Recipe of the Week Blog Hop - Black Bean Gluten Steaks

This week I am sharing a recipe that I tried last week in my menu planning. I would change a couple things next time I try them, but overall they were good! 

Black Bean Gluten Steaks 

Recipe Source: Cooking Entrees with the Micheff Sisters - A Vegan Vegetarian Cookbook 

2 cups cooked black beans 

1 medium onion, chopped 

1/2 cup quick oats 

1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes 

1 tsp. garlic powder 

1 tsp. onion powder 

1 tsp. McKay's Vegan Beef Style Seasoning 

1 tsp. salt 

1 1/2 cups cold water

1/4 cup olive oil 

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour 

2 cups gluten flour 

Optional Broth: 

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes 

1 medium onion, diced 

3/4 cup Bragg Liquid Aminos or soy sauce 

2 tablespoons McKay's Vegan Beef Style Seasoning 

12 cups water 

Directions: 

Place the black beans, chopped onions, oats, nutritional yeast flakes, seasonings, cold water, and olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl or heavy duty mixer. Add the whole-wheat flour and gluten flour. Knead by hand or in the mixer until soft and smooth in texture. Form mixture into a long roll about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Slice into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Pat gluten pieces into circles and drop into a large kettle or crock pot with boiling broth. Boil gently for 30 to 35 minutes. Reduce heat and continue cooking for 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool. Place in containers with a little of the broth and store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use. 

Place the black beans, chopped onion, oats, nutritional yeast flakes, seasonings, cold water, and olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth. 

The picture on the left is what the nutritional yeast flakes look like. I can usually find them at a health food store or world market. 

Here is the gluten flour all ready to go. 

Add whole wheat flour and gluten flour to the black bean mixture in a bowl. Kneed by hand or in a mixer until soft and smooth. 

Form mixture into a long roll about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Slice into 1/2 inch thick pieces. 

The recipe says you can boil them in a broth, which I did not do. I decided to brown them on the stove and then bake them. I rolled them in some plain bread crumbs before placing them in the frying pan. 

By this time, the dogs decided that the kitchen smelled pretty good and wanted to get into the action. Cooking in a small kitchen with two large dogs in the middle of the room can make things a lot more interesting, haha. This is Caspian (my blog mascot) and Cody. Our 3rd dog, Denali was being good in the living room.

Here is the finished product. I baked them at 350 for about 30 minutes. They were a little tough, so next time I would probably bake at 325 for around 15 to 20 minutes. I made some gravy and served them with lima beans.

It's time to do some recipe blog hopping! Please link up your recipes below! The linky will be open until Friday night. Be sure to grab the button and add it to your recipe. Please only link up posts that are recipes. 

This post is also linked to: Tuesdays at the Table, Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday at 33 Shades of Green, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, and Made from Scratch Tuesday, The Handmade Hog.

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Recipe of the Week Link Up! 

1.	Shrimp Enchiladas	4.	Panzanella Salad with Grilled Chickeen
2.	Black Bean Chalupa	5.	Granny's Sour Cream Pound Cake
3.	Carrot Cake Breakfast Rice

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

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Are you often listen to the radio? How about when you studying abroad and different language you need a friend from where are you from? It is no more a problem for Indonesian students, because they have a radio across the globe with Indonesian language, it is Radio PPI Dunia. PPI is Indonesian students united in for students whom studying in other countries. And now, lets check my interview with one announcer of Radio PPI Dunia! She is a new inspiring person for us! enjoy fellas...


Biodata

Name : Raras Tyasnurita
Age : 24
School : National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST)
Programme : Master in Industrial Management
Semester / year : 3/ 2
Twitter : @rarast
Describe yourself :
Iam an ordinary woman who want to tribute unordinary usefull thing for others. Iam a student, a lecturer, a wife, and a daughter who has passion to create a better information systems for humanlife. I fill my leisure time by reading inspiring literature and folktales from all over the world. My world is colourfull with purple accesories, start a day with green tea, and show my happiness with chocolate.


Hi, Raras, what are you doing lately?
Doing my thesis
Would you tell us about you in general?
Iam a woman who always feel excited about a new thing in context of education, culture, and literature.
You are announcer in Radio PPI Dunia, can you tell us when the first time you join and how was it?
october 2010. I found that there was no program in Radio PPI Dunia which review about literature then I applied as an announcer and bring literature program.
What are benefits and disadvantages being announcer in Radio PPI Dunia for you?
benefits : i know about broadcasting world especially the technology behind,
i can practice myself to speak in front of listeners,
i get many friends all over the world,
i know the latest news, music, and trend. It make me be creative more day by day.
no disadvantages because Radio PPI Dunia always give you something :)
Is there any unforgetable moment as announcer in Radio PPI Dunia? Would you share it with us?
sometimes in the middle of nowhere, new friends will recognize me and tell their positive comments about my topics. It make me full of gratitude that I can do something nice for others
By the way, why you decided to studying abroad? What's motivated you?
Iam an open minded person with high curiousity to see the world so that I can learn many things. I always love English class and studying abroad for sure can make me more fluent in Foreign language. My study background in Information System motivate me to learn from the experts and I choose Taiwan for that.
Are you going with scholarship or self finance? (If with scholarship, what scholarship is it, and how hard is it?)
Scholarship.
NTUST Scholarship
I try hard to get scholarship for studying abroad and I did this for one year. I visited some studying abroad fair, took English course and test, and join scholarship mailing list.
Please tell us about your experiences and opinion as a foreign student?
It is good to be an International student. In Taiwan, International Student can be free of charge to visit International Exhibition. Being an International student also motivate you to show your best in class because usually you become the minority and easily recognized by Professor.
What Are you really like from the country where you studying? And why?
The public service. I like travelling and in Taiwan, I never get lost or spend a lot of money for doing this hobby. Public transportation (MRT, Bus) are very convenient with English translation. Besides, many tourism place is free of charge.
Would you mind giving us some tips or message if we want to study abroad or dreaming to study abroad?
Be brave for dreaming and focus to reach it. Be more active to expand your friends network and add your skill. You will realize that there's nothing waste in life learning.

Thank you Raras for a loveable interview. Success with your study!
So guys, why still confused to studying abroad and become one of radio PPI crews?

Hand Cut Noodles

Every once in a while, it's time to learn something new. You spent years of your life in school, learning all the time, started working and had to learn even more (usually nothing to do with what you actually studied in school), and finally you reach a point in your life where you're the expert and teacher. That's when it's time to humble yourself by buying a pasta maker.

I must have been delusional when I thought I could make pasta on a weeknight, after working out, when I was ready to eat almost as soon as I walked in the door. Here's what I thought: Mix some dough, run it through the pasta maker to flatten it, run it through the spaghetti cutter attachment, throw it in some boiling water and it's cooked in two minutes. Thirty, forty minutes tops.

Clearly I had never made my own pasta before.

The first problem was that I had no idea what the consistency of my dough should be. First it was too dry, then I made it too moist. It was sticking to everything. Once I got that sorted out, I ran it through the pasta maker attachment so it made a nice sheet of dough. And then I ran it through again and again and again, on finer settings each time. My dough stretched out into long, thin swatches, which I left laying around the kitchen on plates and cutting boards. Somehow a ball of pasta slightly larger than my fist made enough sheets to wallpaper my kitchen. Then I ran it through the spaghetti cutter attachment and got a long rope of dough with ridges in it. As soon as I tried to hold it, it smushed together again. Why was I imagining smooth, separate strands of spaghetti? When I finally gave up on that dream, I hand cut the rest of the dough into noodles and tossed them into boiling salted water. (Note that "hand cut noodles" are often a restaurant special. Now you know they evolved because the dough was sticking to the pasta maker and to itself.) The good news is that homemade pasta tastes great and super fresh!


Here I've tossed my hand cut noodles with broccoli and Italian sausage, a recipe from food52.

Good Job, Mr. President

I didn't see the Libya speech, but I read some excerpts. It sounded like he said we were going after Gaddafi. Good job! Clarity and a sense of purpose is a good thing.

Update: My bar was set pretty low. All I wanted was a little clarity on whether or not he was going after Gaddafi. Having read more of the speech and read more of the reactions, I can see that most of the flaws in the operation haven't changed, but that's what you'd have to expect from this guy. He's never going to be a great strategic thinker in anything.

Things That Make Me Smile

Airport gates where they play travel videos instead of Airport CNN. This video was from a recent stop at DFW. I added the music.

A Guilty Pleasure

Unfortunately, in my quest to someday become a skinny cook (which will likely never happen), I try to avoid eating stuff like that.  My 5-day-a-week routine involves mostly protein, lots of veggies and of course wine, which I am incapable of giving up. Sigh.  As Henry is fond of saying, he eats and I drink! 

But when you are invited to a casual dinner party and asked to bring a side dish, what should that be?  As far as I am concerned, this is not the time for elaborate, esotheric dishes.  Who wants that?  I think people would much rather sink their forks into comfort food like mac and cheese as opposed to say, curried lima beans in casserole (I did not make that up.  There is actually a recipe for it in one of my retro cookbooks, complete with cans of cream of mushroom soup and French-fried onions).

Think about the plate in front of you.  If it had a pile of curried lima beans next to a hunk of mac and cheese on it, where would your fork go first?  I rest my case.

So for that dinner party the other night, I made my favorite mac and cheese from Scott Peacock"s brilliant book "The Gift of Southern Cooking" with Edna Lewis.  It's similar to the one we made at Watershed and it's the only mac and cheese recipe you will ever need.  If you're going to spring for it and make the stuff, then it may as well be the best "stuff" ever.  Based on the compliments around the table the other night (and every other time I've made it), this recipe more than qualifies.

MACARONI AND CHEESE   (adapted slightly from "The Gift of Southern Cooking" by Scott  Peacock and Edna Lewis)

1 lb. elbow macaroni, uncooked
10 oz. (2 1/2 cups) extra-sharp cheddar, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
3 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups sour cream
4 eggs, lightly beaten (I used extra-large)
1 small sweet onion, grated
3 cups half-and-half
3 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
8 oz. (2 cups) extra-sharp cheddar, grated
1 cup panko or good breadcrumbs
Additional Kosher salt to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.  Add macaroni and cook, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, for about 9 minutes or until just tender.  Do not overcook as it will further cook in the oven.

Drain well and transfer to a large buttered baking dish (mine measured about 12 x 15 x 4).  Stir in the cubed cheddar and set aside.

Place the flour, salt, dry mustard, black pepper, cayenne pepper and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl, whisking to blend.  Add the sour cream, followed by the eggs and whisk again until well-blended.  Whisk in the grated onion, half-and-half, heavy cream and Worcestershire.  Taste carefully to adjust seasoning (it should taste somewhat salty as much of it will be absorbed by the macaroni) and pour over the cooked macaroni and cubed cheese in the baking dish.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.  In a small bowl, mix together the grated cheddar, the panko and salt to taste.  Sprinkle evenly over the macaroni mixture.  Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until the custard is set around the edge of the baking dish but still a bit loose in the center.  Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes to allow the custard to thicken.

Serves 10 - 12

*  Now here's the thing:  this is a really easy recipe.  The only cumbersome thing is grating the onion, but that is no big deal.  You don't have to make a white sauce over the stove and you really don't have to do anything except combine a bunch of ingredients, grate some cheese and cook up some pasta.  So make the effort and take the time to grate your nutmeg as opposed to using the pre-ground variety.  As a matter of fact, if you have any of it in your spice cabinet, throw it away now and buy some whole nutmeg and an inexpensive nutmeg grinder (or use your trusty microplane).  This will make a huge difference in anything you make or bake which calls for nutmeg.

*  Also make sure to use the sharpest cheddar you can get your hands on.  This is not the time for wimpy cheese, like mild cheddar.  You want good, assertive cheddar so your mac and cheese has that edgy snap to it.

*  Salt is also crucial to this dish, but not after it is baked.  If you wait until then to add salt, it will just sit on the top and taste salty, but your mac and cheese will be bland.  That's why you need to add it to the cooking water, add it to the custard and add it to the topping.  I know, I know - we are all trying to limit our intake.  But as I said before, if you are going to bite the bullet and indulge in this, then it might as well be to the fullest.  You can mend your evil ways tomorrow.

*  Another thing.  Do yourself a favor and place your baking dish on a larger baking sheet when you put it in the oven.  It's unlikely that it will ooze over (if it does, you added too much custard or used a too-small baking pan) but cover your bases anyway.  Or your oven floor.

*  I took this out of the oven an hour-and-a-half before we transported it to my friend's house for dinner and it was another hour before we served it.  The key was covering it tightly with heavy-duty foil.  It stayed warm and melty until we devoured it.

*  I'll see you all at the gym next week........

Punchin' Dough

Songs about food are always fun and it seems that most of them are rather silly things.  Here is great old tune that borrowed the melody from "Sweet Betsy From Pike".


Punchin' Dough


Come, all you young waddies, I'II sing you a song
Stand back from the wagon, stay where you belong
I've heard you observin' I'm fussy and slow,
While you're punchin' the cattle and I'm punchin' dough.


Now I reckon your stomach would grow to your back
If it wa'n't for the cook that keeps fillin' the slack
With the beans in the box and the pork in the tub
I'm a-wonderin' now, who would fill you with grub?


You think you're right handy with gun and with rope
But I've noticed you're bashful when usin' the soap
When you're rollin' your Bull for your brown cigarette
I been rollin' the dough for them biscuits you et.


When you're cuttin' stock, then I'm cuttin' a steak,
When you're wranglin' hosses, I'm wranglin' a cake.
When you're hazin' the dogies and battin' your eyes,
I'm hazin' dried apples that aim to be pies.


You brag about shootin' up windows and lights,
But try shootin' biscuits for twelve appetites;
When you crawl from your roll and the ground it is froze,
Then who biles the coffee that thaws out your nose?


In the old days the punchers took just what they got
It was sow-belly, beans, and the old coffee pot;
But now you come howlin' for pie and for cake,
Then you cuss at the cook for a good bellyache.


You say that I'm old, with my feet on the skids
Well, I'm tellin' you now that you're nothin' but kids
If you reckon your mounts are some snaky and raw,
Just try ridin herd on a stove that won't draw.


When you look at my apron, you're readin' my brand
Four-X, which is sign for the best in the land
On bottie or sack it sure stands for good luck,
So line up, you waddies, and wrangle your chuck.


No use to your snortin' and fightin' your head
If you like it with chili, just eat what I said:
For I aim to be boss of this end of the show
While you're punchin' cattle and I'm punchin' dough

The Universal Sigh

Today there was a special event for all Radiohead fans around the world. The band published today a fictitious newspaper with nspired poems and texts about their latest work, The King of Limbs. 

(The Universal Sigh here)

We only had a time; 12 p.m.; and a place; Plaza Universitat (Barcelona)... we, as all the other fans that were there, didn't know what to expect... and suddelly, a couple of persons appeared and began to distribute the ficticious newspaper. 

 

Iwent there with Cris and Ester; after waiting a while until twelve, we could get a copy of The Universal Sigh... and we met some cool people there, too!

 

Now we can only wait until the band returns to Spain to delight us with their new work... So, until that moment, we should listen to our hearts, as they said to us here in Barcelona.

 Yes, this was a very special monday!

Sourdough Starter

When we hear the word sourdough it brings to mind the delicious crispy crusted breads from San Francisco, or the hearty pancakes so loved in the Yukon, even a grouchy chuck wagon cook loading up a Dutch oven with biscuits during a cattle drive. More than likely, the word sourdough brings to mind the words “too complicated for me”. Sourdough is actually fairly easy to work with and nowhere near as fussy as people believe.The earliest accounts of sourdough can be traced back to Egypt around 3000 B.C. and it has been used continuously since then. Sourdough is the oldest form of leavening agent and consists of flour, water, a harmless bacteria (lactobacillus) and wild yeast. When combined and allowed to mature, the mixture will ferment and form a starter that can be used in a great variety of recipes. Because of the differences in wild yeasts in varied locations each sourdough culture is unique onto itself and will develop it's own distinct flavor. When properly taken care of, a sourdough culture can last for over a hundred years and can be used on a regular basis. Sourdough is known for it's slightly acidic or tangy flavor and can not be beat for making hearty sandwiches, biscuits and pancakes. This recipe may seem rather involved but it really only takes a few minutes a day.

Sourdough Starter


Fresh culture on day one.

On day one, Combine ½ cup bread flour in ½ cup of lukewarm, non chlorinated, water in a non metallic crock or bowl. Add 1/2 tsp. of honey and beat by hand to mix. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm place, 65 -70 degrees, to sour for 2 to 3 days or until there is some evidence of activity in the way of little bubbles.

On day 3,
Discard half of the leaven culture and then add and mix in 1 cup of non chlorinated water and 1 cup of bread flour.
On day 4

Repeat the procedure for day 3



Culture has matured and is ready to use

  On day 5,You will notice that your sourdough will have become active and will be nearly ready to use as a starter sponge for bread recipes. It will have a mild beer like quality to its aroma. After the mixture has reached the desired sourness it can be kept in the refrigerator. If at any point in the life of your starter you notice that it has developed a pink color dispose the starter and begin again.

This sourdough starter can be used as a leavening agent in any sourdough recipe. When using the starter to create a sponge for a recipe simply replace the amount of starter used with equal amounts of flour and non chlorinated water. The consistency of the sourdough in the recipe will be comparable to a pudding after the first mixing. The starter will increase in mass as it ferments.
If your starter sits idle for a while you will notice that it will develop a clear, beer like liquid. This doesn't hurt anything and is part of the process. If your starter mixture seems dry the liquid can be incorporated back into the starter or the liquid can be poured out of the mixture. You be the judge.

My Windowsill Garden

It’s officially spring! I was rudely reminded of the fact when I woke up on Sunday to find that I had ‘lost’ one hour. I still don’t get daylight saving, isn’t it just a lie to yourself, but on a larger scale? Anyway. It’s spring! And spring is the time to get planting! You can’t get more cheap and local and organic than planting your own.

I wish I could do that Jamie Oliver/ Nigel Slater thing of popping out of their kitchen into the garden and picking all the herbs and vegetables and fruits they need and throwing them into their food. I can’t, of course, because I live on the 6^th floor, in a London flat half the size of my mum’s bedroom in Singapore. But also because I have the opposite of green fingers, or at least, I’ve never tried growing anything other than mung bean sprouts for primary school science.

But I have a brilliant gardener of a flatmate (: Who says there’s no reason why we can’t try that out with smaller plants which take very little space to grow and require little attention, most herbs for instance.

Those are the little pots on my windowsill. That’s purple basil, coriander, mint and chilli (of course).

Look at the coriander which was sown a bit earlier!

It’s a lot of fun rotating them so they face the sun and watching them grow from nothing to a little something to a bigger something. Go get planting too!

This is part of Simple Lives Thursday.

Food Writer’s Diary readers pick Girl & The Goat as best new restaurant

March 28

Despite a mid-week rally in favor of Torrisi after Grub Street alerted New Yorkers that the Nolita hot spot was losing in my poll for best new restaurant, Girl & The Goat in Chicago still won handily.

Granted, only 26 people voted, but 30 percent of them picked chef Stephanie Izard’s Chicago eatery. Benu in San Francisco came in second.

Next, I’d like you to vote on your choice of Rising Star Chef from among the Beard Award finalists. Please click on a name in the poll to your right, or feel free to make comments below.

Results from the last poll:

WHICH BEARD NOMINEE FOR BEST NEW RESTAURANT WOULD YOU VOTE FOR?

ABC Kitchen: 5 (19%)
Benu: 6 (23%)
Girl & The Goat: 8 (30%)
Menton: 2 (7%)
Torrisi: 5 (19%)

Having Faith In The International Community

... and no faith in America.

I've spent a little more time perusing the web for analyses on what we're doing in Libya and why we're there in the first place. The best explanation is that the "International Community" told us to go. They're the ones he consults, not the American Congress. Obama is more interested in what the UN has to say than his own country.

From the Telegraph:

Obama accepts the notion that an American imprimatur on military action is distasteful – running the risk of fuelling anti-Americanism. He seems reluctant to try to persuade nations that America is a force for good, perhaps because he is unsure of this himself ... Obama really does believe in the “international community” and the intrinsic goodness of the UN.

From Slate:

(A) regime's level of violence against its citizens obviously doesn't drive our military decisions. Nor does the use of air power to slaughter civilians. What has drawn us into Libya but not Syria is the last thing Clinton mentioned: "The world has not come together" to call for action in Syria or the Ivory Coast. Fatalities and air power don't matter unless they produce international support for intervention.

"Each of these situations is different," said Clinton. "But in Libya, when a leader says, 'Spare nothing, show no mercy,' and calls out air force attacks on his own people, that crosses a line that people in the world had decided they could not tolerate."

The key phrase isn't no mercy or air force. It's they could not tolerate. Not we, but they. We're outsourcing our standards for intervention.

In short, Obama doesn't trust you. Your motives are impure and left to your own devices, you Americans would do bad, possibly imperialist things. If he wants to make a moral decision, he must turn to the UN and the "international community."

Can we please make the dude the head of the UN and get him out of here? Maybe if he was offered the job, he'd leave.

The Chuck Wagon

It would be difficult to cover Old West Cooking with out giving an introduction to the chuck wagon.  Probably more than anything else the chuck wagon symbolizes what culinary trends were like in the old west.  Below is a brief history I borrowed from my website.

In the early days of the great trail drives the cowhand had to make do with what he could carry with him.  This caused some rather hungry, uncomfortable times on the trail.  Texas rancher Charles Goodnight saw an opportunity to fill this basic need and in 1866 created the prototype for the chuck wagon. 

Goodnight rebuilt an army surplus Studebaker wagon for his creation. The Studebaker was a sturdy wagon with steel axles that could withstand trail drives that could last up to 5 months. Goodnight designed and added a chuck box and boot to the rear of his wagon and this became the prototype for all the chuck wagons that followed. The chuck box was comprised of a number of shelves and drawers to hold what the cook would need over the course of the day. Once the hinged lid was dropped down to serve as a work surface the cook had everything he needed within easy reach. The boot carried the Dutch ovens and other cooking utensils the cook would need to provide hot meals for ten or more cowboys on long trail drives. A water barrel large enough to hold two days' water supply was attached to the side of the wagon along with an assortment of tool and catch-all boxes, hooks, brackets and the vital coffee grinder. Naturally, wood for cook fires is scarce on the prairie. By suspending a canvas beneath the wagon in hammock fashion the cook had a convenient container for any fuel he collected during each day's move. The wagon box was used to carry the cowboys' bedrolls and personal effects as well as bulk food supplies, feed for the horses and what ever else the crew felt was needed. In some cases a second "hoodlum" wagon was used to carry the gear and supplies of large crews. It was not uncommon to hear a cowboy say that he worked for a "wagon" as opposed to a particular ranch.

A well supplied chuck wagon contained an amazing assortment of goods and possibles needed for a long trail drive.  Not only did the wagon have to carry food supplies and cooking utensils, it had to carry the cowboy bed rolls and personal effects as well.  Considering the average wagon box was around 10 feet long and only 38-40 inches wide packing and unpacking must have been a science in itself.  It's no wonder cousies had a reputation for being a little on edge most of the time.

What Are We Afraid Of?

As the rebels advance back across Libya, taking towns from Gaddafi's forces with active support from NATO airpower, it's become obvious that the President's stated goals of protecting civilians was just a bunch of baloney. NATO is out to depose Gaddafi and that's that.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to depose Gaddafi. The guy is a nut and a tyrant and a genuinely bad dude. The problem with the whole affair is the lack of clarity in the stated purpose of the operation. A quick and dirty perusal of Wikipedia shows that the three primary members of the anti-Gaddafi alliance have a military consisting of more than 2,010,000 people and 7,290 aircraft of all types, not counting the aircraft in the US Army and US Navy.

Gaddafi has almost no chance of shooting back at us in any meaningful way, so long as we stay up in the air. We have overwhelming power that can act with impunity and we're clearly using it to depose the guy. So why are we talking about no-fly zones? Why are we talking about saving civilians? Why have we come up with dozens of contradictory explanations as to just what this is - taking sides in a revolution against a tyrant? There's no fig leaf here at all. We look like cowards, saying one thing and doing the opposite and it's obvious to everyone.

Tonight President Obama is going to give us a speech telling us what we're doing in Libya. If he says anything other than, "We're getting rid of Gaddafi," then it's nonsense.

The reporters are stating the situation clearly. Why hasn't the Administration done the same?

Turkey Blogger Ban Getting Really Annoying

I was in London this weekend and when I got back late last night, I was really hoping that things might have resolved themselves.

But I was wrong.

 I tried to put up a post today and this time the photos won't download properly and since in a cooking blog, photos are of the essence, I deleted it. But it is all so dismaying. Last week the photos were fine, I just couldn't preview my own blog and  I couldn't comment. Well, I still can't comment on either my own blog or anybody else's.

The only thing I seem able to do at this moment is read other people's blogs through anonymouse.org and even then I can't comment. But if you are outside Turkey, everything is as normal so if you comment, I CAN read it and it's great!

I will try again later and see if the situation has changed.

Otherwise it's back to my sister - yes, Ali??

Springing into Spring

April is an exciting month; spring will hopefully come here in southern Ohio! My sister Sarah over at Sarah's Heart's Home is going to be hosting a blog theme for the month of April called Springing into Spring. She is going to be having lots of guest posts (one of which is me!) on different topics such as home organization, recipes, spring cleaning and even hosting her first giveaways! I know it is going to be a fun month on her blog so I encourage you to head over there and follow her so you can keep up with the fun!

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