Yumminess

Red Bell Pepper and Mushroom Soup

1¼ cups half-and-half
1 cup water
1 large red pepper
2 handfuls of sliced mushrooms. Or more. Whatever.
1 diced yellow onion
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1/8 Tsp ground white pepper
½ Tsp ground coriander
1/8 Tsp tarragon
1/8 Tsp oregano
2 chicken bullion cubes
½ stick of butter (hell yeah)
½ Tsp sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Puree half of the red pepper with the water in a blender, rough chunks.
Saute onions and garlic in the butter over medium heat until just brown
Add the half-and-half and get simmering over low heat
Add pepper puree, mushrooms, bullion, and spices and return to a simmer
Add the other half of the red pepper, diced, about 10-15 minutes before serving. Don’t want them getting totally mushy.
Just before it’s done add the cornstarch (I assume you know to mix it with a little cold water first) and stir it in until it’s as thick as you like.


Sarah’s Awesome Pear Cake

¾ cup vegetable oil
½ cups almonds. Whole, chopped, whatever.
2 eggs
¼ Tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract.
½ Tsp salt
2 cups diced ripe pears, peeled or not, whatever you prefer. You could use   canned, but they’re so mooshy. Barf.
1 cup sugar
1½  cup flour
½ Tsp ground cloves
½ Tsp ground ginger


Mix it all together, bake at about 325 for about an hour, hour and a half. Peaches work well, too. (If you're not familiar with baking don't try this recipe, I'm terrible at precise recipes.)

One evening, on the mountain

Last summer I and the person I was involved with at the time, whose existence I would prefer to forget, decided to drive up to Larch Mountain. My dad kept telling me how gorgeous it was up there so I finally gave in and off we went.  After a minor detour (Okay, when you tell someone that the road will fork and you have to take the uphill side of the fork, it helps to mention that there are TWO places where the road forks. Sheesh.) we found the right road, winding through the woods and up and up.

One weird thing happened on the way: we were just starting to pass a big patch of clear cut and this car was facing us up ahead and started flashing their headlights, so we slow down and they're pointing frantically off into the clear cut, but we couldn't see a damn thing, and then they drove off, so I now I have to spend the rest of my life wondering if I just missed seeing Bigfoot or what the hell that was about. At least roll down your damn window and yell "Bigfoot!" or "OMG elk!" or "We can't find grandma!" or something! Seriously, people.

We made it up to the parking lot, where I obediently shoved my dollars into the parking fee box, which some yahoo had recently blasted with a paint gun, because nothing convinces your fellow yahoos of the size of yer balls like finger painting with a damn toy gun. Anyway, we walk up the trail, my knees creaking and crunching valiantly along, and get to the top just in time for the beginning of a truly wonderful sunset over a big open world. The best part was when a group of foreign college students (maybe Greek, it was hard to tell) began signing what sounded like a folk song. It was one of the most lovely things I've ever experienced. Say yes to adventures, people. Once you're dead, you can't go back and do all the things you passed up.
 
 

If you're interested in bones....

 Here are links to some interesting sites and articles I've found dealing with physical anthropoloy, skeletal, pathology, evidence of trauma, congenital disorders, etc.

http://www.ispub.com/journal/the_internet_journal_of_biological_anthropology/volume_3_number_2_59/article/perimortem-injury-in-a-chinese-american-cemetery-two-cases-of-occupational-hazard-or-interpersonal-violence.html

 

http://shs.westport.k12.ct.us/forensics/11-forensic_anthropology/skeleton_evidence.htm

http://anthropology.si.edu/writteninbone/lives_cut_short.html

 

http://anthropology.si.edu/writteninbone/forensic_files.html

 

http://www.uiowa.edu/~anthro/paleopathology/crowcreek/congen2.htm

 

This one compares the physical effects of modern vs. traditional diets. You need to scroll down quite a bit to see the photos, but it's worth the time if this subject interests you: http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html 

http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/archsci/depart/resgrp/towton/

 

 

 

Morning Trauma

 So a friend and I have had a little contest going for a while now to see who can find the most horrifying music videos. Thought I'd share some of the joy with the rest of you :)