Can you say high fructose corn syrup?

I had hoped to be in a better position going to bed this evening - with 2 first drafts done and not just one - but it's not to be. I'm halfway there on the 2nd one, so I'm not totally lost.

As my dear friend B reminded me, sometimes what you need in these difficult times is a high ponytail and some double bubble. Tomorrow, getting back to my college roots with Pril, I might also throw in some Doritos and peanut M&Ms. Not my normal snack foods, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Trail mix just ain't gonna cut it. There's work to be done.

Weekday Yummies

Stop what you're doing. Now.

Go get an acorn squash and some apple cider.

I'll wait.



Welcome back.

Follow this recipe. You can thank me later.

Braised Squash

Adapted from Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash

1 tablespoon butter (or margarine for those who can't handle lactose)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup apple cider (I used unsweetened from the farmers market)

some rosemary to taste

1. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds and gunk. Make sure you really scrape it clean on the inside.

2. Cut the squash into chunks and peel. I peeled after cutting because it's hard to get into all those little crannies.

3. Melt butter or margarine in a saucepan over medium heat and throw in some rosemary. I used dried because it's what we had at home, but I'm sure it would be best with fresh.

4. Breathe in deeply. Mmmm....

5. Throw in the squash, and let it cook for about 3 minutes.

6. Pour in the apple cider and salt and increase heat as necessary until it boils.

7. Cover and reduce heat. Allow to lightly simmer for about 30 minutes or until liquid has been reduced to a glaze.

8. Now might be a good time to start composing that thank you letter.

9. Come back and witness the buttery sweet goodness.

You're welcome.

Maybe I'll just link my blog to Obama Foodorama

I'm not intending for this blog to become all about food. But, seriously, would that be a bad thing?

Delighted to read this on the G20 summit:

The Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is the site of the opening G20 reception on Thursday, as well as the working dinner for summit leaders on Thursday evening (photo at top of post). As is standard practice for all events at Phipps, food and beverages will be local, organic, sustainably raised and humanely raised where applicable. Fair Trade organic coffee will be served, food waste will be composted, and paper, glass, plastic, cardboard and cans will be recycled. The Victorian-era botanical garden, known as "The Green Heart of Pittsburgh," has been restored, expanded, and updated, and is recognized as one of the greenest public sites in the world; go here to read the comprehensive series of initiatives Phipps has in place to ensure energy conservation and sustainability, including Silver LEED certification.

From, where else, Obama Foodorama.

In other news, I'm finally getting to do a research paper involving the Farm Bill. Hurrah.