Last week, I decided I would try one new, healthy food a week, and asked my facebook friends to make some suggestions.
The first thing I tried was mango. I'm sure I've had other mango flavored things, and mango as part of something else, but it was the first time I bought the actual fruit and ate it. It was tasty and sweet, but a bit messy and hard to deal with. And now my sister tells me that a lot of people are allergic to the skin of mangoes, which are a relative of the poison ivy family.
So this week I tried kale. I looked through a bunch of recipes and found nothing that sounding particularly appetizing...so I made something up. I removed the stems, then ripped up the kale leaves and stir fried them with onion, garlic powder and olive oil. That didn't take long! When they were wilted, I added in some red wine vinegar, and finally topped them with some Trader Joe's peanut satay sauce and a few peanuts.
It was delicious! It was chewier than expected..because that's okay. That way it seemed heartier than other greens like spinach. I know I still used something pre-processed (the Trader Joe's sauce), but still a healthy choice.
The Dalai Lama is back in town, sharing his message of peace and kindness with likeminded individuals, and the Wisconsin legislature. He also held a private meeting with Gov. Walker, who said he mostly listened to what His Holiness had to say (wise move).
One of the other times that the Dalai Lama visited, it came to my attention that his wise advice is not that different from another well-known prophet...yeah, you guessed it, Dolly Parton.
Can you tell the Dalai Lama quotes from the Dollyquotes? Answers below. No peeking!
1. Storms make trees take deeper roots.
2. Computers totally blank me out.
3. Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.
4. Leave something good in every day.
5. If you don't like the road you're walking, pave another one.
Chris Hadfield is a Canadian astronaut who's currently living on the International Space Station, and apparently he had some free time on his hands. He's made a pretty amazing video featuring his cover of the David Bowie song "Space Oddity," and it's gone viral on the internet, with more than a million views in one day!
Hadfield recorded the vocals and guitar on the space station, and the rest of the instrumentation was created back here on Earth.
Hadfield's singing voice is not bad--and the images on the video are pretty gorgeous. That is if you can stop staring at Hadfield's mustache long enough to notice!
Everybody knows that Bono likes to wear sunglasses, that he likes to drone on about various political topics, and that he's done a pretty good job as lead singer of a band that's maintained popularity over the better part of three decades.
But did you know these things about the man born Paul Hewson 53 years ago today?
1. He's the only person to be nominated for a Grammy, an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and the Nobel Peace Prize.
2. He doesn't like his band's name. He preferred "Feedback" to "U2."
3. He once said, "the only thing worse than a rock star is a rock star with a conscience."
4. He appeared as himself in a short student film titled "Sightings of Bono" after learning they were trying to find a look-a-like to play him.
5. His favorite food is fish n chips. And he really also likes chocolate chip cookies. Okay, I don't know that part for sure, but who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies?
Paul McCartney has long been a fan of the Crickets, but it wasn't Buddy Holly's band that was on stage with him the other night in Brazil. It was a swarm of grasshoppers!
Apparently the grasshoppers were big fans of Paul's music, and Paul got to know one so well he named it Harold.
And when he performed "Hey Jude," he sang the line "the movement you need is on your shoulder" to one of the bright green critters.
It will be interesting to see if any insects cause trouble when he plays a sold out show at Miller Park this July. Mosquitoes aren't nearly as humorous.
It looks like spring has finally arrived, and that means it's time to start thinking about planting a garden. In my mind's eye, this garden has tomatoes, peppers, sugar snap peas, and some colorful, aromatic flowers.
But year after year, my little happy vision is disrupted by you! Oh, you look so cute and innocent with that twitchy little nose and that funny little way you have of hopping across my yard. But I know what you're up to. I know your modus operandi, you Sylvilagus floridanus.
You're going to eat whatever I plant. Even if it's a flower you don't want to eat, you'll snap it off and leave the dead remains lying askew, taunting me.
If I put up a fence, you'll eat through the plastic to get to whatever I'm trying to protect.
If I scatter dog hair in the area of my garden, you'll laugh a silent bunny laugh as you munch away on my crops.
If I buy an expensive anti-rabbit spray, you'll carry on unabated.
So Mr. and or Mrs. Rabbit (and family), what will it take for you to allow me my gardening dream? Could I plant a special carrot patch just for you? Is it cold hard cash that you're after?
Please respond as soon as possible, before I make a trip to the nursery.
Paul McCartney's daughter, Mary McCartney, is an amazingly talented photographer, and now she's taken that talent into her kitchen, as she shares some of her family's favorite vegetarian recipes in the book Food: Vegetarian Home Cooking.
The book is absolutely gorgeous..and while I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, some definitely look tempting, such as the hummus, avocado, and chili jam sandwich, or the ice cream celebration cake. Some of the recipes seem kind of like no-brainers (really , a recipe for popcorn?) but the beauty and simplicity of it almost make it an excellent coffee table book.
I got a chance to chat with Mary about her book, and memories of cooking with her mom, the late Linda McCartney, as well as her dad, the former Beatle. I was pretty nervous, but hopefully I didn't come across like a complete fool. (Listen to the interview here).
In the interview, I refer to a youtube video of her dad teaching us how to make mashed potatoes. I don't know why, but I just can't get enough of this thing.
Madison Craft Beer Week starts this Friday, May 3, and runs through May 12th. There's so much going organizers had to print a 59-page field guide just chock full of malty, hoppy, foamy fun events.
Here's my list of picks for Craft Beer Week, some quirkier than others.
1. CASK ALE FESTIVAL: 1-5pm Saturday May 4 at the East SIde Club on Monona Drive. Sip special cask beer from a variety of guest brewers. Two that look especially enticing to me: Common Thread, a special collaboration beer made by brewers from all 8 Madison breweries, and Hinterland Luna Stout with cocoa nibs. Tell me, who can resist cocoa nibs? ($25 in advance, $35 on Saturday). And starting at 2pm while a limited supply lasts, Triple M will be there handing out copies of Live From Studio M Volume 8.
2. SPRECHER PATIO GRAND OPENING: The official party goes from 2-6pm Saturday May 4 on the patio at this popular westside bar and restaurant, but there's also an event from 1-3 pm which includes unlimited samples of beers from Sprecher and other area breweries, and a brat! Tickets are $15.
3. MUSICAL CHAIRS WITH WIS. CRAFT BEER: The Old Fashioned on the Capitol Square has a unique spin on the childhood game Monday May 6th from 6-9pm. Walk around in a circle, and when the music stops, drink the beer in front of you, and guess which one it is. Get it wrong, and you're out. They're promising great prizes for the winner. You're encouraged to sign up ahead of time at the bar.
4. LEINIES FEST AT BUCK AND BADGER: This two night event goes from 5-9pm May 6 and 7, and features a meatball eating contest Monday night and a corn dog eating contest Tuesday night. Lots of Leinies beers on tap and members of the Leinenkugel family will be there signing autographs. Mmmm...corn dogs.
5. BELLS LUAU ON THE LOT: Saturday May 11th Dexter's Pub is having a luau on their parking lot starting at noon, complete with lots of Bells beers on tap and a pig roast!
Today's Willie Nelson's 80th birthday--and you know, he is a wise old fellow. In addition to writing some great songs, playing the HECK out of his beat-up guitar, and even acting in movies, Willie's said some pretty profound things.
Here are five of my favorites:
1. "My doctor tells me I should start slowing it down - but there are more old drunks than there are old doctors so let's all have another round."
2. "Ninety-nine percent of the world's lovers are not with their first choice. That's what makes the jukebox play."
3. "You know why divorces are so expensive? They're worth it."
4. “The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.”
5. “If you’re not crazy there’s something wrong with you."
And while we're talking about Willie, did you see this?
Rummage sale fanatics will be flocking to the Great River Road on the Mississippi River this coming weekend for 100 miles of garage sales.
No, not 100 garage sales. 100 miles of them in 15 different towns on the river, in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
I've been to some pretty major townwide sales before, in places like Cottage Grove and Evansville, but this sounds like the mother lode. I think it would be fun to bring a group and have a scavenger hunt--we could try to see how many large inflatable crayons we could find, or perhaps the crappiest piece of garbage for the highest price, or the item you can't believe somebody would try to sell.
I was at a yard sale once and I noticed that some one was trying to sell one of those little plastic doohickeys that often go in delivery pizza to separate the pizza from the box (as pictured below). They said it was a Barbie table and they wanted ten cents!
And I bet with 100 miles of sales this weekend I could find at least one of those being offered up next to a broken VCR or a trashed copy of Barry Manilow's Greatest Hits.
In 1984, Rockwell rose to number 2 for 3 weeks in 1984 with "Somebody's Watching Me." The backup singer for the song was Michael Jackson. How did Rockwell get Jackson to help him? Well, Rockwell's real name is Kennedy William Gordy and he...
Have you heard the song "Rumble and Sway" yet on Triple M?
The singer sounds like a raspy blues dude who's definitely been around the block a few times....but surprisingly, Jamie N. Commons is only 23 years old!
He was born in England, but...
Last week, I decided I would try one new, healthy food a week, and asked my facebook friends to make some suggestions.
The first thing I tried was mango. I'm sure I've had other mango flavored things, and mango as part of something else, but...
There's only one thing that might be worse than the Neil Diamond/Barbra Streisand duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." And that's Jonathan Suttin doing his best crooning...doing both parts. Most unpleasant.
A lot of people liked this song...
Artist: Alchemilla
Hail From: Boston
Song: 'The Wheel'
Album: Diamonds From The Penny Arcade
Sounds Like: Hole, Pearl Jam
In Their Words: "Alchemilla had been trying to write a ballad for a little while but it wasn't happening. There...
Last weeks challenge we thought went excellent! Of course we are a little biased.
The drinking song couldn't have been any better, or any less fun. We had a blast through out the whole process, and our performance rocked.
This week is an easy...
So the story goes Michael Jackson completed this song while watching cartoons with Paul McCartney. We'll just let that sink in for a moment.
Not sure what cartoons they were watching, but it must have worked because this song made it to number 2...
The Dalai Lama is back in town, sharing his message of peace and kindness with likeminded individuals, and the Wisconsin legislature. He also held a private meeting with Gov. Walker, who said he mostly listened to what His Holiness had to say (wise...
In 1984, Rockwell rose to number 2 for 3 weeks in 1984 with "Somebody's Watching Me." The backup singer for the song was Michael Jackson. How did Rockwell get Jackson to help him? Well, Rockwell's real name is Kennedy William Gordy and he...
Have you heard the song "Rumble and Sway" yet on Triple M?
The singer sounds like a raspy blues dude who's definitely been around the block a few times....but surprisingly, Jamie N. Commons is only 23 years old!
He was born in England, but...
Last week, I decided I would try one new, healthy food a week, and asked my facebook friends to make some suggestions.
The first thing I tried was mango. I'm sure I've had other mango flavored things, and mango as part of something else, but...
There's only one thing that might be worse than the Neil Diamond/Barbra Streisand duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." And that's Jonathan Suttin doing his best crooning...doing both parts. Most unpleasant.
A lot of people liked this song...
Artist: Alchemilla
Hail From: Boston
Song: 'The Wheel'
Album: Diamonds From The Penny Arcade
Sounds Like: Hole, Pearl Jam
In Their Words: "Alchemilla had been trying to write a ballad for a little while but it wasn't happening. There...
Last weeks challenge we thought went excellent! Of course we are a little biased.
The drinking song couldn't have been any better, or any less fun. We had a blast through out the whole process, and our performance rocked.
This week is an easy...
So the story goes Michael Jackson completed this song while watching cartoons with Paul McCartney. We'll just let that sink in for a moment.
Not sure what cartoons they were watching, but it must have worked because this song made it to number 2...
The Dalai Lama is back in town, sharing his message of peace and kindness with likeminded individuals, and the Wisconsin legislature. He also held a private meeting with Gov. Walker, who said he mostly listened to what His Holiness had to say (wise...
