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- Book Indexing part 1. Is the computer the right tool for the job. Link taken from the CopyEditing-L posting. An interesting article, and one that made me subscribe to the Linga Franca RSS feed. This first article covers the basics (the difference between a concordance and an index). I’ve never written a full index; instead, due to time constraints, I’m often limited to editing a concordance to make it more “index like”. The article makes me wonder if I could.
- How to reclaim space in GMail. This is something I should probably do on a regular basis. I use IMAP with GMail; but even so – my online repository could be slimmed down consderably. I’m starting to think I should keep a list of various electronic “spring cleaning” tasks like the security tasks I’ve tagged for doing later (like updating facebook security settings, cleaning out my Google cache, …)
- Photography’s Three Basic Tenets in Eight Bits and Nine Minutes. A video (9m42s – hosted on Vimeo, found on Gizmodo) that might just help improve my photography. Must remember to watch this sometime soon(ish).
- How to join the dark side. A link to an article that includes a link that eventually takes you to the steps a willing costumer took to join the 501st legion. There is, surprisingly a jawa group (ok Tusken Raiders and Jawas group); as well as a costume maker’s (rough) guide.
It’s the second most common question every GM ever hears (the most common being – so what are you running now?). For me, it’s always a tricky question. I’m far more interested in backgrounds than in systems, which does absolutely nothing in reducing the possibilities.
- HarnWorld / HarnMaster - HarnGold. My old favorites. With Rethem now published, I’m tempted to run a campaign in the “evil” kingdom. Or perhaps in Kanday (the “good” kingdom) which lies right next door.
- Golorian / Pathfinder. There’s the new adventure path: Jade Regent. It’s a getting-there-is-half-the-fun type of adventure that ends up in the far east.
- Thieve’s World / d20-ish. I loved the books and like the background almost as much. Not sure I could run a full-length campaign in Sanctuary, but the Tales of the Vulgar Unicorn adventure I have looks really good.
- DragonAge / DARP. The game has an incredible background; dark, gritty and low-fantasy. I know nothing of their system, but it’s received good reviews.
- Steampunk RPG. A free system/background that lends itself to my current twists of f antsy.
I’d like to run one or two really good mysteries set in an interesting background. Using Ellis Peters (Brother Cadfael) and Michael Jecks as guides, I have a lot of potential plots that I could flesh out and present as adventures … assuming, of course, that I can pick a background and a rule system.
I just picked up my first CSA basket from Lufa farms.
I went to my local eco-cartier and picked up the basket. It came in a nifty reusable box (with a handle) and included a neat reusable bag.
My small basket contained a small box of tomatoes (cherry & cocktails), a small box of pickling cucumbers, 2 medium-sized eggplants, a head of bib lettuce (along with some argulara and water cress), a small bouquet of basil and sage. They included 2 organic red potatoes (because the number of tomatoes was pretty small).
Storage
- The herbs – I wrapped in damp paper towel and put in a plastic bag in the fridge.
- The tomatoes I left out on my counter.
- The eggplants I put in a paper bag in the refrigerator.
- The cucumbers, lettuce, argulara and cress I left in plastic bags and put in my crisper.
Usage
- Lemon basil shortbread
- Eggplant couscous rolls (and 134 other ideas)
- Bruchetta with tomatoes and basil
- Chicken breasts with Mushroom and sage sauce
- Lots of green salad with cherry tomatoes and cucumbers!
What would you do with this bounty?
It’s going to be a quiet week. I’ve started going back to the gym, which means I have to eat breakfast at home. Thank goodness for steel-cut oats. It also means that I have to be careful to prepare dinner before leaving the house; I get home later and don’t want to start eating dinner at 7-8 instead of 6. The change in my schedule’s not been so easy to deal with. I’m more tired at night, and thus have less energy to make interesting meals.
With food prices rising, I find myself going back to traditional meals – designed to be made in bulk and stored and eaten over time, like the Morrocan Lentil soup, homemade pizza, and gallo pinto: all three can be cheaply made and makes more than enough for 6-8 people. In my case, these will make up a few lunches throughout the week.
| Saturday | Breakfast: Out Lunch: Chicken & rice soup Dinner: Homemade pizza |
| Sunday | Breakfast: Pancakes, bacon, pb Lunch: Smoked meat sandwich on whole wheat bread Dinner: Morrocan Lentil soup (crockpot) & Cinnamon Leaves |
| Monday | Breakfast: Steel-cut oatmeal Lunch: Homemade pizza Dinner: Fish sticks, salad and ravioli |
| Tuesday | Breakfast: Steel-cut oatmeal Lunch: Fish & white bean salad sandwich, lentil soup Dinner: Gallo Pinto and salad MAKE: Steel-cut oatmeal; store for the week. |
| Wednesday | Breakfast: Steel-cut oatmeal Lunch: Gallo pinto & salad Dinner: BBQ oil & red wine marinated steak, baked potatoes & salad |
| Thursday | Breakfast: Steel-cut oatmeal Lunch: Fish & white bean salad sandwich, lentil soup Dinner: BBQ Hosin Chicken breasts, baked sweet potatoes & salad |
| Friday | Breakfast: Steel-cut oatmeal Lunch: Leftovers Dinner: Leftover buffet |
Snacks
- Cottage cheese
- Spice muffins
- Broccoli, zucchini, celery & dip
- Apples, bananas
Life is what happens when you make other plans.
When I made the original menu (on Thursday), I wasn’t expecting to either (a) go to Cosco or (b) get a lift. Typically one requires the other. Me going to Costo (since we lost the car) always means I gather ingredients in bulk; and my menu plan gets quickly put aside as I shop according to price and availability.
Sandwich bread: 3 loaves per pack. Pork loin: 4-5 per pack. Chicken breasts: 8 per pack. This poses several logistical problems, for while I do occasionally feed a ravenous bunch of gamers; that only happens about twice a week (in the best of times). Without a chest freezer, my fridge becomes so full that finding things becomes difficult; and necessitates me to recast the planned menu almost on the spot. Fortunately there are cuts (and various bits of meat) that we always enjoy and with Menu Plan Monday and Food Blog Search – I can find menus for meals that match what I have in my (over-full) fridge and freezer.
At least it means I don’t have as much to buy in the coming weeks. I’ve started dividing the meat and storing it in containers in the freezer (instead of just wrapping it in plastic on styrofoam trays). Unfortunately, if I keep doing this, I’m going to need more containers…and possibly a larger freezer.
Saturday:
Breakfast: Out/Shopping
Lunch: Falafel sandwich (Chickpea balls with hummus, pickled turnips, diced baby tomatoes, romaine, flat bread)
Dinner: Roast 2 chickens, serve with jus & chipolte bread, side salad with chipolte cheese dressing
2nd Roast chicken for leftovers; bones for stock.
Sunday:
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: falafel sandwich
Feeding a crowd in the afternoon: Cheese plate (brie, oka), vegetable platter with ranch dip, spinach dip in sourdough, and fresh-baked spanikopita
Feeding a crowd in the afternoon: Cheese plate (brie, oka), vegetable platter with ranch dip, spinach dip in sourdough, and fresh-baked spanikopita
Dinner: Hamburgers & crudité
The Crudité come from leftover vegetable platter.
Make and store brown rice (for lunch leftovers)
Monday:
Tuesday:
Breakfast: Breakfast bread + fruit
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Chili topped twice-baked potatoes (the chili is from last week), spinach salad in vinaigrette
Wednesday:
Breakfast: Breakfast bread + fruit
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Chicken with Provencal Sauce, brown rice & salad (using chicken thighs; brown well)
Thursday:
Breakfast: Breakfast bread + fruit
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Chicken fried rice & steamed vegetables
Prep Beef stew with red wine in the crockpot for tomorrow night.
Make Banana Blondies for tomorrow night (Of course, the batch must be tested…)
Make Banana Blondies for tomorrow night (Of course, the batch must be tested…)
Friday:
Breakfast: Breakfast bread + fruit
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Beef stew with red wine with potatoes & additional vegetables. Side of cornmeal biscuits (wheat-free).
Another week, another menu. Enjoy.
Saturday:
Breakfast: Out/Shopping
Lunch: Shawarma sandwich
Dinner: Martedi
Sunday:
Breakfast: Pancakes
Dinner: hotdogs
Monday:
Breakfast: Grandma’s Grains + fruit
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Just Chili
- Make and store Grandma’s grains
- Bake whole wheat/oatmeal and blueberry muffins as snacks/breakfasts for the week (include bran)
- Make Party perfect mini-quiches (add bacon) for breakfasts.
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Breakfast: Grandma’s Grains + fruit
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Chicken with Provencal Sauce, brown rice & salad
Thursday:
Breakfast: Grandma’s Grains + fruit
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Sloppy Joes & salad for a crowd.
Friday:
The following is a series of bullet points of links, ideas and information that passed through my head today.
- Fayfood talks about Asperso today. Herbs de Toscan is new to me, and differs slightly from Herbs de Provence; which I make and use regularly.
- Yumsugar suggests using Reusable totes (aka Recycling bags) to carry your recycling. For once my burrough is ahead of the masses as we have Recycling bins. The burrough recommended that we use our old blue box to tote recycling from the apartment to the new bin.
- Boing Boing points to the meal that ended Steve Silberman’s career as a restaurant critic. Its worth reading and, after the description, I’m amazed he lasted after the appetizers were served.
Here’s my menu. Hope it inspires someone to cook this week.
Saturday:
- Breakfast: Out.
- Lunch: Mixed plate
- Snack: Lemon poppy-seed muffins
- Dinner: Tomato soup & grilled cheese sandwich
Sunday:
- Breakfast: Out
- Lunch: Mixed plate
- Dinner: Smoked meat sandwiches & dill pickle
Monday:
- Breakfast: Muffins & fruit
- Lunch: Chicken pot pie, Pizza au Thyme & hummus, fruit
- Dinner: Chicken with Provencal Sauce, brown rice & salad
Tuesday:
- Breakfast: Grandma’s grains + fruit (leftovers)
- Lunch: Leftovers (1/2 main, 1 side, 2 snacks, 2pc fruit, 1 soda)
- Dinner: Split pea soup with leftover chiabata
Wednesday:
- Breakfast: Grandma’s grains + fruit (leftovers)
- Lunch: Leftovers (1/2 main, 1 side, 2 snacks, 2pc fruit, 1 soda)
- Dinner: Slim Chicken Parmesan & salad (makes 4)
Thursday:
- Breakfast: Grandma’s grains + fruit (leftovers)
- Lunch: Leftovers (1/2 main, 1 side, 2 snacks, 2pc fruit, 1 soda)
- Dinner: Just Chili + hotdogs
Friday:
- Breakfast: Grandma’s grains + fruit (leftovers)
- Lunch: Leftovers (1/2 main, 1 side, 2 snacks, 2pc fruit, 1 soda)
- Dinner: Leftover buffet
Snacks
- Yogurt & flax seed
- Whole wheat cheese crackers
- Popcorn
- Carrots, celery & dip
Day 2. BBQ sausages
Read part 1 here.
I’m not really sure this dinner needs a recipe, and that’s pretty much why I like to make it.
Buy nine good italian sausages from a reputable butcher that makes his own sausage. Cut the links apart and make certain each sausage casing has a break in it (somewhere). If it doesn’t — add one. This stops your sausage from ballooning as it cooks. Cook them on a hot barbecue, no additional oil required. While they’re cooking cut up and wash some romaine, spinach, a small cucumber, and two or three radishes (in cubes). Dry well, and add a handful of feta cheese and some creamy greek dressing — or make your own. Check the sausages periodically, flipping them when they start to firm up. If you see smoke, go out and turn down the flame. They’re done when they feel hard.
Serve two sausages per person (with some yellow mustard) and some salad; reserve the rest in the fridge for the chili.
Read part 3 & 4 here.
