Don't Gross Out the World

My cousin just sent me this fun quiz. I got 8 out of 11, in case you were wondering.

Rainy Sunday Brunch

Today we had a friend from the department over for brunch. It was simple but satisfying. Juan made a tortilla espanola, as only he knows how, and I made a Romesco sauce to go with it. We also had a lovely salad of mesclun with avocado and pomegranate seeds and homemade salad dressing, of the food course. Accompanying the food were mimosas (OJ and champagne). For dessert, fruit and yogurt parfaits. The first layer was vanilla yogurt, then a mix of strawberries and blueberries. I took half the strawberries and blended them in a small food processor, then mixed them with the whole berries and a little confectioners sugar. Layering the yogurt and fruit, I then topped the parfaits with granola I had made the night before.

Yesterday we saw Brokeback Mountain here at the Winona theater. It is an excellent, excellent movie.

I am currently enamored of the movie on PBS's Masterpiece Theater. They are showing Bleakhouse, a Charles Dickens Novel, over six weeks. (We're on week two at the moment). It has everything that makes a great Victorian novel- love, death, betrayal, all tied in with social criticism. Just one question: What does "keen as mustard" mean????

Película of the Week: Balseros

The Spanish and Latin American Film Series is back! Every Wednesday night we play a movie for the students that is either from Spain or Latin America. They voluntarily attend- we usually get an average of about a dozen at our showings.

We started the semester with a documentary. The title, Balseros, refers to the Cuban rafters that put their lives on the line to have the opportunity to start a new life in America. The movie follows seven people on their journey to and through America over the course of seven years. What I like about the movie is that it doesn't sugarcoat the stories- these are people and they are not always virtuous nor good, and the directors do not try to convince you otherwise. It was also interesting to see that the systems in place to help immigrants transition into society were maintained by church charities NOT with government organizations.

My current knitting and food projects

Da Dum! It's finally here- a picture of my current project


This will be an aran sweater for Juan knit with size 11 needles and 100% alpaca wool(soooo soft). It is practically my first cable project ever (I made a scarf with cables last month).

This weekend flew by- we had the wine-tasting dinner last Thursday- it was ok- just ok. Friday we went to WSU for a couple of plays that were student-directed senior projects. I have been very impressed with the drama department here. All day Saturday we attended the Frozen River Film Festival, which featured films shown at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado- all having to do with the environment, outdoor sports and sustainable living. This link takes you to some pictures from the day- if you look in the audience in the 2nd row, right, you can see Juan and I awaiting another film. (Look for the BRIGHT red of my fabulous poncho I still haven't posted here yet). Also, the second row from the bottom, left, features an adorable little girl with the cutest outfit who sat through an hour and half of movies sin drama.

Sunday was rest and time to continue with my current kitchen project: the perfect homemade hot chocolate. I'm still working on the formula- so far they have been too sweet or not enough. I will share the special formula when it is discovered. I'll leave you tonight with a shot of one test model next to a plate of sopapillas, or buñuelos, which is basically little balls of sweet fried dough eaten for breakfast in Spain and Latin America.

Knitting update coming soon

I admit I've been remiss on my knitting updates. I have to work on my finished projects page(s) as well as my works in project page(s). I promise I will do so this weekend, so stay tuned for fun photos and recent project details.

It's Thursday, in other words my Friday, so the weekend starts at 4 pm today. Tonight Juan and I are driving to Wabasha to the Historic Anderson House for a dinner and wine tasting. (oh-la-la!) I will bring along the camera to snap photos of this cute little river town about half and hour north of us- but if it's dark when we get there, I don't know how much I'll be able to capture. I am very excited about the opportunity to taste some fabulous food, since that seems to be in short supply around here.

A leeky week

This week I experimented with a new cooking ingredient: leeks. Although I've seen them in the grocery store and in many recipes, I just never bought any before. So, I decided to try them in a potato/leek soup of my own devices, which is pretty bold for me, since a) I almost always use a recipe and b) I had never used leeks before. However, I am proud to say the experiment was a resounding success!

Let me back up a little and say that last Friday, before the film festival adventure at Green Lantern, Juan and I sat down to a delectable meal of roasted chicken with lemon, rosemary and garlic and Juan's special recipe of brussel sprouts w/ olive oil and lemon. I love roasting chicken because you get so many different meals from one cooking session. First, I always include a couple of whole cloves of garlic in the pan, so we can spread roasted garlic on crusty baguette bread with the meal. I don't think there are many things better than roasted garlic, I really don't. The leftover chicken can be added to salads or sandwiches- this week it was salad with homemade Italian dressing. Homemade dressing is far superior flavor-wise to store bought ones and really doesn't take that long to make. Once the chicken is pretty bare, I cook the rest of the, ahem, carcass, with veggies and seasoning to make a broth that can be frozen for future use in soups and risottos and such.

So, back to the potato-leek soup. The taste was favorably disproportionate to the preparation time. All I did was boil a couple of cubed potatoes in about 4-5 cups of homemade chicken stock, add the cut-up leeks after 15 minutes and cook for another 15 or so, add some pepper and then puree the whole thing with an immersion blender until smooth. Some people like to add cream or half and half to their purees, but this was perfect without any additions. I think the stock had a lot to do with the flavor, but it could have been the leeks, I'm not sure. Check out here for more leek info than you ever needed/wanted to know. The thing with leeks is, they are notoriously full of sand, so be sure you clean them well before cooking. I can confidently say I will be cooking with leeks many more times in the near future.

I leave you today with photos of Lisa with the red pom-pom hat I made her for Christmas with Rowan's Ribbon Twist yarn in Racy- oh yes, I said Racy
A view from the back
And now the front

Martin Luther King Day

It's been a four-day weekend here in Winona, which has been flying by, as expected. Saturday I went with my friend Nancy to scope out a barn for a BIG birthday of hers coming up in April. Plans are still in the works, so we'll see where the festivities end up. Personally, I hope the barn works out, since it would be my first fete in such a local. That evening we went with Nancy and her husband to check out a new-for-us restaurant across the river: Hillside Fish House, which was pretty good family dining-lots of seafood, of course. We all then went to see the Ben Munisteri Dance Project at local St. Mary's University. I'm not all that familiar with modern dance, but it was nice to see something different. For a couple of the pieces, I felt like I really didn't "get" it, but I was assured that sensation is normal with modern dance. So, aside from some general feelings of ignorance, I enjoyed the show.

I finally finished "Swann in Love:" an over-200 page chapter from Proust detailing minutely the entire process of Swann falling in and then out of love with Odette. I am quite relieved to be done with the whole thing. Now I have one more chapter and I will be done with the first volume. In general, I am enjoying his meandering writing style and thorough description, but the whole Swann-Odette affair was really maddening. I may have to take a break between this and the next one, however. Because, well, sometimes a girl just needs a little more action in her literature. I leave you with Walter Benjamin's take on Proust:

"The thirteen volumes of Marcel Proust's 'A la recherche du temps perdu' are the result of an unconstruable synthesis in which the absorption of a mystic, the art of a prose writer, the verve of a satirist, the erudition of a scholar, and the self-consciousness of a monomaniac have combined in an autobiographical work...The conditions under which it was created were extremely unhealthy: an unusual malady, extraordinary wealth, and an abnormal gift. This is not a model life in every respect, but everything about it is exemplary. The outstanding literary achievement of our time is assigned a place at the heart of the impossible, at the center--and also at the point of indifference--of all dangers, and it marks this great realization of a 'lifework' as the last for a long time. The image of Proust is the highest physiognomic expression which the irresistibly growing discrepancy between literature and life was able to assume."

Friday the 13th: Visit to the Green Lantern

Last night Juan and I felt adventurous and decided to check out the Green Lantern's Friday the 13th film festival. The Green Lantern describes itself on its web page as: "A restaurant and cabaret located on the city's Lower East Side, the Lantern is the heart of this town's underground." (Click on the picture at left to go to their website.) The Green Lantern is home to the Weird Winonans' UFO and paranormal discussion group every Thursday as well as Dr. Bob's puppetorium (neither of which I have yet to be witness). We have determined that at some point we will request a tour of the puppetorium basement, though.

So, the film festival: "FRIDAY THE 13th! Beware the Ides of January. 'VINNIE PULLUPACHAIROS INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL' live cabaret acts in between strange and outrageous independent short films." It included some interesting shorts, such as 12:01 p.m., with the father from That 70s Show; Solid Geometry, based on a short story by Ian McEwan and starring Ewan Mcgregor; and the biggest surprise of all, Un Chien Andalou, Bunuel and Dali's surrealist film from 1929, which opens with an up-close shot of an eyeball being sliced with a razor, in order to shock bourgeois sensibilities of the time (and that continues to give most viewers the heebie-jeebies). The eye-slitting can be seen as a statement of rupture with the aesthetics of the day, but I actually prefer L'Age d'Or (another Bunuel-Dali surrealist collaboration) because it seems to infuse more humor into its avant-garde agenda of satire and ridicule. The other interesting "film" we saw was actually a recording of a performance piece by an artist present. Over twenty years ago, he decided to be buried alive for three days in order to foster better relations between our realm and that of the dead. Performance for the Dead featured his "funeral" and subsequent rising from the grave three days later. hmmmm.... right.

Oh, and in case any of you have been plagued by a similar question: buffalo and bison are the same thing when you're talking about the North American animal. Bison is just the more scientific name.

Vacation's over (sort of)

Our overflowing mail awaiting our return

Today was the first day of classes at Winona, but since we don't have to go back until Tuesday, it wasn't so bad. I basically presented the syllabus, did a short activity to get them talking espanol again and we were done. While it does seem a little silly to have to be back for one day with then four days off, it's made a nice transition to the start of another semester.

My vacation was wonderful. I read a couple of great books, saw some good movies and made some delicious food.

THE BOOKS:
Persepolis 2: This is a follow-up to the memoir Persepolis. Both are graphic novels by Marjane Satrapi about growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. This second one follows her as she grows up alone in Vienna and then decides to return home. It amazes me how intimate and personal these books are despite being told in such a spare writing style. I highly recommend both of them.
Julie and Julia This is another memoir by a late-twenty-something woman in New York who decided to make all the recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The first chapter, I was horrified by the writing- it was so blatantly obvious that this was her first book I couldn't focus on the material- there were so many metaphors, one right after the other, that you couldn't even figure out what she was talking about. However, she soon lightened up on the metaphors and I could get through the rest of it. It's a fun book, if not overly enlightening.
Remembrance of Things Past I've never read Proust and figured that I should, being a literature student and all. I'm still working on volume 1 (of 6) and while I am enjoying it for the most part, I'm getting a little tired of Swann and his unhealthy obsession with Odette- she's not worth it, man, why can't you see that!

Knitting projects completed:

I finished my vest before I left for Maine. Yes, that is more tweed yarn (I can't stop!)In the car on the way to Maine, I made a couple of gifts for friends with fun Rowan ribbon twist yarn in red- a cabled scarf and a cute hat with pompons. I wish I had snapped photos of the recipients with their presents, but didn't have a working battery all vacation, so no go. If they send me shots, I'll be sure to post them, though. I liked the yarn so much, I also made myself a fun little poncho that I will post this weekend. In addition, before I left had finally finished a baby blanket for my friends Peter and Martha, who had adorable Nathaniel back in November.

As for movies, I saw a few, but the biggest surprise was Gangs of New York. I had heard few good things about this movie- it was boring, it was too long, it was violent- but for some reason I wanted to see it anyway. And I LOVED it. I was fascinated by the American history that rarely is spoken about these days- it reminded me of an eye-opening article I had read about the building of the subway system in New York and all the unknown people that died in its creation. The most bizarre parts of the movie turned out to be based on historical fact- you have to see the Discovery Channel's show that accompanies it.

And last, but most certainly not least: the cooking :) Having some extra free time and a fully loaded kitchen with lots of space, I couldn't resist. Some of the delicious plates I prepared included: deviled eggs; shrimp, crab and mussel gumbo; Cajun crabcakes; Mexican lasagna (thanks Rachel Ray); lemon-herb chicken with marscapone-almond risotto and glazed carrots. I went to the library and got out all the cookbooks from the young, hot chefs you see on Food Network these days- The naked chef, Tyler Florence, Nigela Lawson and Giada de Laurentiis. I love to read cookbooks- especially before bed. Talk about good dreams!

Tonight the Tequila Club is meeting for margaritas, so I will be appropriately welcoming in the Spring semester.

Juan's back :)

So the other evening Mobi and I drove down to Boston, because I had to do a couple of things there before heading home. First and foremost, I had to pick Juan up at the airport from his Euro-holiday. But before that, I was also on a mission to find the perfect shoes to go with my wedding dress (aka- NOT those icky white things they try to sell you in the bridal salons). I am pleased to say: mission accomplished on both counts. Last night we visited some friends and then headed back to Maine this morning. This evening we walked around the Old Port in Portland, saw Syriana, and had a delicious dinner at Street and Company (Juan had the calamari and it was scallops for me). Check the above link for more movie reviews, since there isn't anything I would say that they don't already have written there. Juan's return signals the near-end to our winter break, and we will be teaching back in Winona on Thursday. We have one more day here before the two-day drive back to Minnesota- here's hoping the weather behaves for us!

Happy New Year!

Before I tell you about my New Year's Eve, let me preface by saying that in the past few years, (actually, almost all of my twenties so far) I have been in some fairly "exotic" local for this special night, such as Venice, Buenos Aires (twice), and various places in Spain. Last night, however, I went a very different route for celebrating the start of 2006. I was actually in bed, reading, when the clock struck midnight. I didn't even know that it was 2006 until I shut my book to sleep at 12:30. While I know this doesn't exactly make for an exiting blog read, I have to say I was very happy to be at home snug in bed. This partly has to do with the fact that my vacation has been pretty busy between trying to see everyone and getting as much wedding planning in as possible in the few weeks I'm here. The other factor, I think, is that there tends to be a lot of hype around starting a new year- new starts, new resolutions, exciting changes... and since my birthday is so close to the new year, it also tends to have a lot of significance for me. But this year, I am very happy with where I'm at and how things are going, so I guess I don't really need that feeling of drama a new year usually carries with it.

I hope you all, however, had a fabulous New Year and that 2006 is going to be great for you!

The Man with a Pan

For Christmas, Meridith and I got our parents cooking lessons for the whole family with a personal chef. Jonathan Carr, The man with a pan, came to our house the day after Christmas to teach us how to make all kinds of delicious vitals. Specifically, we made guacamole and salsa; steamed mussels in a garlic butter sauce; sesame rice pilaf; asparagus in a lemon butter sauce; flounder with a cajun crab stuffing; and for dessert: tiramisu!!! While we were preparing the food, Jonathan talked to us about prep techniques and hints. He was so nice and answered all our infinite questions- I'd love to do it again with other dishes. It was a lot of fun and had a delicious end :) Here are some photos of the evening.

Merry Christmas!!!

I hope everyone is having a great day. Now that I am FINALLY on vacation, I will be posting more regularly. Those exams had me busy for the past couple of weeks, but they're done now. I won't know how I did until this spring, when I finish my last one, so I have to just assume I did ok and not think about them anymore. I will be in touch with all of you who have been trying to contact with me within these next few days, I promise! Have a great day!

Testing...1,2,3...testing...

So, this is the month of tests. I just finished grading my students' final exams. Tomorrow I will submit the grades and be allegedly on vacation. However, I will be taking two of my four written qualifying exams next week, and will therefore be hopefully two steps closer to getting my Ph.D. I've mostly enjoyed studying for these exams, actually. It's like an independent study, but I don't have to write a paper at the end (just take a 5-hour test ;)

My first exam is on Colonial autobiographical historiography. Which includes the conquisatdors' journals and letters back to Spain as well as books and chronicles written by colonial subjects. For example, I've read Hernan Cortes's letters to the King of Spain, justifying why he basically committed treason by conquering Mexico against his superior's orders. I've also read a conquistador's chronicles of how he survived a shipwreck off the coast of Florida and spent the subsequent 9 years traveling by foot across the continent to get back to the Spaniards in Mexico. Another guy's boat was kidnapped by pirates and he managed to be released to freedom after months of torture and abuse. And yet another book is basically a 17th century gossip rag about all the unfaithful husbands and wives, murder and intrigue that took place in a new city in Colombia.

My other exam is on a group of Spanish poets called the Generation of 27. Since it's some of my favorite poetry, it's been quiet interesting to learn more about them and read their works more in depth.

And yet another exam I already crossed off today was getting my Minnesota Driver's License. I just had to take the written test, but I was still a little nervous due to previous DMV traumas. But I got it!!! Well, they tell me I did- I won't have the actual card for another month. I feel it's a good start to my test marathon.

Monday, Monday

It's been a whirlwind week- starting with a long weekend Thursday. In addition to Dec. 8th being my mother and Mobi's birthdays, it also marked the end of classes for this semester. Juan and I celebrated after my class that afternoon at the Green Mill-I tried a "purple rain" Long Island Iced Tea (Happy Hour Special), which involves the usual suspects plus Midori. Juan had himself a tall Sam Adams. Then it was off to "Tequila Girls" night- a group of women ranging from late 20s to 50s and beyond who get together monthly for margaritas and a chat. It was a lot of fun- the mayor's wife as there and another woman who's lived in Winona for most of her life, so I got some good town lore and gossip, plus delicious margaritas- what more could one ask for on a Thursday night?

It was another snowy Saturday, which I spent studying for my upcoming exams (yikes!) That night we ordered Chinese and watched "King for a Day" on AMC- specifically the last part of Girls, Girls, Girls and Blue Hawaii. I love watching the Elvis movies for the blatant sexism they portray (life was so much simpler when girls knew their place, wasn't it? ;) and the fabulous late-fifties/early sixties sets. Then we topped the night off with some bowling at Winona Bowl. We hadn't gone since June, so suffice to say our scores were not worthy of being published at this time.

Yesterday was gorgeous winter weather, so we took a road trip to LaCrosse, WI, a town we often visit. After discovering a wonderful grocery store we will be making our regular place to shop, we heading downtown to Jules Coffee House, where I did some more studying and Juan read his new book, The tipping point. After two hours at the Y for yoga and hot tub/steam room, we went down to the Winona depot to welcome in the Holiday Train. It's a yearly tradition here- they have singers, Santa, train rides, cookies and hot beverages. People bring money or food to donate for local food pantries.
So, now Juan and I have been singing "People of the world, get on the love train" or "Can't Help Falling in Love with You" all weekend!

Mobi's famous!!!

I was cruising through the web page of our newest pet store in Winona: The Urbane Animal. They sell high-quality pet products and Mobi and I went to check it out the week before Thanksgiving to see what sort of goodies they had for her. And Miss M. got her picture taken to put up on the pet wall. But she's also on the web! Check her out in a rare semi-calm state. To see her on the page, go to "Products" and hit the refresh button until she appears- the photos are rotating in random order, but are all cute.

On the Road...Red Wing, MN

Despite forecasts of cloudy skies, today was a brilliant blue with a bright sun that reflected off the snow from yesterday. It's that fluffy snow that sparkles in the sun- gorgeous! So, we hopped in the car and took a little road trip an hour's drive north of Winona along the river, to Red Wing, home of Red Wing shoes.
We also discovered lovely Lily's Coffee House. The coffee and ambiance were perfect. They were decked out for the holidays, as you can see. (There really were people there, I swear!)

There was also an art fair going on near the river (inside, of course!).
We wanted to do some more exploring, but the 18 degree temps changed our minds and we vowed to do so, oh, around April. On the way home, we stopped at Lark Toys in Kellogg.
It's a very fun toy store, candy store, and lunch spot with a beautiful carousel. The name stands for Lost Arts Revival and carries on the family business of handcrafted wooden toys, although they also sell more commercial toys and books, too. Throughout the whole complex are glass cases filled with vintage toys and games. It was a great little trip with lots of new discoveries and magnificent scenery. As we were driving along the Mississippi we could see flying next to us bald eagles and other birds of prey. I was amazed how the usually vivid colors of green and blue of the river, bluffs, and sky had muted to white, brown, and pastels of pink and light blue. I wish I could have taken a picture, but it just didn't work from the car.
tomorrow's the start of another week- I hope it's a great one for you!

Snowy Saturday

This week just flew by- and now the weekend's almost over, too! I did quite a bit of knitting in the car on the way to my aunt and uncle's house in New York last weekend. So much so, that I haven't done it again all week! This is what four days in the car produced:

Now that I think about it, I did get a little done on Tuesday night, too, but about an hour less than I could have, if I didn't get completely lost going to the knitting group that night. They were meeting in a house that mapquest told me was 5 minutes from mine. Thing is, I printed off the directions, but not the map. And while I looked at the map, I didn't do so very closely because I noticed her street was off 9th and I live on 5th. So, how hard could it be?...... Well, one hour later and one trip home to look it up on mapquest AGAIN, I realized that Winona is actually divided in two by Route 61, which I already knew. What I didn't know was that the streets on both sides of 61 have the same names with no designation whatsoever to tell you which side of the highway you want to be on. So, that's how I could follow the directions without ever actually finding the street. Moral of the story: CHECK THE MAP

Last night we saw Agatha Christie's play "The Mousetrap" at WSU. It was really good- the students were great actors, especially Juan's student who played Chrisopher Wren, the odd, uncombed young man who aroused many suspicions of various sorts. Theater is huge around here, so there are lots of opportunities for going to a play- more than we've taken advantage of so far.

Today it's been snowing all day- it's been the perfect Saturday. I got up early and read for a few hours for my exams, then did yoga at home with this book:
When I lived in Boston I would go to the Baptiste studios in Cambridge and Boston- now I go to the local YMCA, which has some great classes. However, they don't offer any yoga classes on Mondays, Fridays or Saturdays, so I have to do it at home. Thing is, I am not so disciplined at home and it's hard to motivate myself to do it there. I'd like to get some Baron DVDs- they'd help. (Christmas present??) But anyway, I did do it for 45 minutes yesterday. (yeah me!)

In the afternoon, Juan and I watched Noi Albinoi- a movie from Iceland about a brillant guy who's stuck in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Typical of Northern European movies, it didn't have the happiest ending, but it wasn't entirely bleak either. The setting was gorgeous and fit right in with the fluffy whiteness falling outside our windows.

Today was the perfect combination of productivity and relaxation.

Dum...dum...da dum....

In case you were wondering, that's me humming the wedding march. :) So, Juan and I are officially engaged and in the process of planning two fairly last-minute (but NOT shotgun) weddings. One will be in June in Maine and the other in August in Spain. We only picked these two places because they rhyme.

Thanksgiving was wonderful by the way- I've almost forgotten about the traffic and miserable weather on the ride home. But I will not forget anytime soon about the games (Apples to Apples -VERY fun group game) and the delicious food.

Ok, got work to do!

Recent Knits: Take 2

What I'm eating: OREO COOKIE BALLS These are soooo easy and yet taste as if they required three days in the kitchen. Make them for the next holiday party and be prepared for excessively lavish praise. All you need is: 1 package of oreo cookies, 1 8 oz box of softened cream cheese and chocolate to melt (this could be almond bark, candy chocolate, a candy bar or chips). #1. Throw the softened cream cheese and cookies in your food processor until they are well mixed and all the cookies are incorporated. #2. Put this mixture in your fridge or freezer, depending on how soon you want to eat these babies- you need them cold enough to roll easily. #3. When they're ready, roll them into smallish balls and then dip in the melted chocolate (the microwave is the easiest way to safely melt chocolate without burning-just put it on 3 minutes and check every 30 seconds or so). #4. Put them on wax paper and back in the fridge or freezer until outer chocolate hardens- then enjoy! You can make so many variations of these- low fat, white or dark chocolate, with mint or peanut butter oreos, etc.

What I’m wearing: Salina, from Vintage Knits, with Rowan felted tweed in herb. I actually started knitting this sweater in January, but have been working on so many other things that I just got around to finishing it this week. It fits PERFECTLY and I love, love, love the color of this yarn! In addition to being a beautiful shade of green, it has flecks of blue, black and white.


What I’m knitting: Basketweave scarf, from Stitch n’ Bitch Nation, with unidentified variegated blue/green yarn. This is a fun project because it’s easy enough to knit while watching tv, but more interesting than regular stockinette stitch. Also, it’s a quick knit, so practically instant gratification- yeah!

Project-in-progress on hand-made wooden needles from Maine

I hope you have a safe and delicious Thanksgiving holiday!