Open Courses

I've discovered an excellent resource to keep my noggin growing: Open Courses. The idea isn't new (eh hem, Open University), but with the advent of multimedia technologies being widely available, university professors are recording their lectures, and making these audio files (and sometimes transcripts and handouts) available to the general public, free of charge. How valliant, to make their knowledge available to anyone, with no expectation for a fee. I say its awesome.

I'm currently reading the transcripts for Yale's ENGL 310: Modern Poetry. It's extremely thorough, and includes all of the handouts and a selection of transcripts, audio files, and video links of actual lectures. It's a great example of a course I wish I had time to take while I was at university.

MIT Open Course Directory
Yale Open Course Directory
Oculture Directory of Open Courses
OEDB Directory of Open Courses

Meat Pie-lettes

I think it's sad that I can't bake more often; it's definitely my favorite thing to do in the kitchen. I found an excellent recipe for Tourtiere (Meat Pie) on Allrecipes. It calls for ground pork, but I used ground lamb instead. And rather than making one large pie, I made a dozen mini-pies by pressing my crust dough into muffin tins. These were really delicious, and the spices (cinnamon, cloves, allspice) were surprisingly delicious when paired with the lamb and my own addition of garlic powder.

Illustration Friday: Sour

Sour things are like sweet things, only with a tough-guy first glance.

Illustration Friday: Seed

Feeling Printy

3D Papercraft Matryoshka Dolls

I'm always on the lookout for new printables, and this Fried Beef Article is a classic. Say hello to an exhaustive list of free printable items, including, but not limited to, printable lens covers, wi-fi wave reflectors, and even printable wallets and iPod covers. Reading the comments on this page, however, is also very useful. Thanks to a commentary, I found Canon's 3D Papercraft , a collection of printable toys, learning tools, and models. I especially loved the Matryoshka Doll pattern (above). I can't wait to buy some more color ink for the printer.

Illustration Friday: Wrinkles

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I can't help but take more pictures.

Armed with Camera

I like to take pictures that seem interesting.
I like that the third picture features a tree
whose branches resemble lightening bolts,
and that the stones resemble broken glass.

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Illustration Friday: Fail

It's almost like tunnel vision; the only thing you notice are the mistakes.

I like to cook on Sundays.

Butternut Squash with Polish Sausage and Onions Sauteed
Baby Greens with Tart Apples, Cherry Tomatoes, and Parmesan Cheese with a Walnut Oil Vinegarette
Grilled Toast with Cheddar Cheese

Butternut Squash with Polish Sausage, Sauteed with Onions

To make this, I took the casings off of a pound of Polish sausage, and sauteed it in canola oil (about 1 tsp), with one roughly chopped onion. I chopped the sausage into smaller, more manageable pieces while it was cooking, and when the sausage was done cooking, I pressed the mixture between paper towels to remove excess fat. In the meantime, I cut apart one butternut squash, and microwaved it until tender (about 15 minutes or so). I served the sausage in the butternut squash cavities.

Baby Greens Salad with Tart Apples, Parmesan Cheese, Cherry Tomatoes, and a Balsamic-Walnut Oil Vinegarette

I love this salad! The combination of cherry tomatoes, tart apples, and balsamic vinegar add a really balanced sweet-sour flavor, and the Parmesan cheese and walnut oil make it a savory salad. Simply wash some baby greens, and in a salad bowl, combine the greens with a handful of grated Parmesan cheese, a handful of cherry tomatoes (chopped), two cubed, tart apples (the variety is your choice), and toss with a drizzle of walnut oil and balsamic vinegar, a pinch of salt, and a few shakes of pepper.

To make the grilled cheese toast, I simply placed two slices of crusty Italian bread in my George Foreman Grill, and when they became all crispy and hot, I sprinkled a few pinches of grated cheddar cheese on one piece, and sandwiched it.

The only drawback to making a meal like this is the compulsory wishing it were summer!

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1080 Recipes

The self-proclaimed Spanish cooking Bible, 1080 Recipes, is comparable to Italy's Silver Spoon, and is translated and made available to English speakers by Phaidon Publishers.

I admit I didn't know much about Spanish cooking, other than it combines features of European and Middle Eastern cooking, and, of course, a variety of meats. And part of that assumption is true, however, I didn't realize what a variety of foods and ingredients are used.

Some dishes I would love to try include Spinach Tarts with Coddled Eggs, Stuffed Beets, Tomato Sorbet, and Fava Beans with Blood Sausage.

I admit the desserts also sound intriguing. Bavarian with Pineapple, and Ladyfingers with Jam and Chocolate sound quite good.

If I end up cooking any of these recipes, I'll be sure to post photos and describe my results here.

Illustration Friday: Pet Peeves

9 Comments

Illustration Friday: Heavy

Heavy Rain

12 Comments

Illustration Friday: Garden

4 Comments

Baking Biscotti

(l-r, Earl Grey biscotti, Almond Biscotti)

I had biscotti for the first time just a few months ago. It was on sale at the local supermarket, and I tried the almond variety out of curiosity, and quite enjoyed the texture/flavor. I was on a baking binge today (I ended up also making lady fingers and resultingly, tiramisu), and thought I'd give biscotti a try; I'd previously heard it was an easy, stress-free experience. I got the basic recipe on AllRecipes.

But as much as I love baking, and how little I enjoy walking away from a baking session without trying something new and unusual, I thought I'd tweak the recipe a bit. I ended up with Earl Grey Biscotti. It's citrus-ey, mild, and lovely; I wish I had some white chocolate to dip them in. Here's a recipe for them:

Earl Grey Biscotti
(makes approximately 16 biscotti)

Ingredients
3 bags Earl Grey tea, cut open
1/4 canola or vegetable oil
1/2 C brown sugar
1 5/8 C flour
1 whole egg + 1 egg white
1/2 T baking powder

Instructions
Drain tea bags in a larger bowl, and beat with oil, eggs, and sugar, until combined. Add flour and baking powder, and stir until combined and cleaning the sides of the bowl.

Grease a sheet cake pan.

Shape your ball of dough into a log, equal in length with that of the pan, and then press it to 1/2 inch in height. Bake in a preheated 375 degree (F) oven, for about 30 minutes.

Remove the log from the oven, and slice into 1/2 inch slices. Arrange on pan with cut sides up, and bake 10 minutes more. Flip slices over, and bake another 6 minutes. Allow to cool.

I think this would be great dipped in white chocolate; just a suggestion.

Enjoy!

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Makin' My Own Mac

(mind the smudge, please)

I admit I've never actually had Hamburger Helper, however, I do enjoy a good bowlful of elbow macaroni with a meaty tomato sauce. Here's my recipe for this tasty treat.

Hamburger Assistant (?)

Ingredients
2 lbs. elbow macaroni

1 T olive oil
5 anchovies, from can
1 big onion, chopped
1 big green bell pepper, chopped
1 lb. ground turkey
3-14.5 oz cans stewed tomatoes, mushed up
1 small can tomato paste
2 T Italian seasoning
1 T dried basil
3-4 T dried garlic (depending on desired taste)
shredded Parmesan cheese, brown sugar, salt, and pepper, to taste

Instructions
Boil water for pasta in a large pot. You will cook the mac until al dente while the sauce is simmering.

On high heat, saute anchovies in olive oil. When they are dissolved, add onion and green bell pepper and saute until tender. Add ground turkey and saute until well done.

Add stewed tomatoes and tomato paste. stir in spices, and add sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Let the sauce simmer for approximately 20 minutes.

Once pasta is ready and drained, stir it into the sauce, stir, and add a good handful of shredded Parmesan cheese to the mix.

Enjoy!

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(click the pic for the article)

Did you know that, to the best of human knowledge, the button was developed between the years 2800-2600 B.C., and was initially used as decoration? Don't you just love Wikipedia?

Treating Myself to a Little Dose of Comfort Food

I like cooked cabbage; especially when it's sauteed. Corned beef and cabbage is really good, but I honestly don't eat beef often. Therefore, I occasionally end up eating corned beef and cabbage minus the corned beef plus potato, onion, and sometimes turkey bacon, which is delightful. Here's a recipe if you'd like.

Bacon-ey Cabbage Saute
Sauce three slices of turkey bacon in one tablespoon of olive oil until brown, and then add one enormously large sliced onion (or two medium sized onions) and two chopped yukon gold potatoes and saute until soft and brown. If things start burning, add a splash of chicken broth and de-glaze.

When onions and bacon are ready, add one roughly chopped cabbage to the pot, add another splash of chicken broth, cover the pot, and allow to cook for about ten minutes, or until the cabbage is tender to your liking. Stir occasionally. When ready, season with pepper and a good squirt of plain yellow mustard (the hotdog type, not dijon). Stir well, and serve.

Illustration Friday: Theory

It's that look you get when your brilliant theory is not so brilliant after all.