Don't tease me now....(dogblogging too)

For the last few days, amidst all the justified doom and gloom, there's been a ray of hope, at least for many local residents. Yesterday, the Senate has passed a D.C. voting rights measure, which is expected to go to the floor of Congress early next week. This matter has been moving along quickly since President Obama took office. What a difference a few days make!

This bit of good news being dangled in front of our faces is almost too good to be true--because you know someone's going to introduce a challenge to it. In the meantime, the near possibility of D.C. residents having a full vote on the floor of the House almost has me looking like poor Stains the dog of Animal Planet fame, as the object of desire is so near, yet so far...

Wasting no time...

Downtown today the requisite piece of D.C. street theater, a protest, took place, albeit with modifications.

The difference in tactics this time was that traffic was not stalled and the protesters themselves were silent. Perhaps this is what caused us onlookers to actually pay attention to what was being protested, the continuing embarrassment and atrocity that is Gitmo.

This protest, coming on the heels of Attorney General Holder's visit to Guantanamo Bay, is timely, and an admirable example of Americans exercising our constitutional rights.

* * *

Now, if only D.C. residents could get their full right of representation. That dream is coming closer to a reality, but a roadblock has been thrown in. A Nevada senator, John Ensign, wants to amend the bill that would grant D.C. a representative by weakening D.C.'s current gun control regulations. Huh? What is it with congressmen who are not from the Washington region--why do some of them seem to have a need to screw D.C.? Oh, aren't Republicans the ones usually complaining that voting in Congress has become too complicated, that they should be able to vote straight up or down on bills without riders? Hypocrites!

Metro matters...

What a coincidence--Lena Sun must have been working on one of her periodic Post articles on the continuing failure of the Metro board to be accountable when Thursday's monster orange and blue line delay was taking place.

While area commuters should consider as many different forms of transportation as possible, we shouldn't all be pushed to the following mode because of bureaucratic incompetence and indifference:
Yet again, it is exposed that half of the Metro board is a kitchen will not eat its own soup, so why are these people on the board? Particularly insulting is the statement that "taking transit is inconvenient for their jobs." What do they think of fellow board member Catherine Hudgins, who got caught in Thursday's delay on her way to a Metro meeting--that she and other Metro riders take transit for entertainment purposes only? Sheese!

Also sickening is that many of these people don't even bother to pay for their parking spaces. This is a "problem" that's easy to fix, if board members were so inclined; when I had reserved parking at a Metro lot, the fee was charged to my credit card. Payment quandary solved. Next!

Most disgusting of all, and related to the fact that so many Metro board members do not take public transit on a regular basis, is that when there is a budget shortfall, their first instinct is to propose service cuts, instead of first attempting to find ways to make other cuts and raise additional funds. Service cuts are risky in that they undermine the reason for public transit's existence in the first place, to offer an alternative to relying on the car.

Now, raising additional funds need not mean raising the fare. As a first resort, how about the board doing something it's been criticized for not doing in the past--upping the fee for its deal with the wireless carrier Verizon, which is paltry compared to the fees other cities receive for similar deals? I suppose broaching such options involves too much mental creativity. Sigh.

Up in a down time...

Finally, a bit of good news for these gloomy times...Obama signed the economic stimulus package into law in Denver yesterday. Woo hoo! While he cautioned that it's not an instant panacea to our economic plight, it's a good start.

Even before he signed the package into law, Obama's coming to office has itself been an unofficial economic stimulus program, keeping the economy from sliding even lower. Certainly, his presence has been a boon to area businesses, and to other entrepeneurs looking to make a quick buck, from this...

to this...

Argggghhh...

* * *

More good news...D.C. is closer than ever to obtaining a vote in Congress, legislation that Obama co-sponsored in the Senate in 2007. (Perhaps even more shocking is that yesterday's New York Times editorialized in favor of the measure.) Change we can believe in, indeed.

Not again...the tragedy in Buffalo

Those frightening scenes from Buffalo, all those lives gone aflame, literally, make me sad and angry. Sad for obvious reasons, but also angry because yet again, another commuter plane goes down, with fatal results.

A Continental Connection plane, from the commuter plane arm of Continental Airlines, made the fatal collision into a home, killing one of its occupants, as well as all on board the plane.

While many tout statistics that air travel is the safest form of travel (which is comparing apples and oranges, if you're comparing air travel with traveling on the road, as airplanes are really for intercontinental travel), they often ignore the seemingly obvious--that a disproportionate amount of the fatal air collisions involve a commuter plane. Many people may have noticed this sad trend because it seems to be celebrities that are often affected by such crashes--Aaliyah, Buddy Holly (whose fans recently celebrated the 30th year of his death by tinker plane), and the list goes on, regrettably.

I'm inclined to agree with P.A.'s comments in today's New York Times regarding the collision:

The airlines should not be permitted to use smaller planes to fill gaps...

The fliers purchased tickets on a major airline and were put on a two propeller plan
in a high wind area to save the airline money...

Buffalo in winter is a known dangerarea [sic] for two propeller plane. This should be illigeal [sic] if it is not.

Not the airline for which people signed on.

Wrong, on every level.

* * *

Thinking of Aaliyah...

Warm days, colds stay?

Getting a bit spoiled by this recent streak of warm weather, and plan to take advantage of it again today.

Unfortunately, just because we get a few days of spring preview weather like today's...

(Flickr photo by Vicky Brock)

doesn't mean you can't fall prey to nasty microbes. Yesterday, my sinuses were plaguing me something awful--the air is still dry, so with the roller-coaster temperatures, it can be prime time for developing an upper respiratory infection. Yuck!

Thus, I was intrigued by a health feature in yesterday's New York Times, "The Claim: Never Blow Your Nose When You Have a Cold," if only because it confirmed my own experience--blowing my nose when I had a cold only made me more stuffed up and miserable! However, the "proper method" mentioned near the end of the article is odd, to blow one nostril at a time. Huh? How is that even possible? No thank you, I'd rather rely on nasal irrigation methods, which keep me uncongested, and often even ward off infections. (Using neti pots is one of several methods of nasal irrigation.)

Super stew for a super day...

I really don't care about either of the teams playing in today's Super Bowl, so I can't get that excited over it. However, the weather was something to be happy about, as the temp is currently over 50 degrees F, making scenes with snow increasingly rare (at least until Tuesday).



On the other hand, Super Bowl or not, a nice bowl of chili, which can be whipped together in record time, is always a tasty meal choice which can be made with ingredients that you may already have on hand.

Quick Meaty Veggie Chili (serves 4)

1 tsp. canola or other vegetable oil
half a green bell pepper, chopped
one small onion, chopped
another tsp. canola oil
6 oz. (half a bag) of Morningstar brand veggie crumblies
1 tsp. chili powder, plus more if desired
dash chipotle powder (optional)
dash smoked paprika (optional)
16 oz. can pinto or black beans, opened (but not drained)
16 oz. can diced tomatoes, opened (but not drained)
salt to taste

In a small pan, heat the first teaspoon oil over medium heat, then add green bell pepper and stir around until softened, then add the onion. Stir over the heat until it, too, is soft. Microwave the crumblies for 60 seconds, then set aside.

In a dutch oven or other large casserole, heat the second tsp. oil over medium heat, then add the crumblies, bell pepper, onion, and the chili powder (and the other two spices, if using), then stir for a minute. Dump the beans and their liquid into the mixture, stir, then add the diced tomatoes with their liquid and stir. Add salt if desired, and/or more chili powder, if stew still needs a kick. Stir occasionally, until heated through.

Serving suggestion: Nice with chopped avocado on top. Serve alongside corn-based carbohydrates such as cornbread or tortilla chips/strips.

Watershed moment?

I thought I might faint while participating in the Sunday morning pastime of watching the public affairs programs, Meet the Press and such, after seeing an ad from the SEIU in favor of promoting healthcare reform which was co-sponsored by such diverse organizations as PhRMA and the AMA. Apparently, President Obama's not the only one demonstrating a willingness to reach across the aisle to get things done.

The ad, To Help the Economy, Fix Health Care.



Wonders never cease!

Tone deaf?

The impact of President Obama at this, the beginning of his term, makes me optimistic about what's in store for the future. After all, he just signed into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, and, with Vice President Biden, is taking steps to strengthen organized labor, which has been badly battered as of late (and, as a consequence, also battered are the salaries of ordinary Americans).

The economic stimulus package has passed the House is more good news, but it may have a tougher time in the Senate, as Republicans are still jabbering about only cutting taxes, but are still clueless that this moribund economy needs the jolt provided by getting funds in the hands of the non-wealthy, via jobs and such.

So, the Republicans' response to Obama's proposals is akin to....



...even if the Republican National Committee has selected Michael Steele as its new chair.

Mmm, good (cornbread to go with beans)...

There's nothing better than hearty comfort food in cold wintry weather. Last night's edition included black-eyed peas (pre-soaked) and cooked with kale, which took less than an hour to cook (and that's using a regular saucepot, not a pressure cooker).

Making the beans stick to your ribs is easy when eating them with their natural sidekick, cornbread. The cornbread was particularly good last night, as I modified a recipe that I use often, the all corn cornbread from Bryanna Clark Grogan; I modified the order of preparation, not the ingredients. As it does not use flour, it's acceptable for gluten-free diets, and is delicious to boot, light in texture, with an intense corn flavor.

Vegan All-Corn Cornbread
makes a 9" square panful

1 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal (preferably stoneground)

2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. (8 tsp.) sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbs. ground flax seed

another 2/3 cup (stoneground) cornmeal

2/3 cup boiling water

1 Tbs. lemon juice, plus

soymilk or nut milk to make 2 cups

2 Tbs. melted Earth Balance spread

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. (Spread the baking pan with extra Earth Spread, then a little cornmeal, and shake the cornmeal around the pan. Set pan aside.)

Mix together the first cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flax seed in a medium bowl.

In another bowl, mix together the 2/3 cup cornmeal and the boiling water and mix well (preferably with a whisk). Stir in the melted Earth Spread, also with the whisk, then the lemon juice/soymilk mixture, with the same whisk.

Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet, then add the batter into the prepared 9" pan. Bake for 25 minutes. When done, the top should have cracks, and the tines of a fork stuck in its center should come up clean.

* * *

Just like cornbread itself, this song by Louis Jordan, Beans and Cornbread, is an oldie but goodie.

Everything is beautiful, on a snow day

OK, so this is not some whopper of a snow squall--just some steady fluffy stuff coming down today, which is fine by me. Not so great will be tomorrow's mess, that nasty precip mix of sleet, freezing rain, etc. The sooner that stuff turns to rain (and the sooner the rain stops before freezing over) the better.

Nonetheless, today is to enjoy as much as possible, before and after you're done driving through it.

Cell phone use while riding a bike? What in the ***?

There are some things you hope never to see. Like today, I had to swerve to avoid hitting a guy on his bike when I turned into a parking lot, because he was chatting on his cell phone while riding!

At least the guys in the photo above had the sense to wear a helmet, unlike today's doofus. However, it's scary that these are cops blabbing on cell phones while riding!

I haven't heard of a jurisdiction banning cell phone use while riding a bike (which you'd think was challenging enough without that distraction), but if anyone on the Prince George's County Council would like to propose one, that would be a very good thing. Let's hope it doesn't take someone being killed or seriously injured before such a bill is put before a legislative body (but I'm not holding my breath).

Some inauguration week highlights (with dog blogging)

Will wonders never cease? The city was packed from last Sunday through Wednesday. My miracle story: on a packed train Sunday, a young boy and his mother were traveling, and the little guy offered me a seat--I could have fainted from the shock. So, I wasn't so surprised to hear that there were no arrests on the Mall Tuesday--meaning that there weren't incidents serious enough for the police to bother getting micro-bureaucratic with the public.

Later that Sunday, the 1st Baptist Church of Glenarden had a regular Sunday evening service, with a few songs from Kirk Franklin, so the place was packed. Of course, we all assumed that he would blow in, do a couple of songs, then blow out. Ha! It turned out to be a two-hour+ concert (I left before he was completely done!), and, of course, Kirk knows how to put on a show!

Other surprises included a white/multiracial "go-go" band (for want of a better term, as their musical skills sounded basic, but they were enthusiastic) playing on the sidewalk outside the Verizon Center Wednesday night.

I knew go-go music was popular with Washingtonians of all stripes, but never witnessed nonblack folk playing any. You go guys!

The New York Times reports that some social scientists (don't laugh just yet-perhaps bigger studies are in the pipeline) have noted an Obama effect on some black youngsters taking tests, showing that near the election showed less anxiety while taking tests, doing as well as whites. Let's hope the results can be replicated, and the effects are not temporary.

* * *
Woo hoo! Good to see that President Obama is serious about undoing some of Shrub's damage, by signing an Executive Order to shut down Guatanamo Bay and secret prisons on his first day in office.

The details of that decision, laudable as it is, will naturally take time, as will other policies. Trouble is rearing its ugly head in the form of opposition to the nominee for Secretary of Labor, Rep. Hilda Solis, and the continuing mess over the peanut butter recall (it's unclear what other type of federal action will need to take place to sort that out).

Meanwhile, you're unlikely to see many scenes like this at home in the near future, because of the peanut scare:

Food, American style (inauguration edition)

The following recipe is for a delicious appetizer, a strata (pictured above, being prepared). It's a good dish to bring to a gathering when, like me, you have an aversion to transporting cooked food (and the resultant sloshing of food inside your car or on the subway), which does not need to be reheated, and is not a dessert.

It's best made the night before an event, so that it can "set" completely, making it easy to cut into squares. Like inauguration week, this dish is colorful, packed with flavor, and easygoing.

Vegetarian strata (savory bread pudding)

11 ounces day-old bread, torn into bite-size pieces (I used most of a sesame semolina loaf from Firehook Bakery, but any crusty bread will work)
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon dried porcini
1/2 cup whole flax seeds
1 cup water
1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons canola or other vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy milk (oat or rice milk are good substitutes)
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
1 or 2 green onions, finely chopped (white and green parts)
1 sprig fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 package veggie shrimp, thawed, OR 2 links veggie chorizo, finely chopped*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the dried porcini and let soak.

In a small saucepan, add the flax seeds and one cup water, bring to a simmer, and let simmer for five minutes. While flax mixture is simmering, in a small frypan, heat the oil over a medium flame, then add the red bell pepper and cook for two or three minutes, until softened.

After five minutes, strain the flax seeds and let the liquid drip into a small bowl. (The liquid should be clear yet thickened, akin to raw eggs in texture.) Add the soy milk, porcini water (use the leftover mushrooms in another dish), salt, and pepper. Gently mix.

Place the torn bread pieces into a casserole dish, then pour the flax seed/milk mixture over the bread and combine thoroughly. Mash mixture around with either a fork or a potato masher, so that the bread becomes mushy. Add all remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly in the casserole dish.

Cover casserole dish with foil, then bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. After removing the strata from the oven, let cool, then refrigerate overnight.

To serve, cut into squares. (The pieces are easiest to pick up, after cutting, with toothpicks.) Yum!

*The veggie shrimp is available at area health food stores and co-ops, as is the veggie chorizo, which is also available at supermarkets and Whole Foods.

History, Continued

History continues to be made, today, with the inauguration of Barack Obama as President. As he's being sworn in, this beautiful song by Deniece Williams will be on my mind:

(The image at top is from MoveOn.org)

Martin Luther King Jr.--A man of, and before, his time

There's always something new, even in history. As we've been reminded today how rhetoric can inspire and uplift by listening to Martin Luther King Jr.'s most reknowned oration, I Have a Dream, the BBC has unearthed a 1964 video of Dr. King in which he predicted that in less than 40 years, a Negro would become President of the United States. (He actually said that it could happen in 25 years.) Optimism, confidence, and ability to take the long view are what made King a visionary.


(Full-length video of Dr. King giving his speech, I Have a Dream.)

King believed that the struggle for racial justice in the United States was related to other struggles worldwide, and correctly noted that apartheid would end when Western nations decided to stop economic relations with South Africa. (Text via the ANC's site, although I originally read it years ago from the excellent compilation of Dr. King's speeches and writings, A Testament of Hope.)

Dreamer that he was, King knew that dreams take hard work to become reality. Let the work continue.

A Good Day...(Friday fun, with dog[s])

It's turned out to be a good day, a good week even. Yesterday's crash landing in the Hudson sent chills down my spine, for I was afraid that one of the passengers, though rescued, might freeze to death or drown before being rescued, so a sigh of relief went up when all were found and everyone was OK. Initially, reports of the crash brought back bad memories of a previous one, of the Air Florida crash years ago, and the people that needed to be rescued from those frigid waters.

For some reason, remembering that tragedy makes me think of the CBS affiliate Channel 9, and John Goldsmith's reporting. It also reminds me, gladly and sadly, of the late, great Glenn Brenner, sportscaster par excellence (and I'm not even a big sports fan). Good times...



* * *

Didn't bother to listen to Bush's farewell speech, because I knew it would be about as exciting as watching paint dry. The mere thought of Bush talking about himself and his "legacy" strikes me as utterly ridiculous, so much noise and posturing...


Find more videos like this on MyCorgi.com

* * *

If still undecided (like me!) on what to do for Dr. King's birthday, National Service Day, suggestions can be found at the Obama inauguration committee website.

Which means--time to work and party!

Zzzzz fight disease?

Yuck, it's that time of year, when, even if you've gotten a flu shot, you can still come down with a cold, the most common of the upper respiratory diseases.

Of course, there are scads of folk remedies, and even prescribed medicines, such as cough medicines, often don't do much for cold symptoms. (Although a UK physician with the International Society for the Study of Cough admits that "alcohol in the form of spirits has been demonstrated to effectively suppress the cough reflex. In adult patients this can be particularly successful for nocturnal cough suppression." In this paper, he also mentions that although dextromethorphan is an effective cough suppressant, the amount used in most over-the-counter preparations is inadequate to relieve symptoms.)

However, there's been little research on the prevention front concerning this common aggravation, until recently. A study to be published in an upcoming Archives of Internal Medicine 2009; 169 (1):8, "Sleep Habits and Susceptibility to the Common Cold," in which subjects were monitored for 14 days--during which they were administered a rhinovirus (cold virus).

The results were striking--study participants who slept less than seven hours were 2.94 times more likely to develop a cold than those who had eight or more hours of sleep. Ouch! According to the study authors, "These relationships could not be explained by differences in prechallenge virus-specific antibody titers, demographics, season of the year, body mass, socioeconomic status, psychological variables, or health practices." They concluded, "Poorer sleep efficiency and shorter sleep duration in the weeks preceding exposure to a rhinovirus were associated with lower resistance to illness."

* * *

More than neti pots...

If you think you might be coming down with a cold anyway, in addition to getting more sleep, what to do? Consider nasal irrigation--which is starting to be taken seriously as a treatment for sinonasal conditions such as rhinitis. In their medical review, "Nasal irrigations: good or bad?," researchers Christopher L. Brown and Scott M. Graham conclude, "Nasal irrigations should no longer be considered merely adjunctive measures in managing sinosal conditions. They are effective and underutilized. Some of the persisting unanswered questions will only be answered by further research."

Seconding that opinion include researchers at the University of Michigan Health System, which released a video on the benefits of nasal irrigation, mentioned as a cheap and easy way for the millions of people who suffer with spring allergies and nasal congestion to get relief for their symptoms.



(The video is called Spring Cleaning...for your nose, which may be unfortunate in that nasal irrigation may prove helpful year round.)

More Crazy (aka dogblogging)

Will the Sarah saga ever end? Now Sarah Palin's whining about being exploited by the media, Katie Couric, Tina Fey, ad nauseum. Um, she wanted to be Vice President, and was parodied and interviewed for precisely that reason. Politics ain't pretty--not even for a pitbull in lipstick. (Funny how she's not complaining that she was exploited by the Republican party, which offered her the VP nomination in the first place, solely because she is female. Hmmm...)

So, Ms. Palin, who can dish it out (e.g., referring to the President-Elect as someone who was "palling around with terrorists") but can't take it only makes herself laughable. Sadly, she's not being ridiculous in an adorable manner such as this...

Find more videos like this on MyCorgi.com

Out with the old....

This dreary day is perfect for taking down the holiday decorations; the tiny tree will be chopped up tomorrow and scattered around for mulch, fertilizer, etc., and the soil and pot saved--more soil to be added, to start more container gardening nonsense...

One thing potentially made easier is throwing out the trash, as a few weeks ago the county provided new, gigantic recycling bins. These are to be used for the improved recycling process, known as single-stream recycling. Basically, this means you can recycle almost anything you're likely to throw out in the course of a week, except for food or items that have touched food (that is, items which could be composted).



(The above video from the Science Channel is of a manufacturing plant that uses a single stream recycling process.)

That's right, newspapers, paper, (rinsed out and dried) cans and bottles, torn up cardboard boxes, magazines, you name it, you can toss it into the recycling bin. Yippee! Makes life easier.
I'm keeping the old bin, however, as a recycling way station, and transferring stuff from it to the colossus on recycling day.

The one thing that could mess up this scheme is the lack of communication by the county regarding the new process. One day, guys just showed up bringing the bins, which had a couple of pamphlets attached to them with instructions, etc. No letters preceeded this rollout, no appearances were scheduled by county leaders to discuss the benefits, etc.

* * *

Finally, corporations are starting to reduce waste. Perhaps it's no coincidence that one of the few retailers this season to have something resembling a profit, Amazon, has also introduced a process to reduce customers' "wrap rage,"; they call it Frustration-Free Packaging. I wish I'd known about this when I had to purchase a Verizon cell phone earlier this year, and a Timex watch; it took some ten minutes to release the $30 watch from its package. Sheesh!

Smaller companies are joining the reduced waste bandwagon, as well. Two manufacturers of my favorite ginger candies, Ting Ting Jahe and Reed's Ginger Brew, have changed the paper that wraps the individual candies to edible rice paper wraps! This doesn't affect the taste of the candies, as far as I'm concerned. So, the only thing that has to be thrown away when done downing all the chews is the bag that they came in. Nice!

Rocking' the new year with good eats!

Great stuff, vegan edition!

Lightlife Gimme Lean sausage flavor--moist, meaty, without all the fat. Season and pat out a few patties, nuke them, then panfry in a bit of oil, and you have a weekend breakfast taste treat without worries! Widely available in grocery stores.

Earth Balance spread--buttery in taste and texture, with fewer calories (but it's NOT a lowfat food, by any means), and great for baking! The local Giant Food even had them, at a dollar less than a nearby health food store; of course, it's priced lowest at Whole Foods. (Whole Foods even had giant tubs of the stuff recently, for $8, in time for holiday baking.)

The Wizard's vegan worchestershire sauce--a dead ringer in taste for Lea & Perrins, without the anchovies, and available in health food stores. (It's much better than the Annie's brand of this type of sauce, which is surprising, as Annie's usually makes great dressings and sauces.)

Vegenaise vegan mayonnaise--this could give Hellman's a run for its money. Seriously. Creamy, smooth, and rich tasting as all get out, with much less fat. Even my gotta-have-meat relatives happily use this to make tuna sandwiches. Oh, and the lowfat mayonnaise you find in the supermarket, please. Leave that stuff alone--it'll kill 'ya.

Another Lightlife product, this time the veggie pepperoni. It's good, spicy fun, with much less fat (aka grease) than regular pepperoni, and available at Whole Foods.

The old supermarket reliable, Silk soymilk. Widely available in supermarkets, and even Target (where it's much cheaper than even Shopper's Food Warehouse), where it was on sale this past week. The flavors to try are the plain, chocolate, and (during the holiday season), nog, as well as the creamer, if you like that sort of thing. Stay far away from the vanilla and unsweetened varieties, however, as they don't taste right; the vanilla is too sweet, and the unsweetened, not sweet enough. (Dairy milk, although thought of as being a protein product, also contains natural sugar, lactose, which contributes to its taste, so any soymilk totally lacking in sweetener will also be lacking in flavor.)

Another Silk brand product, yogurt. It's smooth, creamy, and the flavored varieties, such as blueberry and strawberry, are fantastic. There are also large tubs of the unflavored variety, which are great for cooking, etc. Widely available in health food stores.

Two Gardenburger products merit special mention--the BBQ riblets, and the herb crusted cutlets. The riblets have a great meaty texture and flavor, and come a sauce that's sweet enough for most folks' liking. (Add a few shakes of hot sauce if the sweetness is over the top for your taste.) The cutlets are a nice change of pace, and are best prepared in two steps: first, nuke them for 60 or so seconds, then finish up in a (preheated) toaster oven at 400 degrees, for 5-7 minutes. Moist, crispy, and tasty all at once.

What, no toaster oven? This is a great, inexpensive, environmentally friendly kitchen appliance to acquire, as it saves mucho energy when cooking for a small household. Why heat up a giant oven when you can heat a smaller one (and in less time)?

A good vegan cheese, you ask--what's that? They exist, but are expensive and tricky to find. My favorite is Sheese, made on a remote Scottish island. I like the smoked cheddar flavor, as well as its texture. Good thing that it's easy to slice into thin slices, and melts. However, I've only been able to procure it locally from Pangea in Rockville, but other online stores sell it as well, so it's an extremely occasional treat.

The vegan cheese from Follow Your Heart (the makers of Vegenaise) is merely OK; it will at least melt for pizza, but easily becomes moldy, as it remains inexplicably moist on the outside. (Perhaps the pack should be frozen after opening, but it's not good enough to bother doing so.) I was even more disappointed with the new, trendy Dr. Cow tree nut cheese. Not only is it pricey, but comes in a tiny container, and tastes like (and has the texture of) a hard miso, if there is such a thing.

I've created my own easy, tasty vegan cheese in a pinch, great for sprinkling over spaghetti, eggplant "parmesan," etc. I simply take a couple handfuls of pine nuts, toast them in a cast iron skillet for a minute, and grind them in a nut grinder. The ground nuts must be stored in the refrigerator, of course, but are tasty enough so that they doesn't last long enough to spoil.

Whole Foods keeps popping up because, although wags often refer to it as Whole Paycheck, its prices on vegetarian foodstuffs is often much cheaper than independent health food stores, and often comparable to prices at food coops, such as Glut. Shocking but true.

* * *

Anyone needing motivation and reason to consider vegetarianism must check out the latest from Audubon magazine, such as the article from local environmental activist Mike Tidwell, The Low-Carbon Diet, and another article in that issue, on the history of vegetarianism.

* * *

More food for thought, in the form of a classic, yet timely song from the Isley Brothers, Harvest for the World.

New (but not improved!)

It's that time, when you're willing to try new things, anything in fact, to start the year off right. Of course, this can be as insignificant as trying a new product, a new food, whatever.

So, when I spied a new Morningstar product, their veggie Italian sausages, I had to try them.


Unfortunately, the picture on the box is the best that those "sausages" look--so brown and tempting. Taking them out of the package and nuking them led to big disappointment. They contain egg whites, yet when I was done microwaving them, they were crumbly and looked kinda gray--what?!? Not too appealing. Oh, and they don't have much flavor, either.

Much tastier are the veggie Italian "sausages" that I usually buy, such as the Boca brand, widely available in grocery stores. However, my favorite faux Italian sausage comes from the makers of the Tofurkey! Its "sausage" is flavored with sundried tomatoes, is moist, and slightly spicy. Oddly enough, the Tofurkey [Turtle Island brand] products that I've tried, particularly its "deli meats"(the hickory smoked and the peppered slices, in particular) and the sweet Italian "sausage" are extremely delicious, unlike its flagship product, the Tofurkey. What gives?

Perhaps the Tofurkey itself needs a retooling for the new year!

Happy New Year (dogblog edition)

We can only hope that 2009 turns out better than 2008--after all (if you have any funds left), there may be reason to party more, during Obama's inauguration, with the hope that he can inspire cooperation among all sectors of America.

Who knows, perhaps the public's confidence in the President-Elect may lead to the beginning of the easing of the current economic meltdown. Currently, however, the behavior of financial institutions doesn't give cause for optimism. A large local bank [which has had problems with subprime lending] yanked the credit card line of a family friend who has been dutifully paying down the balance, from a large one to a much more manageable size! If banks are denying credit to creditworthy customers, how is the economic crisis supposed to stop? Wasn't the bailout of the financial institutions based on the assumption that they would responsibly loosen credit restrictions, where appropriate?

How is such crazy behavior unlike the following?

Friday Follies (aka dogblogging)

Now that Christmas day is over, renewed shopping frenzy begins--which is why I'm avoiding the store today, even the grocery. (I forgot how bad it could be when I decided to venture to the grocery store midday Christmas Eve--in addition to the crowded roads and lots, I saw a driver pull a dangerous stunt that I'd never seen before, and hope never to see again--Speed Racer streaked down the wrong side of the street to make a left turn [on the other side of the concrete median], to ignore an established left-turn signal lane that was within the proper side of the median strip, and barely missed being hit broadside by traffic coming down Pennsylvania Avenue. Unreal.)

Now, I'm trying to avoid being all judgmental about excessive consumptive behavior (too late!), I can't help but notice that it's so much running amok.

Joy to the world

The Christmas eats have been gobbled, the music and games have been played (and played), when Mr. Christmas begs the crew to visit, for the first time in many years, the national Christmas tree near the White House. Being a not-too-cold night, and needing to keep encroaching blubber at bay, the answer was yes.

We weren't the only ones by a long shot--it was a challenge finding parking, and the immediate area was packed, many families with children, and some families with their dogs--some very large ones, one very fat one, and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that tried to butt into the following nativity scene:

The tree itself was spectacular in an odd way (all its ornaments were gold-colored), and looked even more so close up, surrounded by smaller trees from each state and territory.

As giddy as all the decked trees made me feel, I was impressed by the menorah, which was stately, and larger than I previously thought.

Fitting, as the crowd was as international as the seasonal symbols present. Joy to the world indeed!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve was a blast, again, with relatives and friends, good food, did I mention the food? The best ending ever, with auntie's homemade sweet potato pie, and another humongous, moist, delicious cake from Gerard.

The only truly questionable thing was, not one, but two sweatshirts of the following (neither of which belongs to me):

Obama as Santa? Ay ya ya...

* * *

Christmas day was the day to bake the sugar cookies, which came out great. The only thing that bugs me about cookie recipes is that they always specify a baking time that's entirely too long. Trust, if you leave cookies in the oven for more than six minutes, you basically have volcanic ash, not a dessert.


Rolling the cookies on lightly floured waxed paper made moving the cookies to the baking pan very easy--just peel back the paper, and off come the cookies.

The final result--

Yummy! It's time to run over to eat, and give some of the above tempting treats away, as I've already had my stash.

'Tis the season...

I love the holidays--the singing, special food and drink, decorations, cards, gifts, the whole shebang.

While there's little money for gifts this year, it's an excuse to make yummy homemade gifts to take to party hosts. The best part about this is that there are always leftovers! In addition to Christmas cookies (which will be baking tomorrow), I tackled, as it were, a criminally easy fudge, a bit of which will go to auntie as a present, some for a present tomorrow, and some to remain at home.

This fudge is absurdly easy because there's no candy thermometer to fiddle with, no baking, and takes, oh, ten minutes to prepare in all. Honest! (Recipe adapted from Shmooed Food.)

Vegan Fudge (makes one 9-inch x 9-inch pan)

4 cups powdered (confectioner's) sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 nondairy milk
2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated margarine (e.g., Earth Spread or Soy Garden)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon almond (or other flavored) extract, optional
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Lightly oil or spray the baking pan and set aside.

Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together into a large mixing bowl. (For my purposes, "sift" can mean stir around with a fork until the lumps are out, the ingredients are nicely mixed, and are lightly fluffed.) Add the chocolate chips, and set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat the nondairy milk and margarine to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning. When the milk is at a steady, strong boil, pour it over the powdered sugar mixture and stir well with a wooden spoon until everything is well combined and the heat has melted the chocolate chips.

Stir in the vanilla (and other extracts, if using), and the nuts, if using.

Spread the fudge into the prepared pan and refrigerate overnight to solidify.

Enjoy (a little at a time--this stuff is rich!), preferably with hot liquid refreshment.

* * *

Surviving the holidays...

An unfortunate side-effect of modern life is that many of us eat like the holidays much of the time, with high-sugar, high-fat diets year round. For many, this results in devastating conditions like strokes.

There is treatment available for strokes, when they are detected early. An easy way to detect if someone might be having a stroke is ask someone the following questions (STR):

S -- ask the individual to SMILE

T -- ask the person to TALK and SPEAK (coherently) a simple sentence

R -- ask the person to RAISE BOTH ARMS

If the person has trouble with any of these tasks, call 911 immediately, and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

Other warning signs can be found in Don Hazen's Alternet article, Want to Save Some Lives? Here is a Simple Formula for Identifying Strokes.

Please don't ignore the signs--I have a friend on the Hill who is alive and well today because her stroke was treated in time.

To paraphrase the old saying, a sign in time saves lives!

From the top...

It seems like everything about the Obamas creates buzz, even the possibility of the stylist who might become Mrs. Obama's hairdresser during her time in Washington. I'm hoping it's Barry Fletcher, for a variety of reasons.

For one, he's also a black first--the first black hairdresser to represent the USA in the Hair Olympics, and the first to represent using a black model. In addition to styling celebrities such as Halle Berry and Chaka Khan, he has had salons catering to non-celebrities as well.

I remember well splurging to visit his old salon in DC, near CBS News' Washington bureau office. Not only did my hair look great (although he was not the best stylist I've personally had--the best one, Crystal, unfortunately had a strong attraction to her inanimate namesakes, liking to ingest them nasally way too often), but best of all, my hair felt fantastic, in the best condition it had ever been in up to that time. I can't recall the name of the stylist at his salon, but whatever "system" Fletcher's stylists use is the best.

So, you can imagine my delight when I found out that Mr. Fletcher now has an entire hair care product line. Not only do his products make your hair clean and soft, they're not ridiculously expensive, considering that he leans toward using essential oils and other natural ingredients. I'm glad that I'm not the only one thrilled with them--blogger Spoiled Pretty has a soft spot for them as well. They're available from his website, or at his store in Maryland.

Now, if Mrs. Obama can only ignore Fletcher's penchant for publicity, because he's probably the only hair stylist who could ever come close to upstaging the future First Lady...

Getting it together?

A group of Washington area bloggers had a meetup last week, at RFD. Nice to know that even in tough times, mid-priced places will still be around, if only so folks can escape from their caves once in a while.

Anyhoo, although the gathering was small, nine or so (a few couldn't make it), there was still a diversity of ages present and topics bandied about, with a showing from native Washingtonians to the new in town. Their blogs include:

http://www.dcblogs.com/, a DC blogroll on steroids, with commentary
http://www.notionscapital.com/, old-school views on politics and life in DC
http://www.bicyclespokesman.com/, a bicycling blog from a regular ramblin' man
www.joelogon.com/blog, a quirky observational blog from the untragically hip
http://jadxia.livejournal.com/, scenes from the life of the young and the restless
http://pharmcountry.net/, funny, infuriating, and scary tales from behind the pharmacy counter

The last guy, like many of us, wrings his hands about aspects of America's crazy quilt of a health care "system." A wild tale of mine was years ago, at a company meeting, when the then-CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of the National Capital Area (Guiliani, I believe Ben was his first name) answered a question from silly me, about how health care would be affected with the Clinton plan. His answer was, to put it politely, surreal, as for some reason he mentioned health care in Jamaica, of all places. When a presumably educated person wants to compare the American health care system, such as it is, with that of a Caribbean country, that's nothing but willful ignorance in action, to a frightening degree.

* * *

Those who still scoff at Obama's inclusion of infrastructure repair in his economic stimulus program, doubting the need to pay for increased infrastructure spending, must not have been watching today's news of the huge water main break in Bethesda (on River Road, ironically), making that street resemble a raging tributary of the Potomac.

Who's doubting now?

Everybody was kung fu fighting...

Wow, seems the world's in a fighting mood, although W, for once, is trying to keep the economic peace by today's announcement of an auto industry rescue package. For the very short term, that should keep some southern lawmakers quiet. I'm sure he's wanting a little holiday peace, after a true surprise during his unannounced trip to Iraq:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Further south however, say in Mexico, lawmakers are even less able to peacefully agree (on infrastructure legislation), and let fists fly:



There is still youth (and other) unrest in Greece, and South Korean lawmakers apparently can't all just get along either.

Such recent events seem to suggest that many folks are having a difficult time behaving better than animals, since we're fighting worse than cats and dogs, whose fights are usually akin to insignificant scraps like this:


Collection Of Fights Between Our Corgi And Our Kitty - The best bloopers are here

Christmas sparkle, green edition...

The Internet is brimming with tips on green gifts, entertaining, and the like. Of course, it helps to have your place decked out, the better to get in the mood for seasonal festivities. There's no need to empty an already-thin wallet or further foul the planet to make your abode all sparkly for the season.

Reuse

I was walking, walking down the street...and spied something nice on the ground--a lovely winterberry branch--which I promptly took home to stick in a vase.

[Cost=zero, or the cost of picking up the branch off of the ground.] Also free for the snipping, boughs of (evergreen) holly which I have in the yard. Both the wintergreen and other hollies will keep about a week or so indoors.

It doesn't hurt to retrieve a few free finds left over from the year before (or the year before that), such as:

[Cost=zero. However, my chances of finding the above (hickory?) nuts this season would also be zero, because they have been AWOL in this part of Maryland this year!] (Neither have I seen the usually plentiful acorns.)

Recycle

A live tree for a small house--the solution--a small tree! You get the pine aroma throughout the house, but in a size where you can get the tree in the house. (And have a choice as to where in the house to place it.)

When the holiday season is over, this little pine will be broken into small pieces and scattered over the ground to decompose.

[Cost=$10, at Whole Foods. Because I had my own decorations, I was able to stay away from Whole Paycheck's obvious sucker bait, such as the bags of cinnamon-scented pine cones.] However, I wish the store had the little rosemary trees, which appear fuller.

The tiny decorations were purchased last year, from Dollar Tree, which is cheaper than too-chinchy-to-pay-for-security Walmart. (Also, while both chains sell scads of made-in-China trinkets, Dollar Tree has a larger selection of Christmas decorations). Go figure.

All other decorations were saved from the year before--purchased at Target the day after Christmas, at a massive discount, so I spent no more than $6.

Tra-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!

Sign of the times...

Now, I've seen all manner of feathered critters in the Washington area over the years--the blue heron (at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and perched over the Suitland Parkway), heard and saw a woodpecker here and there (Capitol Hill and Bethesda), as well as the ubiquitous comeback kid, the crow, a wild turkey, off I-295, a thrush, and even a hawk, right near the playground.

But, today was the first time I've ever seen vultures. And not one or two, but about six or seven, on the side of the road heading to FedEx Field, eating from a red fox carcass. Ugh! Of course, I had to look (but not too close, because who wants to get close to vultures?), so an attempt at document their roadside uniqueness (also a bit scary because they seemed persistent--I mean, as soon as a car zoomed past, they resumed their meal--nothing was going to keep them from that!) was less than successful, trying to keep my distance and all:

That black spot in the street near the curb was one of the crafty critters. (The others jumped over the guard rail for a bit.) Again, ughhhhh.

Figures I'd see one of these buggers for the first time during this economic downturn, when industries such as banks and financial services firms have been ravaging the economy for years!

Friday Follies (aka dogblogging)

With the refusal of southern Republicans in the Senate to ratify the auto industry bailout loan package, snarling about the high wages of its unionized workforce (while not complaining about the humongous Wall Street bailout approved previously on top of those extravagant executive salaries), it really makes you wonder, as Hale "Bonddad" Stewart muses in the Huffington Post, whether "The Republicans Want a Depression."

Visible proof of such ridiculous, circular behavior, also exists in the canine kingdom (which at least has the virtue of being humorous when practiced in the house):

What--no white Christmas?

The adorable little snowflakes that plinked down last night were, admittedly, a lovely distraction, at least once I got off the road. (Hmm, how do folks not realize to slow down in blowing snow? Thankfully, it didn't last long, but still.)


Sadly, today's wind was enough to blow much of that little bit of snow away, although there was still a bit on some plants close to home, such as this beauty:



That (ill?) wind, however, apparently blew the wind off some lovely winterberry plants, which I am dying to see covered with snow, as they are the only deciduous holly plants--that's right, their leaves drop off in the fall, leaving clusters of beautiful red berries on the stalks, for people to view and birds to eat.

The beauty below, a winterberry, is showing off, as its leaves have dropped, so those berries seem almost huddled together--



Hope there's a chance of another dusting before Christmas. It would do Washington's landscape a world of good!

(The above winterberry photo is from Oikos Tree Crops.)

Attacking the air? (aka dogblogging)

Perhaps the holiday season is a slow news time, particularly in the transition between presidents--not that that's stopped criticism of a President-elect who's not even in office yet. An apt visual interpretation of such sniping is rendered in the video below, only the perpetrator of its foolishness is cuter than most.

For a few dollars more (about the Walmart trampling tragedy)

Still struggling to think what could possess grown folk to first stand in line, in the cold, in the dark, to save money on, exactly what? Toys for the children, and just as often, shiny electronic toys for the adults. Because, let's face it, the Black Friday sales, like the one where the temporary worker at the Walmart was trampled, are not for boring necessities like food, diapers, or other sundry items. No!

This frenzied crowd behavior is all the more disgusting because it's in contrast to recent events, such as the giveaway of Thanksgiving turkeys and toys at FedEx Field, where, as far as I'm aware, people were behaving civilly, although there weren't even enough turkeys for everyone, because of increased turnout this year. And yes, although apparently there was also a higher than average turnout at the Washington DC Convention Center for its Feast of Sharing this year, there were no reports of beastly behavior there, either.

How sad. Americans have come to the point where we seem unable to distinguish between wants and needs--and will fight to the death over them.

Tuesday Tips (the real deal!)

In trying to be environmentally minded today, I not only took a hot drink with me today in a Starbucks tumbler, then I used the same mug for another cup of tea at a vendor--I asked him to fill the mug up instead of using a paper cup, and he knocked 25 cents off the price of the tea, making it an even buck! Now, this was not at Whole Foods or some other organic emporium, but at the kiosk at a medical center. Small victories!

* * *

Accompanying a relative for a medical procedure, an MRI, I knew that everything metal had to be removed, etc.

What I was unaware of, and even the staff, cordial and helpful as they were, didn't clue me in on just how loud the noises coming out from this modern marvel would be--even with the soft foam ear protection that's provided.

Wikipedia gently alludes to the noise potential in its MRI entry, but I was in the room with the Thing as it was doing its thing (and the lights were on in the room--I might have sworn that I saw fireworks if the lights had been turned off) and, whoa, the noise level was similar to a construction site, with jackhammer sounds, firecracker-like loud popping sounds (the fire swamp, anyone?), and other sound effects, for ten minutes of eternity! Of course, the patient must keep still through this Universal Studios theme park ride, but even I was exhausted after that, and I was there for moral support! (It would seem that anyone with a heart condition shouldn't even be considered for such a test.)

Oh, all's well...

Post-Thanksgiving "Feed" (aka dogblogging)

Yesterday's yummy Thanksgiving feast (followed this morning by the greatest breakfast in the world, a slice of sweet potato pie!) just might mean that today becomes a small timeout from the gorging, a mini-detox, if you will, for the system.

Of course, any true detox course will include plenty of water--assuming that you drink most of it! (Shorty below seems have forgotten the basic need to drink for a few moments. Oh well...)

More Pre-Thanksgiving Prep...to put some pep your holiday step!

Having people for Thanksgiving--been there, done that. Actually, I enjoyed having people over, but then, I planned ahead. Probably what kills many people is trying to do everything in too short a period of time, like the day before as well as Thanksgiving. A more rigid schedule for cooking on Thanksgiving week is listed on FoodieView, but my less structured schedule is below.

Note: One type of modern technology that comes in handy, particularly when cooking on Thanksgiving itself, is the alarm clock feature on your cell phone!

If I'm a cookin' for Thanksgiving, my (extremely rough) schedule resembles:

• Sunday--the bulk of the shopping is done today; the only Thanksgiving cooking to be done this evening is making the cranberry sauce. Even if I'm not hosting Thanksgiving dinner, I'm making the sauce tonight to take to the host!
• Monday--if having homemade rolls, make them today, and refrigerate them until the big day. (Storebrought bread for that day already be refrigerated [if yeast bread] or frozen if some other type of bread.)
• Tuesday--purchase or make desserts today. The great thing about desserts (besides the yum factor) is that they can be stored away from the other foods--in a cake pan or something, as most pies don't require refrigeration for a couple of days--so they don't take up refrigerator space, which will be at a premium this week! If cooking a turkey carcass, you should have bought it by now, so that you can begin to defrost it in the fridge.
• Wednesday--prep day! This is the day to either bake most of your side dishes (except for mashed potatoes and greens), or cut up vegetables for dishes to put together quickly for tomorrow. For instance, roasting and cutting up pumpkin if making, say, a pumpkin soup (and cleaning out the seeds beforehand to have roasted pumpkin seeds--umm, umm, good!), making macaroni and cheese, which can then be cooled and reheated on Thursday. If cooking turkey, the deceased critter should be in the process of thawing out by now. Any non-turkey entree should be in the process of being prepared today (thawing out overnight in the fridge, if necessary, etc.).
• Thanksgiving Thursday! Begin cooking at around 10:30 am--preheating the oven, preparing the main event, setting out the desserts and decorations, etc. If cooking greens, they should be in the pot on top of the stove while the entree is in the oven. After the turkey or other entree comes out of the oven, the other baked items should be put in the oven. Also, cut potatoes should be put in boiling water during this time, so that they can be ready to be mashed in 20 to 30 minutes, as fresh mashed potatoes are best made soon before eating. Begin to make the gravy around this time, as well. (This is where your cell phone's alarm clock feature comes in extra handy--to allow you to nap during the time the entree is resting and the sides are baking!)

Whew! What an accomplishment--a great feast, good company, as well as some rest and sanity.

Easy pre-holiday prep..the sauce!

Homemade cranberry sauce is akin to a chutney, and is just as versatile, post-Thanksgiving, because it's easy to handle--just spoon away! It's also easy to make (takes only about an hour to prepare, then let it cool off), doesn't require precision, and is even better after sitting overnight in the fridge. This makes it great if you are doing the holiday cooking, because you can make it a couple days ahead, sparing yourself much aggravation. If you're going to someone else's home, it makes a great gift for the host. Its jewel-like appearance, with chunks of fruit, makes it a grown-up holiday delight!

* * *

Um, thus is born this cranberry sauce "recipe," if you will...a new family favorite! The following makes enough to take some to your host, and some to keep for yourself as well.

• 2 12-ounce bags cranberries (it's OK if you froze them beforehand; no need to defrost frozen ones before cooking, but give a quick rinse first, to remove any stems)
• 1/2 cup or more juice
• an orange, lime, grapefruit, or lemon (zest the fruit first; add the rest of the fruit to the sauce, if you prefer)
• 2 1/2 cups sugar (may need to add more after tasting)
• ground coriander (or ground ginger, ground cardamom, or ground nutmeg--cinnamon, allspice, or cloves are too overpowering to fruit flavors, in my opinion)
• one pear or apple

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, over medium heat, add the juice, the rinsed cranberries, sugar, then stir. If mixture seems a bit dry, add more juice--any juice is fine.

Add the citrus zest, then chop up the rest of the fruit, and add it to the sauce, if using the entire citrus fruit, then add the spice(s), and stir some more. Finally, chop the pear or apple and add it to the sauce, and stir again.

Stir the pot occasionally to keep it from sticking. The sugar should soon begin to melt within the sauce; after you see this, the berries should soon start simmering, and popping open. (You can assist the process of popping those berries with a wooden spoon, if you're impatient!) Turn down the heat a bit, to keep the sauce from spilling out of the pot.

The sauce is done when it's noticeably thicker than when you began; dip a spoon in it--some of the sauce should remain on the spoon. Taste it at this point; if you think it needs more sugar, add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup, and stir again until this sugar is fully melted into the sauce.

After turning off the heat, let the sauce cool in the pot another hour before spooning it into glass jars and refrigerating; theoretically, it keeps a few weeks, although it's usually eaten up within a couple of weeks!