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Mod Podge may be the most brilliant thing ever invented. I always thought it was Modge Podge.

Matches from Chris' six months in Germany.

Red Rice? I feel kind of funny about this one.

Labels

You might think I'm going to wax philosophical about how labeling people is bad...or something like that. No worries. I refuse to be thoughtful via this medium. No preaching here. Bleacher Preachers has monopolized the preaching venue. Last night's Bleacher Preachers show included the following quote: "I imagine [McNamee] to be sitting at the Jolly Tinker, and we all hope he keeps his teeth in his mouth. ...he has an unsavory look about him…a gangly creature” --The Drake.

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Jennifer's "Tuna" Tempeh Spread

Last week I made Jennifer Jacobs' Quinoa Salad. This week, her "Tuna" Tempeh Spread.... I used 8 oz. of 'Three Grain' tempeh. You can pick up tempeh at Stop & Shop! They carry the same brand that I've seen at Whole Foods. Steam the crap out of it. 20 minutes. Add a bit of water, mash it, and let it cool.Then add parsley, celery, white onion, and thyme. I went fresh with everything. Add mustard & light mayo.

The results: a very tasty sandwich spread. Will definitely make it again.

Jennifer Jacobs' "Tuna" Tempeh Spread

8oz tempeh, diced

1/3 C mayo

2T minced onion

2T minced celery

1/4 t sea salt

2 t prepared mustard

2T minced fresh parsley

2T minced fresh dill (or 2t dried)

Steam tempeh for 20 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and immediately add 1 1/2T water. Mash thoroughly while tempeh is still hot. Cool to room temperature, then add mayo - dill. Mix well. This is good in a sandwich with olive, dill pickle, tomato, etc. *Jennifer just told me that this recipe is from The Natural Health Cookbook.

Pedro does it Clean

Ahhh, Pedro. As he explains, "I did it clean"

"...I have a small frame and when I hurt all I could do was take a couple of Aleve or Advil, a cup of coffee and a little mango and an egg -- and let it go!" he said. Hysterical.

(Espn removed the Pedro video.)

Picinic Table

Taken January 27, 2008. Dexter Training Grounds, Providence, RI.

One of those Days

Today was one of those days. Upon leaving the house this morning, I find that it is raining like crazy & sleeting at times. That is not why it was one of those days.

1. First, my umbrella broke on the way back from class. My MWF class is approximately the farthest distance possible from my office.

2. I headed home early today, to change (translate: I had to make an unplanned stop at the house, to ring out my pants in the bathtub, and put on new work clothes before going to meet my new/second boss at another school).

3. On the way out, whilst packing my bag, I get a paper cut in the palm of my hand. FROM A THICK YELLOW FILE FOLDER. I realize that I'm going to be shaking a lot of hands in the next few hours. I curse loudly.

4. I'm being responsible today, so I head to my meeting early, to make sure that I can find parking. There is no parking. I drive around for 30 minutes and have to call the department secretary, who tells me that there is a pay-lot 3 blocks away. I park there. I make a mental note that it is going to cost me between $10-20.

5. I head to my meeting and walk 4 blocks in the rain, holding a broken and so, collapsed, umbrella on top of my head.

6. My meeting goes swimmingly. I am warmly welcomed and there is talk of teaching future classes...of my own design. But I need an ID. So, we walk two blocks (uphill, which means I'm about to die) in the torrential rain, so that I can get my photo taken. Umbrella is dripping on both sides and has thus become a joke. ID will prove that I am part-aquatic.

7. On the walk back to the department, heaviest rains will be between 2-5pm today in Providence..., I give up on the umbrella. New boss is very nice. Walking tour of campus begins. The what? Here is where you'll find the coffee shop...This is the museum....let's go in. Museum guard crinkles his nose at the trail of water I'm leaving behind, as we stroll past the Picasso, Monet, John Singer Sargeant, and a 25 foot giant wooden Buddha....

8. I now walk 6 blocks back to the parking garage, sans umbrella and drenched, where I pay but cannot afford to tip, which I'm sure I was supposed to do.

Sports Radio & Quinoa Salads

For the last seven years! we've watched the superbowl game at our Craig & Rosie's place. They always always throw a great party and they're good people and good friends. This year was quite a bash. More so than usual, since they're Giants fans. The party closed with cheers of glee and the delerious jubilatory running of laps around the house. I'm also happy to announce that Craig & Rosie have just started their own sports radio show, the Bleacher Preachers, which airs from 5-7 pm, Eastern time. Rosie has set up a blog for the Bleacher Preachers--a place to submit questions and to discuss all things related to sports. Pitchers and Catchers report tomorrow!! Go Mets!

On to food-talk. Everyone brought great dishes to the Superbowl party. We brought our homemade jalepeno poppers. I cleaned the peppers too well this time, they weren't as hot as I like 'em. Someone brought a very delicious, and unusual quinoa salad. Luckily, it's creator, Jennifer, was willing to share the recipe with me (see below). Chris & I whipped up a batch this week and *loved* it. We added too much lemon juice (organic lemon juice = super strong) & used canned lentils, but the kick of the garlic & tasty quinoa made this something we'll definitely repeat. This weekend, we'll be investigating the possibilities of cooking with tempeh, with Jennifer's guidance.

Jennifer Jacobs' Quinoa Salad

3 C cooked quinoa (1C dried will make about 3 cups cooked)

2 C cooked green or french lentils (1C dried)

1 C chopped carrots

1/4-1/2 C. cilantro (alternatively, you could use parsley)

1 C sunflower seeds

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 C blend of olive oil and toasted sesame oil (i use mostly olive oil, then add a bit of sesame, but you could also just stick to olive oil)

1/4 C soy sauce

1/2 C lemon juice

Cook the quinoa and lentils separately, then cool to room temperature. Mix them together along with the carrots - garlic. Combine liquids, pour over quinoa mixture and toss well. Voila.

Kirkwood, Missouri

My hometown of Kirkwood, MO lost 6 people in a tragic shooting at Kirkwood's City Hall last night. Our family & friends were unharmed, but Kirkwood is in shock and in mourning.
My thoughts and condolences are with everyone back home.

Playing in the Park

Neighborhood kids playing in the park (taken 1/27/07). Photoshopping.

Voting

Change is good. More info on the video here.

Another Dish from Giada

A few weeks ago we made a version of Giada's Artichoke and Tomato Panzanella. I don't have a final picture of the salad in its complete and beautiful 'Form'. But I'll walk you through the recipe here. I think its the tastiest salad I've ever had.

**Note: We use our stove top grill for all the grilling (my friend Rosie turning me on to this grill!). I guess you could do something similar with a baking sheet in the oven, but you'll miss the pretty/smoky-flavored grill marks.

First, grill up a can or two of artichokes. Take your time. Have a glass of wine.

Then grill up cubes of bread (we used a 9-grain) until crispy. Toss with artichokes. Mmmm.

Add diced tomatos. (I was traumatized by the "tomato wedge" while living in Little Italy of the Bronx. I don't like to talk about it.)
Also add chopped (and pited) black olives. These are oil-cured Kalamata olives -- my favorite.

Julienne & add a bunch of basil leaves.

Add pepper, olive oil, & white wine vinegar (the bitterness of the latter works really well in this salad, but if you don't have it on hand, you could use any vinegar). Depending on the kind of olives you use, you may want to add salt as a finishing touch (I added very little, since kalamatas are very salty).

Giada's final product is below. Enjoy.

Are you Serious?

This past December, my cousin's daughter Khloe turned two. I missed her birthday party, since I was in Providence, but thought I'd share this funny picture of her. It looks like it was taken with a fish-eye lens, but it wasn't! She's just that cute.