SK Aug 2009!!!!
Total Awesome Camp, thanks to the PD (Nat) who loves to run around N####, thanks to her we are able to make this camp so empowering and fun. To the coaches Su-Wee, Jia-Yun & Cal Vin, Thank you guys for giving your holiday time for this kids and making a difference. =)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Boozercise!
Do you boozercise? I do! Just this weekend I pulled into the parking lot of the ice rink to find a beer trailer -- a trailer housing beer with exterior taps for one to help themselves. Gift from God? Obviously. While I limited myself to half a Coors Light before hopping on the ice for 3 solid hours of hockey games, others fared much worse than myself. Seeing as the beer was available since 2pm...there was surely some serious consumption of my teammates prior to the 5:45pm game time. This takes me back to hockey in Chicago where locker room time with the girls included a case of beer and lots of giggles. Ah, the old days.
The Chicago Tribune recently looked into BRFSS information and found an interesting connection: those that drink more...exercise more. More surprisingly, the heavier drinkers were the most likely to workout...and to workout for longer. Though this seems oxymoronic (that's not a word, per se...but I like it all the same)...there's several plausible explanations such as exercise to negate drinking damage, thrill-seeking nature, and team sport partaking after events and games [1].
Now don't go picking up a booze habit in order to gain an exercise habit, as the effects of alcohol don't outweigh the benefits of exercise [1]. Sigh, sigh...I know, I know.
But boozercise -- a little "booz-" and lots more "-ercise" -- combined -- can't be all bad...right? Regardless, I'm a fan of boozercising and will likely keep up my regimen. Does dog-walking with wine in-hand count? Half kidding...
[1]. Deardorff, Julie. Study: Drinkers More Likely to Exercise. Chicago Tribune. August 31, 2009.
Eating from the Garden
I’ve just returned from two weeks of vacation. We spent the first week on Lake Michigan at the cottage of two dear friends. Lots of cooking, blueberry picking, my first experience in a kayak, and the chance to watch glorious sunsets and storms across the lake, sometimes at the same time. We shopped at farm stands for corn, purchased eggs from a 13-year-old future farmer, Joseph Marsh, and went to the Montague Michigan Farmers Market. I overheard a vendor mentioning that a customer had complained to her about finding a worm in his corn. She wanted to ask him if he preferred to find a worm or to get cancer. She said, “I know the choice I would make.” Maybe a different kind of farming is seeping into the mid-west or maybe it’s always been there on family farms. Whichever it is, I’m pleased.
I spent the second week with my brother, George, and sister, Barbara, in Athens, Ohio. After our mother died in July 2008, Barb suggested that we three sibs have a reunion every year. Last fall we gathered in Chicago. And now here we were in southern Ohio on George’s land. He bought this property in the early 1970s and has, over the years, refurbished two structures, a dilapidated old farm house and a converted chicken coop/shed. He and his wife Louise (who was away traveling in Malaysia with her sister) raised their three kids in the ever-expanding coop/shed which is now a four bedroom house. George and Louise have created a lush garden adjacent to the deck on the back of the house. Windows on two sides of the house overlook this verdant and thriving vegetable and fruit producing site. I was in heaven.The first night my brother fed us Chicken Enchiladas. He explained that the chicken came from a farm down the road and the tomatoes that went into the sauce were in the garden that morning, along with our side dish of green beans. He had picked raspberries for dessert with a choice of raspberry sorbet or chocolate ice cream. My sister and I, weary from our travels, could not have been more satisfied.
The next morning, he gave us a tour of the garden and the rest of his land. By lunch time, I could no longer contain myself. I had to pick some veggies. I roasted some golden cherry tomatoes (you’ll find the recipe in the July 27 blog) and pulled some beets. I got them roasting below the tomatoes and cooked the well-washed and shredded beet greens until they were soft. The tomatoes and beet greens were lunch, along with some cheese and crackers, perfectly delicious, but just a hint of what was to come.
For dinner, I made a Summer Squash Casserole (adding some shredded salami) from my brother’s Joy of Cooking. My 1997 edition calls it Summer Squash Gratin, a little more highfalutin’ a name I suppose. Same dish. You’ll find the recipe below. Then a Beet Salad with Creamy Horseradish Dressing, also from his Joy of Cooking, and more roasted cherry tomatoes. My sister baked a splendid Rhubarb Cake for dessert. All the produce for the dinner came from the garden. Amazing.
By the next morning, I had come up with a possible menu for that evening. After a strenuous day that included yoga, a Mexican lunch, naps and a tour of the Snowville Creamery, we gathered to put our dinner together. Nathan, the youngest of George’s three, joined us and seemed to enjoy both the food and the conversation. We made Lentil Salad with Curry Spices and Yogurt from Field of Greens, Herbed Carrot Salad and Two Reds Salad (given below) both from Flatbreads and Flavors. George and Barb peeled and seeded a rimmed baking sheet full of broiled Italian peppers to which we added roasted onions and a bit of fennel, of our own devising. And finally we had more raspberries with whipped cream from the Creamery we had visited in the afternoon. Totally delicious and brilliantly colorful. Everything except the yogurt and the lentils from the garden.
Just look at the colors. Aren't they spectacular? I think I had already eaten some of the dark green peppers.The last night we went out for dinner in town to a great place called Zoe’s. All of us ate meat in one form or another for our main course. It’s not that any of us was tired of vegetables or eating a primarily vegetarian diet. Far from it. In fact, I was sorry that I didn’t have a chance to use the chard, new potatoes, more tomatoes, and the still baby eggplants. But I am an omnivore. I appreciate and want diversity in my diet, even as I hold on to Michael Pollan’s wise counsel from In Defense of Food “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Mostly plants. But not wholly plants. There you go.
Recipes from the Garden
Summer Squash Gratin
You can serve this as a side dish. With the addition of some salami or bacon, you could also serve it as a main dish with a nice green salad.
1¼ pounds yellow squash, cut into ½-inch squares
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
½ cup salami, prosciutto, bacon, or pancetta, coarsely chopped, optional
1 cup diced Monterey Jack or Swiss cheese (actually any melting cheese would work)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup crème fraiche or sour cream
1 tablespoon white vermouth or dry white wine
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Generous pinch of ground nutmeg
Salt and ground pepper to taste
1½ cups fresh breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter
1. Lightly butter a 10-inch gratin dish or casserole.
2. Steam the squash until tender, about 6-8 minutes. Remove to a medium bowl.
3. Heat the butter or oil in a small skillet and add the onion and the optional meat. Cook until soft but not browned. Add to the squash along with the cheeses, the crème fraiche or sour cream, the wine, coriander, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
4. Pour into the prepared dish. Combine the breadcrumbs and melted butter; sprinkle over the top of the squash.
5. Bake at 350ºF. until bubbling and nicely browned, about 35 minutes.
4-5 servings
Adapted from Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker’s The All New All Purpose Joy of Cooking (from 1997). Earlier versions of this cookbook called this recipe Summer Squash Casserole.
Moroccan Two Reds Salad
This salad has an astonishingly psychedelic color and a unexpectedly great flavor. Almost makes you want to say "Cool, man."
1 pound beets (3 medium), washed, stems cut off
1 pound (4 medium) tomatoes, seeded, cut into ½-inch cubes
½ medium red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped flat-leafed parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, mint, or oregano or a mix
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Place the beets in a glass or metal 8 x 8 pan or something comparable. Pour about ½-inch water into the bottom of the dish and cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Place in a 400ºF. oven and roast until the beets are soft, about 1 hour. You may need longer if the beets are larger. Let them cool slightly and then peel. The skins and stems should slip off easily, leaving your hands nicely pink. Cut off the beet tails.
2. Cut the beets into ½-inch cubes and place in a medium-sized bowl along with the tomatoes, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro or other herbs.
3. Add the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and mix well.
4. Serve at once or chill in the fridge for up to an hour. I prefer the salad at room temperature.
Serves 6-8
Adapted from Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid’s Flatbreads & Flavors
Oven-Roasted Tomato Variation
I tried something slightly different with a current batch of tomatoes I purchased from The Patch.
I did the usual washing, cutting in half around the equator, taking out as many of the seeds as I can with my finger, placing them close together in a glass dish and seasoning with salt and pepper. You can also use a rimmed baking sheet. I didn’t sprinkle any olive oil over them.
I roasted at 400ºF. for about 15 minutes and then lowered the temp to 300ºF. until they were much reduced in volume but still nice and squishy, about 2 or 2½ hours. Maybe more. (If you need to roast some beets--or anything else for that matter, you can do them at the same time. They’ll just take longer than at their usual temp.)
I let them cool, placed them on a serving plate and drizzled them with Maple Smoked Olive Oil and then placed a small mound of Délice de la Vallée, a combination of cows’ milk and cream and goats’ milk on top. Both products are made in Sonoma County. You can substitute any good olive oil or soft cheese.
You can serve this as a side dish. With the addition of some salami or bacon, you could also serve it as a main dish with a nice green salad.
1¼ pounds yellow squash, cut into ½-inch squares
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
½ cup salami, prosciutto, bacon, or pancetta, coarsely chopped, optional
1 cup diced Monterey Jack or Swiss cheese (actually any melting cheese would work)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup crème fraiche or sour cream
1 tablespoon white vermouth or dry white wine
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Generous pinch of ground nutmeg
Salt and ground pepper to taste
1½ cups fresh breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter
1. Lightly butter a 10-inch gratin dish or casserole.
2. Steam the squash until tender, about 6-8 minutes. Remove to a medium bowl.
3. Heat the butter or oil in a small skillet and add the onion and the optional meat. Cook until soft but not browned. Add to the squash along with the cheeses, the crème fraiche or sour cream, the wine, coriander, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
4. Pour into the prepared dish. Combine the breadcrumbs and melted butter; sprinkle over the top of the squash.
5. Bake at 350ºF. until bubbling and nicely browned, about 35 minutes.
4-5 servings
Adapted from Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker’s The All New All Purpose Joy of Cooking (from 1997). Earlier versions of this cookbook called this recipe Summer Squash Casserole.
Moroccan Two Reds Salad
This salad has an astonishingly psychedelic color and a unexpectedly great flavor. Almost makes you want to say "Cool, man."
1 pound beets (3 medium), washed, stems cut off
1 pound (4 medium) tomatoes, seeded, cut into ½-inch cubes
½ medium red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped flat-leafed parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, mint, or oregano or a mix
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Place the beets in a glass or metal 8 x 8 pan or something comparable. Pour about ½-inch water into the bottom of the dish and cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Place in a 400ºF. oven and roast until the beets are soft, about 1 hour. You may need longer if the beets are larger. Let them cool slightly and then peel. The skins and stems should slip off easily, leaving your hands nicely pink. Cut off the beet tails.
2. Cut the beets into ½-inch cubes and place in a medium-sized bowl along with the tomatoes, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro or other herbs.
3. Add the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and mix well.
4. Serve at once or chill in the fridge for up to an hour. I prefer the salad at room temperature.
Serves 6-8
Adapted from Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid’s Flatbreads & Flavors
Oven-Roasted Tomato Variation
I tried something slightly different with a current batch of tomatoes I purchased from The Patch.
I did the usual washing, cutting in half around the equator, taking out as many of the seeds as I can with my finger, placing them close together in a glass dish and seasoning with salt and pepper. You can also use a rimmed baking sheet. I didn’t sprinkle any olive oil over them.
I roasted at 400ºF. for about 15 minutes and then lowered the temp to 300ºF. until they were much reduced in volume but still nice and squishy, about 2 or 2½ hours. Maybe more. (If you need to roast some beets--or anything else for that matter, you can do them at the same time. They’ll just take longer than at their usual temp.)
I let them cool, placed them on a serving plate and drizzled them with Maple Smoked Olive Oil and then placed a small mound of Délice de la Vallée, a combination of cows’ milk and cream and goats’ milk on top. Both products are made in Sonoma County. You can substitute any good olive oil or soft cheese.
1st time la weyh
owhhh... pagi yg indah d selubungi hujan. buatkan mata ni rase berat nak bukak.
demi kelas. ku gagahkan jua diri utk bgn setelah hp ku bernyanyi - nyanyi riang
lagu 'jai ho' dr slumdog millionaire berdendang. tanda, sudah tiba masa utk bangun.
mandi, bersiap, gelabah, sejuk, bercampur baur. al maklumlah...utk hari ni.
kelas videography II, 1st time jd director. 1st time shooting MCP.
1st time shoot news. 1st time shoot dlm studio je. 1st time shoot prog live.
MCP - multi cam prod. [lebeyh dr 2 camera]
time nak setting semuanya + props n so on.
sila tgk lampu2 gedabak d atas tuh.
ye, perlukan tangga utk setting lighting.
1 of the cam. hehe...
usually 4 mcp, guna 2-3 cam.
utk prog dlm studio je lah.
lynn, ito, rmbt mira + sasa. hee~
ni, dkt VT utk mainkan playback. dang~
sejuk amat ye dlm nih. kene plak hujan memanjang.
taraaa. adilah masham, our group presenter
@ news reader with zana.
pastuh...bttry cam flat terus. hampeh. baru dpt snap skit. uhuuu~
ok. overall td baru rehearsal. next week shoot btol2. haih~
taw x sy pnyeee gelabah tuh xyah ckp la. da berair - air mate nih.
takot pnye cuak pnye tataw nak buat ape. seriously~! tuhan je yg taw...
dgn sejuknye. nak nangis. waaaaaa. nasib la 2nd group. 1st group - zikri.
tgk 1st group buat dlu. and. belajar bnykkk dr die org. 1st group ssh jgk.
die org kene setting lampu pe sume. and kene try dlu pe sume.
and and. time direct. akibat cuakkk sgt, sy sampai bnyk kali 'CUT'.
cut sbb presenter terbace cpt, sbb terskip ayat la.
then sbb VT prob la. tibe2 bau hangit dr mesin2 edit tu la.
then, dgn x ckup timing nye lah...wahahaha.
and and. majority nye sumeee slh dtg dr sy taw sbb,sy tah pape.
yerlaaa. gelabah sgt, x dpt budget mase @ bagi arahan dgn baik. waaaaa.
and ade skali tuh pnye gelabah. time tgh countdown. 'standby... silent on set'
'ten...nine...eight...seven...six...five...FROUR~...TWO...one'
dang~~~ FOUR la! and. mane no fav-ku no 3 itu? wahahaha.
abis je mmg kene ejek laaa sbb salah kire -__-
abis settle sume td. meeting. baiki ape yg patot. ahah... ahli kum lain tnye.
ade bnde yg sy x puas ati x, sbb sy director. owhhh...tak de!!!
sy rase sy yg teruk. sy tnye mrka, mrka ckp sy ok, cuma perlu digilap. cett. ayat shai~
and and, kene suara kuat skit, and and kene pandai budget time. wahaha.
cuaknnnyeeee next week. adoiii. i can run, but i cant hide. uhuu.
apepon, thanks sgt utk sumeee. all my VG2 classmates.
mr raj, of course. esp group 1. biggest thanks to zikri.
u helped me a LOTTT. and and. of course utk sume group members...
sgt supportive even director korang ni tataw pape. mukeee basi x yah ckplah!
thanks adilah. miraghee. salmiza. shai.
itto. haidar. acab. shasha. lynn.
thanks a lotttt. hope next week, would be better. seriously. aminnn!
p/s; TOBAT xnak keje dlm bilik berita!!! '-____-
Sunglasses
Yesterday evening I was a little bit bored, so I decided to change the banner of the blog and of my Modepass. Do you like the result?
Yes, I'm in totally love with my Claire's sunglasses! The hair accesories are handmade (except the black ribbons). I used for making up my face a MAC base, an old Claire's green eye shadow with glitter, Clinique's waterproof rimmel and my lovely Dior's lipstick (my favourite one).
I hope that today I'll go out with Rose just for take some coffee and have a little chat... I've seen her since last week! And I want to go out this evening, I've been reding all the weekend and yesterday. At the moment I'm reading "A song of Fire and Ice", they're great novels... this september the fith book will be release, so I must read the fourth really fast!
And one thing more; yesterday I saw this Arcade Fire's video:
And I've decided that next year, I'll go to Glastonbury festival... and I'll wear some cool rubber boots...
Have a nice day!
Yes, I'm in totally love with my Claire's sunglasses! The hair accesories are handmade (except the black ribbons). I used for making up my face a MAC base, an old Claire's green eye shadow with glitter, Clinique's waterproof rimmel and my lovely Dior's lipstick (my favourite one).
I hope that today I'll go out with Rose just for take some coffee and have a little chat... I've seen her since last week! And I want to go out this evening, I've been reding all the weekend and yesterday. At the moment I'm reading "A song of Fire and Ice", they're great novels... this september the fith book will be release, so I must read the fourth really fast!
And one thing more; yesterday I saw this Arcade Fire's video:
And I've decided that next year, I'll go to Glastonbury festival... and I'll wear some cool rubber boots...
Have a nice day!
SCP Jun-Aug 2009
OMG, Jun-Aug pass by so fast. From the 1st lesson to now the 10Th, i really miss this group of people..... I was so focus on the morning class i forgot to ask them for a Class Picture... AH!!!! Lucky i got the Evening class to take a nice picture with me. hehe.I wish you guys all the best of luck in the coming SPM, PMR, and year-end Exams.
Stay focus on your outcome and keep smiling. =)
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