Eowyn of Rohan
One of the heroines of The Lord of the Rings, Eowyn feels trapped tending to her aged uncle, Theodon. Then her life is completely upturned by the arrival of a handsome stranger from the north. He, however, is in love with another, and Eowyn rides away to the Battle of Pelenor fields where she ultimately finds glory, reknown, AND true love.
Which Classic Heroine are You?
Via Jordana
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Sunday, February 11, 2007
my little straw man
A day at the farm can be so much fun.
(n.b. it is neither straw nor a man, hence the poorly applied illogical pun)
Friday, February 02, 2007
I am what, a Yam, or am I a sweet potato?
I make no secret of growing up in the lands of the Inca empire... land of potatoes. Growing up there allowed for an unbelievable number of potatoes to eat... purple ones, purple and white ones, starchy ones, slimy ones, and every single one of them yummy.
I might even say that potatoes are what made me love food so much, because the slimy one in a dish called fritada is probably one of my favorite Andean indulgences.
Now, after I moved to the USA and found what seems to be a whole three different varieties of potatoes... I lost what knowledge I had, as it was not required, though I was always aware that there just was not the variety I was used to... until one dish was introduced to my family... and it became a Thanksgiving staple.
I have no idea what the dish is called, though I refer to it as "Zun's potatoes" (Zun being a name of unknown origins that my Grandfather gave to my Grandmother) though we know that a chef friend who helped us care for Zun made it for her and that is how it came to be a family dish.
So, I read about 100 or so food blogs all ranging in subject from candy to veganism, they are all interesting to me. But one struck me recently and we had one of those comment conversations... as you may suspect, it was about sweet potatoes vs yams.
I was reading one of my favorite food blogs called Is that my buréka?, and his post was about "sweet potatoes confessions". What struck me first with his gorgeous pictures of these orange "spicy sweet potato tikki [patties]" was that that orange can only come from a yam, sweet potatoes have a delicate color that is much more like mashed potatoes (think Idaho here) with loads of butter. So I mentioned that they looked like yams to me in his comments, though I failed to admit that the patties looked fabulous! I also told him I was planning a post on the very dish I mentioned. However, because I am so hesitant to make blanket statements like that is a Yam, I became plagued with self doubt... are they really all that different?
So welcome to my Yin and Yang of the Yam vs Sweet potato debate in technicolor no less (sorry, not currently available in stereo).
I had actually been planning on a post of the sweet potato dish as far back as November, when I was on my diet and unable to eat "Zun's potatoes"... so I noted the recipe, which I had but could not find, from my cousin with every intention of making them post haste once I was able to ingest them with abandon, because that is how I like to eat them. with abandon.
So, the diet ended then the in-laws arrived and life took over and I finally got around to making them last week.
My day of making Zun's potatoes
So I went to my favorite market to get the supplies, and thought that I should get a couple of yams to compare them.
If you go to the Flickr page I have notes saying what is what. But those are the yams on the bottom.
They all sorta look alike though there is a bit more rough texture to the surface of the yams, barely, if you squint.
So I peeled them:
Aha, I knew that they were different colors. But perhaps the sweet potato takes on a more orange hue when cooked and I was still hesitant to say I had been right about the orange being a sign of a yam.
So I chopped everything up and put the sweet potatoes to boil
and the yams to roast after being coated in some sugar, salt, butter and oil
While the sweet potatoes (5 medium and one regular potato - the Russet) were boiling I got out the ingredients. Here is where I admit that I could not find the recipe notes, but had to do this all based on recall. I am starting to think that I unintentionally did this on purpose because I am completely unable to follow a recipe.
But I got out what I knew was in the dish - some honey and cayenne pepper
and some things that I were not sure were in the dish but was going to put in anyway - butter and some half and half.
Now what I did remember is that the recipe called for 1/8 of a tsp of cayenne as a start. I put what I thought was an eighth each into two separate bowls so I could add it if I thought it needed more of it. I can't find an 1/8 teaspoon on my set now, and while it is possible it got separated and lost it is also possible that I used 1/4 in each bowl.
The yams were done first so I pureed them to a fabulous consistency
Then the sweet potatoes were ready and I pureed them and then added the ingredients
and then used my hand mixer to puree it some more.
I added between 1/4 and 1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne powder in the end and because I had both and it was lunchtime I made myself an all abandon root and tuber extravaganza even though someone told me it looked like baby... you can guess OK? It was a fabulous carb laden lunch.
For more information on the difference between a yam and a sweet potato;
go here
or here
or pick any of these
Tags: Food, culture, yams, sweet potatoes
I might even say that potatoes are what made me love food so much, because the slimy one in a dish called fritada is probably one of my favorite Andean indulgences.
Now, after I moved to the USA and found what seems to be a whole three different varieties of potatoes... I lost what knowledge I had, as it was not required, though I was always aware that there just was not the variety I was used to... until one dish was introduced to my family... and it became a Thanksgiving staple.
I have no idea what the dish is called, though I refer to it as "Zun's potatoes" (Zun being a name of unknown origins that my Grandfather gave to my Grandmother) though we know that a chef friend who helped us care for Zun made it for her and that is how it came to be a family dish.
So, I read about 100 or so food blogs all ranging in subject from candy to veganism, they are all interesting to me. But one struck me recently and we had one of those comment conversations... as you may suspect, it was about sweet potatoes vs yams.
I was reading one of my favorite food blogs called Is that my buréka?, and his post was about "sweet potatoes confessions". What struck me first with his gorgeous pictures of these orange "spicy sweet potato tikki [patties]" was that that orange can only come from a yam, sweet potatoes have a delicate color that is much more like mashed potatoes (think Idaho here) with loads of butter. So I mentioned that they looked like yams to me in his comments, though I failed to admit that the patties looked fabulous! I also told him I was planning a post on the very dish I mentioned. However, because I am so hesitant to make blanket statements like that is a Yam, I became plagued with self doubt... are they really all that different?
So welcome to my Yin and Yang of the Yam vs Sweet potato debate in technicolor no less (sorry, not currently available in stereo).
I had actually been planning on a post of the sweet potato dish as far back as November, when I was on my diet and unable to eat "Zun's potatoes"... so I noted the recipe, which I had but could not find, from my cousin with every intention of making them post haste once I was able to ingest them with abandon, because that is how I like to eat them. with abandon.
So, the diet ended then the in-laws arrived and life took over and I finally got around to making them last week.
My day of making Zun's potatoes
So I went to my favorite market to get the supplies, and thought that I should get a couple of yams to compare them.
They all sorta look alike though there is a bit more rough texture to the surface of the yams, barely, if you squint.
So I peeled them:
Aha, I knew that they were different colors. But perhaps the sweet potato takes on a more orange hue when cooked and I was still hesitant to say I had been right about the orange being a sign of a yam.
So I chopped everything up and put the sweet potatoes to boil
and the yams to roast after being coated in some sugar, salt, butter and oil
While the sweet potatoes (5 medium and one regular potato - the Russet) were boiling I got out the ingredients. Here is where I admit that I could not find the recipe notes, but had to do this all based on recall. I am starting to think that I unintentionally did this on purpose because I am completely unable to follow a recipe.
But I got out what I knew was in the dish - some honey and cayenne pepper
Now what I did remember is that the recipe called for 1/8 of a tsp of cayenne as a start. I put what I thought was an eighth each into two separate bowls so I could add it if I thought it needed more of it. I can't find an 1/8 teaspoon on my set now, and while it is possible it got separated and lost it is also possible that I used 1/4 in each bowl.
The yams were done first so I pureed them to a fabulous consistency
Then the sweet potatoes were ready and I pureed them and then added the ingredients
and then used my hand mixer to puree it some more.
I added between 1/4 and 1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne powder in the end and because I had both and it was lunchtime I made myself an all abandon root and tuber extravaganza even though someone told me it looked like baby... you can guess OK? It was a fabulous carb laden lunch.
For more information on the difference between a yam and a sweet potato;
go here
or here
or pick any of these
Tags: Food, culture, yams, sweet potatoes
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Can a human being know anything without divine illumination?
I am in love with Google reader, that I know... whether that is Divinely inspired or not I am not sure... but there is a draw back... I tend to not "visit" each of the blogs I read and just end up feeling like a peeping tom looking at what people write through a Google reader window... now, I try to remember to click on the links and hang out a bit, maybe make a comment... but I am a bit lazy and I am thinking that that is not divinely inspired but a by product of... you know... that other guy.
But enough of my attempts at religious humor... this is actually one of those serious exposing-of-self kind of posts, where I lay bare something I guard carefully in hopes I don't get trampled. These thoughts today, have been... so powerful, I almost feel like not doing a post on it would be a serious offence on my part.
So, I read this blog written by a theology student, (by way of introduction from Mrs. Ootfp) it is way high brow and my one attempt of a comment fell so flat that I just chose to lurk... but today he had a link to this new blog by another theology type and they put out this question... and I was so stumped I think I have read that post like 50 times since I first read it.
Here is where I thank Google reader for letting me be a peeping tom without seeming like a blog stalker, because that would be just plain weird.
But there is something about that question which just raised some sort of something in me and I am sitting around pondering a whole bunch of things... and mostly that question too.
I almost majored in Philosophy in college, one of the reasons is that I had a theologian as my teacher for my first several classes and he got me hooked, I studied Philosophy 101 and Intro to Ethics with him, and those classes changed my life in some really big ways...
One of the things that reading this post brought forth was this intense desire to learn, to be a student, to discuss things deeply and profoundly and to not feel like my perceptions are worthless or trivial (which I guess that they may be, as I am not a true academic, I just play one on TV). To give my quest for knowledge that which it deserves IFF I accept that knowledge comes through Divine illumination...
But I really think this question is fabulous, because if we accept that the quest for knowledge is Divine, then our responsibility to it is equally Divine... the consequences are like ... wow! I am a failure.
I never ever considered this, I guess I both thought and didn't thought (think) that this was a case... I am not particularly religious, I do believe in a higher power, I would not call my self "born again" as it has implications I am not sure about when I consider what I have learned about God, and I think if I had any conversations with many who are devout to whatever religion that they would think I am a travesty... but in the end I still respect the sacred and hence the beliefs.
The one thing that has been running through my mind though is...
If knowledge is sacred, I think God may be really angry with me... and that scares me.
Addendum:
Via Jordana
Does this give me any more street credibility?
Tags: philosophy
But enough of my attempts at religious humor... this is actually one of those serious exposing-of-self kind of posts, where I lay bare something I guard carefully in hopes I don't get trampled. These thoughts today, have been... so powerful, I almost feel like not doing a post on it would be a serious offence on my part.
So, I read this blog written by a theology student, (by way of introduction from Mrs. Ootfp) it is way high brow and my one attempt of a comment fell so flat that I just chose to lurk... but today he had a link to this new blog by another theology type and they put out this question... and I was so stumped I think I have read that post like 50 times since I first read it.
Here is where I thank Google reader for letting me be a peeping tom without seeming like a blog stalker, because that would be just plain weird.
But there is something about that question which just raised some sort of something in me and I am sitting around pondering a whole bunch of things... and mostly that question too.
I almost majored in Philosophy in college, one of the reasons is that I had a theologian as my teacher for my first several classes and he got me hooked, I studied Philosophy 101 and Intro to Ethics with him, and those classes changed my life in some really big ways...
One of the things that reading this post brought forth was this intense desire to learn, to be a student, to discuss things deeply and profoundly and to not feel like my perceptions are worthless or trivial (which I guess that they may be, as I am not a true academic, I just play one on TV). To give my quest for knowledge that which it deserves IFF I accept that knowledge comes through Divine illumination...
But I really think this question is fabulous, because if we accept that the quest for knowledge is Divine, then our responsibility to it is equally Divine... the consequences are like ... wow! I am a failure.
I never ever considered this, I guess I both thought and didn't thought (think) that this was a case... I am not particularly religious, I do believe in a higher power, I would not call my self "born again" as it has implications I am not sure about when I consider what I have learned about God, and I think if I had any conversations with many who are devout to whatever religion that they would think I am a travesty... but in the end I still respect the sacred and hence the beliefs.
The one thing that has been running through my mind though is...
If knowledge is sacred, I think God may be really angry with me... and that scares me.
Addendum:
Via Jordana
You know the Bible 100%!
Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!
Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes
Does this give me any more street credibility?
Tags: philosophy
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Malcom News
I got an email from Malcoms' mommy with some incredible news...
Malcom has a little sister!
Malcom has a little sister!
Congratulations Malcom and family!
Tags: Malcom
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)