Family

Here are some pictures from Christmas of my family at home, snowshoeing and skiing.

Food

I like to cook. I also like efficiency and maximizing time spent actually enjoying cooking rather than using the wrong tool for a job and getting frustrated. Off the top of my head, these are some of my favorite and most versatile tools:

- Peeler - not just for vegetables! Cheese, spices, chocolate.

- Mini-chopper and grinder - for garlic, spices, herbs, sauces, emulsifying.

- Lemon juicer - I don't care what Mark Bittman says, it's easier this way.

- A good paring knife and a good butcher knife - most knives are unfortunately one-dimensional. For good results either of these two usually does the trick.

- Plastic cutting boards - and lots of them!

- One other thing I like to do is have all of my oils/vinegars/sauces, and all of my spices very clearly displayed. This way, I am aware of all the ingredients I have at my disposal so that I can make the best decision and I can be creative because it's inspiring to see all sorts of products well presented.

I also love cookbooks. I have many, but always seem to go back to the same ones for help figuring out what to make. Not all cookbooks are great. I prefer those with pictures or simple layouts, a mix of resources on a wide range of foods, but also down to earth, appealing recipes, and also those that make it approachable to try new recipes and flavors. The three that I use most often for everyday cooking are below. Otherwise, I pull recipes from magazines, online or other cookbooks I have, when I have time and am inspired to try something new. Or when Steve has a yen for a far off food.

- The New Basics Cookbook, by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins: a resource for info on most any ingredient you can think of, also with very American-type recipes for all seasons.

- The Working Cook:Fast and Fresh Meals for Busy People by Tara Duggan: more like fast, easy, delicious and simple meals for a weeknight.

- Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook by Myra Goodman, Linda Holland, and Pamela McKinstry: taught me how to make my own granola and has great recipes and the story of Earthbound Farm.

Cure Organic Farm Community Supported Agriculture

Schivonne and I signed up for the Summer 2009 Cure Organic Farm Community Supported Agriculture. CSA. You pay up front for 20 weeks of fresh, seasonal, organic and varied vegetables and herbs (June - October). This investment not only pays for the food you get, but also helps them gather capital to support new development, innovation and farm maintenance. We got a large share, to split between our two families (feeds 4-5 people a week). We had to purchase our share this early in the year because Cure can only produce so much food on their 6 acres and needs to plan accordingly: CSAs for 150 families, their farm stand, selling at the Farmer's Markets, and produce supply for local restaurants like The Kitchen. I also believe they're one of the best in Boulder County. We're very lucky.

Here is the chart of vegetable varieties we'll get:

Vegetables Arugula Beets Braising Mix Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Carrots Cauliflower Chard Cherry Tomatoes Collards Cucumbers Dry Beans Eggplant

Fava Beans Fennel Garlic Green Beans Head Lettuce Heirloom Tomatoes Kale Leeks Lettuce Melons Onions Peppers Potatoes Pumpkins

Radish Salad Mix Scallions Shallots Snap Beans Snow Peas Spinach Sugar Snap Peas Summer Squash Sweet Corn Tomatoes Turnip Winter Squash Zucchini

Herbs Basil Cilantro Dill Parsley

Registration for new members opened today, and I'm sure they'll sell out by the end of the week. This is a great way to get healthy food throughout the season for a reasonable price, and to support our local community and the sustainable food movement. I would highly recommend it! Here are some other organic farms that offer CSAs. I've had a great CSA from Abbondanza before (eatabbo.org):
www.stonebridgefarmcsa.com
www.redwagonorganicfarm.com
www.pachamamaorganicfarm.com
www.eatabbo.org
www.monroeorganicfarm.com

www.communityrootsboulder.com

Dear Bravo TV Top Chef Producers

Dear Bravo TV Top Chef Producers,

Is this a joke? Toby Young is not a food critic. He's a carnival caricature of a comic - a bad one at best. Just because he likes to put food in his mouth, sputters the Spam equivalent of a joke, writes pedestrian novels and teases other people to compensate for his own insecurities, doesn't make him a food critic. (Or does it?) Usually, people who are funny, are smart enough to know as much, and use their wit to their advantage (usually by writing). Toby doesn't make the cut (no pun intended, assholes). I can see why he might make it on TV though. There's always a spot on reality TV when you get kicked out of print media. But this is Bravo TV bitch! Not VH1. Toby should learn some class and leave Tom Cruise and muttons out of the show. Or you could bring Gail back. Just an idea.

Spare me the irrelevant, nonsensical canned comments and just tell me how the food tastes. Or find someone with a sense of humor.

Hugs and kisses,
Morgan

This is a funny review of last night's show:
http://gawker.com/5131931/jersey-housewife-axed-in-farmhouse-slaughter

Ze Quiche

I made a quiche last night. Probably one of the most delicious quiches ever made. At least Steve thought so! He was beaming.

To 'quiche' in French is slang for vomiting - Ralphing might be a good translation. Somewhat a kin to 'cui,' the Spanish word for guinea pig (and a national delicacy, no less). In French, the French slang for testicles is 'couilles,' pronounced the same as 'cui,' or coo-wee. Funny feeling I had when Steve was enjoying his cui in Peru.

Anyway! Back to quiche! Quiche is so easy. There are three basic components - the crust (I have a hissy fit when I make homemade crust, so store bought!); any mix of vegetables, herbs and meats you choose to include or have on hand; and the agent that holds it all together, a mix of cream, milk, eggs, cheese, s&p, and spices. I cooked bacon and chopped it up; sauteed garlic, shitake mushrooms, leeks, spinach and deglazed with apple juice; then mixed together 7 eggs, heavy whipping cream, milk, s&p, nutmeg and cumin. Layered the bacon then sauteed mixture on the bottom of the crust, then covered it with the milk/egg/cheese mixture. Ze cheese and ze leek garneesh on ze top, 40 minutes at 350, sit for 10 minutes, and voila! Ta quiche est prete. Ze bacon and ze leeks - delishuss.

Pandora

Pandora is free. It helps me get through the day, depending on my mood and the work I have to do, unless I'm writing something long for work, or editing a document. Some of my favorite Pandora stations are:
- Bob Marley (a nice reggae mix)
- Kings of Leon (good for long projects, quiet)
- Katy Perry (sometimes some crappy pop music makes me chuckle - I like this one because you at times get Britney and other stuff, but sometimes you get genuine good vocalists and artists)
- Feist (although I have to skip through the 1234 children's song)
- The Beta Band (thoughtful, mellow)
- John Butler Trio (one of my favorite bands)
- Jack Johnson
- Paco de Lucia (salsa-type, fun to listen to)
- Manu Chao
- A Tribe Called Quest

I try to pick bands or artists of the general musical persuasion that I'd like to listen to.

I also really like this song, Ratatat/Justice collaboration, courtesy of Scott: http://www.tallmansmallman.com/Alex/We%20Are%20Your%20Friends%20(Bearbot%20MashUp.mp3

What is Wrong With People

I get so frustrated when people aren't fully communicative, they don't feel the need to keep people in the loop, or people go behind other people's back. That, and when people are all smoke and mirrors. What the hell kind of communication is that? I'm allowed to know things too. And I can do good things with information, if I were only given a chance. Working from home means that a lot ot the things that you only hear in passing in your office, do not get communicated to you. I can't help but feel left out. I don't like this feeling. And I appreciate teamwork. If I put in an effort to keep people in the loop, it's probably reflective of my desire to be informed by you, dipshit.

Some people might think that keeping secrets is a powerplay, but I don't buy that caca. It just makes you look stupid, distrustful, and full of issues of your own. Not to mention severely damages your credibility. The inner office or inner project politics stymie progress and make for a disastrous outcome. It's not worth it. What the hell are you trying to prove? Communicate people - use words, smart ones, nice ones. How can someone appear so smart on one occasion, and like squid brains the next? It's not nice. Makes me want to get out of dodge and work on my tan. And my Spanish. Not this gibberish baby blah blah.

Hoo Ha Meadows

Steve and Scott hiking up to our favorite powder stash at Copper Mountain. No hoo ha's allowed.

What would you do if you could do anything?

Go skiing all winter in Alta?
Get your scuba driving certification and travel around the world scuba diving?
Build a carrot farm in Mali?
Go learn a new language?
Go to cooking school and open a restaurant?
Build a 2,500 sqft treehouse?
Raise goats?
Start an eco resort in Brazil and give away free vacations?


The Colorado Powerball lottery is up to $149,000,000.

Skis

I've never skied on Line skis, but Scott does and loves them. I have the K2 Nancy skis, which I don't think they even make anymore. I love them, and actually did so much research to decide on buying them, but sometimes I think that these Line Pandora skis would be a better fit:

"Introducing one of the world’s fattest women’s specific powder skis. Its wide platform, deep sidecut and light and lively feel makes it one of the most fun and functional skis you’ll ever ride in the powder, and everywhere else on the hill. The Pandora is a true work of art from the beautifully painted graphics, to the first of its kind, real embroidered logo, threaded right into the top of the ski. The only thing that will look better is the fresh tracks you’ll be laying down on your next powder day."

Either that's really good marketing, or I just really want those skis. The Nancy's are awesome - they glide through powder, turns are easy in powder and you don't have to break your ankle to shift, they are fun on groomers (although not as fast as my Burnin' Luvs - I can't keep up with Steve and Scott on the straight shots) even though I can't carve as much. I think the Lines would be better for all mountain. The graphics are nice, but I don't care about that stuff. I guess I'm happy with the Nancys - I should continue to be happy with them, as I don't think there's too much wrong with them, in terms of my needs. Next time I'll get a bit of a wider ski underfoot, a bit stiffer, and something best suited for all mountain. Damn it grasshopper!

http://www.lineskis.com/product/pandora

Chickens are more than feathers and breasts

Our chickens make me laugh. When I open up their chicken coop, 2 or 3 of them usually fly out as soon as possible. As if they know the sound I make when I open the front door, crunch snow or grass on my way over to their coop, open the backyard door, brush up against their house, and unhatch the three latches on their door. I open the door, and within a millisecond, they poke their little beaks out into the air, like a cat slipping its paw out into the cold, to see if it's warm enough to venture outside. Unless there's snow, they usually hop right now and get to work on the dirt. Pearl takes a bit longer. She's a lost soul. Am I coming? Am I going? Do I need to lay an egg? Should I stay here?

After the initial hop out of the house, some of them get a running start and try to fly away. They usually jump up as high as they can, fly for about 7-15 feet, then slope down to a grinding halt. They look up, see if anyone was watching them try to fly and subsequently not, then they act as if nothing happens, secretly hoping that next time will go better. I sometimes like to imagine that they're trying to impress me. These chickens are the closest thing to children, at least in my reality. I need to coax them, talk to them, scold them when they are cannibalistic, and give them a lot of love. They are very sensitive, and love to be held.

Anyway, they all have different personalities, which are interchangeable among them in fact. Each of their movements makes me happy (except for the pecking and reckless jumping the ship when it's 0 degrees out). They hop around and are playful, burrow in the dirt in their run, peck at each other, run away from each other, spend time alone, follow me around in the yard, run back and forth in the yard, spread their wings, fluff up their feathers, make themselves little nests in the dirt, sometimes randomly lay eggs outside of their real nest on the ground, eat grass, bugs, dirt and leaves, and just generally have a great time being young, healthy and full of eggs.

There's no team in blog

Blogging is self indulgent. I mostly started this blog with no intended audience but my own piece of mind. I like to write, but never get to write exactly what I want. I'd like to write whatever I want, whenever I want, with no limitations. Like when I hear a funny joke. I just feel the need to get some things off my mind, even if they're inane, selfish, boring, or completely off topic. I also like to write down ideas that I think are good, or things that I would like to remember. Those are the main purposes of this blog. Help me organize my thoughts, share interesting/funny news with people, share items that I think other people might like to know about me, and finally, let friends and family know what's up!

Life

I get really worried that I will wake up in 30 years and not have done the things that I want to do. A lot of what I want to do will come from the things that I actually do, so I need to make sure to stimulate myself enough to make new things happen. Like a domino effect. Travels can accomplish this, the people we spend time with, how we treat people and other things. Also, our career path. Every move we make influences the next. But does it really? What if we're not even thrilled about that part? Can we start from zero? Is it ever too hard to start from zero? You always hear about older people who learn new hobbies, and say 'it's never too late! never think it's too late!' I like to remind myself this. But I don't want that to be a cop out. It's never too late, but it's never too early. To be happy and do old and new things to preserve that happiness. I get so worried about making the right choices, and balancing the pros and the cons, that I find it hard to be completely happy when I actually do those things. I'm always happy, and usually so excited to be doing those things though. Maybe the word is carefree.

Then again, I'm damn lucky to be doing anything. My anxiety would probably be attributed to the desire to do everything I want and hope for and experience as much as I can! Because I do know that I'm lucky to be doing all that, and that I am able to do anything I want. And not do anything that's not worth it. I want every part of my life to build upon the last part, and I want to make sure that every fork in the road leads the right way, and that I learn from it. Maybe I should stick to knives.

Designs

One of my fondest memories of Sweden is the graphic design everywhere you look. In every storefront, window, building, there's a creative element that demonstrates that real thought and aesthetic ability was put into what you're looking at. The designs are creative, inspiring, cute, colorful, fun, and pragmatic. Animals were involved in many. They all have a sense of sensible innocence. I liked that designs were everywhere - my favorites were not only the commercial ones, but the young and old images in churches or cultural landmarks, the angles of buildings, the color schemes. Design isn't just pen to paper - it can take on many forms. What are you trying to communicate with a design? What feeling do you want the viewer to have? Colors, shapes, dimensions, perspectives, can all take on infinite personalities. It's so exciting to think of the possibilities, and the change that one design can instill. Simple designs - a powerful stroke - or complex paintings - Sistine Chapel - what's the difference? I might have gone overboard with these pictures, but here are some of the images I took of design elements that appealed to me (click on the image for a larger, clearer version).