Monday

Just when I pulled into my parking lot in the midst of a downpour and had a spot open near the door and thought, how lucky can I get, I looked up to see a neighbor boy standing outside, in the middle of the court, pants around his knees, getting quite an arc on the stream of urine he was so proudly spraying toward his sister.

And if that wasn't enough for a Monday... I accidentally bought Diet Chocolate Cherry Dr. Pepper--which sucks; don't buy it.

I wanna play with Jim

If nothing else, and really, with everyone minding their Ps & Qs, there isn't much else, James Carville has certainly added some flair to this election run. Carville even delights in his Washington Post piece yesterday that Bill O'Reilly was appalled when he called Bill Richardson a Judas after his endorsement of Barack Obama (and on Good Friday). With pundits jumping all over it (which lends itself to its own absurdity), Carville reminds us all that politicking is not a nice game. Sorry, but he's right, and someone has to prep these boys and girls for an all out vicious fight to the White House this year. It's all very touchy feeling right now and everyone is waving banners around change and such, but the real gritty, down in the trenches is yet to come... and if it is going to be Obama, he better step up to the plate, forget a possible Richardson running mate (cause that is a losing proposition, IMO) and quit letting the pundits set the agenda. His speech on race, while eloquent, refreshing and necessary, is one moment that will not give him the office.

But yes, Richardson's act was Judas in nature; he might be seeing it as more Machiavellian, and time will certainly tell. In the end, Richardson's endorsement of Obama does nothing, really, for Obama as much as it does deliver a slap in the face of the Clinton's--who will be the ones who remember, and if anyone should know the fate that befalls those who screw over the Clinton's, Richardson should.

Spring Vacation

On Wedneday, at about 12:30 EDT, I left work on a vacation--picked mom and dad up from the train station and today, I dropped them back off at the train station. It is suddenly very quiet. SK has point blank told me to continue with my tome off until tomorrow, and I am occassionally glancing over at my work laptop, debating on whether I truly want to take a peek for what awaits me.

It has been a week, and during which I have missed out timely commentary on the Barack Obama "race speech" though I find it facsinating and interesting as well as poignant and he has earned far more of my respect than he previously had... I am still sticking by Hillary through the primary, for reasons already mentioned here. I had started another blog on racism and Obama's messages, but I feel like I am saying the same things over and over again... and so goes the plague of institutionalized racism.

However, I would be remiss to not note today's indictments out of Detroit... seems Kwayme Kilpatrick is facing felony charges--denying it all; though one has to wonder with the admitted marital problems how much can really be denied? His marriage is his and his wife's business, but lying under oath... that's the business of many and as he speaks of accountability and denies the charges fiercely, one wonders where the accountability is?

And so I sit here, pondering the absurdity of our world; trying to keep my brains from oozing out of my skull in the process.

Nothing new in the kitchen this weekend

Today, cooking day, I find myself not in the mood to concoct and otherwise test my food science knowledge... so today, I have made cookies in prep for my mom and dad's arrival later this week and will cook up a standard fare for the beginning of this week--the one pot wonder.

In each of these cases today, the cookies and the one-pot, it is a favorite cooks challenge of mine--without prep, use what you have to make something interesting and new.

The cookies start as a basic recipe: flour, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, baking soda and salt... I added some applesauce, used egg substitute, agave syrup, multi grain cereal, oatmeal, some left over Kashi Crunch (not enough left for a full serving), some raisins, sunflower seeds, handful each of white and milk chocolate chips, walnuts, cinnamon... and they are baking and smell incredible.

The one-pot wonder starts the same each time, olive oil, garlic and onion. From there, it's time to raid the freezer, cupboards and fridge. Typically, I make this at the end of the week to use up what I have before I go grocery shopping. So, to the pot this week, I have pulled frozen peppers, corn, peas and broccoli, I have some chicken sausage, pink beans, a little rice, cabbage, almonds. I also have some salsa, which may pair nicely. Perhaps, a little red quinoa instead of rice, I'll decide when I get to that point.

It is this kind of cooking, and especially my one-pot deal, that makes me think of Impressionist painters swirling paints of various color and texture into a vision of something abstract, but beautiful. I've always had the same philosophy about art as I have cooking... next week, Cubism Cooking...

Just kidding...

I'll blame Lewis Black this time

Because, it is only fair... last time I went on a Joni Mitchel music buying spree, I put blame squarely on Emma Thompson and the movie, Love Actually. But this time, it is Lewis Black's fault... his playlist published on iTunes well over a week ago now is indistinguishable from my own favorites (I knew I liked this guy for more reasons than his stand up and recent ruling that Oprah Winfrey is the "root of all evil"). But, as was evidenced by this playlist, I was clearly missing a key Mitchell classic (admittedly, I am missing several). So amid the morning coffee and nutty multigrain cereal remenscent of the sweet jazziness of the very music I was adding to my cart... I ended up with the entire "Court and Spark" LP. Not a bad purchase for a sunny, yet chilly, Saturday morning in the Philadelphia suburbs.

A note on Sunflower Butter

In yesterday's post, I noted that a wrap with sunflower butter, turkey, pear and fig would be good... I want to correct that to indicate that it is beyond good--it is incredible. I'm certain it would only have been made better with the use of fresh fig rather than dried, but still... I also added a little lettuce and sunflower seeds. Viola! A masterpiece.

Culinary Clattering

Inspired by Clotilde's (of Chocolate and Zucchini) trip to Oz last month (and if you don't know who Clotilde Dusoulier is, you are seriously missing out on some great recipes and food talk), I brazenly left Trader Joe with two very new (to me) items for my pantry: organic blue agave syrup and sunflower butter. And yes, I know, I am waaaay behind the bandwagon with the agave syrup (heck, the craze is probably almost over!) and yet, I'm okay with that--after all, as Americans, we are already behind before we ever start (but we will say we invented it and then patent it).*

I've not used any of the agave syrup, but I have a full bottle with which to play, and I fully intend to. The sunflower butter, however, I opened up and nabbed a quick spoonful almost immediately. It is nutty and sweet... much sweeter than I had anticipated since I don't think of sunflower seeds as having any particular sweetness to them. It is, in a peculiar and surprisingly pleasant way, yummy. I imagine it would pair well as is with toast or a biscuit, or in a crazy way on a wrap with some turkey, pear and fig.**

Today's lazy Sunday will find me again in the kitchen, prepping for the week ahead, determined to eat better (again) and not skip lunch in lieu of coffee. I will try something slightly new for me, in prepping a baking dish and freezing it rather than baking it today and letting it sit in the fridge all week. It isn't revolutionary, but I'm weird about frozen things the way some people are about microwaving things.

So off I go, to research recipe ideas and eventually fire up the magic cauldron in the kitchen to see what comes of it. And then, rather than clean the bathroom, I sense a nap and a movie in the very near future. It is, after all, Daylight Savings Time here, and I should take full advantage of that, now shouldn't I?

*Note to self--and the 5 people who read this--that torture bill was vetoed, and with that last post lauding Castro over Bush, I need to be careful and selective in my poking fun at American "culture" before I end up in Cuba being poked at for information in the name of keeping America safe.
**Because what isn't good with fig??

On policies of hypocrisy... Cuba.

As Bush vetoes the bill on torture this week, some of his statements smack me in the head with utter contempt and further disillusionment of his regime. As an example:

“We have no higher responsibility than stopping terrorist attacks. And this is no time for Congress to abandon practices that have a proven track record of keeping America safe.

Compare that in contrast to another speech given just months ago in the Rose Garden:

Cuba's rulers promised, "absolute respect for human rights." Instead they offered Cubans rat-infested prisons and a police state. Hundreds are serving long prison sentences for political offenses such as the crime of "dangerousness" -- as defined by the regime. Others have been jailed for the crime of "peaceful sedition" -- which means whatever Cuban authorities decide it means.

Can someone explain the differences here?

First, there is no proof that methods of torture have kept "America safe" if that were the case, our long standing record of torture through the years would clearly have lead to the knowledge that the barrage of attacks that have occurred on US land and on US interests abroad would have been preventable.

Second, while not without its own problems, Cuba has not attacked another country with military means viciously or unwarranted-ly. In many regards, Cuban policy of jailing its own citizens for reasons not released is the same tactic that the US has used proudly since 9/11, and more deviously pre-9/11. Yes, folks, there are political prisoners that have been jailed without justification for many years before a few people fly planes into buildings... and they are still sitting in prisons, without much better accommodations offered Cubans who are imprisoned.

In all reality, if we look at and compare the philosophical beliefs and practices of Castro regime and the Bush regime, I think we would find that Fidel Castro, for all his flaws, is a far greater humanitarian than is George W. Bush. I think we would also discover, that Castro is also a far braver and much less egotistical zealot than is our current Commander. And though Fidel has stepped down, it is his legacy that will be remembered through history, even by his detractors as far more favorable. Castro's only real true flaw in US perspective is that he prevented the acquisition of Cuba as a US property.

Super Tuesday Part B?

Jon Stewart recently asked Brian Williams of the NBC Nightly News: Are you voting for Obama because you are sexist; or Hillary because you are racist? And summed up current news media coverage in one tidy, sarcastic and cleverly friendly jab at Williams. Williams, a regular on The Daily Show, laughed before reminding Stewart that without him to mock there would not be The Daily Show.

And yet, on the eve of today's "Super Tuesday" Hillary Clinton appeared on The Daily Show--making it, perhaps, her final Monday appearance before voters headed to the polls in Ohio and Texas--the two biggest stakes in today's race before all eyes turn toward Pennsylvania. Man, I feel the pressure already.

I managed to stay awake for the interview. Stewart has been trying diligently to get her to appear on the show for months. In his usual style, Stewart made jokes in between serious questions too often ignored such as (and I'm paraphrasing) What will you do to assure the voters of OH and TX that you aren't going to forget them after you have their votes? And were the situations reversed, would you ask Obama to step out of the race? Before he moved on to more philosophical wishing about a bi-partisan cabinet and hoping that when all is said and done, no matter who wins the big prize that the other two are part of that administration. Stewart is a comedian, but no one was laughing. And Clinton, like a vampire on an open artery pandered to the wish Stewart represented on behalf of many.

Clinton, who I could not help but notice how abnormally puffy her face looked--no doubt campaign wear and tear--continued her party line that a Democrat needed to be elected, but stressed bipartisanship. When will they learn? McCain gets it, but I'm not sure he's the right candidate--and isn't that how it always goes?

Holy VIP, Batman

Did I miss something in the world on Friday when there were over 50 hits to my site in an hour under the search term "Yo VIP, Let's Kick It"? Did someone give Vanilla Ice another 15 minutes?

And yes, sadly, I know... I DID have a post over a year ago with that very subject line...

Fig-a-licious

Inspired by a recipe in Clean Eating Magazine for Baked Apples and Figs, I got busy this afternoon...

I had 2 Red Delicious apples...
1 package of dried Turkish figs...
a container of hot multigrain cereal...
various spices, seeds, nuts and time.

The Clean Eating Magazine recipe called for fresh figs and granola--neither did I have, and frankly, finding fresh figs this time of year is a challenge. So, I altered, as is generally the case... and give you the following, still adhering to the concept and philosophy that is "clean eating" (i.e. avoiding all processed, refined, fried foods, sugared sodas and juices and *gasp* alcohol).

So I give you my recipe, which is quite good... but another reason to eagerly await fresh figs!!

2 medium Red Delicious apples, cored and sliced
5 dried Turkish figs soaked in warm water for 5-6 minutes, then coarsely chopped

(The following measures are approximates, I cook like I paint, with experimentation and a blow torch!)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Topping:
1 cup multigrain cereal (I had the Trader Joe non-instant version with barley, rye, oats and wheat, but I suspect oatmeal would work just as well)
handful of sunflower seeds
handful of raw almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray the bottom of a glass baking dish with olive oil spray. Mix the chopped figs and sliced apples in the sugar-spice mixture until coated. Note that you will need to break up the figs since they will be extra sticky. Pour into the baking dish. Add the topping by hap-hazardously sprinkling over top. Cover with tinfoil and bake approximately 20-25 minutes, removing the tin foil for the last 5 minutes--you will want the apples to have some crispiness left to them.

You will want to enjoy this without scalding your mouth, so I recommend allowing to cool slightly out of the oven.

SWF seeks asylum

This morning, I came to the conclusion that I loathe online dating. Indeed, it has never worked for me, and like the insane summertime fly that continues to buzz and slam its body into the glass door, I had recently signed back on for another 3-month tour at Match.com. This morning found me looking at profiles with the only thought being that I *paid* for this I should use it. Probably not the best frame of mind for reading profiles...

That said, there are a few things that truly bother me about 90 percent of the profiles I read (and that is a conservative 90 percent).

**Wedding photos. Almost every guy has pictures of at least one, if not more, weddings they were in. This has actually become a turn off... I am starting to have more respect for the guy that used the bad web cam photo that looks more like something from the 6 p.m. news than his dating profile.

**Grammar... guys, grammar and spelling--it is important, and the lack of it is a turn off. We all slip up from time to time, I can understand that and over look it. I cannot read a profile that has no periods, verbs or the work 'I' written as 'i' throughout. By the way, I laugh at the guy who used 'tudor' instead of 'tutor' 4 times... yes, you clearly do need a 'tutor' and come to think of it you probably couldn't miss if it was a 'tudor' either. Also, if you are of Italian heritage and it is that important to you, you should be able to spell it.

**Shirtless photos only say one thing about you, and that is you could careless about the above point.

**Stop going on and on about how you love the beach. It is assumed. Only mention the beach if you hate it, okay? Mentioning it does not make you sensitive. And mentioning that you like mountains and the beach at the same time.... please.

**Finally, the little box on the profile for 'favorite things' does not necessarily mean the foods you eat and the TV shows you watch. Especially when in one of the other little boxes you said you don't watch much TV.

Ok, I just had to get that out. And while I am at it, and this is not a reflection of online dating specifically, but I am so tired of men who are my age and older only wanting to date 20-somethings. Get over yourselves.

And on that note...