wendy's opinion on just about everything

warren weinstein apparently alive

shepherdess — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:32:24 +0000

According to reports in the McClatchy newspapers, Warren Weinstein is “alive and in good health”. He’s being held in NOrth Wazirstan by Lashkbar E-Jhangui, a Pakistani Al Quaeda affiliate. In an interview last week, a ranking Pakistani militant said Weinstein “is being provided all available medical treatment including regular checkups by a doctor and the medicines prescribed to him before he was plucked.” (“plucked”?) According to a security analyst in Islamabad with Pakistani militant contacts “Weinstein’s captors had no plans to harm hime” but will “use him as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Pakistani authorities”.
How about American authorities? This is pretty good news, but his case remains so remarkably under the radar and one wonders how high a priority his release is for the US government.

not your mother’s brussel sprouts

shepherdess — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:35:08 +0000

I never liked brussel sprouts. I recalled them from childhood as soft and sulfurous, my father complaining about some negative brussel sprout experience in England during WWII. I did admire their handsome looks, clustered on their stalks, at the Farmer’s Market. Then, a couple years ago, I tried them once again, crisp-tender, sauteed with ham, at a Spanish restaurant. They were delicious–a deep rich healthy flavor, not remotely sulfurous. Then I tried them again at the Thai restaurant Pok Pok. A spicier take this time, the same crisp-tender texture. Another winner. This recipe is a take off on that one. My husband, also bearing a childhood prejudice against the sprouts wasn’t quite won over. But the rest of my family was, and maybe you will be too.
STIR FRIED ASIAN-INSPIRED BRUSSEL SPROUTS
4 cups brussel sprouts, halved
1/4 cup canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp Thai fish sauce
4 tsp hoi sin sauce (use a good brand; I like Whole Food’s 365)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 T sesame seeds
red Thai chiles, crumbled, to taste (two seems about right)
1/4 cup chicken broth (I like Imagine’s chicken pho base)
1) Microwave brussel sprouts in a small amount of water for 1-2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2) Heat canola oil in a wok or large skillet. Add garlic and stir for about half a minute; add brussel sprouts. Stir fry until they begin to soften, around two to three minutes. Add fish sauce, hoisin sauce and chiles. Combine well and add chicken broth. Cook until liquid is almost absorbed. Glaze with sesame oil and top with sesame seeds. Serve.

off the grid

shepherdess — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:09:24 +0000

It is remarkable how much the modern house is dependent on electricity. Heat. Hot water. LIghts. We could cook, after a fashion, by lighting our gas stove with a match, but that required opening the refrigerator which was rapidly losing its cool. We couldn’t open our garage door, so we couldn’t use our cars, even though by midday the roads were perfectly clear. And, of course, none of the electronic gadgets functioned–our two computers, our one TV, our numerous radios and CD players. My eleven year old son could not quite comprehend why we couldn’t access the Internet. We did get a little heat from the gas “woodstove” in our kitchen.
Before the advent of electricity homes must have been cold dank places in the winter. And when its dark, its dark. Sure you can read by candlelight or oil lamp, but if those are things you need everyday they become precious resources, not to be expended without thought.
Lacking the Internet, my son piled up his Bionicles and played with them by the fire. We read. We talked. I knitted until the light disappeared. In the evening we all played a card game by candlelight. Once the game was over, we went to bed and huddled under the down covers. It was dank and chilly. It was also a lot quieter and a lot simpler. We experienced winter without as many barriers between us and the dark and the cold.
Given that winter can be quite long in these parts, though, it was reassuring to hear the hum of all our creature comforts clicking back into action. Given my apocolyptic turn of mind, though, the experience brought home how depend we are on this unseen force–electricity–and how easy it would be to bring its comforts and its distractions to a crashing halt.

real simple?

shepherdess — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:47:55 +0000

I used to subscribe to a magazine called Real Simple, until I realized all it did was recommend complex procedures to simplify my life. (“choose the best of your child’s pictures for the month and mat and frame them in a format that matches your couch”) as well as lots of websites to visit (planning your child’s birthday party? visit birthdayparty.com “) ,items to buy, and photo shoots of children’s rooms where the moms all seemed to be wealthy fashion designers who lived in Manhattan. I simplified my life by cancelling my subscription.
But here it is another New Year and one of my resolutions is once again to simplify my life. Simplify it in the sense of clearing out the daily time sucking clutter so that I have the time to do all the things I want to do–write the books, knit the sweaters, sew the quilts, jam the jam, grow the tomatoes, travel the world…all the while maintaining a centered calm, a fit body, a clean house, and good, active relationships with family and friends.
How am I going to do this? Who knows? I vow again to concentrate on doing only the things I really want to do (but there are so many!) and dispatching the boring time wasters (filing, anyone?) as efficiently as possible. And throwing out paper. Before I come up with any more excuses, I will go through my office and throw out two thirds of the paper.
However, my son’s photos are going unframed into the messy pile in his closet.

wendy’s recipe file: zucchini soup base

shepherdess — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:51:48 +0000

This summer, overwhelmed by zucchini and about to leave on a three week trip, I took the easy route. I grated zucchini (of all sizes, even the bats), a few onions, minced some garlic, threw in some herbs, salt and pepper, and saute the combo until tender. Then I froze massive quantities in Tupperware. It’s definitely winter here in Portland–freezing and foggy–and my easy zucchini mix is making a fabulous soup base. All I do is defrost it and put in practically anything–the zucchini provides a creamy base with a breath of summer warmth and freshness. Seafood works. So does pork, sausage, chicken, or leftover turkey. So does a combination of vegetables such as carrots and green beans. Add some chicken or vegetable broth and a dash of white wine for liquid. Add seasonings (curry, more herbs, etc) as appropriate. My husband made a soup tonight with baked and deboned pork chop cubes and dried apples added to the loyal zucchini.
I know, its too late now. But for next summer, remember:
ALL PURPOSE ZUCCHINI BASE
any number of zucchini
2-3 onions, chopped
a clove of garlic, minced
fresh basil, marjoram, thyme, salt and pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
1) Grate zucchini in food processor
2) Saute zucchini with onions and garlic in olive oil. Add herbs and cook another minute or so. Freeze in six cup servings.
2) Saute in a large pan with onion and garlic

warren weinstein held by al-qaeda

shepherdess — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:57:02 +0000

This may not be news to anyone who has been following the Warren Weinstein case in my blog, but it was news to me. (thank you, wonderful local newspaper, the Oregonian!). My mother actually alerted me. In an audio message released December 1, Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri claims that they are holding Weinstein. They claim he has not been tortured. While they have provided no concrete proof that he is alive, signs point to the validity of this situation. Zawahiri links Weinsteins release to demands that that the US stop airstrikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen, and the release of Al Qaeda and Taliban supporters around the world.
While the US should not be bullied into giving inordinate concessions (which of course is what the strategy of kidnapping is all about), it would behoove Obama to take note of some of Zawahiri’s statements. We shouldn’t be doing drone strikes–anywhere. It is such a cowardly thing to shoot off a missile from somewhere in Nevada and have it land and kill people in the Middle East. Maybe we’ve gotten a few terrorists, but there’s been way too much collateral damage. Plus, these drone strikes allow us to fight shadow wars in countries who we are allegedly not at war with (Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, and– aren’t we “helping” Afghanistan, not fighting them? Or have we taken sides in an ambiguous civil war?).
And while we should not free all Al Qaeda and Taliban supporters we should release all the ones that have not been specifically charged with the crime and try those who have been accused of a crime expeditiously in US courts. Think of all the suffering Warren Weinstein’s family is going through. What about the families of men that have been imprisoned at Guantanamo or extradited to other countries–in some cases fir over ten years– many with very tenuous ties to terrorist organizations and no proof that they were involved in a terrorist plot? Aren’t they suffering too?
What goes around comes around. When Obama ran for President he spoke of being a responsible world citizen. Here is a chance for him to actually follow through on his word.

wendy’s recipe file: green beans with miso and walnuts

shepherdess — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:45:44 +0000

The turkey and the French onion soup (which I’ve made since 1982) always remain the same, but I like to vary my side dishes for Thanksgiving. So every year I scan my wide array of food magazines (Bon Appetit, Saveur, Food and Wine, Cook’s Illustrated) for new ideas. This year healthy seemed to be in; a good thing. While I think Thanksgiving deserves to be a time of indulgence, that doesn’t mean every single dish has to have cream and cheese in it. This green bean recipe is bright, flavorful and not your mother’s green bean casserole. It is adapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit.
GREEN BEANS WITH MISO AND WALNUTS
2 1/2 pounds fresh green beans
1/4 cup white miso
2 scallions, minced (green parts only)
3 T rice vinegar
1 T Asian hot mustard powder, mixed with 1 T water
2 T toasted sesame oil
1 T raw sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1) Cook green beans in boiling water until tender. (I like boiling a big pot of water, then putting the beans in a strainer 1/3 at a time, dipping them in the water and cooking for about 2 minutes, or until crisp tender. You can also boil the whole lot in water for 2 minutes, then drain, but that gives you less control over the consistency.)
2) Whisk remaining ingredients, except walnuts, together in a small bowl.
3) Combine green beans and dressing in a salad bowl. Garnish with toasted walnuts. Serve warm or at room temperature.

money for nothing

shepherdess — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:43:46 +0000

I first heard of Black Friday a few years ago and in the interim it appears to have taken on form as a national institution. Black Friday sounds like the name of a horror movie and in its particulars really does sound like the plot of one. People poised at the entry of a big box store as if at the beginning of a race? Shootings? Pepper spray?
Evidently the excitement and festive group celebration that I might get out of a rock concert and someone else get out of a Ducks football game, a lot of people are getting out of competitive shopping at midnight. I suppose on one hand that if it makes people happy what’s the harm, but on the other hand I can’t help but believe this manufactured excitement is anesthetizing themselves to an empty pit at the center of their lives.
I’ve got nothing against stuff. I like giving and receiving stuff–warm, cozy, pretty, interesting, personal stuff. LIttle of that seemed to be on offer at the big box stores. People were clambering all over each other for what? Giant TV screens to stare at? Pillows?? Were they sleeping on the floor before this sale? Boots??? Were they shoeless? Was it really appealing to rush out right after Thanksgiving dinner into the cold and wet and stand in line at a shopping mall? Personally I preferred to sit by the fire sipping a glass of wine and playing games with my family. And what about the poor suckers staying up all night to work in the stores? What about their family time?
We certainly live in a bifurcated society when some people are in the cold and wet occupying Wall Street and others rush out into the cold and wet to occupy Wal-Mart. Except that one holds the potential, however distant, for social change while the other basically profits Walmart and fills our homes with impersonal, mass produced stuff that an awful lot of people are apparently convinced they want.

the other white meat

shepherdess — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 21:38:00 +0000

Signs point to the Republican establishment, such as it is, coalescing around Mitt Romney as the only adult in the race. While he’s an improvement over Cain, Bachmann, and the rest of that cast of clowns, I don’t care for Romney and his coreless pandering to right wing extremists, and I have an irrational aversion to his admittedly handsome face. It looks like a missionary’s face; the face of Western white male imperialist power. Be that as it may, the Democratic party has moved so far to the right that Romney’s opinions, even on his worst days, are comparable to Obama’s. And I think he can locate Pakistan on the map.
But why is the media paying no attention to Jon Huntsman, the other squeaky-clean Mormon, who is equivalently experienced, professional and intelligent? Unlike Romney, Huntsman refuses to pander to the nether regions of his party. Every time he speaks he sounds eminently reasonable. He doesn’t bash Obama’s emasculated health care plan as a socialist takeover. He believes in global warming (“why not trust the scientists?” he asks). Very unlike Romney, he opposes our military adventures in Iraq, Afghanistan, and wherever’s next (Iran, anyone?). Huntsman is gaining no traction in the polls, but neither is he getting any publicity whatsoever. You can’t tell me there isn’t a connection between the two. A casual follower of the primary season would hardly know Huntsman is running.
Why have the media made the decision to declare Huntsman irrelevant? Is he just too reasonable? Does reasonableness not make enough headlines?

wendy’s recipe file: liverless pate maison

shepherdess — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:06:45 +0000

Pate, along with other fatty meat concoctions, is undergoing a revival (pork belly ice cream, anyone?) The problem with pate maison, a mainstay on many trendy charcuterie plates, is the liver. I know, liver’s become trendy too. But not for me, whether its in a fancy French pate or the chopped chicken liver I grew up rejecting. I created this liverless pate, which still is mighty rich, but lacks that unique and disgusting liver taste. The sage and thyme both came fresh from my garden, where they are still thriving despite the gloomy weather.
LIVERLESS PATE MAISON
12 slices meaty bacon
1 pound ground veal
1 pound ground pork
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
one-half cup heavy cream
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp sweet Spanish paprika
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/3 cup brandy

1) Line bottom and sides of a 9×5 inch loaf pan with bacon.
2) Combine all the rest of the ingredients except the brandy in a large bowl and mix well, as yo might for meat loaf.
3) Warm the brandy and mix in.
4) Fill the lined loaf pan with the meat mixture and spread evenly. Place the remainder of the bacon over the top. Place a piece of aluminum foil over the bacon and press to seal.
5) Place a dish towel in an 11×13 baking pan. Fill the pan halfway with water for a hot water bath and place the loaf pan in the water bath. Place the pan in the oven and cook until the juices run clear and a meat thermometer inserted in the center registers 160 F. (about two hours)
6) Remove to a rack and cool completely. Place another loaf pan on top of the foil and weight with 2 or three cans of food.(whatever fits well within the loaf pan)
7) Refrigerate at least 12 hours or up to 4 days.
8) To serve remove the bacon from the top. Run a knife around the edge of the loaf and turn it out onto a serving platter. Remove the bacon (which can be crisped and eaten at another meal). Serve with Dijon mustard, cornichons, or any manner of pickled vegetables (also trendy).