maui sunset, finally finis

First of all: Merry [insert holiday of choice here] to everyone, and a happy New Year! I'm in Virginia visiting my parents, with April, Fargo and Jezebel in tow, of course. So far adventures include the great present unwrapping marathon and riding on Fred's motorcycle (both with and without him--whoever heard of a father encouraging his daughter to learn how to ride a bike!).

Now that I've got a little time to spare, it being winter break and all, I wanted to complete the Maui picture saga. Holiday pictures will be posted as well, but I wouldn't be too shocked if you have to wait a little while for those. I seem to perpetually be a month to a month and a half behind with my blog updates.

Soooo...in the last post, I left off with Amy and Mike's beautiful wedding. After that, April and I stayed on the island for another few days to just relax, soak up the sun and go snorkeling at every possible free moment.

Feeling a bit adventurous, on Wednesday (Nov. 8) we decided to brave the Hana Highway, which traverses the North coast of the island: 52 miles of one-lane bridges, mountainous roads, sharp drop-offs, and over 600 curves (it takes about 3 hours each way from Kahului to Hana in the east).


Of course, we had to make a number of stops on the way--moments of touristy glory gleaned from various magazines and tour guides. After peering over the cliffs off the coast of Paia at the windsurfers (the North coast of Maui is known as one of the top windsurfing sites in the Pacific, or so we were told), we stopped off at a little roadside pull-off where friends of Amy's parents had told us where to access Twin Falls. The walk from the road to the falls was about a mile and the falls themselves were pretty but not spectacular, but the old, Tolkien-esque tree that grew near them was worth the stroll.


On the way back from Hana later in the afternoon, we stopped off at the same roadside fruit stand (near the entrance to the path to the Falls) again to buy a coconut. After drinking all its milk from a straw, the teenager who had sold us the coconut chopped it in half with a machete so we could eat the flesh, too. Yummy coconut--Swiss Family Robinson, here we come!

There were also many scenic viewpoints, with pull-outs that could fit only a car or two—we made the mistake of planning on stopping at many of these on the way back from Hana, but by then it was later in the afternoon and each pull-out, especially near the bridges, was packed full with tourists (some of which should have been told that parking in a curve on a road that is barely two lanes is stupid, stupid, stupid).

In the photo below, April and I managed to squeeze into on of the scenic viewpoints and engaged in a friendly photo-taking exchange with another couple. Typical of vacations, it’s one of the few pictures of us together from the trip.

Once in Hana and its environs the real adventuresome exploring began. Hana is a little town nestled into the Eastern coast. There’s one gas station, a couple of bed and breakfasts, a tacky gift shop, a general store, and a pretty, well-kept state park (friends of ours rented cabins in the state park last year and loved it, but I’m not sure if I’d enjoy being that far removed from the rest of the island). Also, there’s Hana’s famous black sand beach, Waianapanapa; April and I took a stroll there, digging our toes in as well as discovering a little seaside cave where the waves occasionally caused water to shoot out a hole in the top like a blowhole.

From the black sand beach, we went off in search of the mysterious and beautiful red sand beach, Kaihalulu, which, had I not read about in a tour guide and online (and gotten detailed instructions on how to find it), we never would have seen. Getting to this secretive beach entailed parking on a side street, walking through the backyard of a bed and breakfast, climbing down a grassy hill (ignoring “no trespassing” signs), and emerging on a lesser beach, where the sand was a brownish red. From there we followed a hilly and mildly treacherous path (flip-flops did not provide adequate footing) up one side of a cliff face and down the other. Of course, wanting to document our journey, I took picture of the beach from the crest of the hill, though we did wander down and spent some time walking its short length and wading in the crystal clear water.

Apparently, the red sand beach is a place for snorkelers, if the weather is right, and I could definitely believe that considering I could see fish from the beach. However, we later read that snorkeling at this and other coves like it—where a pool of water is surrounded by rocky reefs—can also be quite dangerous for swimmers. It turns out that sharks often lurk just on the ocean-side of the rocks waiting for unsuspecting fish to be washed out from the relatively calm pool on the beach-side to the whirl and turmoil of the ocean.Occasionally, a shark wins the fish lottery and a swimmer washes out with the fish. Hmm...maybe some snorkeling is better left to professionals.

We returned from Hana exhausted—April was also a little harried from all that mountainous driving (since we had a rental car that I couldn’t legally drive), but recovered quickly—but pleased and settled in for another evening in Kihei. We had a fairly decent, though not spectacular meal at a bar/restaurant the name of which I cannot remember, and although the food was fairly good, the cockroach that scampered across our table at one point was not a pleasant dinner companion (to be fair, the restaurant was outdoors, making cockroaches much harder to blame on the management).

After dinner, we spent our second of two nights in our lovely bed and breakfast, What a Wonderful World B&B (we stayed in the Patio Suite, for anyone interested), and had an amazing meal the next day of apple pancakes smothered in coconut syrup, made by the owner and our hostess, Eva Tantillo. She was incredibly friendly and generous, allowing us to leave our luggage in her living room/lobby all day because our flight didn’t leave till midnight, even though we officially checked out late that morning. Her bed and breakfast was inexpensive (in relation to other comparable B&Bs in Kihei as well as most of the hotels), personal (only four rooms), spacious, and welcoming. I would recommend it to anyone (plus, I’m not alone: her B&B gets rave reviews on trip advisor).

April checks her email in our B&B room. That bed in the background was one of the most comfortable beds I’ve ever slept on.

Before jetting off at midnight on Thursday, we walked down the beach in Kihei to experience one more Maui sunset. Allow me one cliché: a perfect end to a perfect trip.

more fish in the sea

As I sat down to prepare my final Maui post, I uncovered a few more cool fish pictures from our days of snorkeling. I thought I'd share them with the inter-world:

Our friend, the pufferfish. Unpuffed, and therefore very cuddly looking.

Two frolicking humuhumunukunuku-apua'as. I ended up getting a decent picture afterall, but you'll need to click to enlarge so you can get a better look.

And, the final beauty: a parrotfish. Even more gorgeous in person, but the photograph's not bad.

obama rama

My new campaign bumper stickers:

the most diverse, but improbable: Obama/Clinton (except she'd never consent to a vice presidency)

the best: Gore/anyone (he could win again...)

the brightest: Gore/Obama (if only)

the beautiful: Stewart/Colbert

nipping at your nose...

Ah...Adrian Ramos over at Count Your Sheep never fails to hit the nail right on the head:

.

i'm already nostalgic

I bet you all thought I had vanished again for another few months, only to continue my Maui report under severe duress and threat of fingernail-pulling, and yet here I am. Anyway, onwards...

If you'll recall from the post before last, I left off on Friday, November 3rd, with April and I getting slowly broiled on the beach while we blissfully snorkelled around. That evening, after surveying and lamenting the sun damage, we changed into some nicer duds (even on Maui, bikinis and board shorts are not really deemed appropriate at a rehearsal dinner). So, at the rehearsal dinner we had our first chance to meet the extended families of the spouses-to-be -- naturally, everyone was lovely (not surprising since Amy and Mike are so great themselves). We ate at the Ma'alaea Grill, and the food was excellent; I had the Cajun blackened Mahi-Mahi and April had some beautifully rare Ahi tuna (plus, the appetizers--Manoa lettuce wraps, crab cakes, and incredible calamari--were to die for). Below, you'll find a picture of me, April, Amy, Mike (on the right) and Brad (the best man). At this point, we are pleasantly stuffed.

The next morning, we awoke with the chirpy birds to another bright and beautiful day and embarked on a caravan drive (with at least four cars and probably fifteen people) to West Maui, where Scott, Amy's brother, promised excellent snorkeling. We ended up north of Kapalua in Honolua Bay, and it was rather amusing to see several snorkeling ships anchored in the waters--while these people paid to be ferried to the Bay, we'd come there all on our own and only having to pay a few dollars to a young boy down the way whose family's property you had to cross to access the beach (they also maintained a surprisingly clean set of porta potties). Snorkeling was good, although the water was a little cloudy. Still, we flippered around for a good hour (after which my ankels were very sore...I actually wasn't totally thrilled about the idea of swimming back to shore from the middle of the Bay--but staying there to drown wasn't really an option).

From Honolua Bay, we drove back down the Western Coast to Kaanapali, where we had lunch--still partially in our bathing suits (with soggy t-shirts over our tops and damp board shorts)--at the Hula Grill. The food was pretty decent, though over-priced for what we got (but what do you expect on a resort beach?). In contrast, when April and I drove to Lahaina later that same evening to meet up with the rest of the gang (all of whom had gone to see Ulalena, a cirque-de-soleil-like production about Hawaiian history and traditions), we had an excellent meal that was quite inexpensive at a small stand-type "restaurant" in The Wharf Cinema Center on Front Street. It's called The Banyan Bistro, and I highly recommend it if you're in Maui; the falafel was wonderful (and if you don't want to take my word for it, here's a little review to tantalize you further). In any case, here's me standing in front of the koi pond in the Center courtyard as we await our meal.

On Sunday, it was wedding day! April's sunburn had cooled enough that she was able to get her bridesmaid massage, and she, Amy and Amy's mom got their hair done up all pretty-like. After much primping and preening, we all headed off to the beautiful Seawatch Resort and Restaurant. The wedding was outside on the lawn, overlooking the most amazing sunset and beach view.

Doesn't April look so pretty?

Aww...

Nope, neither of these pictures have been Photoshopped--at all. It was really that beautiful...

After the wedding, all twenty-five of us (family and friends) settled down for a night of partying and eating (again, excellent crab cakes and a very good meal). There was much dancing and merriment late into the night. And I made the DJ play "Sex Machine" (thank you, Kate!) so all was well.

Monday morning, April and I began our "solo" stay in Maui, but those adventures will have to wait for another post because I'm sleepy and have much grading to do (ergh...students). I'll leave you all with another picture of our stunning condo view: April Writing Postcards, with Palm Trees and Sun.

sensei aviva

On Monday and Wednesday of last week (October 30 and November 1), I endured several grueling hours of karate testing. And a very short while before we flew to Maui (our plane left Thursday at 6am and my testing ended at 9pm the night before), I was told that I had passed the rigourous requirements for the black belt test. These requirements include eight empty-hand katas (a prescribed series of movements and techniques envisioned as fight against multiple, imaginary enemies); three weapons katas (two with the bo--a type of quaterstaff--and one with sais--a pair of pronged short swords, famously used by Raphael, the teenage mutant ninja turtle, and by Gabrielle in the later seasons of Xena: The Warrior Princess); a empty-hand series of prearranged sparring (with two people), called Yakusoku Kumite; a prearranged weapons Kumite, with bos; free sparring; history and terminology; and basic technique--all in front of five black belts of 4th degree rank or higher.

In class today (the first class since I've been back in town) at my dojo, after 3 1/2 years of training in Isshin-Ryu Karate , I received my first degree black belt. My teacher called me "Sensei" as I left the building. This was exceedingly satisfying even though I know that this is only the first, very small, step in my karate education. I've been told that once you receive your black belt it's like starting all over again--the eternal student.

In other news of athletic achievements, April ran the Chicago Marathon on October 22 in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Team-in-Training. She ran for her grandmother, Mollie Miller, finished the 26.2 miles in 4 hours 4 minutes, and was still running strong at the end of the race (she actually sprinted the last 800m). Go April Go!!!

humuhumu-nukunuku-apua'a

Well, April and I have just returned from Maui, and I have many pretty pictures to share. Yes, I know, we're very lucky. But I can also say that there is nothing more depressing than leaving 82 degree weather, sunny skies, and walks along the beach at sunset to return to dreary, grey Rochester in the driving rain. Blah. April and I were coerced (twist my rubber arm, why dontcha) into flying to Maui by our friends Amy and Mike, who wisely decided that this lovely tropical island would be a fabulous place for their wedding. And boy, were they right.

So, last Thursday (Nov. 2), April and I packed up our bags and hopped onto the first of three flights to trek our way across the continent and beyond. The first two flights (Rochester to Pittsburgh and then Pittsburgh to Los Vegas) were relatively calm and as comfortable as being squeezed in a small metal box can be. The third flight, six plus hours across the Pacific, was awful (despite the fact that we practially had the whole plane to ourselves)--we literally had turbelence (and not just mild turbence either) for the full last 4 hours of the flight with little reprieve; they turned off the 'fasten seat belt' sign for about an hour before it went back on and glowed for the rest of the flight--even our flight attendants had to sit down. While that was a rather inauspicious beginning, Maui was wonderful. Perhaps "bad flight, good vacation" should become a new tagline to comfort people after their journey across the not-so-friendly skies.

We arrived on Thursday to pouring rain and encroaching darkness and, though we narrowly missed a big storm that had been raging on and off for the past few days, the weather the entire week we were there was perfect (this makes up for the rainy week in Paris, I think). Despite the rain and slightly confusing directions, we made it to our snug little condo in Ma'alea Harbor (on the southwest side of the island).


Friday, we started our day with coffee with Amy and Mike on the porch of our condo (one of many rented by Amy's parents for the wedding party and guests and also shared with Mike's best man, Brad, a kiwi farmer from California).

{For those who know my night-owlish ways, you'll be shocked to learn that almost everyday in Maui I was up by 7:30 at the latest. I attribute it to the time change--just makes it easier to get up earlier. Of course, blue skies and palm trees, and chirping birds help, too.}

Though we rented our own car, in order to get a sense of the island, we spent Friday morning with Amy and Mike. First, we went to Maui Dive Shop to rent snorkel gear for the week--not only did the woman at the counter give us a great deal (two sets for the price of one), this was by far the best investment we made during the trip. After that, a fabulous breakfast at Stella Blues Cafe in Kihei (city just to the south of Ma'alea)-- I had the Banana Macadamia Nut pancakes with coconut syrup. Best pancakes I've ever had. Next, we accompanied Amy and Mike to get their marriage license, mostly to save time, after which they dropped us off at a beach near Wailea. Now, since we were following Amy and Mike, I have no idea which beach this was (although we were able to find it again on our own later in the week). Maui has over 30 miles of beaches, so my confusion as to exactly where we were is justified.

We thought we were only going to be at the beach for a short time while Amy and Mike ran some errands, but by the time they came back for us we were having so much fun that they left us there. Since we had followed them in our car, we weren't by any means stranded, but we hadn't brought any sunscreen (stupid, stupid--though in our defense it was rainy in the morning and we hadn't realized how sunny and hot it would be by late in the day). This proved to be a huge mistake, as both April and I got sunburnt; I turned a bit purple and itched a few days later, but April turned bright as a lobster and her whole back pealed off in the last few days were on the isle. Poor thing.

Part of what fascinated us so on the beach and ocean that day wereits amazing reefs and the undeniable appeal of breathing underwater (snorkeling is my new favorite hobby, although it's a lot easier to burn when you're floating on your stomach in the water because you can't feel the heat of the sun scorching your back). At the dive shop, we were given this plastic fish identification card, which had lots of colorful little creatures on it that we were sure we wouldn't actually see ourselves. But little did we know that plop down in the water virtually anywhere in Maui where there are rocks and reefs, and you'll find fish. Lots of fish.

Unfortunately, while the Fuji underwater cameras we bought were great, some of the brilliant colors of the fish didn't come out so well in the relative murk of the water. Nevertheless, I'm posting some of my favorite underwater camera photos below (There's one more set of underwater photos currently being developed; I have hopes they'll be better because I tried to get very close to the fish when I took their pictures--the fish were wary but not too perturbed--I'll post those tomorrow if they turned out.)

My favorite fish was the humuhumu-nukunuku-apua'a (aka the reef triggerfish); the unofficial state fish of Hawai'i, they're plentiful in the shallow reefs. The murky pictures I've developed so far didn't do them justice, but this is what they really look like (below). I love the humuhumu-nukunuku-apua'a (not as much fun to type as to say) and stalked them through the ocean trying to get a decent picture (unfortunately, they swim much faster than me).


Since this post is getting rather long, I'll save the rest of the vacation update, including the beautiful wedding photos for another post. On a closing note, April and I were also very lucky (on the many days we snorkeled) to come across a number of sea turtles (at least 5 or 6 different ones)--even a couple huge, old ones covered in barnacles. We tried not to disturb them too much while still getting close enough to get a good look. On Friday, one approached me--whether to greet me as a fellow creature of the sea or to chase me away, I'm not so sure--and I screamed, floundered and got water in my snorkel. I'm not sure what I thought it was going to do to me, but this is not the way to calmly approach sea turtles. After that the two we had been observing hid from us, and I really I don't blame them at all.

a long, long time ago, I can still remember...

Many times now, I have promised a back-dated photojournal of our trip to Paris, London and on the QM2. Sadly, it has taken me 4 months to deliver, and now I'm copping out again. Truth be told, there's no point for me to write a long description of our trip and post all the pretty pictures because April already did all the work for me (and more eloquently than I could muster at the moment. So, if you're still interested in the trip from last May and June, please refer to the following, excellent and thorough, entries in April's blog:

* Six Days in Paris, Part 1
* Visiting Paris Part Two: A Marathon First Day
* Museums and Monuments
* Shopping and Spelunking
* From Railway Stations to Palaces

See also, her shorter post about the QM2.
How's that for a well-executed cop-out?

soapbox

I have been negligent in posting, I know. There is no excuse. But rest assured that attending to my lost and lonely blog is one of many things on my to do list. For now, I have a political message, commentary made by Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. You can read and watch it on their webpage. It is brilliant:

The Beginning of the End of America

Now back to your regularily scheduled programming.

Canada Cross-Country, August 2006

A few weeks ago I had all these bold and grand notions that the rest of July would afford me plenty of time get caught up on everything on my to do list. And first and foremost on that list was a directive to myself to "Get it together, kid. No. Seriously. I'm talking to you!" and post my photos and tall tales from our lovely May in Europe. Obviously, that never happened. But part of me--hope springs eternal--is still convinced that I'll post those pictures and that travel narrative floating about my head (but getting fainter and fainter everyday) eventually. Actually, I was thinking about doing it tonight, but my computer crashed last week and, since I had to reset everything to factory settings, I haven't yet reinstalled Photoshop; for some reason that seems like a great deal of work right now, just so I can resize some pictures for your viewing enjoyment. So it'll have to wait. Again. But, if you're eager to see some photos while you're waiting for me to get my act together, check out April's Blog (you'll find the travel "diary" in the June entries). That girl is on the ball.

I do, however, have one picture for show and tell today. Below, I present to you our route from Rochester to Calgary. On Tuesday, April and I will be packing up the car and the dog, leaving the rest of the menagerie in the capable hands of our friend Dinah, and begin the 4-day drive to Alberta, where we'll stay with her parents for about 2 weeks, before packing everything up again and coming back. We have myriad AAA campbooks (since we're camping in between each 10-12 hour day of driving), tour guides, maps and a triptik. We decided it would be more interesting to take different routes there and back, so we'll travel to Calgary through Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan and then our return trip will take us through Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. We're particularily looking forward to taking a picture of Fargo in front of the Fargo, North Dakota city sign!

bon voyage

Just a quick post to say that I'm leaving for my European vacation in an hour! Have a wonderful May, and I'll plan a big long picture post for when I return. :)
xoxo

busy bee

I promise I'm not intentionally ignoring anyone. Really and for true. I just have less than a week until I leave for Europe and still so much to do...

Last night, at 11pm and after grading all of my students' research papers, April and I made ourselves cranberry martinis (2 oz. cranberry juice, 1 1/2 oz. vodka or gin--I like mine with gin--and a splash of lemon or lime juice). I posted my grades this morning, and I have to say that I hope my students count themselves lucky because there were far too many B+s in my class. Unfortunately, I can't just make up grades, so I had to go with what the numbers said. Next time, I'll have to figure out what about my grading rubric is inflating my grades. (Maybe my students were just unusually good writers this semester? Nah.)

I just wrote a ridiculously detailed outline of my L Word paper (color-coded: blue for what's already there, red for things I need to add/cut/reframe/revise/make-sound-less-stupid), so maybe I'll work on that for a little while before I go to bed. And then I have to get up at 8am to show some of my fellow students how to use Dreamweaver so they can publish the upcoming issue of Invisible Culture without my help next week.

In other news, I'm soooo looking forward to my trip. (But not looking forward to flying.)

Food Fridays #9

Finally…Part Three of the Eggplant Parmesan Pizza recipe that starts with the Basic Pizza Dough with Italian Herbs and the World’s Best Pizza Sauce. The dough and sauce can, of course, be made separately or together for a myriad of delicious pizzas.

If you’re ambitious enough to attempt the whole Eggplant Parmesan Pizza recipe, make sure to read the whole thing before beginning. The recipe has five parts: the dough, the tomato sauce, the white sauce, the eggplants, and the pizza assembly. It cuts down on the cooking time significantly if you overlap different parts of the recipe (for example, make the sauces and drain the eggplants while the dough rises etc.…). You can, of course, also just use parts of this recipe to make other pizzas.

I also recommend making this for a group of friends, because it’s a good bit of work and you’ll want to share the yummy results!


Eggplant Parmesan Pizza

Basic Pizza Dough with Italian Herbs
World’s Best Pizza Sauce

White Sauce

3 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground white pepper

In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour, whisk briskly to blend until smooth, and cook, stirring about 2 minutes; do not brown. Add the milk all at once and whisk until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Pour the sauce into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface to prevent skin from forming, and set aside.


Eggplant Pizza

2 pounds globe eggplants, peeled and sliced crosswise about ½ inch thick
all-purpose flour for dredging eggplants
equal portions vegetable oil and olive oil for frying
salt
freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil for brushing pizza pan or screen
olive oil, for brushing crust and drizzling on top
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 oz), Parmigiano-Reggiano is the best
about 30 small whole fresh basil leaves, or 3 tbsp. minced fresh basil or oregano

Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with salt and place on paper towels. Cover with more paper towels and place a wooden board or heavy weight (evenly distributed) on top of the eggplant slices and paper towels for 30 minutes to draw out moisture.
Meanwhile, prepare the White Sauce and the Tomato Sauce.

Rinse the eggplant slices and pat dry with paper towels. Dredge lightly in flour. Pour equal portions olive oil and vegetable oil into a sauté pan or heavy skillet to a depth of 2 inches, and heat over medium-high heat. Add as many of the eggplant slices as will fit comfortably without crowding the pan and brown on both sides. Continue to cook, turning several times, until tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted utensil or tongs, transfer the eggplant to paper towels to drain; then season to taste with salt and pepper. Brown the remaining eggplant slices in the same manner, adding more oil as necessary to prevent sticking.

Brush pizza screen or ventilated pizza pan with vegetable oil; set aside. On a floured surface, roll out the dough and place on prepared screen or pan.

Brush the raw dough or the prebaked crust(s) all over with olive oil, then top with the eggplant slices, overlapping slightly and leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Spoon the White Sauce over the eggplant; then top with the Tomato Sauce. Sprinkle with about ¾ cup of the cheese and drizzle evenly with olive oil.

Transfer pizza to the preheated oven, and bake until crust is crisp and the cheese and toppings are bubbly, about 8 minutes for prebaked crusts, or 10 to 15 minutes for fresh dough. Remove from the oven and lightly brush the edges of the crust with olive oil. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and the whole or minced herb leaves. Slice and serve immediately.

the wonders of the Interweb

My two new favorite time wasters film-related websites:

Trailervision
(More fake movie trailers, but most of them are previewing original films that don't actually exist--some are political, some are hilarious, many of them are quite good.)

MovieRap.com
(Rappers write/rap film reviews)


Also, for those of you who, like me, are a little slow on the uptake and didn't see this when it first made the Underground Internet Circuit last fall, the Association of Independent Creative Editors had a competition for its assistant editors to see who could make a movie trailer with scenes from an actual film that made the film look like something completely different than it actually was (only soundtrack and voiceover could be altered). There was apparently quite a bit of buzz (even an article in the NY Times), but I missed it until now. Here are a couple of the (amazing) trailers. Context is everything, it seems:

Shining
(The Shining as a family drama)

Brokeback to the Future
(The Back to the Future trilogy as a love story)

West Side Story
(West Side Story as a zombie movie)

whack the mole

(Don't ask about the subject line, even I couldn't tell you what it means.)

Tales of my abduction and dismemberment have been grossly exaggerated. Really. I promise.

I thought I'd pop in to tell anyone who's reading that I'm fine and still lurking around and still know that I owe many of you emails and about 18 Food Fridays and so much more. And you'll get all of that. Very soon, I hope. I finally feel like I have a little bit of time to myself this weekend so hopefully I'll get back on the ball (no promises though that I'll stay on the ball after that, but rest assured that my repeated absences do not mean I'm going away permanently or anything).

So, news from the past few weeks:

1. Last week I was in Atlanta, GA for five days for a the Popular Cultural Association Conference with April, her friend and her friends' fiancee. We gave our papers, we tooled around the city, we enjoyed the 85 degree weather, we ate at the Flying Biscuit Cafe, which is wonderful and (unfortunately) yet another restaurant in a far-flung city that I'm in love with. We also met up with several good friends who now live in Atlanta, so that made the whole trip twice as lovely.

2. When I returned, I had to comment on fifteen 4-9 page papers (they were drafts so their length varied greatly) in two days. That was a bit harrowing, but this is the last batch of papers I'll have to look at before May 3, when classes end and my students turn in their final research papers.

3. My car got broken into Tuesday night (in my driveway!), and I was awoken by the car alarm, which obviously scared off the potential theif. They broke one of the windows and then tried to open to the door (and set off the alarm). I didn't have anything in my car, so it was more of a hassle than anything else--calling the police to file a report, calling insurance, getting my window replaced, getting the damage to the window casing and door frame assessed, etc.

4. I volunteered to be on the Programming committee of our city's LGBT film festival (mostly because a friend told me to do it, but also because it's fun) in my copious free time, so I've been watching a lot of queer films in the past few weeks (some good, many very very bad).

(Now that I've listed the things I've been doing, it really doesn't seem like I've been doing all that much, but, damn, it sure feels like I've been going non-stop for weeks. Maybe it's just that certain things, like Atlanta and the grading, took up a lot of my time.)

Now on to the things that I'll be doing in the next few weeks
(a.k.a. Deadlines, Deadlines, Deadlines):

1.I have a karate tournament on May 6th. I'll try to compete in Jiu-jitsu, too, but I'm not sure if they'll let me since I'll be the only woman competing and all the guys are bigger than me. I understand the concern that I'll get crushed like a little bug, but I think it would be a good experience (competing, not getting crushed). Either way, I'll definitely compete in karate--kata, weapons, sparring. Last time we had a karate tournament, I didn't do as well as I'd hoped so I actually need to practice beforehand this time (not just frantically the night before). Also, last time I got the crap beat out of me in sparring because one guy had no sense of control (we don't spar full contact) and blasted me so hard in the stomach that he knocked me over...twice. The irony was that I still won that match because power/strength has nothing to do with scoring points, and he kicked me in the head hard enough that the judges called a foul (kicks to the head can get you a lot of points, but you're not allowed to make more than light contact to the head). So, near the end of the match when he kicked me in the head again, his second foul of the match turned into a point for me and I won. I think it was poetic justice, especially since by then I was crying (but still fighting) in spite of myself. Hopefully there will be none of that this time around.

2. I'm going to Germany and France on May 13th for three weeks. I'm very excited, except #s 3-6 below all have to be completed before I leave.

3. On May 3, I'll be getting fifteen 8-10 page research papers that will need to be graded by the following week.

4. My paper on the L Word is due back to the editor by May 15th (technically, 13th). Have I started my revisions? Not really...unless you count thinking about it.

5. My conference paper on the L Word for the National Women's Studies Association Conference is due on June 1st. But since I'll be out of town then, I need to get it done before I go. Luckily, it's similar to the paper I'm publishing (#4).

6. I have to get a revised copy of my dissertation proposal to my committe before I leave the country.

Okay, that's all for now. [/whiny post]

Food Fridays #8

Part 2 of the three-part Food Fridays Eggplant Parmesan Pizza extravaganza (see also Part 1: Basica Pizza Dough with Italian Herbs).

I've gotten much lazier than I used to be when I first started making homemade pizzas a few years ago. That is to say that I rarely, if ever, make my own pizza dough by hand anymore (sometimes I buy it from the grocery store, sometimes I use April's bread machine). However, I always always always make my own pizza sauce...because this is the best pizza sauce in the world! And it's quite easy to make. Again, from James McNair's Vegetarian Pizza.


Basic Tomato Sauce

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
½ cup finely chopped, peeled carrot
½ cup finely chopped celery
2 tsp. minced or pressed garlic
3 cups peeled, seeded, chopped, and drained ripe or canned tomatoes
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. minced fresh basil or oregano (optional)
salt
freshly ground black pepper

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, tomato, and vinegar. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium, and cook until thickened and most of the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Stir in the herbs (if used) about 5 minutes before the sauce is done. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer sauce to food processor with metal blade or to a blender. Process to a coarse puree. Set aside for immediate use, or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 or 5 days.

Food Fridays #7

This is Part 1 of a three-part Food Fridays recipe for Eggplant Parmesan Pizza from the James McNair's Vegetarian Pizza cookbook. Both parts 1 and 2 can be used on their own to make really excellent pizza dough and pizza sauce, respectively.

Basic Pizza Dough with Italian Herbs

1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 cup warm (110˚ to 115˚ F) water
1 envelope (¼ oz.) active dry yeast
3 ¼ unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
3 tbsp. minced fresh herbs or 1 tbsp. crumbled dried herbs (optional)

In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. (Water should be warm, but not hot or it will kill the yeast.) Sprinkle the yeast over the water and stir gently until it dissolves. When yeast is mixed with the water at the right temperature, a smooth, beige mixture results. (If the yeast clumps together and the water stays clear, discard and start over with new yeast.) Let mixture stand in warm spot until a thin layer of creamy foam covers the surface, about 5 minutes, indicating that the yeast is effective.

To mix and knead the dough by hand, combine 3 cups of flour with the salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture and the oil. Using a wooden spoon, vigorously stir the flour into the well, beginning in the center and working towards the sides of the bowl, until the flour is incorporated and the soft dough just begins to hold together.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Dust your hands with four and knead dough gently and thoroughly. While kneading, very gradually add just enough of the remaining ¼ cup flour until the dough is no longer sticky or tacky; this should take about 5 minutes. Add herbs, if desired. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth, elastic, and shiny, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Knead the dough only until it feels smooth and springy; too much kneading can result in a tough crust.

After mixing and kneading, shape dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl, turning to coat completely on all sides with oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until doubled in bulk (approx. 45 minutes for quick-rising yeast or 1 to 1 ½ hours for regular yeast).

Preheat oven to 500˚F about 1 hour before assembling pizza.

As soon as the dough has doubled in bulk, use your fist to punch it down to prevent overising (my favorite part!). Squeeze the dough into a ball, pressing out all the air bubbles. To prepare the dough for shaping, pull the top of the dough and tuck all seams under the bottom to create a ball with a smooth top. This will make a 15- to 16-inch pizza.

Shape the pizza with a rolling pin until it is about ¼ inch thick or by slow and careful stretching. (If stretching, you may want to knead the pizza again for a minute.) Work on a floured surface, and then transfer pizza to a vented pizza pan or pizza screen. Do this right before you are ready to put the ingredients on the pizza.

Food Fridays #6

These are positively the best cookies in the world. April loves them, I love them, people regularily approach me and say "When are you going to make Snickerdoodles again?" Even my dog likes them. (He once stole about seven of them off the table at a party. We weren't particularily pleased [read: furious], but he was bouncing off the walls for hours).

The key to these delectable cookies is to follow the directions (really) and actually take the cookies out of the oven after 8-10 minutes (depending on the size of the cookie). I used to always make the mistake of leaving the cookies in longer because I thought they weren't done, and so my Snickerdoodles were always brittle and hard. But one day I decided I would actually follow Betty Crocker's instructions and, lo and behold, they were glorious. So, the cookies will be gooey and exceptionally soft when you take them out the oven. Handle them with care when you take them off the baking sheet, and you'll have perfect cookies once they cool (with a slightly crispy rim and a soft center). Oh, and don't try to make a half recipe. It won't work, and it will make you very sad when your cookies are hard little mounds of dough.

This recipe is from an ancient version of the Betty Crocker cookbook (and is not in more recent versions); my mother's copy is literally in pieces and stained with sugar and vanilla flavoring. Also, be forewarned that these cookies are definitely not low-fat. Butter and shortening? Is that really necessary? But that's what makes them so gooood.


Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix thoroughly butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar and the eggs. Blend in flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded teaspoons into balls.

Mix 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon; roll balls in mixture. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from baking sheet.

About 6 dozen cookies.

Food Fridays #5

The first time I made this was for a study group I was part of while I was getting my MA. Seven of us met weekly to study the entirety of Gaardner's History of Art because we were responsible for all 1000 or so images in that book for our MA Slide Exam. Considering that we spent more time laughing, eating and asking each other how to spell "sarcophagus" then actually studying, it's fortunate that the professors must have graded the Exam like we were kindergarteners ("Oh, she got the time period right within a century and described the painting in great detail--even though she didn't know its title or artist or anything about it otherwise. Give her full credit; her description was pretty.")

All that said, this bread is incredibly good. And if you eat it right after it comes out of the oven (which you should) it has this amazingly crispy outer crust with a soft, warm, doughy inside (because of the onion). It's from a cookbook called Fat-Free Cooking (and, yes, it's pretty low-fat, as is most bread that isn't full of, say, cheddar).


Olive and Oregano Bread

1 1/4 cups warm water
1 tsp. dried yeast
pinch of sugar
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/3 cup pitted black olives, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp. black olive paste
1 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
(you may substitute 1-2 tsp. of dried herbs, if you wish)

Put half the warm water in a cup and sprinkle the yeast on top. Add the sugar and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan and fry the onion gently until golden brown.

Sift the flour in a mixing bowl with the salt and pepper. Make a well in the center; and add the yeast mixture, the fried onion (with the oil), the olives, olive paste, herbs and remaining water. Gradually incorporate the flour; and mix into a soft dough, adding a little extra water if necessary. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Place in a mixing bowl, and cover with a damp dish towel. Leave in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in bulk. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead again for a few minutes. Shape into an 8inch round and place on the prepared baking sheet. Using a large sharp knife, make crisscross cuts over the top. Cover and let stand in a warm place for 30 minutes until well risen. Preheat oven to 425˚F.

Dust the loaf with a little flour. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 400˚F. Bake the 20 more minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Food Fridays #4

As promised, last week's absolutely delicious fish and chips meal. An indulgence, sure, but so worth it. Really.

Crispy Horseradish-Battered Fried Fish

Vegetable Oil, for frying
2 1/2 cups complete pancake mix (the kind that needs only water)
1 heaping tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 pounds fresh cod, cut into 4- to 6-ounce pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pour about 2 inches of vegetable oil into a large skillet. Place the skillet over a large burner and heat the oil over medium-high heat. To check if the oil is hot enough, drop in a 1-inch cube of white bread. The bread should be brown in a 40 count.

While the oil is heating up, make the batter for the fish. In a wide mixing bowl (or deep plate), combine 2 cups of the pancake mix, 1 1/4 cups water, and the horseradish. Place the remaining 1/2 cup of pancake mix in another wide mixing bowl (or deep plate). Arrange the batter and the bowl of dry pancake mix near the cooktop and the heating oil. Line a plate with a few sheets of paper towels and keep it within reach.

Season the fish with salt and pepper, then toss it in the dry pancake mix, coat evenly, and shake off the excess. The pancake mix will help the batter stick to the fish. Add the fish to the batter, flipping it around in the batter with a fork. You want the fish to be completely coated. Remove the fish from the batter, carefully place it in the hot oil, and fry for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until deep golden. Remove from the oil and drain on the paper towels.

French Fries

4 large or 6 medium baking potatoes, such as Idaho or Russet, peeled
Vegetable oil as needed
Salt to taste

Cut the potatoes into any shape you like (I like my fries medium thick). Rinse in a few changes of water, then soak in ice water while you heat the oil.

Place the vegetable oil to a depth of at least 3 inches in a large, deep saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat it to a temperature of 375 degrees Fahrenheit. (I didn’t have a proper thermometer, so I just guessed, but they turned out fine. Basically, the oil needs to be very hot.)

Drain the potatoes and dry them well; drop them, a handful at a time, into the oil. After the first addition, turn the heat to high. Once they are all in, turn the heat to medium. Fry the potatoes in one batch, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the majority of them have begun to brown. Turn the heat to low (or turn it off if you’re going to wait to fry them again) and drain the potatoes on paper towels or a paper bag; they will be pale and soggy. If you like, you can allow them to rest here for up to 1 hour before proceeding.

Raise the heat to high and bring the oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the potatoes back in the oil and cook, stirring now and then, until brown and crisp, just a couple of minutes. Drain on paper towels or paper bags, season with salt, and serve immediately.

* * * * * * * * * *
The fish recipe comes from Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats and the recipe for the fries is from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything (if you don't own it already, go buy a copy now--it's one of the best all-around cookbooks out there). I did the first stage of potato frying before cooking the fish and then let the fries sit as Bittman suggests while I cooked the fish. And then I threw the fries in the oil for the second, shorter frying right before the fish was done. Make sure to use enough oil in the fish pan so that the fish does not touch the bottom of the pan (but rather floats in the oil), otherwise the batter will stick to the bottom of the pan and the fish will fall apart when you try to take it out of the pan. For the fries I used a big pot full of oil (this is for those of us who don't have deep fryers!) and for the fish I used a deep frying pan. You'll need about a gallon of oil between the fries and the fish...just a warning.

Make sure to have tartar sauce and lemons and/or malt vinegar on hand for the fish. And whatever your fancy for the fries (I like ketchup mixed with a couple teaspoons of curry).