I’m afraid it’s true. Those of you who know me won’t be surprised, since it was love at first sight with the iPod Touch, and I soon was the proud owner of a 32 GB version. I never went for the iPhone; somehow it just never grabbed me, but the Touch has been my constant companion ever since I forked over the roughly $500 purchase price several years ago. Looking back, I’d say I got my money’s worth.
Fast forward to 2010: I had always liked the idea behind Amazon’s Kindle (and I’m sure I must be one of their best customers), but I was never much enamored of its gray-scale interface, though it was kind of cute. Seeing as how I’ve always been an eclectic reader (and part of my lumbar scoliosis is due no doubt to the fact that I always hauled tons of books home from school as a kid), the idea of being able to pack all the books and magazines I wanted to read in a little e-Book reader was appealing. I maintained that I would buy one when it came out with color, which it seems was not to be—or at least Apple beat them to it.
As with the Touch, it won’t be cheap, but it supposedly will go far beyond even the Touch’s capability and be useful in gaming or even at work. Available in 16-, 32-, and 64 GB interfaces with Blue Tooth wireless, it weighs in at 1.5 lb. I hear that’s a bit heavy if you plan on watching a 30-minute TV show, but it beats the socks off my 4 lb. laptop. Battery life for video is 10 hours (or a once monthly charge if you only read print), according to Steve Jobs (the best I ever got on my iPod Touch was 7 hours, and that was playing music with the display turned off—not playing video), and my Dell or HP laptops have never done better than 2.5 hours. Wi-Fi capability will cost you an additional $130 for the hardware, no matter which version you buy, but monthly plans (through AT&T only) will be $14.99 for up to 250 mg or $29.99 for unlimited usage. That seems reasonable enough for just about anybody, assuming they can afford the unit in the first place.
And to think I was considering upgrading to the 64 GB Touch. Now I don’t think so. The iPad is supposed to start shipping in March. I think I may need one.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Another Day in the Life
It’s been another soggy Seattle day. I hate to say that, because the rest of the week-end has been rather nice with lots of sun, and because so many people elsewhere think that’s ALL it does here. Today though has been downright wet. I’m sure the ducks, if there are any still here this time of year, love it.
Since I haven’t wanted to go outside, what have I been doing instead? I’ve been cooking, knitting, reading, and watching TV. It looks as though I may finish the sweater I’ve been working on since completing the baby blanket project, and I tried a new recipe. Last night we watched PBS’ Nova program on the Sphinx on Comcast On Demand (which has a companion article in this month’s Smithsonian magazine, by the way—if you get a chance, see both of them), plus a couple of Netflix rentals: The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007); and Babel (2006), starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. Quite a juxtaposition of movies!
I rented The Silver Surfer because Sam and I used to be big comics fans many years ago (my own favorites being The Mighty Thor—Marvel Comics, 1970, scripted by Stan Lee’s brother Larry and penciled by Jack Kirby; and Conan the Barbarian—Marvel Comics, 1970, written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Barry Windsor-Smith. These are collector’s items, folks!), and because the Silver Surfer character was supposed to have some sort of cosmic significance—since I’d never read any of The Fantastic Four comics, I didn’t know what that was. If you’ve ever been to my house, you’ve probably seen the painting I’ve been working on of Odin, which was taken from an old back issue of Thor. Anyway, the Silver Surfer movie is extremely light-weight stuff and very comic-bookish, which was no doubt intentional. Stan Lee even has a cameo in it. Sorry guys, it was entertaining but not much more than that. There is probably a sequel planned, because we see the Surfer floating in space at the end of the movie, after he’s defeated Galactus and saved Earth from destruction. Tsk, tsk, I won’t be adding this to my library.
Babel is quite another story. I rented this movie because it had a number of Oscar nominations (including Best Picture) and won a Golden Globe for Best Drama in 2006, but aside from those things, I had no idea what the story was about—except perhaps the obvious theme from the Biblical story regarding the Tower of Babel. The movie posits that humanity still suffers from confusion and the lack of communication, though according to New York Times reviewer A.O. Scott, October 27, 2006, in his review of the same name, emotion needs no translation. It is a moving story, and I don’t want to say too much in case you haven’t yet seen it. It is worth viewing, and I find myself still reflecting on it today.
Now let’s get to the recipe. This year I re-subscribed to Cook’s Illustrated magazine (they are the same folks who produce America’s Test Kitchen TV series), and part of the deal is weekly emails from them. This week there was mention of a recipe they had developed for beef enchiladas, which I had not prepared for some time (the last time I made it, I used a recipe from one of Betty Crocker’s cookbooks), so I went to their Website and downloaded it. Needless (perhaps) to say, I came up with my own variation of the recipe after preparing it once, and frankly, I think it’s better and easier to make than their version. I will share my version, and maybe you’ll be inspired to make it yourself:
Aunt Di’s Beef Enchiladas (Serves 4 to 6)
3 large (or 6 small) garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 ½ lb beef flatiron or flank steak, cut in strips
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 (15-oz) or 2 (8-oz) cans tomato sauce
½ C water
1 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 C shredded medium Cheddar cheese
½ C chopped fresh cilantro leaves (a nice big handful)
1 C chopped, canned nacho jalapenos (I used the hot La Victoria ones that come in a jar. These are actually only about medium hot, or I couldn’t eat them. If you want milder chilies, you can buy them canned, though I’ve found those have hardly any flavor at all.)
12 (6-inch) yellow corn tortillas
Combine the minced garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Slice the flatiron or flank steak into strips against the grain and also set aside. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat and cook the meat until browned on all sides, about six minutes, and then transfer it to a plate. Cook the chopped onion in the pot until golden and then add the garlic/spice mixture. Cook this about a minute, and then add the tomato sauce and water. Bring sauce to a boil, return the meat to the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer it for about 1 ½ hours, until the meat is tender enough to break up with a spoon (if not, you’ll have to remove the meat and chop it up when you get to the next step).
Adjust oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat oven to 350⁰ F. Strain sauce over a medium bowl to remove the meat and set it aside. In another medium bowl mix the meat with ½ cup each of the Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, plus the chopped cilantro and jalapenos.
Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking dish by spreading about ¾ cup of the sauce in the bottom. Microwave the corn tortillas for about a minute to soften them, and then spread about 1/3 cup of the meat mixture in each tortilla. Roll the tortillas and set into baking pan with seam sides down, and then ladle the remaining sauce over the top, being sure to cover all the tortillas. Spread the remaining cheese over the sauce, then cover pan with aluminum foil, and bake until fully heated—about 20 minutes. Remove foil and brown the cheese for another 5 minutes, then serve. Sour cream and/or guacamole make nice accompaniments, as does a tossed salad or other greens.
Note: The beef filling and sauce can be made ahead and the enchiladas rolled and baked just before serving.
I should tell you that when I asked the butcher at QFC about using blade steaks, as directed by Cook’s Illustrated, he told me, “No, no, no! You don’t want to have to be messing around boning out meat for this—just use a flatiron or flank steak and cut it against the grain before you cook it.” Well, I took his advice and was not sorry, though I did have to chop the meat before making the enchiladas. Enjoy! This is great comfort food for a cold rainy winter day.
Since I haven’t wanted to go outside, what have I been doing instead? I’ve been cooking, knitting, reading, and watching TV. It looks as though I may finish the sweater I’ve been working on since completing the baby blanket project, and I tried a new recipe. Last night we watched PBS’ Nova program on the Sphinx on Comcast On Demand (which has a companion article in this month’s Smithsonian magazine, by the way—if you get a chance, see both of them), plus a couple of Netflix rentals: The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007); and Babel (2006), starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. Quite a juxtaposition of movies!
I rented The Silver Surfer because Sam and I used to be big comics fans many years ago (my own favorites being The Mighty Thor—Marvel Comics, 1970, scripted by Stan Lee’s brother Larry and penciled by Jack Kirby; and Conan the Barbarian—Marvel Comics, 1970, written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Barry Windsor-Smith. These are collector’s items, folks!), and because the Silver Surfer character was supposed to have some sort of cosmic significance—since I’d never read any of The Fantastic Four comics, I didn’t know what that was. If you’ve ever been to my house, you’ve probably seen the painting I’ve been working on of Odin, which was taken from an old back issue of Thor. Anyway, the Silver Surfer movie is extremely light-weight stuff and very comic-bookish, which was no doubt intentional. Stan Lee even has a cameo in it. Sorry guys, it was entertaining but not much more than that. There is probably a sequel planned, because we see the Surfer floating in space at the end of the movie, after he’s defeated Galactus and saved Earth from destruction. Tsk, tsk, I won’t be adding this to my library.
Babel is quite another story. I rented this movie because it had a number of Oscar nominations (including Best Picture) and won a Golden Globe for Best Drama in 2006, but aside from those things, I had no idea what the story was about—except perhaps the obvious theme from the Biblical story regarding the Tower of Babel. The movie posits that humanity still suffers from confusion and the lack of communication, though according to New York Times reviewer A.O. Scott, October 27, 2006, in his review of the same name, emotion needs no translation. It is a moving story, and I don’t want to say too much in case you haven’t yet seen it. It is worth viewing, and I find myself still reflecting on it today.
Now let’s get to the recipe. This year I re-subscribed to Cook’s Illustrated magazine (they are the same folks who produce America’s Test Kitchen TV series), and part of the deal is weekly emails from them. This week there was mention of a recipe they had developed for beef enchiladas, which I had not prepared for some time (the last time I made it, I used a recipe from one of Betty Crocker’s cookbooks), so I went to their Website and downloaded it. Needless (perhaps) to say, I came up with my own variation of the recipe after preparing it once, and frankly, I think it’s better and easier to make than their version. I will share my version, and maybe you’ll be inspired to make it yourself:
Aunt Di’s Beef Enchiladas (Serves 4 to 6)
3 large (or 6 small) garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 ½ lb beef flatiron or flank steak, cut in strips
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 (15-oz) or 2 (8-oz) cans tomato sauce
½ C water
1 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 C shredded medium Cheddar cheese
½ C chopped fresh cilantro leaves (a nice big handful)
1 C chopped, canned nacho jalapenos (I used the hot La Victoria ones that come in a jar. These are actually only about medium hot, or I couldn’t eat them. If you want milder chilies, you can buy them canned, though I’ve found those have hardly any flavor at all.)
12 (6-inch) yellow corn tortillas
Combine the minced garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Slice the flatiron or flank steak into strips against the grain and also set aside. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat and cook the meat until browned on all sides, about six minutes, and then transfer it to a plate. Cook the chopped onion in the pot until golden and then add the garlic/spice mixture. Cook this about a minute, and then add the tomato sauce and water. Bring sauce to a boil, return the meat to the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer it for about 1 ½ hours, until the meat is tender enough to break up with a spoon (if not, you’ll have to remove the meat and chop it up when you get to the next step).
Adjust oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat oven to 350⁰ F. Strain sauce over a medium bowl to remove the meat and set it aside. In another medium bowl mix the meat with ½ cup each of the Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, plus the chopped cilantro and jalapenos.
Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking dish by spreading about ¾ cup of the sauce in the bottom. Microwave the corn tortillas for about a minute to soften them, and then spread about 1/3 cup of the meat mixture in each tortilla. Roll the tortillas and set into baking pan with seam sides down, and then ladle the remaining sauce over the top, being sure to cover all the tortillas. Spread the remaining cheese over the sauce, then cover pan with aluminum foil, and bake until fully heated—about 20 minutes. Remove foil and brown the cheese for another 5 minutes, then serve. Sour cream and/or guacamole make nice accompaniments, as does a tossed salad or other greens.
Note: The beef filling and sauce can be made ahead and the enchiladas rolled and baked just before serving.
I should tell you that when I asked the butcher at QFC about using blade steaks, as directed by Cook’s Illustrated, he told me, “No, no, no! You don’t want to have to be messing around boning out meat for this—just use a flatiron or flank steak and cut it against the grain before you cook it.” Well, I took his advice and was not sorry, though I did have to chop the meat before making the enchiladas. Enjoy! This is great comfort food for a cold rainy winter day.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
I'm Ba-a-ack!
Hello again to all my friends and Happy New Year! Christmas and the old year are behind us at last, so now we can move forward, hopefully to a better future filled with many good things. I’ve been quite busy these last few months, though not with writing—as you are aware, since I’ve scarcely written anything on my blog for ages. No, I’ve been knitting or crocheting baby blankets for several co-workers’ new arrivals, not to mention Christmas presents I made for friends. Whew! Now I can finally turn my attention to something else.
It feels good to be writing again. There were a number of times I almost sat down and blogged, but then something would interrupt, or I just didn’t have the time, or the time was past regarding what I wanted to write. Well, no more!
For example, I was in my kitchen cleaning the other day and discovered something fantastic. I felt so smug; I wanted to share my discovery with you. You know that nasty layer of grease and dust that settles over everything in the kitchen? I found out how to get rid of it! Honestly, I’ve bought all kinds of super-duper grease-and-dirt-fighting products through the years, but most household cleaners just smeared it around—that is, if they touched it at all. Plain old soap and water, which is good for most cleaning, won’t cut it, but the amazing wonder cleaner I discovered right in my bathroom medicine cabinet will: Rubbing Alcohol. Imagine that! No kidding! It’s fabulous!
I had thought of writing a blog on Holiday movies in the same vein as my Halloween movie review, but I got involved watching them, and before I knew it, the Holiday season was marching along rather fast. I had loads of other things I needed to get done, so the blog on Holiday movies will have to wait until NEXT season. In the meantime I shall continue my research.
It went like that with a number of ideas. Believe me, nobody cares about Halloween movies on November 1st, unless they’re dyed-in-the-wool horror movie fans. I came up with a few new recipes, which I may share eventually, but I need to get them properly written down first. There were some Thanksgiving reflections among other things, and even a few thoughts regarding the professional sports scene up here. What I wrote has been saved for future reference.
The real killer where my writing is concerned, however, is that this year I became a serious knitter. I’m not joking! Most people’s stereotype of a knitter is some little granny sitting in her rocking chair by the fireplace knitting socks. Man, that is so yesterday! Today’s knitter may still knit socks (it’s all the rage now), but there is so much more going on in the knitting scene. There are shelves of books on knitting and knitting patterns at the library, not to mention more than a dozen magazines that I know of devoted to the subject. Some of them target teenage knitters and several carry high fashion designs, in addition to homier projects such as afghans, shawls, dishrags, or socks. The patterns, stitches, and process are fascinating. I subscribe to six magazines now myself.
Then there’s the yarn. That’s IF you decide to buy it, rather than spin your own (that’s the rage too). You can literally buy any kind of yarn you can dream of, in any color, from any part of the world, at any price you wish to pay. There is that much variety out there; and if you can’t go to the store, then the store can come to you via catalogs or the Internet. All that demand has a huge impact. I’ve been told that the Chinese government is farming so many of the goats that produce cashmere fiber that you can see the denuded pastureland from outer space.
New fibers are “in” too. There’s yarn made from bamboo fiber, even from corn, and some very rare animal fibers (e.g. qiviut from the arctic musk ox) are on stage now. In addition, there’s llama, alpaca, and bison—or if you’re really adventurous (tsk, tsk), you can save fur combed from your pets, send it off, and it will be made into yarn for you. If you’re like me and grew up knitting Red Heart acrylic (there was something else?), the new yarns will knock your socks off. They are wonderfully soft and beautiful, especially the hand-painted ones, but holy moly are they ever expensive. You get ruined though, and it’s so hard to go back to scratchy old acrylic (no matter how cheap) after knitting a lacy scarf in a wonderful teal color from Rowan’s “Kidsilk Haze” and Debbie Bliss’ “Cashmerino!” Once you’ve gone there, there’s no going back.
No, I won’t stop knitting. But I’ve got to write too, so discipline will have to prevail. You know, “moderation in all things.” Besides, I’ve got bundles of yarn I’ve bought for projects pending just waiting for me.
It feels good to be writing again. There were a number of times I almost sat down and blogged, but then something would interrupt, or I just didn’t have the time, or the time was past regarding what I wanted to write. Well, no more!
For example, I was in my kitchen cleaning the other day and discovered something fantastic. I felt so smug; I wanted to share my discovery with you. You know that nasty layer of grease and dust that settles over everything in the kitchen? I found out how to get rid of it! Honestly, I’ve bought all kinds of super-duper grease-and-dirt-fighting products through the years, but most household cleaners just smeared it around—that is, if they touched it at all. Plain old soap and water, which is good for most cleaning, won’t cut it, but the amazing wonder cleaner I discovered right in my bathroom medicine cabinet will: Rubbing Alcohol. Imagine that! No kidding! It’s fabulous!
I had thought of writing a blog on Holiday movies in the same vein as my Halloween movie review, but I got involved watching them, and before I knew it, the Holiday season was marching along rather fast. I had loads of other things I needed to get done, so the blog on Holiday movies will have to wait until NEXT season. In the meantime I shall continue my research.
It went like that with a number of ideas. Believe me, nobody cares about Halloween movies on November 1st, unless they’re dyed-in-the-wool horror movie fans. I came up with a few new recipes, which I may share eventually, but I need to get them properly written down first. There were some Thanksgiving reflections among other things, and even a few thoughts regarding the professional sports scene up here. What I wrote has been saved for future reference.
The real killer where my writing is concerned, however, is that this year I became a serious knitter. I’m not joking! Most people’s stereotype of a knitter is some little granny sitting in her rocking chair by the fireplace knitting socks. Man, that is so yesterday! Today’s knitter may still knit socks (it’s all the rage now), but there is so much more going on in the knitting scene. There are shelves of books on knitting and knitting patterns at the library, not to mention more than a dozen magazines that I know of devoted to the subject. Some of them target teenage knitters and several carry high fashion designs, in addition to homier projects such as afghans, shawls, dishrags, or socks. The patterns, stitches, and process are fascinating. I subscribe to six magazines now myself.
Then there’s the yarn. That’s IF you decide to buy it, rather than spin your own (that’s the rage too). You can literally buy any kind of yarn you can dream of, in any color, from any part of the world, at any price you wish to pay. There is that much variety out there; and if you can’t go to the store, then the store can come to you via catalogs or the Internet. All that demand has a huge impact. I’ve been told that the Chinese government is farming so many of the goats that produce cashmere fiber that you can see the denuded pastureland from outer space.
New fibers are “in” too. There’s yarn made from bamboo fiber, even from corn, and some very rare animal fibers (e.g. qiviut from the arctic musk ox) are on stage now. In addition, there’s llama, alpaca, and bison—or if you’re really adventurous (tsk, tsk), you can save fur combed from your pets, send it off, and it will be made into yarn for you. If you’re like me and grew up knitting Red Heart acrylic (there was something else?), the new yarns will knock your socks off. They are wonderfully soft and beautiful, especially the hand-painted ones, but holy moly are they ever expensive. You get ruined though, and it’s so hard to go back to scratchy old acrylic (no matter how cheap) after knitting a lacy scarf in a wonderful teal color from Rowan’s “Kidsilk Haze” and Debbie Bliss’ “Cashmerino!” Once you’ve gone there, there’s no going back.
No, I won’t stop knitting. But I’ve got to write too, so discipline will have to prevail. You know, “moderation in all things.” Besides, I’ve got bundles of yarn I’ve bought for projects pending just waiting for me.
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