WYSIWYG Jenny

Chris and I are about to leave town — the train to our first farm leaves very early on Wednesday, September 17. It’s occurred to me that what I’ve loved most about living in this world-class city isn’t the food, the sites, or any sort of metropolitan vibrance thing. What I’ll really miss is living close to so many awesome people. So in between the frantic packing and last-minute planning that I need to do in my last nine days here, I want to cram in as much good-people fun-time as possible.

Let’s get together! Chris and Gabbi and I talked about having a MarioKart themed going-away party, but there are no real plans yet. So maybe if people let me know what their schedules are (mine’s wiiiiiide open) we could do lunch or something on an individual basis? I’d love to see you. =D

Tatsuya Ishida’s Sinfest has a story arc going on now called “Imperil the World”. I highly recommend it to anyone who feels up for some cheap but cute Sarah Palin-bashing.

Comic strips included below for the lazy.

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

In the interest of avoiding going through this explanation with everyone I know, here is a summary of my plan for the next, oh, few months to year:

Run away with my love, work on organic farms for room & board. Go up and down North America. Adventure.

Before you start grilling me, please make sure your question hasn’t already been answered in the FAQs below.

When are you leaving?
We need to be out of our current place on the first of September, but we’ll stick around San Francisco until Chris gets his last paycheck on the 20th.

Where are you staying until then?
On people’s couches and maybe camping out in backyards. Got a couch or a backyard in or around San Francisco? Call me.

What happened to school?
Meh.

So you’re going to be a farmer now?
For the time being, yes. =D

Actually, we’ll be staying at places in the WorldWide Opportunities on Organic Farms network — some of which aren’t actually farms, oddly enough. Who knows how much actual farmwork we’ll end up doing.

What are you doing with all of your stuff?
Selling it, for the most part.

Have a rough itinerary?
Yup! We’re leaving on September 20th, hopefully to a place somewhere close by for a short stay to ease ourselves into the whole thing.

For most of October we’ll be in SoCal, visiting both of our families and hanging out in Riverside for some reason.

At the end of October we’ll make our way up to the Northwest (probably on a train). We’ll mix farm stays with doing the touristy thing in Portland and Seattle (Chris has never been) and hopefully see some old pals.

We’re hoping to find a nice farm to stay at up there until the holidays roll around — and surely, our parents will miss us so dearly that they’ll demand we fly back down to California on their dime. =D

After Christmas, we want to check out Mexico and hope to get around just fine with Chris’s minimal Spanish skills.

If we haven’t run out of money by March we’ll head over to the East Coast, since Chris hasn’t been there either.

How are you going to get around?
Trains and buses mostly. If we feel really courageous, we may get bikes at some point.

How are you going to pay for it?
With money, mostly. We’re hoping (admittedly, very naively) that if we start to run out of money we can plunk down and make some more — you know, Chris is a fancy barista and I, uh, can knit…

Seriously, you’re dropping out of school? But Jenny, you must go to school!
I’ll admit, I’ve only heard this one from uptight family members. I can’t imagine why they’re still surprised at this point; I’ve dropped out how many times now? Yeah, this is the fourth time.

(Here’s one that, actually, no one has asked yet, but I’m pretty sure someone will.) Hey, I live in one of those places you’re going to, and think y’all are cool cats. How about you come stay with me for a while?
You’ve got it.

Soooooo, my birthday’s on Sunday.

Incidentally, my favorite webcomic artist has just begun selling her second book, and, um…

As usual I am offering custom drawings on personalized editions. But as a bonus, if you order a personalized edition for the first week - that is, until next Wednesday - I will personally give Hanna a SPARKLE BUTT in your book. If you know what this means, you will probably want it.

I know what it means. I want it.

Just, uh, just in case you didn’t know what to get me.

God, I love polenta. It’s cheap as sin and delicious in that warm, gooey, stick-to-your-ribs way. I made a batch last night and it turned out great, so I thought I’d share.

Mushy Bowl o’ Polenta
Ingredients

• ½ large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• tablespoon or so canola or vegetable oil
• kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon each dried oregano and thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 3 ½ cups water
• 1 cup polenta
• 1 can cheapo tomato sauce
• vegan margarine
• balsamic vinegar

Heat oil in a heavy-bottom saucepan. Add onion, garlic, and a heavy pinch of kosher salt and sauté over medium heat until onions soften. Add herbs and continue to sauté for a couple minutes, until the whole house smells AMAZING.

Add water, a couple more pinches of salt, and polenta. Stir constantly until thickened. Clamp on a tight-fitting lid (if yours is less than perfect, wrap a sheet of aluminum foil around the underside of the lid - this should close the leaks), turn heat as low as it’ll go, and simmer 20-25 minutes, stirring at least every 5 minutes.

To serve, mix about a cup of the prepared polenta with a tablespoon of tomato sauce, a wee bit (like maybe a teaspoon?) of margarine, and a splash of balsamic vinegar.

I have been watching *a lot* of Alton Brown recently, so you’ll have to excuse any culinary big-headedness. Just excited about being able to make up my own recipes is all. =D

I’m making this right now, and I needed to get myself out of the kitchen because I’m waiting for the pasta to cook and the sauce is done and *delicious* and it’s all I can do to keep from gulping it down like a little piggy.

Mac & “Cheese”
Ingredients

• 12-16 oz whole wheat medium-sized pasta (like rotini), cooked al dente
• 1/3 cup margarine or oil
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 cups rice milk
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 tablespoon miso paste
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• kosher salt, to taste (three pinches or so)
• ½ cup nutritional yeast, plus some for topping
• good quality extra-virgin olive oil

If you have a dutch oven or any other oven-safe pot that will hold the dish, it’s nice to use that to build the sauce, then pour in the pasta and bake it all without dirtying an extra dish. If you don’t though, a casserole dish does just fine.

Preheat oven to 325°. Over medium-high heat, melt margarine (or oil) and add flour when hot. Stir to get rid of any lumps, and cook until the mixture has slightly deepened in flavor and smells nutty, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, dissolve miso paste in hot water and set aside.

Add rice milk in installments, whisking constantly. Stir in water/miso mixture, garlic powder, cayenne, and salt. Lower heat to medium-low and cover until thickened and boiling, stirring occasionally. Stir in nutritional yeast and add pasta. Pour into casserole dish if you need to.

Top with a tablespoon or so of nutritional yeast and a good drizzle of olive oil. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before eating or you’ll burn your tongue off.

If it seems like I’ve disappeared, dear readers, it’s because concocting this perfect recipe required utter isolation for weeks on end.

If it seems like I’m silly, it’s because I’m running on two hours of sleep and am due at the bus stop six minutes ago.

The no flax seed, apple sauce, ener-G, banana, or other silly egg replacement vegan pancakes
makes 12 4-5″ discs o’ goodness
Ingredients

• 1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted or at least sprinkled into the measuring cup by hand, because if you don’t it’s gonna be like WHOA inaccurate measurement
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ kosher salt (or a wee pinch of regular salt)
• ¾ to 1 cup rice milk — I use a full cup, but i like my batter thin
• 1/3 cup oil or melted margarine, plus a bit for the pan
• Optional fun stuff: good handful of chocolate chips, blueberries, or whatever makes you happy.

1. Mix the dry ingredients.
2. Add the wet ingredients.
3. Stir just enough to get a dumpy-lumpy batter.
4. Cook up some pancakes! (Medium-high flame + cast iron skillet/griddle + little bit of cooking fat + scant ¼ cup batter. Flip when sides look dry and bubbles on top have become little holes.)
5. Yell “pancakes are ready!” and renew the bonds with your family, friends, roommates, and anyone else who happens to be around.

I gave my notice at the market two and a half damn weeks ago, and my last day is finally in sight: Thursday, June 5th. I’ll be down at The Fishbowl after work to celebrate with some coworkers, some friends, and maybe even some regulars. You should come!

Things I need to buy before I can make some donuts:

• potato ricer
• frying themometer
• kitchen scale or a potato that weighs exactly 6 ounces
• biscuit cutters

And then — delicious vegan donuts for everyone!

Who else adores the new Discovery commercial? I particularly like the part where Adam deliberately lights Jamie’s sleeve on fire.

The World is Just Awesome

I just made this soup on the fly. It’s pretty good, but still needs a little something… maybe some apple cider vinegar? I dunno. I’ll experiment next time.

Roasted Goodness Soup
Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 head garlic
• canola oil
• kosher salt
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon rubbed sage
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 cups water

Preheat oven to 425° while you prepare the squash and garlic for roasting. For the squash: peel, cut into eighths, scoop out seeds and nasty bits, put in a baking dish of some sort, brush with oil and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt. For the garlic: remove outer layers of paper, cut the very tops off of cloves, drizzle with oil, and wrap up in aluminum foil. Stick it all in the oven for 40 minutes, or until the kitchen smells so delicious that you can’t handle it anymore.

While the goodies are roasting, set a heavy pot over medium heat. Heat a little bit of oil and sweat the onion with a bit of salt until translucent. (At this point I sprinkled on a hefty amount of garlic powder, but I’m not really sure it did much.) Add the herbs and water, turn the heat down, and simmer until the veggies are done roasting.

Add the squash and squeeze each clove of garlic into the soup. Simmer for 15 or 20 minutes, then purée with a stick blender or food processor or whatever you’ve got.

If anyone tries this recipe, let me know how it turns out!

I’ve got a bonus coming my way for some web work, and I already know how I’m spending it. How jealous are you?

Scratch that, I’m calling it Hair of the Irish Monkey.

Ingredients

• 1 frozen banana
• splash of good whiskey — the bigger the splash, the hairier the dog monkey
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• soymilk

Run the banana under hot water until it’s thawed enough to peel. Break it up into chunks and put in the blender. Add remaining ingredients, using enough soymilk to just cover the bananas. Blend until drinkable.

Double-fist this with a strong cup of coffee to get your hung-over ass pumped up for the day.

I made vegan palak paneer! And it came out almost completely okay! Used Manjula’s recipe, subbing coconut milk for heavy cream and firm, unpressed tofu for paneer. Couldn’t hardly tell the difference, neither!

I’ve been cooking a lot of horrible food recently, (after a good streak, I had the gall to tell my new boy, “I’m a really good cook.” And BAM, since then everything’s tasted like shit.) so it’s very nice to have finally made something edible.

I thought last night’s cooking mojo would carry over and bless me with good pancakes this morning, but holy crap were they flavorless. They looked so promising, too.

In other news, the Remus jumper is back on track! Again! But really, this time! I ripped it out all the way to before the armholes, set fire to the SIX attempted sleeves, and am going for a seamless sweater ala Elizabeth Zimmermann and her Amazing Percent System! Maybe raglan, maybe seamless hybrid with the fancy yoke — who cares, I don’t have to decide until the sleeves are done.

Yuliya Shmidt: what’s up with your blog dude?
Jenny Cade: what’s up with *your* blog?
Jenny Cade: huh?
Jenny Cade: HUH?
Yuliya Shmidt: yours is woefully not updated
Yuliya Shmidt: mine does not suffer from the same condition
Jenny Cade: i really don’t have anything to say
Jenny Cade: ‘cept complaining ’bout the weather
Yuliya Shmidt: tell us about your boy
Jenny Cade: but then he might find it
Jenny Cade: and then i will be horrified
Yuliya Shmidt: i just spilled tea on my crotch
Yuliya Shmidt: unfortunate
Jenny Cade: okay, so here is my shopping list:
Jenny Cade: ooh, i can post that on my blog!
Jenny Cade: yaaaay
Jenny Cade: and i shall blame it on you
Yuliya Shmidt: excellent
Yuliya Shmidt: can’t wait

• soymilk
• maple syrup
• tofu
• couple jars of whole peeled tomatoes
• ginger
• tumeric
• red chili powder
• coconut milk

Tonight I shall feast on pancakes and palak paneer.

Let us ignore, for a moment, the fact that I am extremely intoxicated.

Let us instead focus on the fact that Questionable Content is an extremely enjoyable webcomic. One part witty banter, one part indie snobbery, and one part DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA!!! make for one heck of a comic. Its critics cite (and mock) the characters’ frequent “let’s talk about our feelings” discussions, while its fans either appreciate or overlook the I feel statements that pepper each storyline.

There’s everything going for this comic, and that’s why, I assume, it’s so insanely popular. The jokes are fucking hysterical when it’s on, the characters develop over time, and the art has gone from horrid to pretty darn good. There are robots, which is never a bad thing, and Jeph Jaques seems like a painfully nice guy — every news post ends with “see you tomorrow” or “see you Monday”, and that always reminds me of Mr. Rogers’ end-of-the-show song. Hooray for the friendly webcomics neighborhood!

With backstory that Monsiur Websnark has creamed himself over and jokes that crack Joe Shmoe up every day, it’s easy to see why Questionable Content is one of the most popular webcomics out there. Hooray for Faye!

↓ I have discovered a new pet peeve: idiots who use the terms “fair trade” and “free trade” as synonyms. Astounding.

↑ And a new love: Aldo Leopold, though not the zombie (YAY inside joke that no one will get!). I swiped A Sand County Almanac from Mark a couple days ago. It’s full of lovely little passages about the mundane beauty of life.

In thus watching the daily routine of a spring goose convention, one notices the prevalence of singles–lone geese that do much flying about and much talking. One is apt to impute a disconsolate tone to their honkings, and to jump to the conclusion that they are broken-hearted widowers, or mothers hunting lost children. The seasoned ornithologist knows, however, that such subjective interpretation of bird behavior is risky. I long tried to keep an open mind on the question.

After my students and I had counted for half a dozen years the number of geese comprising a flock, some unexpected light was cast on the meaning of lone geese. It was found by mathematical analysis that flocks of six or multiples of six were far more frequent than chance alone would dictate. In other words, goose flocks are families, or aggregations of families, and lone geese in spring are probably just what our fond imaginings had first suggested. They are bereaved survivors of the winter’s shooting, searching in vain for their kin. Now I am free to grieve with and for the lone honkers.

It is not often that cold-potato mathematics thus confirms the sentimental promptings of the bird-lover.