Much tastier than it looks

Wednesday's combination of crisp weather and my ongoing struggle to get rid of a nasty cold seemed perfectly tailored for soup - always one of my favorite foods to bump back into my diet every fall.  So I set about cooking a non-creamy mushroom soup that I first attempted last spring, with a few modifications.  Very delicious, although dreary and very brown in color without the spinach (which I did not have this time).  As with many things, I'm finding that proportions for soup recipes are pretty fluid - you can generally use what you have on hand or what sounds appealing at the time with great results.

Wild Mushroom Soup

1. Slice 1 onion or several leeks.  Saute in a soup pot until soft with some olive oil or butter.
2. Chop and throw in about 1 lb. fresh mushrooms, any combination.  I used about half baby portabella, diced, and half shittake, sliced.  Saute until soft.
3. Pour in 1/2 c. cooking sherry or marsala wine.  Boil and allow to reduce by about half.
4. Add about 8 c. chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer.
5. Reconstitute 1 oz. dried wild mushrooms in the simmering soup.  I used oyster mushrooms.  If you don't have them, you can just use an additional 1/2 lb. of fresh mushrooms in step 2.
6. Simmer for at least 15 minutes, making sure the dried mushrooms are soft.
7. Pour in approximately 1 c. orzo or other small pasta.  Simmer until tender.
8. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
9. Stir in chopped parsley and a handful of fresh spinach leaves before serving, if you have them.

October, once again

As this blog lumbers into its third year of existence, I’m still mostly happy with what I’ve managed to piece together here.  This afternoon, I took advantage of some of Google’s new design tools and updated my template a bit.  With that will, I hope, come a renewed focus on posting content.  It would be nice to write more often, as my pace in 2010 has been fairly sedentary.  But overall, as a collection of glimpses of moments in my life and the world, I think this blog serves its purpose well.

One of the things I noted the last time I reflected on this effort was how much enjoyment I took away from reading friends’ blogs.  I mused that this had become a backdoor way of keeping in touch with people who I don’t get to see regularly and that the mere knowledge that we occasionally read each others’ thoughts instilled a subtle sense of closeness.  Unfortunately, save Tom, who has continued posting about his life in New York and his evolving career as a stroller-parking playwright, all of my friends’ blogs have gone quiet lately.  If I had to name one regret for the year, it would be that.

Otherwise, all is good in my corner of the blogosphere, as well as in Washington, where we are in store for a beautiful, sunny, 70 degree fall weekend.  Soon the leaves will sport all sorts of glorious colors and I will carve a pumpkin.

The soft smell of Christmas trees

It is a about an hour's hike, tromping along at a brisk pace, from the train station in Moselkern, Germany to the magnificent Burg Eltz, a castle that has been owned by the same family for hundreds of years.  With a little imagination, the walk there feels more like an adventure, through dense forests that could be populated with creatures from the Lord of the Rings. As the path winds on, the ground becomes padded with fallen pine needles and the air takes on a distinct, pleasant air of Christmas.  It's possible I only enjoyed this experience so much because I was traveling alone, but I'd prefer to think that this forest has some sort of innate appeal of its own.

Only 20 light years away

This is just so cool.  Scientists have discovered a planet orbiting the relatively nearby star of Gliese 581G that appears to be capable of supporting life.  That is, its distance from its sun and its size fall within a range that is conducive to many of the prerequisites for life as we know it, such as liquid water and maintaining an atmosphere.

Similar to Earth's moon, this planet appears to be fixed as it orbits Gliese 581G.  The same side always faces the sun and the same side always stays in darkness.  Though this suggests temperature extremes on the planet, scientists suggest that the belts near the transition from light to dark would likely be quite temperate.  Also, they would be bathed in a perpetual state of glowing sunrise or sunset light.  How would life not want to live there?

If only we had a spaceship that could speed over and check this world out.  Maybe someday...

Italy, Spain, and Georgia

I was heartened to read this story about olive oil in the Washington Post this afternoon.  Detailed and highly topical, it reminds me of some of the more light-hearted fare on NPR, and is certainly a nice break from politics, the economy and war.

The article profiles a cooperative of farmers trying to rekindle the olive growing industry in Georgia.  Parts of the South are apparently, climate-wise, very well suited for growing olives.  Georgia, in fact, had a somewhat robust harvest in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, until being destroyed by hurricanes and eclipsed by the emergence of more prominent crops, such as cotton.

But now, farmers are beginning to see the benefits of domestically produced olive oil.  Statistics identify the US as the 3rd largest consumer of olive oil in the world - much of it the lucrative, delicious extra virgin variety - yet 99% of it is imported at great cost.  There is amazing potential for a high quality, American-grown and -pressed product.  It would most likely cost less, be better for the environment, and support more job growth than the imported variety.  If these Georgian farmers can accomplish all that and manage to create a comparably tasty oil that goes well on a baguette, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and freshly grated black pepper, I'll happily buy American over Italian or Spanish any day.

Playing tourist

After a cruddy Thursday morning at work and a busy past couple of weeks, I decided to take today off. I had no particular plan for the day, and considered spending it shopping, reading, or sitting on the couch, watching dvds.

Instead, I decided to hop on the metro and indulge in one of my favorite pastimes, usually reserved for crisp weekend afternoons in the spring and fall: roaming aimlessly around DC with a camera and an intrepid spirit.

Today my adventure was slightly more focused. I have been trying for almost two years to find a good time to see the newly renovated American History Museum, so that topped my to do list. The rest was improvised.

After crying my way through exhibits on the military, 18th century fulfilment of the American Dream, and, of course, the original Star Spangled Banner, I had lunch and set out for the Tidal Basin. I often forget about the FDR Memorial, and especially never remember just how large it is, but I think it's one of my favorites.

Now, gazing across the water at the Jefferson (another favorite), as planes take-off from National behind me and families, joggers, and a teenager wielding a fishing rod roam by, I feel contentedly awash with patriotism. DC, I think, has a unique power to do that. Despite being the seat of such nasty, divisive political rhetoric, the city is also a magnet for Americans from all walks of life as well as foreign tourists who seem happy to shrug off the prevailing anti-Americanism in the world. All come to marvel at the history, the beauty, and, more than anything, the enduring institutions of our nation, generously scattered, to grandiose effect, around downtown DC.

I love living here and, most of the time, love playing tourist in my own city.

Stuffed with goodness

Driven by a desire to grill as frequently as possible while the weather is nice, I've been experimenting with some new things.  Grilled eggplant, for one, brushed lightly with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, has become a new favorite.  Another keeper are these stuffed lamb burgers, which I've made a few times now.  With a distinct Middle Eastern flavor, they go really well with that grilled eggplant and couscous salad on the side.

Stuffed Lamb Burgers

1. Combine in a bowl: about 1 1/4 lbs. ground lamb, 1 onion, finely diced, several cloves of garlic, minced, chopped cilantro, and generous amounts of cumin, salt, and black pepper.
2. Knead with hands until well mixed.
3. In a separate bowl, mix goat cheese with fresh mint and black pepper.
4. Form a patty in your hand.
5. Carve out an indentation in the patty, spooning in a dollop of the goat cheese mixture and then reforming the meat around it.  The cheese should be completely enclosed.
6. Grill patties until cooked through.
7. Serve using pita bread as buns, garnished with lettuce, tomato, and tzatziki sauce.

Like the last scene of Men in Black, or a matryoshka doll

Most of the specific theories in this article go way, way over my head, but the overarching idea is cool enough to make me momentarily put aside my deadline at work and post it here.  If only the Enterprise were real, we could find a way to go investigate the fascinating possibility that everything in our universe - all that we could ever hope to experience and know - is somehow entirely contained within something else...