Pretty cool, huh?
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Supermoon
We were having dinner last Saturday night with our friends Ellen and Dale when we realized that it was 7:30, peak time for viewing the supermoon. So we rushed outside. Unfortunately, the houses in our neighborhood blocked our view, so we jumped into the car and drove out to Shelby Farms. Our delay meant that we didn't get a "moon on the horizon" shot. But Dale, who is a first-class photographer (so is Ellen, but Dale had his camera...) took this shot over Catchem Lake:
Pretty cool, huh?
Pretty cool, huh?
Friday, March 18, 2011
Food for Thought: Thomas Merton
Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy if anything can.
—Thomas Merton: Letter to Dorothy Day, quoted in Catholic Voices in a World on Fire (2005) by Stephen Hand, p. 180.
—Thomas Merton: Letter to Dorothy Day, quoted in Catholic Voices in a World on Fire (2005) by Stephen Hand, p. 180.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Recipes for Susan
We spent most of this week in Blowing Rock, visiting with our neighbors and missing our dear friend Martha, who passed away last week. Martha's husband, Albert, is staying with Susan and Ted for a few days and we took some food to them a couple of times. Susan asked for these recipes. Here they are, Susan, and thanks to you and Ted for being such good friends to Albert. We love you all.
Easy Roasted Chicken
Chocolate Mint Bars
Easy Roasted Chicken
Chocolate Mint Bars
Easy Roasted Chicken
I got this recipe from my friend Mike Marshall. It's so easy and delicious!
1 whole chicken, 4-5 lbs (I use organic chicken - I know it costs more, but it seems to make a difference.)
1 lemon, quartered
fresh thyme
kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 350.
Wash the chicken and pat it completely dry. You want it as dry as possible so that it doesn't steam. Stuff the lemons and several bunches of thyme into the cavity. Put the chicken into a roasting pan (I line it with aluminum foil.) Sprinkle kosher salt all over the top, like a crust.
Roast the chicken for 60-70 minutes, depending on your oven. You want the internal temp to reach 155.
Remove the chicken, tent it with foil, and let it continue to cook for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Could it be any easier?
1 whole chicken, 4-5 lbs (I use organic chicken - I know it costs more, but it seems to make a difference.)
1 lemon, quartered
fresh thyme
kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 350.
Wash the chicken and pat it completely dry. You want it as dry as possible so that it doesn't steam. Stuff the lemons and several bunches of thyme into the cavity. Put the chicken into a roasting pan (I line it with aluminum foil.) Sprinkle kosher salt all over the top, like a crust.
Roast the chicken for 60-70 minutes, depending on your oven. You want the internal temp to reach 155.
Remove the chicken, tent it with foil, and let it continue to cook for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Could it be any easier?
Chocolate-Mint Bars
The dense base layer is like a rich, fudgy brownie, so don't overcook it or the dessert bars will be dry. Refrigerating the mint bars allows the chocolaty top layer to set properly. You can make the dessert up to one day ahead. For a more grown-up taste, you can also use dark chocolate chips for some or all of the semisweet chocolate chips in the glaze.
Yield: 20 servings (serving size: 1 piece)
Bottom layer:
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, beaten
1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup
Cooking spray
Mint layer:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 drops green food coloring (I used red to make pink for Valentine's Day)
Glaze:
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare bottom layer, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt; stir with a whisk. Combine granulated sugar, egg substitute, 1/4 cup melted butter, 2 tablespoons water, vanilla, eggs, and chocolate syrup in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring until blended. Pour batter into a 13 x 9 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
3. To prepare mint layer, combine powdered sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, and next 3 ingredients (through food coloring) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer until smooth. Spread mint mixture over cooled cake.
4. To prepare the glaze, combine the chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Let stand 2 minutes. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into 20 pieces.
CALORIES 264 (30% from fat); FAT 8.7g (sat 5.2g,mono 2.5g,poly 0.4g); IRON 0.9mg; CHOLESTEROL 38mg; CALCIUM 12mg; CARBOHYDRATE 45g; SODIUM 139mg; PROTEIN 2.8g; FIBER 0.5g
Cooking Light, MARCH 2008
Yield: 20 servings (serving size: 1 piece)
Bottom layer:
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, beaten
1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup
Cooking spray
Mint layer:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 drops green food coloring (I used red to make pink for Valentine's Day)
Glaze:
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare bottom layer, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt; stir with a whisk. Combine granulated sugar, egg substitute, 1/4 cup melted butter, 2 tablespoons water, vanilla, eggs, and chocolate syrup in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring until blended. Pour batter into a 13 x 9 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
3. To prepare mint layer, combine powdered sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, and next 3 ingredients (through food coloring) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer until smooth. Spread mint mixture over cooled cake.
4. To prepare the glaze, combine the chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Let stand 2 minutes. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into 20 pieces.
CALORIES 264 (30% from fat); FAT 8.7g (sat 5.2g,mono 2.5g,poly 0.4g); IRON 0.9mg; CHOLESTEROL 38mg; CALCIUM 12mg; CARBOHYDRATE 45g; SODIUM 139mg; PROTEIN 2.8g; FIBER 0.5g
Cooking Light, MARCH 2008
Monday, March 7, 2011
Poetry in the Law
Our friend Albert came over for dinner last night and we had a good visit. Albert is a residential real estate appraiser, so he and Walter always have a lot to talk about. One of the subjects last night was a recent decision by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in a case called FNC. I won't go into all of the extremely interesting details, but suffice it to say that this is a big case.
But that's not the reason for this post. I know that everyone makes fun of lawyers and, believe me, I've read some really horrible writing in decisions over the years. This decision, however, was a delight to read. It was almost poetic in places. My favorite:
While a multifactor test such as this one enevitably entails some measure of internal redundancy, it is nonetheless a valuable heuristic. These factors do not pose five wholly distinct inquiries. Instead, each turn of the prism illuminates a slightly different facet of a single underlying question.
Is that great stuff, or what? Makes you want to rush out and read the entire decision, doesn't it? Do you know what "heuristic" means?
Heuristic (adj) - enabling a person to discover or learn something for themselves: a "hands-on" or interactive heuristic approach to learning.
And no, I'm not bothered by the way the judge used the adjective as a noun. Just this week we're reading about "sheening" a situation (use your imagination!) So don't be surprised if I toss this word out in casual conversation...
But that's not the reason for this post. I know that everyone makes fun of lawyers and, believe me, I've read some really horrible writing in decisions over the years. This decision, however, was a delight to read. It was almost poetic in places. My favorite:
While a multifactor test such as this one enevitably entails some measure of internal redundancy, it is nonetheless a valuable heuristic. These factors do not pose five wholly distinct inquiries. Instead, each turn of the prism illuminates a slightly different facet of a single underlying question.
Is that great stuff, or what? Makes you want to rush out and read the entire decision, doesn't it? Do you know what "heuristic" means?
Heuristic (adj) - enabling a person to discover or learn something for themselves: a "hands-on" or interactive heuristic approach to learning.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Thoughts - amazing things
The past few weeks have flown by. We haven't had any notable meals, so I haven't posted any recipes. I'm actually in North Carolina right now. I didn't expect to make this trip, but our good friend, Martha Yount, died this week and we came up to see if we can be of any help to her husband, Albert. Martha had breast cancer and her treatments had weakened her to the point that when she developed some pneumonia, she wasn't able to fight it off. It's amazing how fast she declined. We are all in shock.
We drove up yesterday and it rained, rained, rained the whole way. What a drag. I couldn't believe how many one-car accidents we saw along I-40. I guess they were going too fast for the road conditions, hydroplaned, and lost control. Two of the cars were upside down. I hope no one was seriously injured. It's amazing that people are in such a hurry that they would risk their lives to save a few minutes.
Currently in my Search class we're reading selections from Greek and Roman writers. It's amazing how people don't change. I swear that you could substitute modern names for the Greek and Roman ones and you would think that you're reading current headlines!
Over the last couple of weeks, I did interim site visits with a number of the agencies that the Women's Foundation of Greater Memphis funds. It's amazing to see the amount of good work that goes on in our city that the vast majority of people never hear about.
Speaking of volunteers, there's an organization that calculates the value of a volunteer hour. The 2009 value is $20.85! You can check it out at http://www.independentsector.org/. I was putting together some statistics for Master Gardeners and learned that, nationally, in 2009 MG volunteers numbered about 95,000 and total hours given to communities were 5.2 million. Total value: $108,369,400!! Can you even imagine the total value of all of the volunteer hours given all over the United States? It's amazing.
We went to see Rango Friday night. Loved it! The animation was amazing. Have you ever stopped to think how many hours of enjoyment you receive from movies? Aren't we so lucky that there are so many creative and talented people who have chosen to devote their gifts to this medium?
What's amazing in your life?
We drove up yesterday and it rained, rained, rained the whole way. What a drag. I couldn't believe how many one-car accidents we saw along I-40. I guess they were going too fast for the road conditions, hydroplaned, and lost control. Two of the cars were upside down. I hope no one was seriously injured. It's amazing that people are in such a hurry that they would risk their lives to save a few minutes.
Currently in my Search class we're reading selections from Greek and Roman writers. It's amazing how people don't change. I swear that you could substitute modern names for the Greek and Roman ones and you would think that you're reading current headlines!
Over the last couple of weeks, I did interim site visits with a number of the agencies that the Women's Foundation of Greater Memphis funds. It's amazing to see the amount of good work that goes on in our city that the vast majority of people never hear about.
Speaking of volunteers, there's an organization that calculates the value of a volunteer hour. The 2009 value is $20.85! You can check it out at http://www.independentsector.org/. I was putting together some statistics for Master Gardeners and learned that, nationally, in 2009 MG volunteers numbered about 95,000 and total hours given to communities were 5.2 million. Total value: $108,369,400!! Can you even imagine the total value of all of the volunteer hours given all over the United States? It's amazing.
We went to see Rango Friday night. Loved it! The animation was amazing. Have you ever stopped to think how many hours of enjoyment you receive from movies? Aren't we so lucky that there are so many creative and talented people who have chosen to devote their gifts to this medium?
What's amazing in your life?
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