe.

Now all I need is a few marshmallows and an open fire...

Graham Crackers
1/2 c AP flour
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c rye flour
1/2 c raw sugar
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t sea salt
3/4 t cinnamon

Mix the above ingredients in a food processor. (You could do it with a regular mixer or by hand as well... the processor will just make this easier.)

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch squares

Process or "cut in" the butter until mixture resembles a coarse meal. (Think pie dough.)

3 T molasses or honey
1 T maple syrup
1/4 c cold water
1 t vanilla

Add above ingredients and mix until the dough collects in a ball.

Roll out the dough until its about half an inch think, cover it in plastic wrap, and chill for at least a half hour. When it's ready, dust a workspace with flour (your choice) and roll the dough out to about an eighth of an inch thick... a bit on the thick-side for a cracker. Now you have a lot of options open to you - I cut my crackers into squares, but feel free to pull out your cookie cutters or use a glass to cut circles out of your dough. I ended up baking my scraps as they were, and they actually made for some of the better crackers. Oh, and if you want, you can use a fork to prick holes in yours or to spell out your roommates' names... it's really not necessary for the consistency of the cookie though.

Bake for about 13 minutes at 350 degrees on a greased/lined baking sheet... be mindful that they'll continue to cook a bit more after you pull them out of the oven.

Yield: Not enough.

At long last...

2009-03-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

My apologies for my long absence... an especially rough work schedule and a week or two of some unknown illness kept me out of the blogosphere, but here I am - again - ready to get back to work.

To begin, I guess I should probably post my long-lost inauguration pictures. I actually would have put them up earlier, but I was trying to figure out how to do a montage, which - as you will see - didn't quite work out. Hopefully you'll appreciate them anyway.

We'll start with my favorites...

...I got such a kick out of watching my city become something like a scene from Titanic...
...people... masses of people... literally flooded Washington's streets on that January morning, trying to make it to one spot on the Mall or another...

...the District didn't plan all that well for the non-ticketed crowd and left us without a route past the reflecting pond in front of the Capitol Building. That's when everyone started jumping barriers and streaming over (and under) the commuter highways that run through the middle of the city. Those big orange dump trucks were originally intended to block the use of the roads from foot traffic... haha.

It was fun to see the city that way though... not a car moving, people shuffling along Independence Avenue or 6th Street SW - some half-awake, moving silently; most in a festive mood, singing "Kiss Him Goodbye" and proudly waving tiny American flags.

Despite the numbers (that was without a doubt the largest crowd any of us will ever be a part of as long as we live) everyone was friendly, helping each other over barriers, giving sporadic high-fives, holding up crowds so a family of five could weave its way across the street. I was only mildly surprised to find out later that no one was arrested that day in DC.

After about two and a half hours of walking, I ended up at the base of the Washington Monument - usually a 45 minute jaunt from my house. There was no way you could see the Capitol Building from there but off in the distance there was a Jumbo-Tron, and believe me... the crowd back there was as psyched as the folks in the front... if not more so. The crowd sang in unison, jeering at some officials as they made their way onto the stage and cheering for others... an air of triumph was impossible to ignore.

With all of the noise we were making, I was shocked when everything went absolutely silent... as the music played and Joe Biden took his oath, there wasn't a peep from the nearly 2 million standing in our nation's back yard. Cheers went up after Biden was finished, then all was still again. As Obama took his oath, some people cried and everyone cheered and we hugged our friends and family and the strangers next to us with equal vigor.

During his speech, there were loud affirmations from the crowd, and when he was done no one wanted to leave. People drifted from place to place, trying to get a better vantage for a photograph, heading off to watch the parade, giving interviews for the press. Some simply sat down, tired after a long morning of excitement.

And then Bush flew overhead...

...and we knew that it was finally over...

...so everyone went over to skate on the reflecting pond.

The end. :O)

My Sweet Potato Pie

2009-01-26T17:32:00.000-08:00

I guess I'm just a lucky guy
And I'm prepared to tell you why
It's strictly on account of my
Sweet Potato Pie

You can call me a convert... after years of pumpkin pie and whipped cream, I've found a new favorite.

Trust me.

You'll agree.

Mona does:

This is sweet and crunchy, and will put good use to that bag of sweet potatoes that's been lying on the floor for the last two weeks. Oh - and don't forget the crust. It's good enough to eat alone.

Sweet Potato Tart with Gingerbread Crust
Crust:
2 c AP flour
1/2 c sugar
3/4 t ginger
1/2 t cinnamon
1/8 t cloves
1/8 t black pepper
1/8 t salt
3/4 c butter, chilled and cubed
1 egg
1 T molasses
1 t vanilla

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter (remaining butter pieces should be no bigger than a pea). Mix wet ingredients separately and then add to dry. Mix or knead until dough forms a cohesive ball. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Roll out on floured surface, fit to pan, and return to the fridge.

Filling:
1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
2 large eggs
1/3 c packed brown sugar
3 T maple syrup
1/4 t salt
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
3/4 c heavy cream

Cover sweet potatoes with water and bring to boil. Simmer 15 minutes, until tender. Puree in food processor until smooth. (Set your oven to 375 now.) Whisk eggs, brown sugar, and maple syrup, then add to puree. Incorporate remaining ingredients. Your filling should be silky smooth. (Yum yum.) Pour filling into the tart crust and bake for 50 minutes. Filling should still jiggle some when you pull it out. Let cool completely before moving onto the topping.

Topping:
3 T butter
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 T heavy cream
1 c pecans, chopped

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar. After 3 minutes or so add heavy cream - when it looks smooth and the sugar has dissolved completely, add in the pecans and remove from the heat. Spread over baked pie and serve!! (Preferably with some homemade whipped cream... yum.)

So let the whole damn world go by
'Cause I just want to testify
From now on it's me and my
Sweet Potato Pie... (James Taylor)

They're coming...

2009-01-21T18:44:00.000-08:00

Sorry folks. I took about 200 pictures at the inauguration on Tuesday (which was awesome) and I'm afraid it's going to take me a while to sort through them all and then get the best ones posted. Until then, you'll just have to warm yourself with thoughts of President Obama.

President Obama.

How wonderful does that sound?

Did I mention his motorcade drove past my house tonight?

Curious?

2009-01-19T06:23:00.000-08:00

I'll bet you are. ;O)

When I went to the LOC, I also walked down to the National Mall with my camera to get you all some exclusive footage of what's going on... or at least a couple of pictures.

Surprisingly, doomsday hasn't come to DC as everyone was predicting - you can still find parking on Capitol Hill, the Metro is busy-but-manageable, and everyone is in high spirits. It did just start snowing (for the second time this year)... but it's a pleasant, sparse snow that will probably melt before it hits the ground.

I wasn't able to go to the concert yesterday since I was at Obama Radio Nation instead - a celebration thrown by the liberal radio stations that had supported Obama throughout his race and will continue to keep him on his toes when he's in office. I plan to be on the mall for the inauguration tomorrow though and will certainly bring my camera then to share pictures with all of you.

Only one more day! Take care everyone and have a good MLK day... I didn't sign up for a service project out of fear of crowds, but I'll be going through my closet and filling a bag with clothes to drop off at Goodwill. Anyone have any good projects they're participating in?

Vegetables for Victory

2009-01-19T05:45:00.001-08:00

I promise this will be my last post on this topic, but I ended up running over to the Library of Congress on Saturday morning after all and dug up a wealth of literature on Victory Gardens. Without a doubt, this was a well-organized movement with widely disseminated best practices and how-to guides... many of which are applicable today. Unfortunately, today we lack the support from the federal government that allowed the original gardens to organize so quickly. The USDA's goal from 1943 was to have 12 million town and city gardens that year, which they believed would yield six million tons of food. Therefore, in the spirit of propagating best practices, here are a few lessons-learned from early 1940s pamphlets and books:

Things to consider before you start your garden:
1. Find out what space is available.
2. If you're new to gardening, start with a smaller plot.
3. Consider what you actually want to eat. (And what you're going to do if you can't eat all of your carrots!)
4. Plan a succession of crops so you can eat year-round.
5. Grow things that will cost you less ration points. (Let's hope it doesn't get to this point...)

If several people in you neighborhood have gardens, hire someone to plow your plots on the same day - it should cost less money and save you from back-breaking work.

DO:
Prepare your soil. Break it up, provide healthy dirt, and fertilize it.
Cultivate and water your garden.
Compost.
Plan your garden first.
DON'T:
Be scared.
Work harder than you have to.
Skip succession crops. "Be Scotch - get 2 or 3 crops out of every row!" (Wow.)
Don't cheat. Put in the work and you'll get more from your garden.
Don't think you know more than the man who grew your seeds. Follow the instructions on the packet.
If you haven't been bothered with weeds, you probably won't have much luck with a garden without lots of preparation.

A 20x40 foot garden (medium-sized in 1943, but probably quite large in 2009) feeds four from May to November, takes 6-8 hours to prepare (spread over time) and 2-3 hours per week once planted. However, an 8x10 garden in Brooklyn produced 70 beets, 11 lbs. snap beans, 16 lbs. swiss chard, 24 heads of lettuce, 8 lbs. spinach, 150 radishes, 75 carrots, 55 onions, and 26 tomatoes.

Remember: "You may not be able to carry a gun or drive a tank, but you can grow food for Victory!!"

Oh, and just for fun... a Popeye cartoon from 1943 on spinach VGs:

Victory what?

2009-01-16T19:21:00.000-08:00

Seems like I'm not the only one who's got Victory Gardens on the brain: 3,308 people voted for "Victory Gardens 2.0" - a call to launch a national Victory Garden program at the White House - on Change.org's call for ideas for change in America. (Unfortunately, there wasn't much more detail than that on the website... hopefully Obama reads my best practices post if he wants to tackle this one. *wink*wink*)

In case you're interested, Civil Eats had a great history of the Victory Garden in one of its posts on the 11th. According to the website, there actually was a Victory Garden at the White House in 1943 (thank you Eleanor Roosevelt) and during that year gardens across the country provided 40% of our nation's produce. The whole thing actually began as a school garden program, which the Federal Bureau of Education nationalized during WWI with War Department funds.

Given this extensive history, I have to assume that our grandparents and great-grandparents must have had their own list of best practices. After all, they did make this video. If I get a chance tomorrow morning, I may go over to the Library of Congress and see if I can dig up any good tidbits up for you all.

Best Practices: Victory Gardens

2009-01-12T18:04:00.001-08:00

In my research on food justice, I've been disappointed that there's seemingly no list of best practices. You know... how to get good, sustainable food to people who really need it. My general conclusion is that this is still new shoes and no one's gotten to that point yet.

The thing is... there are LOTS of good programs and there are lots of people - like me - who are desperately looking for opportunities to help promote healthy, environmentally-friendly eating and who want to help the 36 million Americans who don't have access to enough food.

Therefore, I am going to start posting programs that I believe are best practices.

If you live in the vicinity of these projects, you may want to join in; if you don't, maybe you want to start something similar where you are or donate to these foundations/non-profits/forward-thinking individuals/etc. In this endeavor I certainly welcome submissions and critiques from the 6 people who actually read this blog.

So without further ado, I'd like to introduce you all to Victory Gardens 2008+...

(VG2008+) is a program of Garden for the Environment and the City of San Francisco's Department for the Environment. A two-year pilot project to support the transition of backyard, front yard, window boxes, rooftops and unused land into organic food production areas, Victory Gardens 2008+ derives its title from, and build on, the successful nationwide Victory Garden programs of WWI and WWII. Victory Gardens 2008+, however, redefines "Victory" in the pressing context of urban sustainability. "Victory" is growing food at home for increased local food security and reducing the food miles associated with the average American meal.

In 2008, VG2008+ installed and supported 15 pilot gardens throughout San Francisco... a feat aided by the VG2008+ staff. Yes, that's right, staff. This isn't your mother's community garden. They held workshops on organic horticulture for participants as well as the public, planted an edible garden in front of San Francisco's City Hall (see above photo), and organized a CSA with their Victory Gardens that supports the whole community.

Victory Gardens 2008+ was ideated by San Francisco based artist and designer Amy Franceschini in the Fall of 2006, for which she received the 2006 SECA award from the SF MOMA. Amy Franceschini partnered with Garden for the Environment for the planting of three initial Victory Gardens, and to develop and operate a citywide Victory Gardens program in San Francisco.

If you're looking for a way to take your community gardens up a notch - this might be the way to go.

Photo credit: Scott Chernis for AP Photo

Auld Lang Syne

2009-01-11T08:33:00.000-08:00

Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air. They are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. - Henry David Thoreau

Happy New Year everyone and best wishes for 2009!!

Apple Praline Tart

2008-12-04T04:32:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving I made a pecan praline tart that was pretty good, but it was a little too sweet for my liking. Nevertheless, the underlying flavor was awesome, so I figured I would try to tone it down with apples and almonds instead of pecans.

The swap was definitely for the better, although I can't help but think that a simple caramel (as opposed to the praline mixture) would be tastier... I think the mellowness of caramel lends itself well to cinnamon-y apples and the slightly sweet taste of ground almonds. Another option would be to switch out the almond layer for a heavier cream cheese mixture that could cut the sweetness of the brown sugar.

Apple Praline Tart

Pate Sucree (Tart Dough)**

Almond Layer:

1 1/2 c Ground Almonds
1 c Powdered Sugar
1 Egg
Mix almonds and sugar, then beat in the egg.

Praline Layer:

1 c Brown Sugar, Packed
1/2 c Heavy Cream
2 T Unsalted Butter
1 T Agave Nectar, Honey, or Maple Syrup
Heat over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook without stirring for 4-5 minutes, until color darkens slightly. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

Apple Layer:

2-3 Apples
Lemon Juice
1 T Cinnamon
Pinch Cloves
Pinch Allspice
Pinch Nutmeg
2 t Vanilla
Cut apples into thin slices. Sprinkle with lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. Mix spices separately and sprinkle over apples with vanilla. Turn apples gently with hands or large wooden spoons to coat.

Preparation: Prep apples first and set aside. Start praline mixture. When sugar dissolves, let it sit and move onto the almond layer. Take praline mixture off of the heat. Spread almond mixture onto the bottom of the tart dough. Pour praline mixture over the almond layer. Arrange apples.

**I'm still playing around with tart doughs. When I made this recipe I used Deb's from Smitten Kitchen, but it didn't stand up quite the way I was hoping it would... really good flavor though.

Post-Thanksgiving Reflection

2008-11-30T11:36:00.000-08:00

After spending time with my family and polishing off more pie, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and turkey than I care to admit over the last week, I'm finally back online. Fortunately, it seems that the internet has been doing just fine without me... my Google Reader back-logged more than 350 posts over the last few days and I spent some quality time this morning sifting through them all.

For your benefit, I'd like to pull out one thread that churned through the blogosphere over the holiday; namely, the state of America's turkey production. I know, I know, you've had your turkey already and have probably gorged yourself to the point that you don't even want to think about poultry until next November, but trust me... I have some interesting news for you.

WIRED's Alexis Madrigal posted an article last Tuesday about our supersized turkeys, which resemble America's wild ones in name only.

Turkeys more than doubled in size [between 1929 and 2007] from an average of 13 pounds to an average of 29 pounds . . . According to the National Wild Turkey Federation, the largest wild turkey on record is 38 pounds . . . in commercial and academic turkey-breeding programs, adult male turkeys, called toms, can reach 50 pounds at the tender age of five months, said John Anderson, a longtime turkey breeder at Ohio State University.

Perhaps the most obvious change in turkey genetics is that, unlike the colorful pictures we all drew in elementary school, modern, factory-farmed birds are all white . . . Commercial turkeys can't fly and researchers have even invented a way of quantifying how impaired the birds' walking has become. The 1-to-5 scale ranges from "birds whose legs did not have any defect" to bowlegged birds who have "great difficulty walking." After 30 years of breeding, Ohio State's big birds average a 3 . . . The birds also have a hard time regulating their own food intake. In essence, they eat too much and get fat.

Anderson, who has bred the birds for 26 years, said the key technical advance was artificial insemination, which came into widespread use in the 1960s, right around the time that turkey size starts to skyrocket . . . "It takes the lid off how big the bird can be. If the size of the bird keeps them from mating, then you're stuck."

Wondering about that last sentence? It's true. Jim Mason went to work for Butterball as an artificial inseminator in the winter of 1997, chronicling his experience in the Farm Sanctuary News. There, he notes that the mass-produced turkeys are in fact too big to breed and describes the process now substituted for turkey-on-turkey action:

I have never done such hard, fast, dirty, disgusting work in my life. Ten hours of pushing birds, grabbing birds, wrestling birds, jerking them upside down, pushing open their vents, dodging their panic-blown excrement, breathing the dust stirred up by the terrified birds, ignoring verbal abuse from Joe and the others on the crew - all of this without a break or a bite to eat (not that I could have eaten anything amongst all this). Working under this conditions week after week (Bill had been there for four years), these men had grown callous, rough, and brutal.

Farm Sanctuary posted a video on YouTube in January 2007 detailing the turkey insemination process (warning: it's pretty graphic), and Mike Rowe from Discovery's Dirty Jobs worked as a turkey inseminator in an episode that premiered in May this year. Here's the intro:

You can find Mike's "action" clips, where he works hands-on with the male and female turkeys, here and here.

PETA also ran an investigation into Butterball's practices in 2006 and found equally (if not more) nightmarish conditions. You can watch their video here (again, be warned that this isn't a pleasant viewing experience although it is perhaps more cinematic than the previous videos) and read through specific examples of the cruelty they observed here. PETA claims that the USDA subsequently recognized Butterball's cruelty to animals, although I have yet to find independent confirmation.

Oh, and don't forget everyone's favorite video of Sarah Palin:

(Sorry, it was just too good to ignore.)

Okay, now that we've established the sordid state of turkey "farms" in America, let's look at the driving force behind it. I think the WIRED article hits the nail on the head when it suggests the current state of affairs can be blamed on the market:

The accumulation of agricultural breeding knowledge and consumer testing has resulted in plants and animals that are physically shaped by consumer tastes . . . American consumers like white meat, so turkeys are grown with larger breasts . . . the United States pumped out 33 times more pounds of turkey at a lower cost to consumers in 2007 than our farmers did in 1929.

More meat for a lower cost. Ah, the blindness of mass consumption. So, now we should probably start asking ourselves what we can do to reverse this situation. I think that begins with a look at what an American turkey is supposed to look like:

Little better right? Perhaps you noticed a stark difference from the earlier videos? Here, National Geographic provides some background on the bird:

The turkey was Benjamin Franklin's choice for the United States' national bird. The noble fowl was a favored food of Native Americans. When Europeans arrived, they made it one of only two domestic birds native to the Americas—the Muscovy duck shares the distinction. Yet by the early 20th century, wild turkeys no longer roamed over much of their traditional range. They had been wiped out by hunting and the disappearance of their favored woodland habitat . . . Wild turkey reintroduction programs began in the 1940s, and the birds were relocated to areas where populations had been decimated but woodlands were recovering. Such efforts worked so well that wild turkeys now live in areas where they may not have occurred when Europeans first reached the Americas.

So, the wild turkey is actually a success story... for the most part. Slow Food USA's Ark of Taste lists five American turkeys that are threatened with either real or potential extinction and that are available for consumption in limited quantities: the American Bronze Turkey, Bourbon Red Turkey, Jersey Buff Turkey, Midget White Turkey, and Narragansett Turkey.

You might think it a bit odd that the Slow Food movement is encouraging you to eat animals that may soon be extinct, but in today's society, turning these turkeys into a commodity may be the only way to make people care enough to ensure their protection and procreation. Rest assured, these turkey farms are small-scale and sustainable. Heritage Foods USA, the sales and marketing arm of Slow Food USA, explains:

The Heritage Turkey Project, which helped double the population of heritage turkeys in the United States and upgraded the Bourbon Red turkey from "rare" to "watch" status on conservation lists, was Heritage Foods USA's first foray into saving American food traditions.
A true heritage turkey is reproduced and genetically maintained through self-breeding;
A true heritage turkey has a long productive lifespan. Breeding hens are commonly productive for 8-9 years and breeding toms for 3-5 years;
A true heritage turkey has a slower rate of growth. Today's heritage turkeys reach a marketable weight in 26-28 weeks.
In 2004 it became an independent company dedicated to saving not only turkeys but also Native American foods, pigs, sheep, bison, cows, reef-net salmon, goats and all breeds of food livestock.

Noble work. Still... you have to kill your turkey, and what exactly does a humane execution entail? Well, Kat on Eating Liberally posted a fantastic article on the importance of knowing the origin of your turkey dinner. Referring to the Palin video I posted above, Kat explains:

The media deemed it necessary to blur this bloody backdrop, in deference to the "unspoken covenant of ignorance" between consumers and the food industry that historian Ann Vileisis documents in Kitchen Literacy: How We Lost Knowledge of Where Food Comes From and Why We Need To Get It Back:

...we have ended up in the absurd situation today that most of us, as consumers, know very little about what we eat; and, sensing a "dark side" to our food production, many of us don't even want to know.

So now the blogosphere's a-Twitter with talk about "turkey carnage" and the "surreal... gruesomeness going on over her shoulder".

But you could argue that Palin performed a public service, however inadvertently. Americans are totally in denial about the way our livestock live--and die. Can you imagine the Food Network ever allowing Rachel Ray to slaughter a chicken in front of a live audience and millions of viewers, the way Jamie Oliver did back in January? After electrocuting the chicken, he told the visibly shocked audience:

"As far as killing anything's concerned, it's never nice. I was trained to do it, I don't feel particularly good about this. But, I eat chickens, and I'm a chef."

As the New York Times noted:

Mr. Oliver said that he wanted people to confront the reality that eating any kind of meat involves killing an animal, even if it is done with a minimum of pain.

Michael Pollan took it upon himself to learn how to slaughter chickens because, as he wrote in The Omnivore's Dilemma:

It seemed to me not too much to ask of a meat eater, which I was then and still am, that at least once in his life he take some direct responsibility for the killing on which his meat-eating depends...
...In the end I personally killed a dozen or so chickens before moving on to try another station...I wasn't at it long enough for slaughtering chickens to become routine, but the work did begin to feel mechanical, and that feeling, perhaps more than any other, was disconcerting: how quickly you can get used to anything, especially when the people around you think nothing of it.

I've watched the Jamie Oliver clip and though I found it painful, I recognize that it's the natural order of things. I hold to my belief that it is fine to eat meat, but we should do our best to ensure that it is produced in a sustainable manner that provides a reasonably pleasant life for the animal and protections for the land it is raised on. Obviously this ensures that we are subsequently eating healthier, tastier meat than is available from food conglomerates.

Thank you for making it through what is admittedly a very long post! There are none-the-less many other factors that play into the story of turkey production in America that I was unable to address here, such as corporate use of antibiotics, hormones, and bio-engineered feed as well as the debate about whether companies or American consumers are responsible for the degradation of meat production. I have no doubt that those will come up in future posts though, and in the meantime I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have. For now I just hope I haven't ruined your Thanksgiving leftovers...

Let's Talk Turkey

2008-11-17T17:46:00.000-08:00

After making 28 turkeys in two weeks, Stuart Stein has found the best way to produce a plump, juicy bird for your Thanksgiving celebration... his solution? Brine it! Click here for details.

Not being a fan of slimy, featherless carcasses and plastic bags full of miscellaneous avian parts, I have to admit that I've never made my own turkey, but I love feasting off the labor of others. Fortunately, my brother is particularly adept at this feat, although I'm not sure he's ever tried the brining method... maybe I'll make a suggestion this year.

So best of luck with your (hopefully local and organic) turkey preparations, unless of course you're a vegetarian, in which case I recommend you stick to vegetables this holiday. I mean who really wants to sink their teeth into this?

Roasted Acorn Squash and Rotkohl

2008-11-16T11:46:00.000-08:00

Still working on the squash...

Today I roasted a small acorn squash, using Matt's molasses-glaze recipe. I've been dying to use more of this molasses that I picked up in Asheville, North Carolina last year when I was visiting my brother, so this was the perfect excuse. It has a full, rich flavor, which isn't quite what the recipe calls for, but I thought it worked wonderfully. Acorn squash has a little stronger, a little nuttier flavor than a butternut too, so it wasn't overwhelmed.

I also used this opportunity to make use of a head of red cabbage that's been sitting in my crisper for about a month now. In college I majored in German and have spent a collective year in various parts of the Mutterland, during which time I fell in love with German cuisine. One of my favorite dishes is Rotkohl, sauteed red cabbage with apples and vinegar. This is a sweet and tangy dish that is incredibly healthy and easy to make.

Rotkohl

2 T Olive Oil
1 Medium Head of Red Cabbage (a little over 1 pound), Chopped
1 Baking Apple, Chopped
1-2 T Sugar or Brown Sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
2 T Red Wine or Apple Cider Vinegar
2 t Salt

Heat olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add cabbage and apples, stirring to coat. Stir in remaining ingredients and reduce heat to low-medium. Cook until cabbage is soft, about 20 minutes.

Good News, Bad News

2008-11-15T09:04:00.000-08:00

Which do you want first?

Personally, I like to face the bad up front, so...

...a UN report released on Thursday concludes that a three kilometer high Atmospheric Brown Cloud (ABC) consisting of soot and other man-made particles stretches from the Arabian Peninsula to China and the Western Pacific Ocean, occasionally reaching as far as California and Oregon. It aggravates greenhouse gas-induced climate change in some situations/locations (notably the Hindu Kush-Himalaya-Tibetan glaciers that provide the head-waters for the region's major river systems), and is responsible for a 10-25 percent decrease in natural light in Beijing, Karachi, Shanghai, and New Delhi as sunlight is absorbed by the dark soot particles hanging above the cities.

ABCs result from unsustainable burning of fossil fuels and inefficient combustion of biomass and deforestation, which produce both soot and greenhouse gases.
Smaller ABCs exist over North America, Europe, southern Africa, and the Amazon Basin.

The worst part is that particles in the ABC are actually deflecting some greenhouse gases, effectively masking the impacts of climate change. Consequently, if the clouds were eliminated without making drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, it could trigger a rapid global temperature rise of as much as two degree celsuis (surpassing what many scientists consider a "crucial and dangerous" threshold).

Scary, huh? I'll bet you're ready for the good news now.

Greg Haegele of the Sierra Club reported on Treehugger yesterday that the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) ruled that the EPA can limit carbon dioxide emissions from new coal-fired power plants.

The decision means that all new and proposed coal plants nationwide must go back and address their carbon dioxide emissions -- the source of 30% of our nation's global warming pollution. The decision will halt virtually all new coal plant development until EPA decides how to address global warming pollution from coal plants.

Looks like the EPA might finally be regaining some of its original wasta...

Sweet & Spicy Butternut Soup

2008-11-09T13:13:00.000-08:00

Well, I've gone overboard. I went to the market today and came home with a little over 10 pounds of squash.

10 pounds!!!

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I'm wondering what the heck I'm going to do with it all... I guess I'll just have to take it one squash at a time.

First up: Butternut.

I love butternut squash... probably in large part because it's insanely easy to prepare. A vegetable peeler is all you need to remove its thin skin, although some people don't even bother with that because it becomes almost as tender as the flesh when it's cooked. After that, you just cut off the ends, cut it in half, and scoop out the seeds. If you plan on pureeing it for soup or gratin, you'll want to dice it too. Due to its size and pliability, this process about a hundred times easier than gutting a pumpkin. (Bonus: You can substitute butternut for pumpkin in pretty much any recipe.)

Even better, Butternut's extremely versatile. French, Mexican, Italian... it does them all, and more. This soup recipe takes advantage of the squash's natural sweetness, pairing it with just enough red pepper that it leaves you feeling warm all-over... exactly what we need as the winter cold begins to sink in!

The recipe below will make enough for 4 large servings and should be good in the fridge for the better part of a week. I'm saving mine for lunches and I've made a lovely honey-wheat sandwich loaf to go along with it. Yum!

So, one squash down, three to go. I'll keep you posted on the progress... oh, and just wait until you see what else I dug up at the market!

Sweet and Spicy Butternut Soup

1 Medium-Large Butternut Squash, Peeled and Diced
1 Red Onion, Diced
3 Cups Chicken Stock
2 Cups Apple Cider
1/4t Red Pepper Flakes
1/4t Nutmeg
1/2t Cinnamon
1/2t Salt
1/2t Pepper
2T Olive Oil
2 Sprigs Rosemary (optional)

Heat oil in large stock pot. Add onions and cook at low-medium heat until almost translucent. Coat onions in red pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Add squash. Cook at medium for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add stock, cider and rosemary (if using). Bring to a boil, then simmer until squash softens (approximately 1 hour). Turn off heat and puree with immersion blender, food processor, or blender (in batches if necessary).

At long last...

2008-11-05T01:48:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama's Acceptance Speech

4 November 2008

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Why I love Barack Obama

2008-11-03T19:19:00.000-08:00

To be fair, there are a lot of reasons (universal health care, women's rights, the economy, the integrity with which he ran his campaign, etc.), but this one struck home today.

If you haven't read Michael Pollan's article, Farmer in Chief, which ran in the New York Times on October 9th, I highly recommend that you do. It's long, but it's well written and chock full of fascinating ideas and statistics. Here's a short excerpt to whet your appetite:

After cars, the food system uses more fossil fuel than any other sector of the economy — 19 percent. And while the experts disagree about the exact amount, the way we feed ourselves contributes more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than anything else we do — as much as 37 percent, according to one study. Whenever farmers clear land for crops and till the soil, large quantities of carbon are released into the air. But the 20th-century industrialization of agriculture has increased the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the food system by an order of magnitude; chemical fertilizers (made from natural gas), pesticides (made from petroleum), farm machinery, modern food processing and packaging and transportation have together transformed a system that in 1940 produced 2.3 calories of food energy for every calorie of fossil-fuel energy it used into one that now takes 10 calories of fossil-fuel energy to produce a single calorie of modern supermarket food. Put another way, when we eat from the industrial-food system, we are eating oil and spewing greenhouse gases.

Pollan goes on to discuss the American diet's effect on our health system and our economy, finally outlining a plan for the president-elect to "wean the American food system off its heavy 20th-century diet of fossil fuel and put it back on a diet of contemporary sunshine."

If I had written a letter to the candidates, this would have been it. Bravo Mr. Pollan! Your essay resounded with many of us, even if no politician actually reads it.

But wait, what was that? One of the candidates actually read Pollan's article? In it's entirety? And then promoted it during a speech? Seriously??

...and now you know why I'm in love with the man. Here's what he had to say during his interview with Time magazine:

There is no better potential driver that pervades all aspects of our economy than a new energy economy. I was just reading an article in the New York Times by Michael Pollen about food and the fact that our entire agricultural system is built on cheap oil. As a consequence, our agriculture sector actually is contributing more greenhouse gases than our transportation sector. And in the mean time, it's creating monocultures that are vulnerable to national security threats, are now vulnerable to sky-high food prices or crashes in food prices, huge swings in commodity prices, and are partly responsible for the explosion in our healthcare costs because they're contributing to type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease, obesity, all the things that are driving our huge explosion in healthcare costs. That's just one sector of the economy. You think about the same thing is true on transportation. The same thing is true on how we construct our buildings. The same is true across the board.

Photo credit: Treehugger.

An Attempt to Make Fare Fair

2008-11-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. - Michael Pollan

This phrase from Michael Pollan's New York Times article, Unhappy Meals, hit me in January 2007 like a ton of bricks. As a recent college grad who was already following the "not too much" part of his advice in an attempt to combat her senior thesis stress-eating and who had been raised by a couple of hippies with a massive garden in the backyard, "eat [real] food" seemed like a logical argument. More than logical really... inspiring. Eat real food, he implores - not that chemical-laden, bio-engineered, artificially colored stuff you find at your supermarket.

In his article, Pollan shows how major commercial conglomerates turned a roast chicken dinner into a Lean Cuisine in the name of Health and how that move actually produced a fatter nation that has lost its historical food culture in the process. Divorcing the soil from the sterile, waxed, and preserved vegetables we find in our grocery stores left a society that couldn't identify whole, healthy foods from the ones Kraft told us to eat.

Pollan's philosophy of nature-knows-what's-good-for-you - combined with memories of my grandmother's home-cooked meals and the fresh ingredients that chefs like Mario Batali, Jamie Oliver, and Giada deLaurentis were propagating - fueled my approach to food for the next year as I moved to Washington, DC, started frequenting local markets, and began a workshare at Claggett Farm. As I started making my meals from scratch, I fell in love with bread baking - the physical and mental therapy of kneading dough - and experimented with the vegetables and herbs I was bringing home. Questions like, "What the heck am I going to do with a whole pumpkin?" became the norm on Sunday afternoons as I prepared my weekly dinners.

It wasn't until March 2008 however that I figured out the real implications of Michael Pollan's command to eat "mostly plants."

In an effort to better understand the underpinnings of the organic/locavore movement that I was now fully a member of, I decided to start doing some research and began with a book that I found randomly - fortuitously? - at an old, ramshackle bookstore by Capitol Hill's Eastern Market. It was Francis Moore Lappe's Diet for a Small Planet (1991), which spells out the waste and pollution embedded in our agricultural system, particularly with regard to raising cattle. Did you know that it takes 17 pounds of grain to produce one pound of beef? And did you know that grain production in the US is unsustainable, gravely impacting our environment? Mark Bittman made a similar (brilliant, hilarious) assessment during his 2008 TED speech, that you can watch here.

Now, I'm not a vegetarian, but I have made the decision to only eat organic meat that comes from sustainable farms where the animals are allowed to graze and are not (force-)fed grain. Since that kind of meat is pretty expensive and exceptionally difficult to find without planning in advance, I'm afraid that I no longer eat a lot of meat - a sacrifice happily made however to contribute to a greater goal that I believe is just beginning to find its feet.

Pollan, Lappe, Bittman, and a host of other eco-conscious foodies are now working to illuminate the role that our everyday food choices play in the life of our planet, encouraging us to return to our culinary roots where peas don't come in cans, chickens aren't injected with preservatives, and tomatoes can be orange, or purple, or green. Choosing food that is not chemically or biologically altered preserves our natural resources, our ecosystem and the co-evolution of plants and wildlife. It also combats pollution and health problems.

My continued research on America's food policy will provide the basis for much of this blog. Being an amateur baker and occasional cook, however, I also plan to post recipes and culinary techniques in an effort to share my love of homemade food and to inspire others toward the same end. I hope that these musings are helpful and that together we can create a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable world.