Ramen

This weekend, I will be making ingredients for ramen from scratch - namely, a good ramen stock, and cha siu. This is all part of my Tampopo-like search for the perfect bowl of ramen. Perhaps I will photoblog!

Rhubarb buttermilk cake or muffins

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 to 1 1/2 cup finely diced rhubarb

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the flour and brown sugar. Using a pastry knife, cut in butter until the mixture is the consistency of coarse meal. In a small bowl, mix the baking powder through salt. Beat the egg and buttermilk together in another small bowl. Add the diced rhubarb to the flour mixture, and stir until blended. Sprinkle the spice and baking powder mixture over the top and mix. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the rhubarb, flour, and spice mixture, and stir just until blended (do not over mix, or the batter will not rise).

Transfer batter to a glass pie dish sprayed with nonstick coating, or if you prefer to greased muffin tins (makes about 12 larger muffins). Bake cake 40-50 minutes, muffins 18-22 minutes, until slightly browned and done.

Note: You can use slices of this cake, or the muffins, just like homemade shortcake. Cut each slice into two horizontally, place pieces side by side, cut side up, in a dish, and top with sliced fresh strawberries and whipped cream. It is yummy!

Bwahahaha!

The BIAW are so screwed now!

Elected judges must disqualify themselves from cases involving people who spent exceptionally large sums to put them on the bench, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday in a 5-to-4 decision.

The BIAW have been messing with state politics for a long time, getting judges who are in their pockets stealthily elected to our highest courts. Now it looks like those judges will have to recuse themselves from ruling on BIAW cases. Whaaaa!

Just tell conservatives to go take a shower

A report on studies linking the "ick factor" to conservatism:

People who squirm at the sight of bugs or are grossed out by blood and guts are more likely to be politically conservative, new studies find.

In particular, the squeamish are more apt to have conservative attitudes about gays and lesbians.

Lots of other research has tied politics to biology and behavior. Some quick background:

* A study last year found that when people feel physically clean, they are less judgmental.
* Another study found that political conservatives tend to be tidy, with organized offices, but liberals favor colorful, more stylish but cluttered spaces.
* Political views are driven by religion, culture and even biology, other research has shown.
* A large, global study in 2007 concluded that political preference is 50 percent genetic.

So, next time some conservative tells me they don't like gays, or abortions, I'm going to tell them they'll feel better about them if they can only get clean enough.

Consumer recall info

I just found a great site for keeping up on recall information - really good if you want to know if there has been trouble with some big ticket item you might be interested in!

US Recall News

yum!

I got a soup recipe off the internet, but it wasn't quite right. I made a couple of changes, and am reposting the altered recipe here. It's very tasty.

Sisters Soup

1 - large onion, chopped
1 to 3 chipotles in adobo sauce, seeded and finely chopped
3 to 3-1/2 lb butternut squash, cleaned, peeled, and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 - yellow crookneck or straightneck squash, cut into quarters lengthwise and cut into 1/2" chunks
1 - zucchini, cut similarly
2 - 14 oz cans northern beans, rinsed
1 - 14 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups frozen corn
3-4 tsp Better Than Bullion Vegetable Base
3 Tblsp cilantro, chopped
1 to 2 tsp cumin
1 to 2 tsp oregano
juice of 1/2 lime

In a very large pot, add a few teaspoons of olive oil, and soften the onion over medium heat. Add the chipotles and squash, and stir to mix. Add the beans and tomatoes, then nearly fill the pot with water. Add the corn, cumin, oregano, and cilantro, and turn heat to high. Bring just to boiling, then turn down heat to simmer. Add bullion a teaspoon at a time, mixing and tasting after each. Simmer 20-30 minutes, until edges of butternut squash start to erode a bit (this will thicken the soup a little as well). Squeeze in lime juice and stir.

Serve hot in bowls, topped (if desired) with shredded Monterey Jack and tortilla chips, or cilantro and a wedge of lime.

snow blogging

This is the scene out the back window this morning. After about 4 inches on Saturday, the snow started up again about 11 am on Sunday, and didn't quit until after 9 pm, leaving another 2-3 inches. I think we have 6 or 7 inches in all. The trees are all weighted down with snow, and we have icicles hanging from the house (see upper left corner).

travel kitties

My parent's cats, Angus and Trouble, show how very stressful it is to travel.