dark chocolate chip cookies with walnut

These chocolate chip cookies are very, very good. I have been trying chocolate chip cookie recipes forever to find the perfect cookie and this one is very close. They weren't too cake-like and they weren't thin and greasy, they were the perfect in-between cookie. As the recipe states, they are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside - still nice and moist the following day. I added some Skor toffee bits to the recipe and they turned out amazing - will definitely make again!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

One Option

This power outage made us really realize how many options we have for eating. If we do not like what is served for dinner in our dorm than we go to another dorm to see if there is something better. With the power out we all had the same food, cereal and cold sandwiches and there was hardly any other options. I went for a walk downtown and Tea Pot being the only restaurant open I swore I saw all of campus in there eating their dinner in the dark. Everyone would do anything to eat something other than cereal. When we finally got regular food for dinner it was almost as if nothing had been different for the last couple days. It was not until someone said out loud that this was out first real meal that anyone else at our table really realized that. We all take for granted all the options that have to eat and never stop to realize how different every meal would be if we only had the one option.

Power Outages Always Remind Me of Sandisfield

My great aunt would always describe my mom, my dad, and I as a band of traveling gypsies. We are always on the move, going from place to place, moving back and forth every weekend. My great aunt makes it sound like we move to a new place every weekend, but actually my family would almost travel every weekend from Queens, New York to Sandisfield, Massachusetts. My dad in the 1980s built a house in the Berkshires to escape from New York City. My parents have been going every weekend and of course I would have to follow along.

I would have to say that I have spent half of my life in the country and half in the city. Sandisfield is the complete opposite of New York. In Sandisfield, we have no television, no internet, limited cell phone service, and the nearest shopping center is 30 minutes away by car.

I believe Sandisfield is why I am so close to my parents because I am forced to talk to them in the country. There are absolutely no technological distractions and to keep myself occupied I read, sleep, do my homework, and I learn how to cook. In Sandisfield, I have learned how to make homemade pancakes, BBQ, cranberry sauce, roasted sweet potatoes, and a slew of other delicious meals that I would make with my parents. We would always play board games after dinner, make some popcorn, and listen to vinyl records. When I go to the country, it is like going in a time warp because we even have a rotary phone.

To me the power outage was not to much of a big deal, because I know what it is like not to have the internet and t.v. for a while. My house, Dawes, was actually very lucky because we had running water, emergency lights, and heat. When the power goes out in Sandisfield, there is no running water or lights, but there is heat because we have a fireplace. This weekend reminded me of home and my parents and how much I miss spending time with them in Sandisfield. The next time that I will be able to go back if for Thanksgiving. It will be nice to take a break from the hectic, stressful, and sleepless days and nights at Smith.

Top 5: Ice Cream!

Molly Moon's Lavender Ice Cream

As the leaves start to turn and jack-o-lanterns appear on porch steps I long for my old favorite: pumpkin ice cream. I have a fall birthday and each year my family would walk down to Screamin' Mimi's in Sebastopol California to get large scoops of that spicy autumnal treat.

So here are my top five favorite places for gelato and ice cream.

Enjoy!

1. Pitango

Logan Circle Location:

1451 P St.

Washington, DC 20005

(202) 332-8877

This gelato place has a few locations in the D.C. area. My family first went a few years ago and was instantly hooked. Their ingredients are so fresh and the flavors are unbelievable. They use what they call "extreme ingredients" -- fresh, organic, grass fed etc. (perfect for the health-nut and consumer activist alike). But their gelato appeals to the gourmand as well. It is silky-smooth and peaks perfectly (almost like taffy). If you go you must order this divinely decadent duo: chocolate and amaretto, (it is beyond words). For those of you who are drawn to the fruity flavors you must try their strawberry -- it surpasses fresh berries in flavor.

http://pitangogelato.com/index.php

2. Screamin' Mimi's

6902 Sebastopol Ave.

Sebastopol, Ca 95472

(707) 823-5902

As I said earlier this is one of my old-haunts. I can still remember the favorite flavors of my fourth grade class: one kid liked their strawberry, another liked Deep-Dark Secret and the rest of us liked the chocolate-chip cookie dough best. Last time I ordered the strawberry and cookie dough, still as delicious as I remembered. The interior is rather small, but beautifully decorated with vivid pinks and Michelangelo-style paintings. If you are someone who avoids artificial flavors and colors this is the place for you -- they have all-natural maraschino cherries! It is a wonderful place to go with friends and family, for there is something for everyone. My roommate came out for a visit last summer and I took her out to Armstrong Woods and we stopped at Screemin' Mimi's on the way back home. I was surprised to find a small ballot box still in the corner with the few silly pet photos posted above. My friend, Sierra, always used to post photos of her dog, Lucy, and cat, Daisy, and all of us kids would go in to vote about three or four times each so that she would win a free ice cream. If you happen to visit Sebastopol in the fall don't forget to order a scoop of Screamin' Mimi's pumpkin ice cream on a fresh waffle cone.

http://www.screaminmimisicecream.com/

3. Molly Moon's

Capitol Hill Location:

917 E. Pine St.

Seattle, WA 98122

(206) 708-7947

Last spring I went up to visit my best friend in Seattle and she took me to Molly Moon's. We walked into a warm and clean shop with large boards chalked with some of the most compelling flavors -- balsamic strawberry, rosemary meyer lemon, cardamom, raspberry mint, Thai tea, and salted caramel. I was a little dazed at first but settled on a scoop of the honey lavender. I was nervous that I would be biting into soapy ice-cream, but the lavender was very subtle and the honey added just enough sweetness. It was perfect and very beautiful with actual lavender buds in the ice cream. The scoops were generous and reasonably priced.

http://www.mollymoonicecream.com/

4. Fairfax Scoop

63 Broadway Boulevard

Fairfax, CA 94930

(415) 453-3130

This hole-in-the-wall shop in hippy-ville California is one of the hidden treasures of Marin County. There is often a line going out the door and the interior is not much larger than the line, but don't be turned off by appearances, it is worth the wait. Their strawberry ice cream is some of the creamiest you will ever eat and it goes beautifully with the vanilla honey-lavender (which some people swear by). It is easy to miss, but just look for the yellow exterior, but be warned, it is addictive.

5. Unknown.

This is the spot for the yet untasted ice cream just waiting for us to discover it.

(Incidentally there is a place in San Francisco called Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous which I have been meaning to try. It is located in Potrero Hill, San Francisco at 699 22nd St).

Enjoy!

Junky Measures

During the school's power outage, I will admit that I engaged in very shameful eating habits. With the help of my housemates, I devoured pretzels, Ruffle's potato chips, chocolate mint M&M's, raw ramen noodles, vanilla cake, Fiber One bars, Goldfish, graham crackers, tortilla chips and salsa, mini Reese's cups, Hershey's chocolate, stoned wheat thins. I didn't know consuming so much junk in such a short amount of time was possible, but when one has no electricity, hot water, or internet, times get a little desperate, and we might just look to food for comfort. Just like Hannah said in her blog post, we were so limited by the food available, it really made me think about how much of a factor power is in our healthy food choices. Yogurt and milk were ruled out. Even the microwave couldn't help us turn to the classic Cup of Noodles.

Even though there was real food in the dining hall, the restriction to what we could be eating (bread, tuna, etc) still was a new feeling to us. We are so used to such a great selection and variety in front of us, that when we are stripped of that, even to a slight degree, how do we learn to live comfortably? Similarly, the possible activities were restricted, such as using phones, showering, surfing the net. I know for my housemates and myself, we were all becoming more and more anxious...without the luxuries of technology, phones, internet, it was an adjustment to every one of us.

Long shelf life and storage ability for food is very important, however I noticed particularly this weekend that those can be the unhealthiest of all. I missed the salads, meat, cheese I ate in during my daily diet. Connecting back to the food deserts, shelf life is important and helpful to some extent, however, it isn't always beneficial to our health. Although resources are limited, it's difficult to not feel helpless in this kind of situation.

The Roost

For those of you who have not yet been to The Roost, I highly recommend taking a trip. This weekend Angela and I trekked through the snow soaked sidewalks, willing to bear the freezing walk in exchange for a hot meal we had been planning all day.

The décor of The Roost is part of its appeal. Warm wood paneled walls paired with steel hanging mood lights create a cozy, hip ambiance. You can opt for a seat on one of the black leather couches, share a tiny table for two, or take a seat on one of the classroom swivel chairs at the large communal study table centered in the heart of the café. The menu boards are artfully decorated with colorful calligraphy titles etching the choices between breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drink options. Mirroring the atmosphere, the food is equally hip and fresh.

As a creature of habit, I always order my signature dish: the mixed board. This plate is the perfect pairing of sweet and salty: a hunk of French sourdough bread fresh out of the oven, local gouda, blackberries, creamy pesto goat cheese, olives, and an optional side salad with a cilantro vinegarette dressing. Honestly, just listing the ingredients makes me want to head back for another order. While my drink order tends to be more spontaneous, I tend to stick with three main options: cold weather usually means hot apple cider or jasmine pearls tea, and hot weather is always an iced mocha. Even though I normally hate coffee, this mocha is bomb. Perhaps its simply that I like how it’s served—a hipster mason jar—but I think the true reason is that it’s mainly creamy chocolate and milk.

The other day I’d been saying to a friend how much I’d love to try a new kind of spread board but wished they offered one that was paired with meats such as prosciutto or chorizo. Granting my wish, they just added a new dish called the “game board” which serves house (homemade) bread, salami, spicy chorizo, Spanish peppers, and a sweet jelly glaze. Can you think of anything that provides a greater gustatory delight?!

Also, the cakes are divine. As beautiful as they are to simply look at, they have the thickest, tastiest frosting I have ever tried. If ever a time to treat yourself for a well deserved treat, a slice of Roost cake is just the thing! Head down to The Roost sometime soon and I’m sure you won’t regret it.

Well, That Was Interesting

So the power and Internet returned today! Whoa. What an interesting couple of days, no? I hope everyone is safe and sound after this snowy, blacked-out weekend. It was probably one of the most authentic Halloween jokes out there.

While this was not an apocalypse, this weekend did feel a bit unnerving. With food choices limited, I realized that sometimes, health and nutritional awareness just has to take a backseat in situations like this. Last night's dinner consisted of two bowls of cereal with yogurt and milk, with a side of lettuce and chickpeas. People ate cold bagels with cream cheese, others made sandwiches with cheese that, if kept out any longer, would quickly go bad. Dining services did the best they could do in this garbage dump of a situation, and at that point, we just wanted food in our stomachs and we didn't care what kind. We spent the rest of the night in the house playing games and sharing bags of Reese's Pieces and apples with peanut butter. Food and dining hall preference took a backseat since there really wasn't any choice; instead, we focused on playing card games, MASH, Monopoly, and Sardines (a "hide and seek" type game that is absolutely wonderful to play in a pitch black house). As horrible and devastating this storm was, it did provide us something: a chance to turn away from the technological mindset and remember the simple, "prehistoric" forms of fun that are almost always more rewarding than any Facebook chat.

Yesterday, some housemates and I went for a walk by the river. We had to climb over many trees blocking the path, but the walk was serene, quiet, and peaceful. This storm was very humbling - nature is more powerful than us sometimes, and we need to be reminded of that. This storm allowed us to surrender and give up control: control over our Internet image, over our email inbox, and over our food choices. For these past few days, things felt simple for a bit. Sure, reality hits us in the face when our papers and readings pile up, and precious trees are permanently damaged. Hopefully, we can come back to that simplistic part of life again, power outage or not.

Coming Home

There’s nothing like going home, especially when the semester is starting to get a little too stressful and you just need a break from the surreal existence that is college. But when home is Vermont, you appreciate even more the value of returning. Life makes more sense in Vermont. We’ve got farms up the whazoo and we don’t think twice about it. The comforting realization that everything on your plate is local, without having spent an extra dime: that’s Vermont for you.

I’m sitting in the passenger seat of my dad’s sedan when we cross the line into Vermont, and it feels like a weight has been lifted off my chest. I can already see and sense the difference: there are fewer leaves on the trees, and the air feels crisper, cleaner. Farms dot the corners of my eyes, each one inhabiting a different growing niche, contributing something unique to the community. It’s never long before a farm stand pops into view, usually a simple outfit with a wooden sign saying something like “Rose’s Vegetables.” Rose Silloway runs my town’s local farm stand; she lives along the winding road between Strafford and South Strafford that gets just enough local traffic to sustain her business, which is essentially selling the overflow from her enormous garden. She and her husband Earl, who raises work horses, are long respected members of the community, and farming is their way of life. Over the years, I’ve known about Rose, and my family has bought vegetables from her during the summer, when our own garden isn’t quite enough. Most notably, Rose is our source for good roasting corn, and late-season berry pies. In recent years I’ve seen her outfit scale up a bit; instead of just selling at a table outside her house, she converted her garage into a shop and now has an official cash register. It’s the little details like this that give me great hope.

While Rose and Earl represent an old, traditional farming spirit, there is a thriving farm community among the younger generation as well. I am I part of this, having worked on an organic farm since I was fifteen. Getting a job on a farm is simple in Vermont: you just know someone who already works on a farm, or you know someone who knows someone. I was hooked at fifteen, picking strawberries and peas, and at eighteen I was entrusted with taking our produce to the three farmer’s markets that my farm attends. It’s likely that I will never go too long in my life without working on a farm. It’s my way of life now. I know that because as soon as I get home, the first thing I want to do is visit my farm family. I found them cleaning out one of our hoop houses, tearing down old, wilted tomato plants in the brisk October air, smiling and joking while clipping and ripping mercilessly at the lifeless plants. I felt a jerk of nostalgia as I remembered how therapeutic it is to kill things that are ready to die, just as therapeutic as planting them anew will be in the spring. I had seeded, watered, transplanted, weeded, and harvested from those plants, and then I’d left them, gone away to college, and come back only just in time to witness their final departure from this earth. I wish I could say that they’d be composted and their little carbon molecules would to go work once again, but sadly the tomato plants can’t be composted because they get infected with too many fungi, so they are heaped in a pile and left to decompose on their own.

After this brief reunion with farm life, I left once again, the backseat of my car stuffed with storage vegetables to help my family make it through the cold winter months: potatoes, onions, garlic, squash, parsnips, rutabagas, carrots, and beets. But I was back again the next morning at 7:30, as I helped load up for the last farmer’s market of the year. It was a lovely, typical market; we were all freezing, bundled in wool and Carhart apparel, and waiting in drawn anticipation for the coming blizzard, but camaraderie was high and there was a steady stream of loyal customers. Gary the apple guy brought us hot cider to warm our hands with, and two generous customers even took pity at the sight of our shivering (which was not meant to entice charity) and bought us hot chocolate. At the end of the market, even though our van got stuck in the mud and we barely made a profit, my morale was soaring, as I realized I’d never be completely at home anywhere but Vermont.

A typical fall scene in Vermont, when the piglets are so cute you have to stop on the side of the road to take photos:

Wiping off tomatoes in the summertime:

Cold Weather Calls For a Bowl of Phở

On days like today, when it is cold and rainy out, I always crave a nice, hot, bowl of phở. Phở is a Vietnamese noodle soup usually served with beef. What I really like about phở is that the noodles are made out of rice not flour. So after eating it I feel less heavier than having an entire plate of pasta or something with flour noodles. The soup in phở is a broth made of beef. The soup is simmered with beef bones, oxtails, herbs, and other vegetables. When the bowl of noodles is served, it is up to the eater's discretion to add bean sprouts, mint leaves, cilantro, and lime. In addition to the extra herbs and vegetables, people can add hot sauce and hoisin sauce, to make it spicy or sweeter. However I do find that after eating phở I get extremely drowsy. I think this happens because the restaurants I used to go to has a lot of MSG in their broth. I remember when my entire family had phở for dinner, we would all go back home and be snoozing away within minutes. Luckily, I know that there is a Vietnamese restaurant in Amherst, so if anyone is also craving some phở or would like to try it, you can check out Miss Saigon!

A Shout-Out to T-Town

Curiously enough, going to school across the country does not make my heart ache for my family or my room but, rather, for the food I left behind. Being from the Southwest, it goes without saying that I ate a lot of Mexican cuisine at home (Viva Burrito!), so this is my comfort food. Authentic Mexican influence is everywhere in Tucson restaurants, and it's definitely something I'm missing being on the East Coast. Two summers ago, Tucson got its fifteen minutes of culinary fame when the Travel Channel's "Man v. Food" came to our charming city and visited El Güero Canelo, a local Mexican restaurant, to showcase the Sonoran Hot Dog, a specialty dish. To be honest, I'd never heard of this now-famous hot dog until the show came to town.

Of course, I had to try the food that was bringing a popular TV show to Tucson. The Sonoran Hot Dog is surprisingly small, tucked neatly into its bun and smothered with various dressings, among them jalapeños (not something on your average hot dog!). It's definitely not some monster food that Adam Richman, the show's host, had to conquer, but the meal's uniqueness is worth the hype, I can assure you. The ingredients piled on top give it a distinctive flavor unlike any other hot dog and if, like me, you like jalapeños, you'll love this dog. If you ever pass through Tucson, be sure to stop by El Güero Canelo to give the Sonoran Hot Dog a taste!

Alternate Agriculture

In class we have read many essays which offer organic and local farming as alternatives to the destructive food corporations which dominate our food system here in the U.S. But I have noticed that neither these texts, nor the movie (Food, Inc.) has mentioned biodynamic farming. I realize that many people have never heard of it, so here is a brief introduction.

In the Alternate Farming Systems Guide: “Biodynamic Farming & Compost Preparation,” N.C.A.T. Agriculture Specialist, Steve Diver, explains that biodynamic agriculture was the first ecological farming system to develop as a grassroots alternative to chemical agriculture. In the early 1920s, after the introduction of chemical fertilizers at the turn of the century, a group of German farmers began to notice a sudden decrease in the health of their crops and livestock and an increase in soil depletion. They sought the advice of the Austrian scientist and philosopher, Rudolf Steiner, (founder of the Waldorf School system and Anthroposophy), who had spent many years studying the subtle forces of nature. In 1924 he gave a series of lectures outlining his new farming system, which were then published in his book Agriculture: Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture. This "Biodynamic agriculture" stressed the importance of crop rotation and the relationship between the farmer, his crops and his livestock. The farm is viewed as a self-nourishing and bio-diverse ecosystem where the livestock provide fertilizer for the plants that, in-turn, feed the farmer and the livestock. Biodynamic agriculture doesn’t use artificial fertilizers or pesticides, instead fermented herbal and mineral preparations are used as compost additives and field sprays.

The difference between organic and Biodynamic agriculture is the astronomical element. The word Biodynamic is a combination of “Biological” and “Dynamic.” The “Biological” practices are the same techniques used on organic farms to improve soil health, (such as composting and not using artificial fertilizers). But the "Dynamic" element of Biodynamic agriculture is unique to this system. This is where many people become suspicious of the system’s validity. Biodynamic farmers believe in a vital life force and natural rhythms corresponding to the phases of the moon that enrich the farmer, crops and livestock with life energy. So the time for planting, composting and harvesting is dictated by the lunar cycles.

As the demand for sustainable agriculture has increased, Biodynamic agriculture has gained popularity for its ecological benefits and the increased understanding that biodynamic produce is nutritionally superior to conventionally grown produce. Today most biodynamic farms are located in Europe, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Biodynamic farming is practiced in over fifty countries across the globe, including Egypt.* The crops which have seen the biggest jump in biodynamic practices are grapes. In recent years upscale vintners world-wide have switched to biodynamically grown grapes for their superior taste.

It is increasingly apparent that we must change our food system here in the U.S. It is estimated that 160 million tons of artificial fertilizer are used globally each year. These materials cause harm to humans and animals and the production is very harmful to the environment. Biodynamic agriculture uses natural fertilizers made from plants or animal waste which are not harmful to the environment and are a renewable recourse. Biodynamic farming focuses on open pollination and the cultivation of biodiversity. Each farm has unique produce, which has adapted to the local environment, as apposed to the seeds controlled by multinational corporations. Another problem is the depletion of the nutrients in soil caused by growing the same crops without rotation, (crops such as corn and soybeans). Once the soil is no longer usable, the corporations simply move on and buy more land. And this is the cause of much deforestation, (especially in the soybean industry).

Biodynamic agriculture doesn’t cause disease, water contamination, dead zones in the ocean, degraded soil, resistant pests or require expensive clean-up like conventional farming. It produces biodiversity, enriches the soil, increases the nutritional value of crops, is self-regulating, self-neutralizing and self-sufficient. So why isn’t it mentioned?

*A group from my high school visited Sekem, a biodynamic farm near Cairo founded in 1977 by pharmaceutical engineer Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish. To learn more about Sekem follow this link: http://www.sekem.com/english/PDFs/Global_Compact_Report.pdf).

Bibliography:

Agriculture: Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture by Rudolf Steiner

http://www.sekem.com/

Diver, Steve. "Biodynamic Farming & Compost Preparation." ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. Web. 29 Apr. 2011. <http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/biodynamic.html>.

http://www.sekem.com/english/PDFs/Global_Compact_Report.pdf

Food, Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Perf. Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser. 2008. DVD.

Red Gate Farm

With Food Inc. fresh on my mind, I've been evaluating how I can take stronger measures to regulate the meat that I eat in my life, especially now that I am on a college campus, where I have no say in what meat is purchased for the dining halls (at least for the moment). Amongst toying with the idea of becoming a vegetarian while on campus and what that will do to my diet because I usually rely on meat as a protein source, I took a little break from college life this weekend. Saturday evening, I piled into Jen Krain's little red car (which she wasn't in, sadly), with three other members of our rugby team, and headed out to Buckland, MA, to our coach Ben Murray's farm, Red Gate Farm. We were volunteering at his annual Halloween extravaganza: a night of cider pressing, pumpkin painting, hay rides, and a haunted animal maze, all arranged to educate and engage kids in the simple but elegantly rich day-to-day life of a farm. It is one of the larger events that Ben puts on at his farm, but the mission of the event is simply a continuation of what Ben does every day. His farm is designed as an outdoor, hands-on classroom for kids, and to this end he hosts all kinds of groups, including summer camps, school trips and a group of home-schooled kids that come once a week as part of their science curriculum. Just a few of the things that Ben, his family, his workers, and his volunteers (including the occasional rugby player), are responsible for teaching are animal husbandry, pond ecology, composting, timber framing and gardening. You can find a more eloquent description of Red Gate Farm and their mission either by checking out the website here: http://www.redgatefarm.org/index.php
OR you could check out Ben's booth at Smith's Farmers Market on Chapin Lawn, today! (that is if anyone is reading this blog before 11:30 on a Monday, which seems unlikely)

In the spirit of our last class discussion, I think we all know that animals, and how they are raised and slaughtered in the industrial food system, are central to the conversation on food and what it means in our culture today. What I got to see at Red Gate Farm this weekend was such a refreshing sight after the gruesome images in Food Inc. Ben raises all sorts of animals, including goats, sheep, chickens, and oxen; they are all named, and have their own personalities. I got to meet quite a few of them in the process of moving them to and from the "haunted" animal maze; I walked a goat named Clover who was a bit sluggish, meanwhile Ben took on two of the feistier goats, whom he called "the boys" because they were never apart, in one hand, using the other hand to help guide Joe, the burly ox. The maze was essentially the animals acting nonplussed while the kids oggled and petted, and maybe got a little scared because it was in the dark, creaky basement of Ben's old barn. But the purpose of the maze was not to scare, since its target audience was small children, but to entertain. One of my favorite moments from the night was at the end, when I finally got my tour of the haunted maze (during the festivities I was working away at pressing cider): the official "tour guide," one of Ben's students who was also volunteering, described in a comic, singsong voice the "evil, nuclear bomb-designing, scheming chickens," because there was simply nothing terrifying about the placid, disinterested birds, sitting in their cages. They were probably enjoying a show of their own, quietly mocking the insipid humans with their costumes and their good cheer. I was also pleasantly surprised to get a lesson on cow physiology from a middle-schooler; I finally learned what distinguishes an ox from a bull, something that I could never quite keep straight before.

While Ben's farm is not an example of how we can farm sustainable meat, like the "good farmer" with the grass fed beef and the outdoor chicken slaughterhouse, it is still a crucial kind of operation in building a future in which we can hold onto hope: for our health and the health of our planet. The future is quite literally in the tiny hands of the next generation who Ben is training to respect, enjoy, and most of all, care for their environment and the creatures they share it with.

The ruggers and their goats:

My mother taught me a recipe for steamed scallops a few years ago, and it is one of my favorite dishes. It is a refreshing meal with a variety of colorful vegetables and clean flavors. If your living situation at the moment gives you access to a stove, and if you are as busy as many people seem to be these days, this is an easy, delicious and unique recipe for dinner that I highly recommend. Here are the ingredients:

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 15 oz can white beans, rinsed
1 fennel bulb, halved, cored and thinly sliced
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 ½ lb sea scallops, rinsed and patted dry

The key to this recipe is that the ingredients are thrown together and then divided evenly and dished onto pieces of parchment paper. You then make the parchment paper into an envelope, enclosing the ingredients, and stick the packets into the oven. It’s an amazing technique because the moisture within the packet steams the ingredients evenly and thoroughly. The stove would otherwise dry your food out, but this way, the moisture is kept in.

Here are more specific directions:

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Gently toss the tomatoes, beans, fennel, parsley, oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
2. Tear off four 15-inch squares of parchment paper and arrange on 2 baking sheets.
3. Dividing evenly, spoon the bean mixture into the center of each square, top with the scallops, and cover with another square of parchment. Fold the edges over several times to seal.
4. Bake the packets for 15 minutes, then transfer to plates. Serve with a knife to slit open the packet and be careful of the steam that will escape.

Instead of using squares of parchment paper, our family uses circles, and creates pretty half-moon shaped packets that look like pastries. We also serve it preserved in it's packet for each person to open individually. I find it to be a lot of fun to prepare and to serve to others. This recipe also makes fish more appealing to children! It's best in the summer, with bread and a salad. Enjoy!

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/scallops-parchment-10000001140541/index.html

Snacking All Day E'erday

We all know Smith provides its students the three basic meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. What about the times in between? Surely, people get hungry after class and might stop by the campus center for a granola bar, yogurt, slice of pizza, or sandwich to replenish their stomachs as well as their energy. And we can't forget about the late night snacking that goes on behind our closed doors while finishing that paper on Durkheim's theory of functionalism, or a math problem set. It's undeniable -- people have to eat.

Especially since arriving here, I have learned that knowing how to eat is a crucial skill. I can eat lots of greens, fruits, and the proper amount of proteins and carbs at dinnertime, but what do I do when I feel hungry later on and a whole spread of food isn't available to me? I am searching for another fairly healthy food for my snack collection, and this week I have been testing out the waters with trail mix.

Nuts, walnuts, almonds, raisins, dried fruits, maybe even a few chocolate chips/M&M's. As a great source of protein and a light weight snack for a hike, trail mix doesn't need to be consumed in large portions in order to feel full. The sweet and sour tastes in my mouth are never dull, sensations buzzing on my tongue. I taste the saltiness of the peanuts and the sweetness of the raisin and dried apricots. I feel energized after eating a substantial amount, but I admit that it's difficult to resist the temptation to indulge in more sugary-salty goodness. I definitely recommend trail mix because I love the idea that these different foods can be combined into a delicious, flavorful treat.

The Best Chocolate...Ever

In the past two years or so, I've grown to really like dark chocolate- the darker, the better. I've experimented with different brands, but really only stuck to one flavor-- 70%-87% cocoa, 87% whenever possible.

However, since I've been at school, my mom has made it her "thing" each week to send me different kinds of chocolate: different flavors included. The first little package I got was a fail. It was lavender flavored, which was more like eating perfume than a piece of candy. Of course I didn't say anything, but I wasn't getting my hopes up with the flavored stuff.

The new flavors continued--java chunk was good, as was the raspberry flavored. But nothing was as consistent as the solid, plain, super dark chocolate- that is, until this past week. Mom hit the jackpot.

This is what I received in the mail (however not this many, only one):


I was apprehensive at first to try chili chocolate- the thought of a savory spice mixed with a sweet candy didn't particularly excite me. But I tried it. And then I ate almost half the package.

The chocolate itself doesn't have any milk; it's stone ground, as is the chili. This gives the chocolate a slight crunch, which is totally different from any chocolate I've ever liked. Usually, the smoother the better. Without milk, the chocolate is able to balance the spiciness of the chili.

After eating the piece of amazingness, I did a little research. The company's name is Taza, and they have a bunch of different flavors of their stone-ground chocolate. I'm excited to try the orange and the ginger; they also have one with almonds which sounds interesting.

Hopefully mom will be sending Taza chocolates more often than not.

Chocolate Cookies with a Kick

This morning, my friend, Paula, and I had to bake for our synchronized swimming team for a bonding activity. We decided that I should meet Paula at her house and make vegan chocolate chip cookies. I walked into Hopkin’s kitchen and Paula told me we were missing the main ingredient for the cookies- chocolate chips. This was not bad news because Paula lives in a co-op so we had plenty of other ingredients to choose from so we could make other dish. Paula told me that she had tons of cocoa powder in the pantry. I decided to type into Google what kind of dishes could use cocoa powder and the search came up with a couple of options. Nothing really stood out to us. Then, I remember my friend from home, Karen, and I made a great recipe from a food blog called The Post Punk Kitchen (TPPK). The Post Punk Kitchen is a cooking blog all about vegan food and the few recipes I have used from there have all been delicious.

I typed into the search bar of TPPK cocoa powder and instantaneously something caught my eye- Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles. The recipe is extremely simple and the cookies taste fantastic. The girls from the team loved the recipe and Paula and I both left some cookies for our housemates. The cookie has a nice sweet sugary taste in the beginning, but when you finish the cookie, there is a bite due to the spicy cayenne powder. Give these vegan cookies a try!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Makes 2 dozen Cookies

For the topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cookies:
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons almond milk (Or your preferred non-dairy milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon chocolate extract (or more vanilla extract if you have no chocolate)
1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Mix the topping ingredients together on a flat plate. Set aside.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix together oil, sugar, syrup, and milk. Mix in extracts.

4. Sift in remaining ingredients, stirring as you add them. Once all ingredients are added mix until you’ve got pliable dough.

5. Roll dough into walnut sized balls. Pat into the sugar topping to flatten into roughly 2 inch discs. Transfer to baking sheet, sugar side up, at least 2 inches apart (they do spread). This should be easy as the bottom of the cookies should just stick to your fingers so you can just flip them over onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, they should be a bit spread and crackly on top. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe from: http://www.theppk.com/2009/09/mexican-hot-chocolate-snickerdoodles/

FARM FRESH ICE CREAM!

Last week I joined my Hampshire "Agriculture, Ecology, and Society" class on an afternoon field trip to Flayvors of Cook Farm, a fifth generation family dairy farm that sells homemade ice cream from their Hadley homestead. Part of the joy of this experience stemmed from that fact that I recently dropped my emotionally crippling computer programming course in exchange for adding a class that takes exotic (at least to a Californian) autumn adventures to ice cream farms. Until this exposure, I had never heard of or understood exactly how to picture this kind of establishment. To only further this confusion, when I explained the upcoming ice cream farm trip to my friends, many of them simply laughed, mockingly questioning my mental health.

Therefore, given the lack of exposure to this amazing outing, I’ve decided to get you all psyched about taking a trip to the Cook’s ice cream farm. Located close to Hampshire, a simple walk through their bucolic back woods and sprawling cornfields can bring you straight to this Hadley dairy farm. However, a more conventional route is to take Route 9 over the Connecticut River and continue through four lights. When you reach the fifth light, turn right onto South Maple St. and follow for 2.5 miles until you see to your right a farm/general store labeled “Flayvors.” Visually, it is a captivatingly beautiful pairing of scenic charm.

Pulling up to Flayvors, you can immediately see the outside setup is situated with calves and cows to watch while sitting at one of the many picnic tables. However, warning signs are abundant, cautioning visitors to be weary of the electric shock fence separating us from the animals. This is largely because the health and safety of the cattle is crucial to the future of Cook farm.

The inside of the establishment is quite similar to the quaint set-up of numerous New England general stores. The walls are cozily wood paneled, old-fashioned display cases house glass milk jugs, local and seasonal items are abundantly spread across quaint tablecloths, and handmade crafts and trinkets decorate surrounding shelves.

Before taking the trip, I had spoken briefly with Sara and she voiced how unnaturally large the cows seemed for an organic farm. I too was shocked by the absurd size of these cows, particularly the black and white ones, but wondered whether it could simply be the type of breed. Sure enough, when we sat outside with the cows to appreciate their contribution to our ice cream (all purchased for us by our kind professor), our entire class was given a lecture about the history of the cattle, the farm and the creamery by the mother and partial-owner of the establishment, Beth Cook.

Beth gave us a rundown of the Cook Family farm, which has been in business since 1909. They feature both Holstein and Jersey cattle, Holstein being the classic black and white cows and Jersey being the slightly smaller maple colored cows. Only in 1998 did they decide to expand their farm to offer a new product line of Flayvors homemade ice cream.

The unique name of the creamery is derived to one particular Holstein cow, Fayvor. Fayvor is also the reason why so many of the Holstein cattle are gigantic. You see, Fayvor was one special cow. Consistently ranked in the category of excellent, in part for her magnificent appearance and quality of milk production—her lactation tested above 4% for protein (an extremely rare feat)—Fayvor has had a tremendous influence on the breeding and merchandizing of Cook Farm. With 13 daughters who inherited her good genes, her standard of excellence has been passed down through the Cook’s Holstein cattle. Today, 90% of their herd traces to Fayvor. The Fayvor strain of cattle represents the strongest family on the Cook Farm, as perhaps the best in the breed for high protein and butterfat tests, winning the Cook family farm the Premier Breeder award for all of Massachusetts for the past 18 consecutive years!

The ice cream is a clear example of the quality of excellence embedded in everything the Cook family is committed to giving its customers. The pure, creamy texture is truly like no other and well worth the trip as a break from the Northampton Herrell’s routine. Also, the milk is worth tasting, regardless of whether you choose skim, 1%, 2%, whole, flavored, or even raw. However, Beth is quite adamant about only selling raw milk to those who have done their research and made an active choice about why they prefer it to other milk. As you can see on the homepage, there is a big, bolded section linking customers to pages with information about purchasing raw milk. If you are still confused about this controversy, check out Beth’s links, they are quite helpful.

I also encourage you to check out the 24+ unique flavors offered and hope that you take advantage of this wonderfully unique opportunity to have farm fresh ice cream.

Visit their website: http://www.flayvors.com/home

Vivas

Viva's is the best restaurant that I have been to in Northampton. I am always satisfied when I leave that restaurant. The only problem is I tell myself that I will try something new when I go there and always end up getting the sweet potato ravioli. The sweet potato ravioli is not just your simple sweet potato in pasta. It is covered with a maple walnut sauce and glazed onions on top. Every bite has a different amount of sweetness on it and you never know how much you are going to get. I am always willing to have bites of the dishes that my friends get when I go with them but they never seem to hit my taste buds as well as the raviolis. The only reason i say best restaurant in Northampton and not everywhere is because I cant give the restaurant an overall amazing review because I always stick to this one dish If everything in the restaurant is as goodas the sweet potato ravioli then it would definitely be one ofthe best restaurants I have been to in my life.

Vivas

Viva's is the best restaurant that I have been to in Northampton. I am always satisfied when I leave that restaurant. The only problem is I tell myself that I will try something new when I go there and always end up getting the sweet potato ravioli. The sweet potato ravioli is not just your simple sweet potato in pasta. It is covered with a maple walnut sauce and glazed onions on top. Every bite has a different amount of sweetness on it and you never know how much you are going to get. I am always willing to have bites of the dishes that my friends get when I go with them but they never seem to hit my taste buds as well as the raviolis. The only reason i say best restaurant in Northampton and not everywhere is because I cant give the restaurant an overall amazing review because I always stick to this one dish If everything in the restaurant is as goodas the sweet potato ravioli then it would definitely be one ofthe best restaurants I have been to in my life.

Freshness in Tea

It's finally cooling down and getting chilly that I can have my tea in the afternoons again.
Many people are obsessed on the freshness of coffee, why not in tea? I found these answers to How old is Too old?

Green teas need to be as fresh as possible to be flavorful. After a year, they're probably too old. Indeed, some would argue that once the picking season has passed, they've already lost much of their flavor. I believe that white teas are the same but am not as familiar with these. I'm also not very well-versed in Japanese greens, which are processed differently than Chinese.
Oolongs are best fresh, and I find that mine lose much of their flavor after a year. I tend to toss any left after 2 years. I'm assuming that those greener oolongs, such as baozhongs, are more susceptible to fading flavor.
Black teas last longer (I suppose this is due to roasting?). I've read that 2-3 years is probably the time limit. I think that some black teas actually need to sit for a bit before the flavor is full. At last year's Tea Expo, I was thrilled to try some Nilgiri that had just been picked and processed the week before (the plantation manager/owner was giving a tea-tasting). He noted that this was much too soon to be sipping, but he wanted us to try it. Very raw-feeling and not something I'd want to drink much of, but a great learning experience!
Aged teas, like puerh and aged oolongs, are meant to be stored for quite a while. I have several puerh cakes and touchas that are stuck in the dark nether-regions of my cabinet drawers (or tucked in a dark closet), waiting for another decade or two. I believe that aged oolongs are re-roasted(?) annually, so I tend to purchase rather small amounts of these pricey teas from superior vendors who deal with them for me.
Scented teas are good for 9 months for optimum flavor, depending on how they are scented. Some teas like Market spice have a 2 month shelf life.
Herb teas - Some herbs like Rooibos do not expire. Some herb blends keep their flavor longer than the teas.
Of course, all of the above depends on some really important factors:

• If the tea is sealed in airtight containers and kept out of the sunlight, it will last much longer. This is how a quality vendor would store the tea.
• How many times the tea has been moved from one container to the next (as it passes from processing to
  retailer, importer, retailer, shops) can impact the quality of the tea.
• Harvest and processing dates. Teas are processed soon after picking, so the harvest date
  should be similar to processing date -- these dates are important for two reasons. First, so you can know how fresh the tea is (especially relevant for greens/oolongs). Second, it lets you know that vendor is nowledgeable, cares about the tea, and has a good relationship with the company/farm/plantation the tea is purchased from.

Here in the U.S., it can be hard to get greens and oolongs during the harvest season, except from those vendors who actually travel to the country's tea farms.

So I guess I can start checking the tea for dates! Get some fresh tea and maybe do some tea tasting to compare some old stuff in your tea collections. Winter's approaching! let's prepare ourselves to enjoy your tea fresh-er!

When discussing leftovers...

Well for starters, how long can your reasonably store your food before it becomes too risky to consider eating? According the the United States Department of Agriculture, most meals are good up to 4 days later. If you want to get more technical, they have a list of foods ranging specifically from bacon to fully cooked ham, temperature charts, and correlating days (or months!) that you may safely keep your food.

Getting back to actually discussing leftovers though, what do you actually do with them once you have them? There are common rules on this topic that most people are likely to follow, such as, never feeding a guest leftovers if they are staying for dinner, but as for something as simple as whether or not to re-heat some of yesterday's pizza, your own personal preference is going to be quite apparent. Some use leftovers as a way to transform old dishes into a delightful new and tasty recipe, like hash from old corned beef. Others would drop dead at that consideration.

So it must be trickier than that after all! After all, our readings have class have confirmed that even up scale restaurants re-use food from the nights before with the justification that they spent good money on it and that after they are done preparing it, the customer won't know the difference anyway.

All in all, with time-limits aside, I think it's really your call as to how you want to treat your leftovers. Personally, I think some leftovers taste better than the actual dish on its first night (because the food gets to "settle" a bit longer and that adds a bit to the flavorful-ness of it), but hey, that's me.

Zingermans

Famous people from all around come to Ann Arbor just for Zingermans. Zingerman's is a sandwich place in downtown Ann Arbor that most days have lines out the door of people waiting to have one of the best meals of their lives. These amazing sandwiches however do cost a whopping ten dollars but every single penny is worth it as you bite into the sandwich. On trips out to St. Louis I have brought up to ten sandwiches in my carry on luggage. My favorite one is called Gemini Rocks The House (all crazy names). It is made of fresh mozzarella, pesto, and sun dried tomatoes. As simple of as sandwich as that sounds, you will never have one as good as this one from Zingermans. Any you are in Michigan, the one suggestion I have is going to Zingermans. You cant go wrong with any sandwich that you choose!