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+ Fun seder with a full house of all-around fabulous people
- Not enough room for everyone we'd like to invite
+ Awesome food all around, including homemade <18-minute matzah
- No leftover charoset or paté: must make more
+ Really good wine
++ Manischotz for the third cup totally worked!
+ Singing!
+ Acting out the plagues
+++ Chocolate toffee matzah omg
- Many things that went (or threatened to go) wrong in the final 24-hours including miscommunication, food failing, things being left on the subway, and who knows what else
++++ Everything being awesome anyway!

I wonder if we are the only twelve people in the world who can say that we had (veg & K4P, of course) Manischewitz jello shots for the third (or any) official cup of wine at a seder. Either way, that number should and will grow.

[ETA: While I may or may not have been the first to come up with the idea, Google supports that I totally just invented the word Manischotz!]

This morning I was woken up before full sunrise by the noise of an airplane overhead. No, seriously. It took me a moment to determine I was actually awake and not dreaming some scene from

davis_square, especially given the hazy, pre-dawn light. I went back to sleep and it soon happened again, but I soldiered on, managing to oversleep as per usual. (It's also a testament to the particulars of sound that the roomie, whose bedroom is on the other side of the of house, didn't seem to hear anything.)

I'm excited by all the positive response to my last post and look forward to sharing. (I updated the entry with details of what I ended up doing with what I had at hand, which included okara from 5-6 batches.) And I plan to make a habit of drying my okara, which makes it so much more useful.

I've really enjoyed getting back into making my own soymilk and have even figured out how to make it pretty drinkable for the rare occasions when I want to drink milk straight. (But even when used in other things, it's so much yummier now.) Even better is the homemade tofu -- so good that I enjoy eating it plain and without further prep, which is not something I can say about any tofu I've ever bought. It also makes the best scrambles ever. And when I know what I'm going to use it for, I sometimes season the soymilk so that the tofu turns out flavored, which is pretty cool.

There is a lot of okara left over so I hope to find time today to make a batch of veggie burgers to freeze for later use.

ETA: If anyone is interested in bartering for any of the above, let me know. :)

Cooking Updates:
* I've got the double batch of tofu I made this weekend marinating now.

* As for the backlog of okara, I used a bunch of it in a veggie loaf, feeling too lazy to make burgers, but ended up slicing and rebaking in pieces, anyway. Next time I'll just do patties in the first place. I'm going to dry the rest for use in baked goods and other random things.

* Dried Okara == win! Now *this* is a form that I can see being useful in breads and such, not to mention that once I dry it, it'll keep for a while. I ended up using all of it to make a nummy "cheezy" shake-y topping.

If you need to expand on your answers, you can leave a comment. As always, anonymous comments are enabled.

[Poll #1371263]

Some stuff done at home today:
= Boiled down maple sap into syrup
= Started a batch of apfelwein
= Made soymilk

And also stopped by a local co-op to pick up my piece of a group bulk order.

Damn dirty hippies...

ZOMG so good! See it ASAP. That is all.

Last year, I saved seeds from a few plants (though not as many as I would have liked) with the intent of growing as much from seed this year as I could manage. (Of course any amount would shatter my previous record of not-at-all.) I figure I can also buy seeds, but they come in packets of way-more-than-I-need, and I would imagine the same holds true for most of us, so I thought, hey, this is a perfect opportunity to get folks together to share the seeds we already have before we go out and buy more.

What do you think? Does this interest anyone else? Should we start a group? Does a group already exist that I could join?

Seeds I harvested myself include chives, parsley, pumpkin, butternut squash, and possibly tomato. Alternately, if you're not much of a joiner but have some extras, I'll be happy to take them off your hands and also offer some of mine if you'd like.

I've been thinking recently about various issues and the assorted ways in which the population with which I spend most of my time nowadays differs from that from my childhood and adolescence. Though it also made me realize that in many cases, I have no idea one way or the other, beyond the default assumptions, which seem to be very different where I am now from where I grew up.

So, a poll!

Note the use of "raised" rather than "born". And you can decide for yourself where the line is between "raised" and "adult" if it applies to you. For the language question, I know some people may have multiple "first" languages, so I tried to clarify what I meant. [ETA on Q1: Your parents, grandparents, etc, all count as part of your lineage. As per the wording, your answer should refer to the one that goes furthest back, not the most recent.]

[Poll #1346353]

(One thing I hate about LJ polls is how they expand in vertical space after you answer them. I wish they didn't do that. Or didn't show the response stats until you hit the "expand" or something.)

I don't know if it was the pokes from assorted people or just coincidence, but WMBR net access, along with the online audio stream, is BACK UP!

The links are on the web site, though as of now the page has not been updated to reflect it being back up. So if you couldn't make it out on New Year's Eve and don't have a radio handy or aren't local, you can still tune in from your desk. :)

Link: Highest quality feed.

(A little more info is in my previous post.)

Tune in to WMBR this Thursday at 4pm to listen to a broadcast of the Post Meridian Radio Players' Red Shift: Interplanetary Do-Gooder in Countdown to Chaos, our New Year's Eve show performed at the Orpheum.

Thanks to

psilocin for making this happen.

[Unfortunately, their online audio stream is currently down, so you'll have to turn on an actual radio. Or if anyone reading this is with MIT Network Ops, maybe you can poke the right people to get the radio station's network up again? The ticket was filed a week ago, wtf.]

( Herein lies the saga of Gingerbread Fjords, with pictures! )

Current Mood: dorky

Congratulations derspatchel, top scorer in this round of the Lyrics Meme!

All comments have been unscreened and I will shortly post a separate entry with all the answers.

---

I always have fun with my lyrics memes (which aren't really memes, or maybe the "memes" aren't really memes), but anyway) and as y'all know, enjoy playing with themes of various sorts. This one is a little different and adds in an funky challenge factor that some may hate but I hope most have a good time with. It's all about covers! Specifically, covers I like.

As usual, my goal is for people to get them and not to stump you with obscure selections because I think it's only fun if people know them. It might be a little tougher this time in that the excerpts are all on the short side, but each song is reasonably well-known at least two different ways. So what you need to supply for each is the name of the song, the original artist, and the artist of my favorite cover version. There may be multiple covers, but you can only have ONE official guess.

Confused? Here's an example:
0. I used to cry, but now I hold my head up high
Answer: I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor. Cover by Cake.

Behind the cut are your 18 selections. Don't forget to explain the subject line for bonus points. Enjoy. :)

( To life! )

Scoring:
1 point per title, original artist, and cover artist, for a total of 3 points per lyric (3x18=54)
6 bonus points for explaining the subject line
For a possible total of 60 (sixty!) points

Some helpful hints:
- Comments are screened
- Each artist/lead is used only once. This could be useful to know.
- There is no Johnny Cash because there is just too much Johnny Cash. (And though I love the man, my favorite cover of Hurt is Sad Kermit's.)
- Yes, there are indeed awesome covers that didn't make the list. It's not meant to be exhaustive.

( Scores )

Sunday's barbecue was a great success and thanks to everyone who was part of it. If you left a container that you want back, please let me know ASAP, otherwise it will fall into the melting pot of our existing plastics collection, never to be seen again.

I count nineteen (and counting?) flavors mixed at the event and five additional flavors done the next day. If I left yours out, please let me know!

( All the flavors and lots of yum back here )

I think my overall favorite was the Vodka Blackberry and I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture of it, since the color was unbelievable. (But heck, I'm kicking myself in general for the lack of pictures, but I was going non-stop pretty much all day. If anyone else snapped any, please let me know.) I also really adored the Honey Lemon.

I didn't really have a particular expectation regarding how much ice cream would get made, so I can't say it's more or less than I thought, just that I was and am very very pleased with the results, particularly given the large number of would-be attendees who were out of town or otherwise unavailable. And how about a big hand for the folks who hadn't done this before but who jumped into the fray anyway! :)

I've been a vegetarian for around 15 years now, and vegan for most of that. I rarely crave the stuff I don't eat, because most of it doesn't really register as food to me, and anyway, it's generally a desire for a certain sort of seasoning or something that is easily satisfied with a veggie option.

So you can imagine how weird it was for me to suddenly be craving flesh. More than craving, really, it was like a primal need. When chocolate didn't work, I tried gnawing on a carrot, but it just didn't satisfy, even when I added peanut butter. Also (this is so weird), it wasn't even just flesh I wanted. It was (I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this) brains. I mean, how can you crave something you've never even eaten? I don't know if all these years of not consuming cholesterol has caught up with me, but I'm telling you, I needed some. I tried some meditation, the usual Breathe-Watch-Allow, trying to sit with my feelings, but it wouldn't go away.

Then my roomie came home and I wanted to talk to him about it, but he was raving about some sort of mob in the street, and I found I could really only get one word out when I tried to speak. But he finally shut up once I ate his brain, which really hit the spot.

I'm still craving more, though. Maybe I can convince Farmer Steve to start a CSA brainshare. That'd be awesome.

Current Mood: undead

Finally back off my feet after much prep. The paté is done. Two (different) batches of matzah ball dough are chilling. The tofu is marinating with caramelized onions. The loaf is prepped and ready to bake tomorrow. Matzah has been baked. Yes, I made matzah, and for this, I believe I rule.

Still hours of cooking to do tomorrow! :)

~~Tomorrow's~~ Tonight's Menu looks to be:
( not *everything* to be made by me, of course )
...And lots & lots of wine.

I think we need more mouths!

Not all new skills provide a net benefit to one's life.

I have discovered that I can make really amazingly good kettle corn at home quite easily. So can you. But that doesn't mean you should.

Nor does it mean you should throw in a teaspoon or so of chili powder as a variation, as if merely sweet and salty weren't enough.

Since I know one person will ask, I'll include my recipe.

( But behind a cut because really, we don't need this! )

[Up-to-the-minute Squash Inventory: 7 Butternut, 7 Delicata, 4 Pumpkin]

Last week, I completed my silly goal to hike all of the colored trails on the Fells map, plus the bonus of a blazed, named trail I came across over the course of the project. Thanks to spwebdesign, c1 , treacle_well, psilocin, and DD for joining me along the way.

I am very glad I did this, since despite the many miles I've hiked in the Fells, there were plenty of areas I hadn't seen. Like most people, I tended to stick to a few particular areas and trails that I particularly liked, but now that I've done all of them, I have even more favorites. I also discovered all sorts of great spots along the way.

Following is a list of the trails and brief commentary on them. (Ask if you want to know more.) The names, blaze colors, and distances are from the map, though in some cases, they are wildly inaccurate. I've noted where I am aware of the discrepancy, but I can't speak for the accuracy of any of the others, either.

( West of I93 )

( East of I93 )
( Cross )

The Fells is so criss-crossed with trails and fire roads that you can really set any path you'd like and move about any number of ways without a plan. It isn't too difficult to wander aimlessly and then figure out where you are based on what you can see and what's on the map. The excessive number of auto roads that chop the Fells have one "feature" which is to facilitate navigation, in that at worst, you can always get to the nearest one and figure out your way from there.

Since I had a bunch of corn and squash from my farmshare (okay, still do), I search the archives for corn. I used the recipe

shrinkingmary scanned in here, but I'll mod/copy the recipe for records purposes.
( Recipe behind the cut, along with my notes )

It was quite yummy and dead easy, but I strongly recommend multiplying the recipe and using a larger pan -- it's mostly corn and zucchini so it takes a bunch to feel filling. You'll want to eat a lot of this. :) I'd also add some chili powder next time to round out the flavor. A dollop of nutritional yeast sauce worked great on top. Finally, there is no need to dirty up a blender for the tofu -- just mash it with a fork.

( Picture behind the cut! )

(Cross-posted with mods from

vegancooking)

So I have some new housemates now. One of them seems to have some serious issues regarding respecting other people's space. I recently discovered that he's been hanging out in my bedroom when I'm not around. Actually, it seems he used to only do it when I wasn't around, but lately I've come home to find him sleeping in my bed! Yes, I know it's more comfortable than his room, but you might think fixing up his own space might be the more proper course of action. The worst part is that he doesn't even bother making sure the bed is made, so he's right on the sheets. His grooming isn't what it could be so he drags an assortment of bits of cruft into the bed with him. I started closing my door, but unless it's well-latched, he just goes in anyway. I've tried discussing the issue with him, but it's like he doesn't understand a word I say. Hmph. Lucky for him he's so cute & fuzzy.

Current Mood: silly

A few months ago I decided I wanted to make a portable labyrinth. After planning, design, etc, it finally happened. (And in time for Baitcon, too, but the non-stop rain meant it could never be brought out. It finally debuted at

treacle_well's birthday picnic and will also be out at ArtBeat.) Created by myself, Mark,

scholargipsy,

magid, and

queue, I think it turned out very nicely and we're all rather proud. :)

Queue took some pictures which were finally uploaded last night.

( The five of us, happy with a job well done. )
( Meditating in the center. )
( Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooal!!!!!!!!!!! )
( Walking the labyrinth. )

The chef at my brother's restaurant, who is also a close friend of his and uncle to his son, hosted a wonderful Christmas feast several years ago that Mark and I were lucky enough to attend while living in California. A couple of weeks earlier, he had passed around ballots to determine which movies to watch, and the day consisted of movies and food. First came the assorted hors d'oeuvres and appetizers, then the first movie, then salad and soup, then the second movie, then the main courses, then the third movie, then dessert and the opening of presents. The man is amazing. The chanterelle and black-eyed pea soup was one he had concocted based on a friend showing up at his door with a basket of said mushrooms picked fresh from the local woods. It was delicious- the first time in my life I truly enjoyed eating mushrooms. Some of the appetizers were designed around the excess food at the cafe (at the time also a market) that needed to be eaten. One of them was an eggplant caponata served on slices of polenta (from the stuff that comes in tube-like form). The chef was somewhat abashed at using packaged polenta, but it actually turned out really well. I asked him for the recipe, and he pointed me at a calendar on his wall which had the original from which he'd derived his. I present that here, along with some of my own bracketed notes from having made it a few times.

( And finally, the recipe... )

People keep talking about LiveJournal, so I thought I'd give it a try and see what happens. I have decided to keep myself relatively anonymous so that I don't feel constrained by what I say. I may also change the names of people and places if I am feeling paranoid. I suppose I'll mostly just enter in whatever I happen to feel like typing. I hope to get some feedback eventually, though I realize I may not ever write enough to warrant that. Well, I'll see how this looks, anyway.

[Edit, 6 years later: Okay, so things have turned out quite differently than I imagined and now most of the entries are f'locked in some way.]

Current Mood: curious

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The following story is true

Recent Entries

Counting of the nom-ers

yawn

Soy Delicioso

What's your opinion? We'd like to know. (tm)

Gettin' my kumbayayas out

Boildown! (Bring it.)

squee!!!

Victory Seeds!

Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!

Tune in online at 4pm (eastern) for RED SHIFT!

Red Shift on the ACTUAL RADIO!!!

Pining for the Fjords

[lyrics] The memes are tough now, just gettin' tougher

Ice Cream Round-Up

Weird Cravings

Tentative Seder Menu

[Food:Kettle Corn] Why do the bad things feel so good?

Fells Trail Project

Corn & Zucchini Tamale Pie

Housemate venting

Labyrinth (the aforementioned Thing)

Eggplant Caponata

First