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All work and no play...

eshta — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:59:17 GMT

Not that anyone asked... but my job has changed and gotten ALOT busier (booooooo) but will eventually result in alot more money (yayyyyy) so if I'm not around much or slow to respond to various bits and pieces, that's why.

Once.

eshta — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 06:58:10 GMT

Part of me Has Died And won't return And part of me Wants to hide The part that's burned Once, once I knew how to talk to you Once, once But not anymore Hear the sirens call me home Part of me Has vied To watch it burn And the heart of me Has tried But look what it's become Once, once I knew how to look for you Once, once But that was before Once, once I would have laid down to died for you Once, once But not anymore. Hear the sirens call me home

Holy Crap...

eshta — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:22:54 GMT

They're trying to bulldoze the Cow Palace. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/28/MNE0V9LPS.DTL What. In. The. Hell??? My first concert EVER was there. I lied my ass off to my parents to get there. I crammed myself into a Datsun B210 with six other people to get there. I got my ass grabbed 100 times trying to get across the general admission floor there. I rung in the New Year there with 20,000 of mah closest drunk friends. Are you freakin' kidding me? Half my teenage years were spent there. AC/DC, Ratt, Bon Jovi, Poison, Def Leppard, RHCP, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, Y&T, Night Ranger, Fleetwood Mac... Pink F*cking Floyd.... SO many memories. Come ON. This is like bulldozing my high school! ((faint))

Goodnight Monkey...

eshta — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 02:59:37 GMT

He was only "my" kitty for about six years... but for 19 years or so he was a constant companion to my (recent) ex almost-husband. He died today. We buried him out on the little hill by the hot tub, where he liked to go eat the grass. It was hard. He was pretty sick for a long time. I will miss scratching his cheeks like he liked, and the chatty way he followed me from room to room. The way he slept with his little paw over his face. And liked to hide in my closet. But the damp earth smelled nice, like rosemary or cardamom... and it was sunny. The wheel is turning.... So we sabered a bottle of Louis Roederer, closed the circle round his grave, and toasted his spirit. And ourselves.

Fire good.

eshta — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 07:33:16 GMT

...taken with my iPhone...

Aza

eshta — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 08:39:55 GMT

These guys are f*cking awesome. I saw them live for the first time last Saturday and they are even better in person. Spectacular. http://www.azamusic.com/

Santa Cruz Dance This Weekend

eshta — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 02:44:01 GMT

Please join me.... I'm performing on Sunday. The Saturday show will also be a memorable experience with the best musicians in the SF Bay Area... the Georges Lammam Ensemble. See you there. http://members.cruzio.com/~zsuzsii/new_events.html

Minty green skirt set for sale.

eshta — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 22:43:08 GMT

Mint green "Christina" skirt set by Pharaonics of Egypt. Used and in good condition. Some snags in the chiffon, a repair in the front where the chiffon meets the spandex ....as is the way of things... but lots of life left, still. Skirt retails new at $249.95, would like $100 even plus shipping... OBO. Thanks for looking. :)

Leeks and Mushrooms...

eshta — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 08:52:42 GMT

Made only the mushroom part of this tonight. It was great. Next time I would just use full fat sour cream... I used 2% Greek yogurt and it broke. The additional calories for the sour cream would be marginal but the consistancy would be worth it. Served over polenta cakes. http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/scallops_leeks_mushrooms.html

Tasty Morskels.

eshta — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 05:19:19 GMT

Had this tonight for dinner. Eyeballed the topping.. it's very forgiving and you can make it to your taste. More of this... less of that.... I liked it because each individual could put as much or as little topping on as they liked. Easy peasy. Served with garlic roasted cauliflower and wild/brown rice pilaf with fennel, onion and shitake mushrooms. Twas a hit. Sauteed Halibut with Pecan Shallot Topping http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/107350 4 (1 1/4-inch-thick) pieces halibut fillet (6 oz each), skinned 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup chopped shallot (6 oz) 1/2 cup pecans (2 oz), chopped 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter 1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Accompaniment: lemon wedges Preparation Pat halibut dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté fish, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes total. Transfer to plates and keep warm, loosely covered with foil. Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet and cook shallot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add pecans and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring, until fragrant and a shade darker, about 3 minutes. Add butter and stir until melted. Remove skillet from heat and stir in zest, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle pecan shallot topping over fish.

Hey Punkin!

eshta — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 09:12:05 GMT

I went to a blown glass demonstration tonight and wow... this could become a new obsession. I have loved these blown glass pumpkins since I first saw them a year or so ago at a friends house. (Those are hers in the photo) They come in all shapes, sizes and colors.. and are somehow SO compelling. I mean.. they're "just pumpkins" right... but damnit if I don't want them all. They are so beautiful and so cute and...well, it's a pumpkin for Christs sake but you just have to see them in person. You fall in love. I promise. So, the Bay Area Glass Institute (a non-profit) was having a free glass blowing demo/fundraiser tonight and for a donation you could have a custom pumpkin made. http://www.bagi.org Always one to support fellow artists, when possible, I eagerly bought my medium sized pumpkin and it was created tonight. Now it will rest for a few days and I can pick it up on Monday. I choose traditional to start with, since it was my first... and I went with a creamy orange color with a green stem. I can't wait to see it. After the demo, I quickly befriended the other artists (thanks to some dance connections.. funny how local crossover like that happens) and also adopted another, already made, pumpkin this evening. It is purple, with gold, white and clear swirls, and a gold iris stem. You can see it in my album but you can't beleive the color until you see it in the light. It's so lovely. ( http://people.tribe.net/eshta/photos/802c35bd-97c1-425c-9138-dde9d4598178 ) I'm so happy. I can't wait to get my custom punkin on Monday. And I SO want to do this... btw. Me. I wanna learn to blow glass. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. I sat, transfixed, for nearly 3 hours, watching hot guys and awesome women play with molten glass and fire and colors and textures... it was SO cool. And they're all really funny and friendly, to boot. What a fanastic way to spend an evening.

A couple of firsts.

eshta — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 04:09:28 GMT

Today I went on my first really strenuous long hike. While I think I'm glad I did it (I dunno.. talk to me in the morning when the lactic acid has set in and I can't get outta bed)... it was kind of accident. I know I know... how does one accidently hike 8 miles. Well... when you're a curious little creature like I am, it's easy. You start out saying "I only want to hike for an hour or an hour and a half and then go back cause I have stuff to to do today." Then you round the bend and you go... "Ooo. What's up there?" Then, halfway up a steep ass climb you go "Well, it can't be much farther... can it?" Then you go "Well it looks like it flattens out up ahead." Then you come upon a beautiful, serene (and FLAT...thank god for flat) section of the hike that makes you stop and go "Wow. Tranquility." And you haven't seen another person for at least an hour and it's bliss. Then you go... "Yea but where is Lost Camp that we saw on the sign.. surely it can't be much further." And you trudge along up another hill.. and another.... and another... and another.... an hour or more goes by and you see no one.... and you trudge along...marvelling at the adventure and wondering what is around the next turn. Then you finally get to Lost Camp, of which there is no remnants of camp at all.... and you think "There is nothing here. What a huge let down." So you ask some nice people (Hikers are nice... everyone says hi.) who are resting there and having a snack... if they've ever gone this way before and would it be shorter or easier to just go back the way you came and they say "Well.. Big Ben Tree is just up the way and at this point you should probably just finish the loop." Oh. Well. Okay. I've never seen Big Ben Tree. I guess if it's just "up the way". Nevermind that the way is another mile of strenuous uphill climbing and by the time you get to the tree you're like.... "Yeah. Big tree." and you are REALLY done with "up".... And that's good cause now everything goes down.... but you didn't realize how far you actually went and that even though it's down you basically walked like 4 miles and now you have to get your sorry ass back to the car and you're like.... well fuck, I didn't really plan for this but now I'm stuck, aren't I? No choice but to walk back. So off you go.. traipsing over hill and dale, and "down" is good for a while until your knees start to get cranky cause you seemed to have forgotten that you're 37 years old, not 18 like the girl who just bounced by your pokey ass. (((((glare))))))) Still you trudge along, and at least the scenery is nice but then... about an hour in and no parking lot in sight you realize just how far you really went and you're like... okay well that was stupid. But you think "Well, I would do that again cause it was good for me and after this you can probably bounce a quarter off my rock hard ass, however next time I should be more prepared." So you go and you go and you go and just hope you get out before it's dark and there are nice people along the way and that's good. And there is even a cute dog. Then you round a familiar bend (which is good because you were starting to get nervous about never finding the entrance to the park again) and promptly get stung by a yellow jacket. Another first. I managed to make it all these years without ever having been stung by a bee or wasp or other nasty little thing and sure enough today was the day. There were some warnings on the way in to the park that they are particularly active right now but damnit... I was just walking along!!! On a wide open trail! I didn't disturb a nest or have a piece of fruit or soda or anything. I'm walking along and I feel something itchy on my leg so I reached down to scratch it and sure enough there is a god damn yellow jacket on my thigh jamming his stinger into my leg. Little bastard got me three times! Even as I pulled the stretchy fabric away from my leg (I had on workout pants) he was still jabbing away at me with all his might... Finally got him flicked off. DAMN. All I could do was hope that I wasn't allergic and head to the car. Man that really hurt. So I cussed my way home, took a shower and am just waiting for the soreness to set in. The good news is that I"ve been tracking calories in vs calories out online for the past week or so... trying to kick off a few pounds I gained recently... and that 4 hour hike burned off 1,656 calories today. Holy crap. I need to do that a lot more often. Here's the route I took... in case anyone is interested in checking it out. http://www.redwoodhikes.com/Cowell/Big%20Ben.html http://www.weeklywalker.com/Walks%20by%20county/Santa%20Cruz%20County/Henry%20Cowell_Fall%20Creek%20Loop.htm

No Poetry

eshta — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 09:56:56 GMT

I went to see Tears For Fears in concert tonight. Saratoga Mountain Winery is a beautful place to see a show and they were great. I totally called my best friend from high school and held the phone out so she could hear... very nostalgic... but more on that later. Gary Jules was the opening act. He covered "Mad World" for the film Donnie Darko... Mad World is probably my favorite TFF song ever (yes, I'm a little morose) and he did a brilliant job. Check it out if you haven't heard it. It's on Youtube, too. Check the live version. Fantastic. However. The last song of Garys set was No Poetry.... It was him and a guitar on stage. And it was slower than it is here. And it was so incredibly beautiful it made me cry. http://youtube.com/watch?v=SZrtKLJ25zY PS: This is not the official video.. just something someone put together.

Birthday Brunch

eshta — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 23:00:16 GMT

Frittata with angel hair, chicken, sundried tomatoes, scallions and basil. Spring greens with avocado, tomato and Chardonnay Orange vinaigrette. Toasted pugliese. 1998 Robert Fleury Champagne Yay. :)

By Dancers For Dancers - This Sunday 6/3

eshta — Wed, 30 May 2007 18:42:36 GMT

I am dancing AND it's my birthday weekend. I'd love to see lots of friends in the audience so get your ticket now! :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By Dancers For Dancers II Live Performance & DVD Shoot! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Date: Sunday, June 3, 2007 Time : 6:00 pm Location: Live Oak Theater. 1301 Shattuck Ave., cross street Berryman. Berkeley, CA Tickets: $25. Purchase online - http://arabicdance.net/ticketsales Starring - Adriana; Ahava; Luna; Michelle; Nadira (WA); Nanna; Raqs Habibi; Sa'diyya (TX); Sandra; Shanna; Shoshanna; Zaheea; Zari Directions: http://www.aeofberkeley.org/dirpkg.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pancakes!

eshta — Tue, 29 May 2007 06:44:31 GMT

Whole wheat pancakes topped with Strauss whole milk yogurt and strawberries macerated in Grand Marnier. Agrapart & Fils 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs.

Dilled spinach crepes with avgolemono sauce...

eshta — Mon, 14 May 2007 07:26:15 GMT

I used whole wheat pastry flour in lieu of white flour in the crepes, and cooked down fresh spinach instead of using frozen. Time consuming but worth it. Watch the sauce carefully. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/11762 Great on their own for brunch. For lunch or dinner omnivores can serve with baked chicken or chicken kabobs.... sauteed shrimp would be good too. Vegans can modify as necessary. Enjoy...

Pasta with baked tomato sauce...

eshta — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 06:37:56 GMT

http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/02/gratitude-with-a-cherry-tomato-on-top Pasta with Baked Tomato Sauce Adapted from The Best American Recipes 2000 via Epicurious.com Oddly, the original recipe calls for 1/3 cup olive oil, but never tells you what to do with more than a couple tablespoons of that. I found three to four tablespoons to be just right. 3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound very ripe cherry tomatoes, halved 1/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 2 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino cheese 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1 pound dried fusilli (corkscrew) or farfalline (butterfly) pasta 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn Preheat the oven to 400°. Grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the oil. Place the tomatoes cut side up in the dish. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheeses, and garlic and toss with a fork to mix well. Sprinkle the bread-crumb mixture over the tomatoes, making sure that each cut side is well covered with the crumb mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and then the final tablespoon of olive oil. Bake until the tomatoes are cooked through and starting to brown on top, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Time the pasta so it finishes cooking about the time the tomatoes are ready to come out of the oven. Serves 4 This was great. The recipe doesn't say what to do with the herbs but just throw them in and let them roast in there too... or mix them in fresh.. your choice. Excellent over whole wheat pasta or ravioli and would probably be great over poached chicken, too. Someday I'll make my own pasta.

Lots on my mind, let's make food.

eshta — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 06:52:59 GMT

Thoughts of Easter and why it bugs me more than any other holiday. Thoughts of mainstream organized religion and it's baggage. Thoughts of marriage and the pros, cons or antiquity thereof. Thoughts of the objectification of women and the harm it causes (men too, but you know.. I'm a chick so that's going to be my perspective) ... the why's, hows and spiritual effect on both parties. Good lord. Let's make a tagine before I stab myself in the eye. This was delish served over whole wheat couscous with a salad of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, scallion, toasted almonds, chevre and avocado with a homemade Dijon vinaigrette. I used my Le Creuset oval French oven and it was a piece of cake. You might wanna increase the spices a little. I also liked the tip on the site that vegetarians could replace the chicken with root vegetables... and decrease cooking time of course. Enjoy... Kumquat Tagine Makes 6 servings, about 1 1/3 cups each ACTIVE TIME: 45 minutes TOTAL TIME: 1 3/4 hours EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2 onions, thinly sliced 4 cloves garlic, slivered 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat, cut into 2-inch pieces 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground cumin 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 14-ounce can vegetable broth 12 ounces kumquats, seeded (see Tip) and roughly chopped (2 cups) 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed 1 1/2 tablespoons honey 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. 2. Heat oil in an ovenproof casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and ginger; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. 3. Add chicken; cook, stirring often, for 8 minutes. Stir in coriander, cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper and cloves; cook until aromatic, about 20 seconds. Stir in broth, kumquats, chickpeas and honey. Bring to a simmer. 4. Cover the pan and transfer to the oven. Bake, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the broth is bubbling and somewhat reduced, about 1 hour. NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 391 calories; 15 g fat (3 g sat, 6 g mono); 101 mg cholesterol; 31 g carbohydrate; 34 g protein; 8 g fiber; 490 mg sodium; 407 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (50% daily value), Fiber (32% dv), Selenium (27% dv), Iron (20% dv). 1 1/2 Carbohydrate Servings Exchanges: 1 fruit, 1 starch, 4 1/2 lean meat TIP: To seed a kumquat, cut lengthwise, then remove the few seeds with the knife tip or your finger.

Now that'll put hair on your chest.

eshta — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 07:20:52 GMT

The other night I finally tried Fernet Branca. I know, I'm a little behind in the Fernet trend but I've been exploring Single Malt Scotches for the past few years so... what can I say. Ha. Better late than never. ;) I was at 515 Kitchen and Cocktails in Santa Cruz, which is fantastic btw if you haven't been there yet ... ...and I got to chatting with the bartender. (Isn't that always the case...) http://515kitchenandcocktails.com/ Next thing you know, after a lovely meal with friends, I'm doing shots of Fernet with lady bartender and the waitstaff. !!! Never had it? Imagine something that tastes like a mixture of black licorice-flavored Listerine and Pennzoil. Awful! Truly! And yet, somehow SO good and I was ready for another one about 10 minutes later. How does it do that?

LA Times writes about my dinner.

eshta — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 02:10:39 GMT

Okay well, not MY dinner specifically but ... the dinner I attended last Friday. ;) With pictures! http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-passard14mar14,1,7243764,full.story If you need a login go here http://www.bugmenot.com/view/www.latimes.com

Wow.

eshta — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 02:42:10 GMT

What do you say when you're face to face with a 3 Michelin star French chef and he says ... "So, do you cook?" I said... "Yes" Hoping he wouldn't... or maybe hoping he would.. invite me to the kitchen. LOL. Last night I had two of the greatest chef's in the world take turns feeding me. The menu is below. In English are dishes by David Kinch of Manresa. In French... Alain Passard of L'Arpege. I am truly blessed. The Early Spring Garden Dinner with Alain Passard of L'Arpege Manresa Restaurant March 9th, 2007 NV Henriot Champagne Garden croquettes and our radishes Epinards et mousseline de carottes a l'orange Consomme of osetra caviar, seaweed brioche with farm butter M.V Krug Grand Cuvee, Reims Poireaux au beurre, emulsion a l'huitre et vinaigre, cepage muscadet 2001 Domaine-Weinbach, Cuvee Theo, Riesling Grand Cru, Alsace Monterey Bay abalone, a broken egg and vegetables from the garden 2002 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, Chateau-Rayas Lotte, moutarde onctueuse d'Orleans, pomme de terre fumee au bois de hetre 2000 Puliygny-Montrachet Premier Cru, Clavoillon, Domaine Leflaive Ris de veau poele et chataignes effilees a la truffle noire 2002 Richebourg Grand Cru Burgundy (a substitution) 1999 Vosne-Romanee, Les Hautes-Mazieres, Bruno Clavelier (original pairing) Roast spring lamb, young root vegetables perfumed with dates 1997 Saint Emilion, Chateau Cheval Blanc, Grand Cru Controle Carottes, sauce au chocolate, araguani 1961 Banyuls Collection, Dr. Andre Parce Meyer Lemon Souffle and other citrus, Gene Lester Chocolate ganache "cupcake" Petits fours du jardin ...translations/descriptions to follow.

Dog vs. Cat Diaries

eshta — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 10:52:32 GMT

This made me laugh. Excerpts from a Dog's Daily Diary: 8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing! 9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing! 9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing! 10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing! 12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing! 1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing! 3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing! 5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing! 7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing! 8:00 pm - Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing! 11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Excerpts from a Cat's Daily Diary: Day 683 of my captivity: My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them; I once again throw-up on the floor. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. The audacity! There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage. Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs. I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded! The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe....... for now...

Love to cook.

eshta — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 08:19:18 GMT

Best thing I've made in some time. I just eyeball everything, really, but here's the measurements in case they're needed. And I dunno about that serving size but ...heh... try it and see. http://nutrition.tufts.edu/consumer/balance/recipes/sweetpotato_pasta.html Pasta with Roasted Sweet Potato, Peas, and Bleu Cheese Ingredients (Serves 5–6) 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1” cubes 6 cloves garlic 3 sprigs fresh thyme (optional) 2 Tbsp. olive oil 8 oz. (1/2 lb.) pasta 1 cup frozen green peas 1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese salt and pepper Instructions Preheat oven to 375° F. In small glass or metal baking dish, toss the sweet potato, garlic, thyme and olive oil with a pinch of salt and pepper until well-coated. Bake about 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft. Meanwhile, boil some salted water for the pasta. Cook according to package instructions and during the last 3–4 minutes of cooking, add the frozen peas to the pasta pot. (This step will save you from dirtying another pot to cook the peas!) When pasta and peas are tender, drain and return to pot. By now the sweet potatoes should be done. Take them out of the oven and scrape sweet potatoes, garlic, and thyme into the pasta pot. Add the bleu cheese crumbles and toss together with pasta. Season with extra salt and pepper if desired. Variations Substitute goat cheese for bleu cheese. Add one chopped red onion to the roasting pan along with the sweet potato and garlic. Nutrition information (per serving): Calories: 280, Protein: 11.5 g, Carbohydrate: 36 g, Total Fat: 10 g, Sat. Fat: 4.3 g, Cholesterol: 14.2 mg, Fiber: 3.9 g. I used whole wheat penne, subbed chevre for the blue cheese (feta might work too) and I also added some thickly sliced shallot to the roasting process. Nice. I also used half the garlic since the cloves I had were so big. The roasting time took nearly double than written, and the thyme is not optional IMO. Last but not least, for the non-veggies, I added some wild boar sausage to the mix. Really good. From these people - http://www.fabriquedelices.com/ I met them at a farmers market last fall, but you could do chicken sausage too.. more readily available. A bottle of Papapietro Perry Russian River Pinot (05) and that was damn fine eatin'.

A little token.

eshta — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:30:01 GMT

For reasons I won't go into here, I've been feeling emotionally sucked dry for quite a while. It's been hard to get motivated. Hard to focus. Hard to dance. But I got a little bit of inspiration recently that made me feel good. Last week at the restaurant where I dance, the teenage son of the owner was wondering aloud what to get his girlfriend for Valentines day. He's a sweet kid, if a bit of a pigtail puller... He doesn't have a whole lot of money.. he only works there once a week. So I told him that if he wanted, I'd make a pendant so he could give her something nice. I went to a friends house that night and made three pendants. A purple amethyst heart, a cloisonne flower and a citrine (her birthstone). Tonight I'll drop them off so he can choose... and then go buy a chain and give it to her on Valentines day. I'm all excited. :) I've never even met this girl but... whatever... just call me Aphrodite. Ahhh.. youth.