Having just finished reading July's book club book, "Framed," I thought it would be fun/helpful to see some of the art work referred to in the book. I was in the middle of providing links to each individual painting, when I discovered that they already did it for me!
Here it is:
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/learning/teachers-and-schools/teaching-english-and-drama/framed/introduction
Monday, June 6, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Fun quote I just saw
"There are two motives for reading a book; one, that you enjoy it; the other, that you can boast about it." — Bertrand Russell
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Jeffy's favorite Chili recipe
I got the recipe from my friend's blog:
http://letsgatherinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/07/chili-2.html
Like it says, you can tweak the recipe with whatever you've got in the kitchen at the moment. I like to add beans and veggies, as well as a bit of cocoa powder and a spoonful of sugar or natural sugar substitute.
http://letsgatherinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/07/chili-2.html
Like it says, you can tweak the recipe with whatever you've got in the kitchen at the moment. I like to add beans and veggies, as well as a bit of cocoa powder and a spoonful of sugar or natural sugar substitute.
Monday, September 13, 2010
The Book Thief
Just a reminder.
Our next intellectual conversation and fine dining experience will take place at the Peterson home at 7pm on October 16th.
I want to do some sort of harvest/fall/comfort food theme. Perhaps you would all like to bring a soup and we will provide the rolls/drinks/and pie? Let me know!
Our next intellectual conversation and fine dining experience will take place at the Peterson home at 7pm on October 16th.
I want to do some sort of harvest/fall/comfort food theme. Perhaps you would all like to bring a soup and we will provide the rolls/drinks/and pie? Let me know!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie
For what it's worth, here's the recipe . . .
Crust (my first attempt at a gluten free crust, not exactly the greatest in the world)
1/2 c tapioca flour
1/2 c white rice flour
1/4 c potato starch
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
6 T coconut oil (cold, and measured cold)
5 T ice cold water mixed with 1 t apple cider vinegar
1 to 2 T agave (I hated the taste of the vinegar, so I added more agave)
Combine dry ingredients. Cut in coconut oil until pieces are no larger than a small pebble. Combine water, vinegar, and agave, and drizzle over dry ingredients, tossing with a fork until it holds together. You will most likely not need all of the water. Form a ball and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for NO MORE THAN 5 minutes. Roll out and put in pie dish. Bake in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for about 20 minutes, or until lightly golden. (I put foil on top with beans to keep it from poofing up - let me know if you don't know what that means and I'll explain further). Remove from oven and cool completely.
Chocolate Pudding
1/2 c cocoa powder (I used 3 different kinds, but any kind will work)
5 T arrowroot
2 to 3 c coconut milk (depending on how thick you want it)
1/2 to 3/4 c agave (adjust to your taste)
2 t vanilla extract
Whisk together the cocoa powder and arrowroot in a saucepan. Add 1 c coconut milk and stir to form a thick paste. Then stir in remaining coconut milk and agave and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and just about to boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into pie shell and press plastic wrap on top to keep film from forming and then cool in fridge.
Coconut Cream
Place can of coconut milk (or sugar free coconut cream) in freezer for about 30 minutes. Open can and spoon out coconut solids, discarding water. Whip with beaters with agave, vanilla, and cinnamon to taste. Keep cold in fridge, strain off any liquid that forms and whip again. Spread over chocolate pudding. (The easiest way to do this is to dollop lots of spoonfuls over the pudding and then spread them together.)
Caramelized Coconut
In a shallow pan combine toast wide-chip unsweetened coconut over medium low heat, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. When fragrant, but not yet golden, add enough agave to coat the coconut and a bit of cinnamon. Stir until it looks caramelized. Cool and break over top of coconut cream.
Whew! That's the recipe. Let me know if you have any questions. I would personally just live on the pudding and caramelized coconut.
Crust (my first attempt at a gluten free crust, not exactly the greatest in the world)
1/2 c tapioca flour
1/2 c white rice flour
1/4 c potato starch
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
6 T coconut oil (cold, and measured cold)
5 T ice cold water mixed with 1 t apple cider vinegar
1 to 2 T agave (I hated the taste of the vinegar, so I added more agave)
Combine dry ingredients. Cut in coconut oil until pieces are no larger than a small pebble. Combine water, vinegar, and agave, and drizzle over dry ingredients, tossing with a fork until it holds together. You will most likely not need all of the water. Form a ball and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for NO MORE THAN 5 minutes. Roll out and put in pie dish. Bake in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for about 20 minutes, or until lightly golden. (I put foil on top with beans to keep it from poofing up - let me know if you don't know what that means and I'll explain further). Remove from oven and cool completely.
Chocolate Pudding
1/2 c cocoa powder (I used 3 different kinds, but any kind will work)
5 T arrowroot
2 to 3 c coconut milk (depending on how thick you want it)
1/2 to 3/4 c agave (adjust to your taste)
2 t vanilla extract
Whisk together the cocoa powder and arrowroot in a saucepan. Add 1 c coconut milk and stir to form a thick paste. Then stir in remaining coconut milk and agave and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and just about to boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into pie shell and press plastic wrap on top to keep film from forming and then cool in fridge.
Coconut Cream
Place can of coconut milk (or sugar free coconut cream) in freezer for about 30 minutes. Open can and spoon out coconut solids, discarding water. Whip with beaters with agave, vanilla, and cinnamon to taste. Keep cold in fridge, strain off any liquid that forms and whip again. Spread over chocolate pudding. (The easiest way to do this is to dollop lots of spoonfuls over the pudding and then spread them together.)
Caramelized Coconut
In a shallow pan combine toast wide-chip unsweetened coconut over medium low heat, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. When fragrant, but not yet golden, add enough agave to coat the coconut and a bit of cinnamon. Stir until it looks caramelized. Cool and break over top of coconut cream.
Whew! That's the recipe. Let me know if you have any questions. I would personally just live on the pudding and caramelized coconut.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Let the voting begin!
Friday, September 10th, 6:30, The Bigelows. Since Todd and Dave both served in Japan, we are thinking of doing some tradtitional Japanese dishes. We can work out all the details later. :)
MUSICOPHILIA
Music can move us to the heights or depths of emotion. It can persuade us to buy something, or remind us of our first date. It can lift us out of depression when nothing else can. It can get us dancing to its beat. But the power of music goes much, much further. Indeed, music occupies more areas of our brain than language does—humans are a musical species.
Oliver Sacks’s compassionate, compelling tales of people struggling to adapt to different neurological conditions have fundamentally changed the way we think of our own brains, and of the human experience. In Musicophilia, he examines the powers of music through the individual experiences of patients, musicians, and everyday people—from a man who is struck by lightning and suddenly inspired to become a pianist at the age of forty-two, to an entire group of children with Williams syndrome, who are hypermusical from birth; from people with “amusia,” to whom a symphony sounds like the clattering of pots and pans, to a man whose memory spans only seven seconds—for everything but music.
Our exquisite sensitivity to music can sometimes go wrong: Sacks explores how catchy tunes can subject us to hours of mental replay, and how a surprising number of people acquire nonstop musical hallucinations that assault them night and day. Yet far more frequently, music goes right: Sacks describes how music can animate people with Parkinson’s disease who cannot otherwise move, give words to stroke patients who cannot otherwise speak, and calm and organize people whose memories are ravaged by Alzheimer’s or amnesia.
Music is irresistible, haunting, and unforgettable, and in Musicophilia, Oliver Sacks tells us why.
The Lost City of Z
After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, acclaimed New Yorker writer David Grann set out to solve "the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century": what happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest for the Lost City of Z? In 1925, Fawcett ventured into the Amazon to find an ancient civilization, hoping to make one of the most important discoveries in history, but he and his expedition vanished. For decades, scientists and adventurers have searched for evidence of Fawcett’s party and the lost City of Z. David Grann’s quest for the truth and his stunning discoveries about Fawcett’s fate and “Z” form the heart of this complex, enthralling narrative.
Life of Pi
Meet Pi Patel, a young man on the cusp of adulthood when fate steps in and hastens his lessons in maturity. En route with his family from their home in India to Canada, their cargo ship sinks, and Pi finds himself adrift in a lifeboat -- alone, save for a few surviving animals, some of the very same animals Pi's zookeeper father warned him would tear him to pieces if they got a chance. But Pi's seafaring journey is about much more than a struggle for survival. It becomes a test of everything he's learned -- about both man and beast, their creator, and the nature of truth itself.
With a brilliant combination of sensitivity and a precise economy of language, Martel develops a story some readers might find less than credible. But his capacity for the mysterious, and a true understanding of the depths of human resilience will compel even the most skeptical of readers to continue on the fantastic journey with Pi, and an unusual 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. (Summer 2002 Selection)
The Tipping PointDefining that precise moment when a trend becomes a trend, Malcolm Gladwell probes the surface of everyday occurrences to reveal some surprising dynamics behind explosive social changes. He examines the power of word-of-mouth and explores how very small changes can directly affect popularity. Perceptive and imaginative, The Tipping Point is a groundbreaking book destined to overturn conventional thinking in business, sociological, and policy-making arenas.
MUSICOPHILIA
Music can move us to the heights or depths of emotion. It can persuade us to buy something, or remind us of our first date. It can lift us out of depression when nothing else can. It can get us dancing to its beat. But the power of music goes much, much further. Indeed, music occupies more areas of our brain than language does—humans are a musical species.
Oliver Sacks’s compassionate, compelling tales of people struggling to adapt to different neurological conditions have fundamentally changed the way we think of our own brains, and of the human experience. In Musicophilia, he examines the powers of music through the individual experiences of patients, musicians, and everyday people—from a man who is struck by lightning and suddenly inspired to become a pianist at the age of forty-two, to an entire group of children with Williams syndrome, who are hypermusical from birth; from people with “amusia,” to whom a symphony sounds like the clattering of pots and pans, to a man whose memory spans only seven seconds—for everything but music.
Our exquisite sensitivity to music can sometimes go wrong: Sacks explores how catchy tunes can subject us to hours of mental replay, and how a surprising number of people acquire nonstop musical hallucinations that assault them night and day. Yet far more frequently, music goes right: Sacks describes how music can animate people with Parkinson’s disease who cannot otherwise move, give words to stroke patients who cannot otherwise speak, and calm and organize people whose memories are ravaged by Alzheimer’s or amnesia.
Music is irresistible, haunting, and unforgettable, and in Musicophilia, Oliver Sacks tells us why.
The Lost City of Z
After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, acclaimed New Yorker writer David Grann set out to solve "the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century": what happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest for the Lost City of Z? In 1925, Fawcett ventured into the Amazon to find an ancient civilization, hoping to make one of the most important discoveries in history, but he and his expedition vanished. For decades, scientists and adventurers have searched for evidence of Fawcett’s party and the lost City of Z. David Grann’s quest for the truth and his stunning discoveries about Fawcett’s fate and “Z” form the heart of this complex, enthralling narrative.
Life of Pi
Meet Pi Patel, a young man on the cusp of adulthood when fate steps in and hastens his lessons in maturity. En route with his family from their home in India to Canada, their cargo ship sinks, and Pi finds himself adrift in a lifeboat -- alone, save for a few surviving animals, some of the very same animals Pi's zookeeper father warned him would tear him to pieces if they got a chance. But Pi's seafaring journey is about much more than a struggle for survival. It becomes a test of everything he's learned -- about both man and beast, their creator, and the nature of truth itself.
With a brilliant combination of sensitivity and a precise economy of language, Martel develops a story some readers might find less than credible. But his capacity for the mysterious, and a true understanding of the depths of human resilience will compel even the most skeptical of readers to continue on the fantastic journey with Pi, and an unusual 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. (Summer 2002 Selection)
The Tipping PointDefining that precise moment when a trend becomes a trend, Malcolm Gladwell probes the surface of everyday occurrences to reveal some surprising dynamics behind explosive social changes. He examines the power of word-of-mouth and explores how very small changes can directly affect popularity. Perceptive and imaginative, The Tipping Point is a groundbreaking book destined to overturn conventional thinking in business, sociological, and policy-making arenas.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Thai Coconut Chicken
Ingredients
2 cups dry jasmine rice
3 cups water
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 cups 1 inch pieces asparagus
1 cup snow peas
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 cup chopped green onions
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
Directions
In a 2 quart saucepan, combine water and rice. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
In a medium size bowl, combine the chicken and curry powder, and toss to coat.
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Cook the chicken, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Mix in the asparagus, snow peas, carrots and green onions; cook for 3 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk , continue cooking until sauce is hot, and chicken is cooked through. Serve over the hot, cooked rice.
2 cups dry jasmine rice
3 cups water
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 cups 1 inch pieces asparagus
1 cup snow peas
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 cup chopped green onions
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
Directions
In a 2 quart saucepan, combine water and rice. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
In a medium size bowl, combine the chicken and curry powder, and toss to coat.
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Cook the chicken, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Mix in the asparagus, snow peas, carrots and green onions; cook for 3 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk , continue cooking until sauce is hot, and chicken is cooked through. Serve over the hot, cooked rice.
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