It's Been A Long Time

I shouldn't have left you
without a dope beat
to step to.



Dear Blog,

I haven't completely forgotten about you, I promise.
I've just been studying for the Series 7, 63, and working on this:



T-shirt design for the ongoing Threadless competition.
Photoshop is like a drug. It's an addiction and it's turning my brain into mush.

Våffeldagen: Day o' Waffles

International Waffle Day (March 25) originated in Sweden where it is called Våffeldagen. It occurs nine months to the day before Christmas - the day the Archangel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary that she was pregnant. As the holiday progressed, it also began to commemorate the first day of spring. Waffles come into play because on March 25th the women of Sweden would set aside their winter tasks like chopping wood and knitting, and began their spring tasks... the most notable of which was preparing waffles.

Silly? Perhaps. But 1.) It's a WAFFLE HOLIDAY and 2.) it's really very fun to say.
How can one resist?


...Also, my mom bought a waffle-maker on black friday and demanded that I make her waffles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That was a while ago.



Buttermilk Waffles with Maple-Glazed Bananas

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, separated
1/2 stick of butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Canola oil for the waffle pan

2 tbsp butter
2 large bananas, cut into thick slices
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp rum

[Note: If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can substitute by mixing 1.25 cups of milk at room temperature with 2 tablespoons white vinegar. Let sit for 10 minutes. Also, remember these banana slices need to be quite thick, since they sort of... melt when you cook them.]

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

In a large bowl, fully combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the buttermilk and the egg yolks. Stir in butter and vanilla.

Brush the waffle iron lightly with oil and preheat it. Stir the wet into the dry ingredients. Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Stir them gently into the batter.

Spread a ladle or so of batter onto the waffle iron and bake until the waffle is done (approximately 3 to 5 minutes). Serve immediately or keep warm in the oven.

While the waffles are baking (?), heat up the 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan. Add in the rum and let cook for a minute. Lay the banana slices flat across the bottom of the pan, and cook on each side for a minute. Remove bananas from pan. Add the maple syrup to the pan and continue heating the sauce until it thickens a little (couple of minutes). Pour on top of waffles and bananas. (I also added in some fresh banana slices).

Top with some freshly whipped cream and serve.

Makes 4-6 servings.

The Photographic Dictionary

kinetic ki⋅net⋅ic [ki-net-ik]
-- adjective
1. pertaining to motion.
2. caused by motion.
3. characterized by movement: Running and dancing are kinetic activities.

I love, love, love this idea.

The Photographic Dictionary is an elfin, but I hope rapidly expanding, dictionary that collects beautiful photographs taken by artists around the world and draws delicate parallels between the realms of words and imagery. Every image is assigned to a single word and definition. The nuances of personal experience in the photographs recreate new significance and beauty for a collection of words both common and forgotten.

The Dictionary is a massive collaborative effort, and they welcome new submissions. It's an exercise in recognizing our processes of meaning creation and appreciating the imprint of individual experience on how we come to understand signifiers.

My two favorite things. Words and photography.

Gravity.



Nap.



Birthday.


Ambiance.

Bratwurst With Sautéed Cabbage & Apples

Bratwurst Served With Sautéed Cabbage & Apples
(Original, fancier recipe found on Seven Spoons)

Ingredients:
1 small head of cabbage, thinly shredded
1 Gala apple, thinly sliced
2 shallots, minced
1/2 a small yellow onion, chopped
2 slices of bacon or Canadian bacon, chopped
1 or 2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp of oil (if you use Canadian bacon. Do without for the fatty kind.)
2 tsp sugar
1/3 cup of water
salt & pepper to taste
Brats.

Heat the oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crisp, drain, and set aside. Add the shallots and onion to the pan and cook until the onions have softened (a couple of minutes). Add in the apple and continue to cook for a few more minutes, stirring frequently. The apples should pick up some color and the onions should be translucent at this point.

Add in vinegar and sugar, and wait until sugar is dissolved.

Throw the cabbage in, and add the water. Stir until thoroughly combined with the onions, apples, and vinegar. Continue cooking until most of the liquid is evaporated and the cabbage is soft without being... mushy. Add the bacon back in and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve up quick with a couple of grilled brats and a good Hefeweizen.
(and be warned, bratwurst takes forever to cook. Start grilling before you do anything else.)

Frosty Papaya Milk

Every time I mention that I'm hungry, one of my parents offers me a banana. And I always say no. I'm not sure exactly what the rationale is behind offering the banana, but the refusal is always simply because I don't like them. They're thick and dry, and leave your mouth feeling like it's covered in a coat of wax. It's like eating paste. Except... I love everything else banana. Banana cream pie, banana popsicles, banana ice cream, banana fosters, fried bananas, banana cupcakes, banana nut bread... banana looks like a made-up word. Banananana.

Anyway, the point of that was, I feel the same way about papayas.

Papayayaya.



Frosty Papaya Milk

Ingredients:
1 perfectly ripe papaya, scooped and sliced
3 cups of milk
2 cups of ice
1 tbsp of honey

Blend and enjoy on a spring day.