Lentil Quest - Week 1

I don't actually care for lentils that much. They are my least favorite legume; I find the taste bland and the texture a little off-putting. However, Aaron and I are embarking on a 6-week experiment so that I can reevaluate my feelings and hopefully find an arsenal of delicious lentil recipes to draw upon.

So, for the first week, we chose an easy one. My lentil stew recipe is the only lentil dish I make regularly. This time, I tried it in the crock-pot and I have to say, it's better on the stove. Why do things cooked in crock-pots have that weird, sour taste? Am I doing something wrong?

Dustin and Julie

Our trip to the Upper Peninsula was so much fun. It snowed and snowed and snowed. I loved being able to celebrate with Dustin and Julie, help them with what they needed before the big day, and just spend time with family during such a happy time. I loved all of the beautiful snow, staying at the cozy hobbit house and the chalet, going to The Bell.

The wedding was lovely. Winter weddings are so cozy feeling. The Bride and Groom both looked great and everyone had a great time. Monica’s cake was so beautiful and everything turned out great.

On the needles, on the nightstand

There is a knit-along going around in the blogosphere encouraging people to record what they are knitting and what they are reading right now. So…

I have been knitting with cotton a lot lately. Garter stitch, ftw. I just love how the little bumpies of garter stitch look. It looks rustic and classic, especially with cotton yarn. It’s also pretty mindless, which is kind of what I need. So I am whipping up quick little cotton projects, in an attempt to get cracking on that #1 New Years goal.

I did a lot of knitting over winter break. It was so much fun to have the time to relax, watch Christmas movies and knit, knit, knit.

I also did a good bit of reading. I kicked off the Year of Virginia Woolf with a biography written by her nephew. It wasn’t very good. I’ve started The Voyage Out, her first novel, and at 100 pages I am finding it a pleasure to read. I love that Mrs. Dalloway is in it, as that is the only other book I’ve read by Woolf.

Best Reads in 2010

5. Everything is Miscellaneous by David Weinberger
4. Passage to India by E.M. Forster
3. Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
2. Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum (seriously: if you're into Waldorf, read this to your kiddles)
1. Little, Big by John Crowley

Thoughts on the New Year

New Year's resolutions are pretty stupid, nevertheless, I find myself hoping for renewal, pushing for change and looking within each January.

Some goals for 2011:

Crafting

• I'd like to do all homemade Christmas gifts. We didn't do that this year and it was stressful. I've already started some projects.

Reading

• I'd like to spend the year reading Virginia Woolf

Eating

• I'd like to make a more serious commitment to eating locally, working toward making the majority of my intake locally produced by October
• I am quitting commercial soda-pop with the help of my new Penguin.
  

Home

• Continued transitions

Soul

• less computer and tv
• more books
• more yoga (I wish there was a yoga studio on my side of town)
  

Christmas Menu

Roast Goose
Butternut Squash and Gruyere Bread Pudding
Roasted Root Vegetables
Individual Yorkshire Puddings with Rosemary
Bitter Greens with Pomegranate Seeds and Goat Cheese with Balsamic Dressing

Raspberry Pie
Mulled Red Wine

Women Farmers

Some lovely ladies in Preston Co. put on a holiday open house last weekend and we went to participate in the merriment. They are a group of lady farmers who keep sheep and other small stock. They work to put together gorgeous crafts, foods, wools and other fibers, etc, for the open house each year. The best part is that they sell their meat and have delicious samples of soups and other things to make with it, which is a lovely idea. We ended up buying some really nice lamb and also a goose for Christmas. It is all local, organic, and humanely treated, which is basically the only kind of meat we buy now. Also bought wool roving and yarn in delicious colors.
Anyway, I just love the sense of community these ladies have fostered. They all work together to make these lovely things and I am sure they help each other on the farm when needed, too. It is really a great business model and a great way to earn a living doing what they do.
Oh yeah, and they all have at least one or two Great Pyrenees dogs, which are so lovable.

Home

Our week spent in Boston was just wonderful. We saw so many good friends, went to some of our favorite places, and just kind of relished being in a place we can honestly call home. It was very strange: I felt like I might have forgotten some things, but once I was there I realized that some things they do there just feel right, feel comfortable: keeping the left side of the escalator clear for those who’d prefer walking up (is there even an escalator in Morgantown?), stepping to the side to let people off the T, knowing in my bones the quickest way to cut across Harvard Square, knowing how to plant my feet just so to surf the greenline.

We went to Maine on the weekend; I took a trip to central Mass. one morning. Everything is so close. I had the best steak ever at Brasserie Jo’s on Huntington. I highly recommend going there for a steak frites lunch. So not only did I get to go to some of my old favorites, I also got to discover some new ones, too.

View from my hotel room

We stayed downtown at the Westin at Copley Place because Aaron had a conference to go to nearby. It was so much fun to be so close to the T, to jump on and get somewhere fast. The Boston Public Library was right across the street from us and I went there every morning to check my email and do homework. It was lovely. I don’t know why I didn’t do that more often when I was an undergrad. The elderly guard at the door greeted me by saying, "Good morning, darling" each morning. I saw two homeless people come in and sit down. They just sat there and wrote. The great American novel, I’m sure. Lots different than here.

View from my hotel room. The library is the large square building with the courtyard.

a study room in the library

When I left Boston 3 years ago I had gotten so used to it that I didn’t really appreciate it any more and things about it bothered me. Things about it still bother me. However, I have to say that the things that have happened with Aaron’s family in the past year or so have really changed Boston for us. I can’t imagine being too far away from anyone there for much longer.

That feeling was made so apparent by the sinking dread I felt when the plane touched down in Morgantown on our way back. I saw a hotspot from the airplane and I started crying.

Right Now

Right now, I am:
1) Trying to find the best organizational scheme to help a farmers market in TX implement a SNAPS/Food stamps acceptance program. Oh, and they don't have access to a power source. Oh, and I have to write a 10-20 page paper on that.

2) Conducting sham reference queries for online virtual librarians to test their success and professionalism. So far, they're doing a bad job. Oh, and I have to write a paper on that.

3) Writing a 12 page literature review on the authenticity of electronic documents in an archival setting.

4) Packing stuff to put into storage.

5) Packing stuff for a trip to Boston we're taking in under a week.

6) Feeling like I might be getting sick (and following all the steps listed in the previous post).

7) Working between 9 and 12 hours a day at work.

8) Nursing my chickens through our first big molt.

9) Knitting in the round while watching class (helps me pay attention, oddly enough).

10) Crocheting miniature granny squares for stress relief.

11) Serving as this week's course discussion leader in my archiving class.

12) Battling a tap-dancing Elf dog that likes to start his routine at 5:45 each morning: 15 minutes before the alarm goes off! Argh!

Cold/Flu

Celestial Seasonings Echinacea Complete Care tea has found its way into my teacup, so it's fair to say that cold and flu season is here. I generally work really hard to stay healthy through the winter, and I'm usually pretty successful. Though I often feel like I'm catching something, I rarely have a full-blown cold/flu (knock on wood). When I start to feel like I am coming down with something, I've found these precautions to be extremely helpful in fighting it off:

Echinacea: taken at the first twinge of a sore throat or body ache, I think this stuff really works. However, half of the secret is believing, like Santa. It loses its magic if you don't believe.

Emergen-C/Airborne: I think it really tastes gross (Aaron won't even drink it) but I notice improvement within a couple of hours, if I take it early enough.

Gargle: take warm salt water and gargle repeatedly. Swab the inside of your nose with it, too. It helps.

Hot beverages: I think it is related to the warm gargle thing. The steam helps you rid the germs.

Lots of fluids: flush those bad boys out of your system.

soup: At the first sign of feeling a little under the weather, I crack out the miso paste. Aaron knows that if I am in the kitchen standing over a broth he should look out because I don't feel good. I think that this is also related to the gargle, as it is basically hot salt water, when you break it down. I also think that putting as many vitamin-rich things in it as possible and some protein will help you boost your immune system. Adding some noodles for carbs doesn't hurt, either. I find that when I don't feel good, soup is all I want. I put onions, carrots, spinach, seaweed, rice noodles and lots of other stuff into my miso soup. It usually makes me feel better within a few hours. When I'm really sick, it's chicken soup all the way.

Hot shower: kick out those germs.

Washing hands: I try not to touch my face and I usually wash my hands before and after I use the restroom.

A good night's sleep: even if it means taking something to help you stay asleep, sometimes it is what your body needs.

Keeping distance: I feel like Kramer, but I catch myself literally wince and back away when someone coughs around me. I also notice that I'm really bad about giving people dirty looks when they are sick in public. I may have yelled at a lady on an airplane about not wearing a face mask because she was coughing all over the place. I may have made her change seats. *cringe* Whatever, I want to stay healthy. I think that once you have that first cold of the season, it is really hard to get your immune system back in 100% working order, so putting that off for as long as possible is key.

kitchen classification assignment

Just in case you were wondering, here are the contents of my spice cupboard, cataloged for a class.

Spices

Bulk

Cloves (whole, bulk)

Pepper, crushed red (bulk)

Small containers

Individual spices

Ajwain

Allspice (ground)

Anise

Anise (ground)

Anise (star)

Anise seed (x2)

Asafoetida powder

Bay leaves

Caraway

Cardamom

Celery seed

Cinnamon

Cinnamon (ground)

Cinnamon (stick)

Cloves

Cloves (ground)

Cloves (whole)

Coriander

Coriander (ground)

Coriander flakes

Coriander seeds

Cumin

Fenugreek

Garlic powder

Ginger (ground)

Kasoori methi

Lemon grass

Lemon grass (coarse)

Lemon grass (ground)

Mango powder

Mint

Mint (ground)

Mint (whole leaf)

Mustard seed

Nutmeg (ground)

Onion seeds

Oregano (x2)

Paprika (unlabeled)

Pepper

Pepper, black

Pepper, cayenne (x2)

Pepper, crushed red

Poppy seeds

Rosemary

Sage (unbottled)

Salt

Salt, sea

Salt, red (x2, unlabeled)

Salt, table

Sesame seeds, black

Thyme (x2)

Turmeric (ground)

Spice mixes

Bell’s seasoning

Bharat spice mix (labeled in Hebrew)

Cajun seasoning mix

Chili powder

Coffee Spices (x2)

Curry powder (x2, one unlabeled, one mislabeled)

Garam masala

Kansas City steak seasoning

Mulling spices

Mrs. Dash

Pilau masala mix

Salsa spice mix (hot)

Spaghetti sauce spice mix (unlabeled)

Tandoori spice mix

Za’atar (labeled in Hebrew)

Baking supplies

Cream of tartar

Extract

Almond extract

Anise extract

Cinnamon oil

Rose oil

Vanilla extract

Food coloring

Nonpareils, multicolored

Pumpkin pie spice mix

Sprinkles

Sprinkles, green (green apple flavor)

Sprinkles, green

Sprinkles, red

Vanilla bean

Other

Bulk

Honey (bulk)

11 empty jars

Grinding Instruments

Electric grinder

Mortar and pestle

Honey

Honey (cheap)

Honey (artisan: 4 instances)

About a Train

Can I just say that I love taking trains? Last week, I took an Amtrak from Pittsburgh to Milwaukee and back again. Night trains both ways. I wanted to take the train because I’ve had such bad luck with flights lately. Also, I am kind of angry that the airlines are trying to control everything you do as a traveler and they’re getting really mean about it, as if we're not supposed to bring anything with us or desire any kind of nourishment on our journeys. Not to mention that there is no airport stress. So, for now I’d rather give my money to the train companies in an effort to encourage others to do the same. Maybe the prices will even go down if there is demand.

People complain that trains take too long, but really, I find that to be refreshing. It was so nice to have some me-time. I went to the lounge, I read, I listened to Mennonites talk. The best part is that almost all of the employees on the trains were not only friendly, but funny and warmhearted. I met some really interesting people.

This one lady getting on at Pittsburgh must have been at least 85. She was wearing a fancy party dress, a sheer, sequined capelet, and a veiled pillbox hat. She also had a vintage overnight bag, a husband who didn’t say a word, and she flirted with all of the "red caps."

And there is a part of me that likes not being found for a little while. With many airlines now having wifi, there are not too many places where you can simply be out of reach. Spending a few quiet hours without much contact with the outside world does everyone good, I’d say. It’s as if the world is held in suspension for a time and you can sit back, be quiet, and gain some perspective. And sleeper cars? Is there a more romantic form of travel? I will definitely try to make the time to take the train whenever possible.