Cheezburger of the Day

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Un petit sejour ce weekend

"Thinking Outside the Box" exhibit collect at the Met in NYC

Yes.  

Let me just finish off a few tidbits in my travel case... 

Yes, all done.  

Now I am ready.  

Oh, la, la. 

A little weekend away does require so many little "necessities".

Thank you to Quintessence for providing me with this peek into how far (down) we have come in terms of ornate, decadent personal grooming essentials.  This exhibit "Thinking Outside of the Box" is currently at the Met in NYC.

Look at this!  

Can you imagine traveling with such luxury?  

Each and every piece is so exquisitely detailed.  Hard to imagine, really.  For goodness sake, my daughter and I drool over the 

Vera Bradley catalog.  

This photo was from her weekend at the Met in NYC.  I miss NYC so much...  The wheat fig newtons in the little delis.  The Halloween parade in the village.  The zeppolis (all hot, sticky, and fried then shaken in a paper bag with loads of powdered sugar) from the Italian fest in Soho.  

Sorry, I digress.  

Today's "Necessities" box

The exhibition includes one hundred boxes, chests and other small containers from the museum’s department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, many of which have not been on display for years. Dating from 1500 – 1900, not only are these pieces mini-masterpieces in their own right but they reflect so much about the life of the period – stylistically, historically and socially. From travel cases to tea caddies to wonderful nécessaires, the objects represent the best of exquisite craftsmanship. They were both practical yet also collected as cherished works of art, made from all manners of material, often encrusted with gems and exotic components.

This Is Not The Time To Talk About Investments In Green Energy And High Speed Rail

The deficit will hit a record high this year. The days of Social Security being used as a piggy bank are over. It's going to be a net seller of Treasuries from here on out.

Meanwhile, Japan, one of our biggest creditors, is starting to go over the cliff.

Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Japan’s credit rating was cut for the first time in nine years by Standard & Poor’s as persistent deflation and political gridlock undermine efforts to reduce a 943 trillion yen ($11 trillion) debt burden.

The world’s most indebted nation is now ranked at AA-, the fourth-highest level, putting the country on a par with China, which likely passed Japan last year to become the second-largest economy. The government lacks a “coherent strategy” to address the nation’s debt, the rating company said in a statement. The outlook for the rating is stable, S&P said.

Coherent strategy?!? What kiond of coherent strategy can you have when you're debt load is 200% of your GDP and you've grown accustomed to massive deficit spending? They're doomed. Before they go down, they're going to sell about $900B of US Treasuries.

So forget about high speed rail and green energy and higher education and all the rest. It's time to grow up.

Carrots Parsnips and Cipollini Onions

24 cipollini onions
6 medium/large carrots peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
6 medium/large parsnips peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
crystalized ginger cut into tiny bits amount to taste
water

Put cipollini into boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain and stop the cooking with a shower of cold water. Peel the outer white paper skin from the onions and pat dry. Pour oil into a large cast iron pan over medium high heat. Lightly brown the onions.




Next add parsnips and carrots and saute for a few minutes. The parsnips will turn from white to yellowish.

Then add water just to cover along with maple syrup and crystalized ginger. I used 2 small pieces minced.
Boil all over medium high heat until the liquid reduces to almost none and the vegetables are cooked through. If your veggies are getting fully cooked and there is still a lot of liquid, remove the vegetables from the liquid and then reduce the liquid to an amount just enough to moisten the vegetables and pour over the reserved vegetables and serve.

Note: fresh ginger can be used instead of preserved, or you can skip the ginger and add any number of other flavorings. Good accompaniments for carrots and parsnips are: apples,chives, curry, mustard, tarragon, thyme, parsley, dark sesame oil, cheril, cumin, mint or chile.

Carrots Parsnips and Cipollini Onions

24 cipollini onions
6 medium/large carrots peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
6 medium/large parsnips peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
crystalized ginger cut into tiny bits amount to taste
water

Put cipollini into boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain and stop the cooking with a shower of cold water. Peel the outer white paper skin from the onions and pat dry. Pour oil into a large cast iron pan over medium high heat. Lightly brown the onions.




Next add parsnips and carrots and saute for a few minutes. The parsnips will turn from white to yellowish.

Then add water just to cover along with maple syrup and crystalized ginger. I used 2 small pieces minced.
Boil all over medium high heat until the liquid reduces to almost none and the vegetables are cooked through. If your veggies are getting fully cooked and there is still a lot of liquid, remove the vegetables from the liquid and then reduce the liquid to an amount just enough to moisten the vegetables and pour over the reserved vegetables and serve.

Note: fresh ginger can be used instead of preserved, or you can skip the ginger and add any number of other flavorings. Good accompaniments for carrots and parsnips are: apples,chives, curry, mustard, tarragon, thyme, parsley, dark sesame oil, cheril, cumin, mint or chile.