A Good Reason ....

... to buy a water filter!!!

I give you Exhibit A. The water in the glass on the left is from our FAUCET. The water in the glass on the right is from the filter. No, the tap water isn't full of bubbles- on this morning (a few days ago) it came out a lovely shade of rust with plenty of sediment. For the record, this is not the norm, but I felt compelled to share. 

Veggie of the Month: Brussels Sprouts

I am what some would call a "picky eater". I prefer the term "discerning", but what can you do? The list of things I don't eat is long, [cheese, eggs & seafood top that list] and while I'm not afraid of new foods, I'm not exactly out seeking new food opportunities. Vegetables are a food group that I don't eat nearly enough of, which is problematic and has made the whole attempt at vegetarianism very difficult, [an attempt that has fallen by the wayside lately, but that's a whole other blog post!]. The veggies I do eat are kind of low on the nutritional totem pole ... so, in an effort to incorporate something a little more wholesome and good into my diet I am going to actively explore one new veggie a month. Veggie of the Month! I also like learning the trivia about food- I've written in a lot of herb lore in my recipe book! So, I'm starting with Brussels sprouts. I thought this was a good veggie to start with since a) I have never really enjoyed them and b) my friend Emma was eating some the other day that looked absolutely scrumptious and I'm hankering to try her recipe [see below]. 

What can I tell you about Brussels sprouts? Well, Brussels sprouts [Brassica oleracea gemmifera] are members of the cabbage family, along with close relatives kale, cauliflower, kohlrabi, and broccoli. They've been around for a good long while. According to Wikipedia, Brussels sprouts as we know them have been cultivated in Belgium as early as the 13th century! A similar veggie pre-cursor to the BS may have been grown in Ancient Rome. French settlers in Louisiana first brought them to the US in the early 1800's and between the 1920's & 1940's they were becoming a big crop in California and today most BS in the US are grown here. 

Interestingly enough, February 17th is World Cabbage Day! Celebrate by reading some cabbage lore and trivia, or by trying the tasty recipe below!

Dan Barber's Balsamic-Glazed Brussels Sprouts

- serves 2 as a side -
Adapted from Dan Barber

Ingredients

2 cups Brussels sprouts, cut in half lengthwise
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Gently heat the oil in a cast iron skillet, then add the sprouts, cut-side down. Cook without moving until they brown nicely and develop a crust. This is where the flavor happens.

3. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for 4 minutes.

4. Remove from the oven and, using tongs, turn each sprout over carefully onto its back. Add the balsamic vinegar to deglaze, gently shaking and tossing the skillet until there is no excess vinegar in the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

We live in the future! Google has added StreetView to Yosemite National Park. This is a nice view of Half Dome I found after taking a little virtual tour. 

Want to see other neat stuff? Check out Google Sightseeing. It's kind of awesome!

La Panthère Rose 2

For the record: I do not want to see this movie. At all. I was unimpressed by the first, to say the least. HOWEVER: enjoy the trailer. It's dubbed over in French. 

[Y'know, I just might enjoy this version. And is it just me, or do the jokes about "l'accent" lose a little of their funny in this version?] 

Mwahahaha!

The Recent Goings-On

I'm sitting here in my warm, cozy apartment, listening to the cars whizz by in the rain ... it's the first cold day in almost a month, and it was windy enough to blow water on all my windows, making the outside lights sparkle and glitter that much more ... :)

It's been a while since I posted anything of substance ... I know. Sorry. The new year started out kind of stressfully, and this semester is pretty hardcore: I'm taking Pathophysiology I, Herbal Formulas I, Points III, Diagnosis I, and Biochemistry!! So, besides school ... what have I been doing? Not much, heh heh ... 

My sister Sage had her birthday in early January, so for her "gift" she came to NoHo with her friend Iggy. Sam and I picked them up on Saturday night and brought them to the Robin Hood Pub, which is one of my favorite new places. I love British pubs! They have cider and terribly fattening food, and I can't get enough! Sage had never been to a pub, and I thought she'd like it since we're both very proud of our Scottish heritage! After dinner Iggy and I insisted on watching the Forbidden Zone, a cult classic which seemed to give Sam the creeps and then we all went to bed pretty darn late. In the morning I made a big breakfast with all the trimmings, then Sara came out and we left Sam home to go to the Huntington Library & Gardens. Sage was keen on showing me the European art collection, but eventually we broke into two groups: Sage & Iggy (aka the youngun's who wanted to run around and *glance* at things) and Me & Sara (aka the slightly older youngun's who wanted to actually *look* at things and read descriptions). It was a good day though, a bit colder than the last time I was there with Sam. Sara and I spent a lot of time in the Herb Garden (oh man I wish I had my own!!) watching caterpillars and finding cocoons hidden in the foliage. There was also a brand new butterfly, struggling to open it's wings ... see pics below!

There is not much else happening in my corner of the world at the moment. There are a lot of birthdays this month so I'll be celebrating as much as I can ... and studying ... and working ... but I'll keep you updated! :)