Life Goes On

I've signed up for two lecture series at the university. The first one starts this afternoon. The course description is below. I know...I know...I'm a geek. I always have been. I had taken four years of Latin in high school and loved it. I wanted to major in Latin when I went off to university many years ago. The only school where I could have done that at the time was Albertus Magnus College, a Catholic women's college in CT. Coming from the quintessential Connecticut WASP family that I did, my father threw a royal tantrum and refused, believing that "those damn pope worshipers are just waiting to get their hands on a girl like you and turn you into a nun." He's a bit crazy that way. I guess it all turned out for the best. Latin disappeared from the schools and what would I have ever done for a job? I do firmly believe that my scores on the verbal sections of the SAT and GRE were due to my years of Latin instruction. Such a shame it's gone...

---

The Good Life & The Just Society

Dr. Simon Glynn

Course Description: The first part of the course “The Good Life” begins with the question “what is the right thing to do?’ It critically evaluates a number of different ethical systems, which provide frameworks within which to examine a number of contemporary moral issues. These include animal rights, abortion and euthanasia, ethical issues in biomedical technology (genetic engineering, transplants, etc.), reproductive rights, principals governing the right to healthcare and responsibilities to the staving and the environment. In light of this the second part of the course examines the principals underlying economic and political practice in an attempt to determine how we can bring about a more Just Society.

Eight Lectures:

1. Ethics of duty verses ethics of consequences

2. Refraining from evil verses doing good; moral duties and responsibilities

3. Medical and biomedical ethics

4. Ethics and distribution and exploitation of resources

5. Centralized authority verses decentralized (local) government and the question of individuals’ rights

6. Freedom: its many meanings

7. Individuals’ responsibility for the common good

8. The United States and the Just Society

Biographical Information: Dr. Simon Glynn is a professor of philosophy at FAU, where he has taught for over 20 years. Prior to coming to FAU, Professor Glynn taught at the University of Georgia, in Michigan and at Manchester and Liverpool Universities in England. He was contributing editor of books on Modern European Philosophy and the Human and Social Sciences, J.P. Sartre and Post-Modern Philosophy of Science.

COURSE NO. W8T5
	Time: Dates: Place: Fee:	1:30-3:15 p.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 13, 20, 27; Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24; Mar. 3 Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus $68/member; $88/non-Member

Treastie On Nothingness

Today it started with a tomato…just a little tomato about the size of a tennis ball.Husband was walking the dog around the RV Park and a little girl gave him a tomato.Such a simple gesture, really.He took it to be kind.Then, he came back home and quite ceremoniously presented it to me.At first I thought, “What the heck am I going to do with this one puny tomato?”Then I thought, “Well, I can’t throw it away.It’s a gift from nature, both human nature (the girl) and Mother Nature.” Next I said to husband, “Come, we must go to Publix Greenwise Market (Publix new competitor to Whole Foods and nicer, I think) so that I can use your gifted tomato for tonight’s dinner."He groaned and said, “We go to the grocery store every single day.Just throw the tomato away.I only took it to please the girl.”I said, “Well now, off to the Greenwise Market to please this girl.”I had a plan. I cannot resist food.Even though we are now living in the RV and have a freezer that will barely hold a carcass the size of Taffy, I still want to buy food.The other day at COSTCO, I absolutely could not pass up the two whole chickens for eight dollars.We do not need two chickens.We don’t even need one chicken, but I could not resist.Yesterday, I decided to make beer can chicken.I have this recipe for it on my website.It requires a large grill such as I have at home.Here at the RV, we have a Weber, but it is a Baby Q, a small Weber.Also, here I have created a bit of an outside kitchen under the awning.I often cook out there as counter space is limited in here.I have my crock pot and electric frying pan out there alongside the Weber.There is an electric outlet for them.I decided to try the beer can chicken in the crock pot. I poured a third of a small can of beer into the bottom of the crock pot and cooked the chicken on high for forty-five minutes before turning it down to low. It came out wonderfully albeit not very crispy.In the final analysis, I am glad that the skin wasn’t crisp.Otherwise, I’d have eaten it.My cholesterol levels thank me. It was exactly like the COSTCO rotisserie chickens. We ate the chicken with a reheated leftover baked potato that we shared, fresh asparagus, reheated leftover Yorkshire puddings and the most delicious gravy made from the pot juices.I was worried that the brown sugar in the rub would render the gravy sweet, but it did not.I think the paprika balanced it. Tonight the chicken will be reincarnated as cold slices of white meat accompanied by a simple salad of organic red leaf lettuce, our gifted tomato and my homemade vinaigrette and a small baguette of organic flour.When one eats both baked potato and Yorkshire pudding accompanied by gravy the evening before, one performs penance the following evening dinner. I’ve written of this before, but I do not understand why anyone would eat iceberg lettuce or those bagged lettuces. Bernie conjectures that it is because Americans do not want to wash the sand from fresh lettuce.The sand tells me that it really was in dirt at some time in it's short life. It takes all of 2 minutes to wash lettuce, roll it in a clean linen tea towel or spin it in a spinner and voila’ fresh lettuce. I also don’t understand bottled salad dressing.It is so full of horrible things like chemical stabilizers and sodium and who knows what else.I also am not sure about the English and salads.I have to force husband to eat a salad.The first time I had salad in the UK, I almost became ill.  I was presented a salad plate with a wedge of almost white looking Iceberg lettuce (and, the UK has gorgeous produce in every single supermarket) glopped with what looked like mayonnaise.I almost gagged.I have since learned that the topping was what they call Salad Cream and it comes in a jar like our mayonnaise does. I’ve never really been served a good salad in the UK.France is the place for salads. So…that was today’s Treatise on Nothingness…Who else could rabbit on and on about a tomato, a chicken and some lettuce?

The Village People???

It sometimes seems difficult to write here. I hate feeling that I just babble for the sake of babbling. That being said, here goes some babbling...

I am who I am. We're living in an RV park now. It's a three month gig. We've been here since December 27th. There are 106 sites in this place. It is not an RV resort. It is, however,perhaps a microcosim of America these days. They are a handful of permanent residents, mostly living in really run down old motorhomes that probably don't even run. There are two families with children who catch the school bus. Then, there are quite a few people living in trailers/motorhomes who go off to work each day, some construction-type guys, a male traveling nurse who has contracted for three months with one of the local hospitals and others. The rest of the people are snowbirds, retired northerners seeking winter warmth. I've met a few people. Here though,it's a lot like other places. People say hello if they pass by, but it's really hard to get to know anyone. Everyone either works or is temporary and some place else is home, friends are someplace else. Even though I have my same old friends here because this city IS our home and I have that to fall back upon, I didn't like how this place felt.

Today, I spoke to the two women who live close to me here. One is from upstate NY, the other from Canada. I asked them what they thought about trying to organize a pot luck supper. Both were enthuiastic. I went to the office and asked the owner if it was OK to do it and if we could use the clubhouse big room. The owner was thrilled and said she'd be thrilled and would print fliers I made etc.. So, we're slated for Jan. 15th. I've got a draft poster and fliers. I've got my initial social committe of three. Why should we spend the winter as 106 strangers when we could each broaden our horizons a bit a widen our circles of acquaintances, if only temporarily? Isn't that what sharing thew human experience is all about? I'll let you know how it all turns out. I can't help myself, I like forming villages...

Saturday Morning Food Porn...

Hello...My name is Dana and I'm a foodie. But you already knew that, didn't you? I made a new discovery while I was whiling away three months in Canada. As talk frequently turned to which parent had a bowel movement that day or who took their pills and who forgot, I would run for the bedroom and grab the life preserver in the form of the television remote control. I soon discovered Food Network Canada. Here in the USA, I daily peruse twenty to thirty food blogs and have my favorite Food Network USA cooks. Food Network Canada presented me with a host of new cooks, recipes and magic. This discovery was the equivalent of a Foodie orgasm. Speaking of such things, unless you too are a Foodie, I bet you don't know that on food blogs, beautiful photos of food like that of the carrot souffle above, are referred to as "food porn." That's how much we're into the food thing.

One of my first Food Network Canada discoveries was Riccardo. I adore this man and everything about him. He's nice, self-depreciating, smiles a lotand always speaks so fondly of his mother. He's French Canadian and has the accent to prove it. He says things like, "Beat in that turd egg now", as only a French Canadian can pronounce "third." It just cracks me up (pun intended).

Riccardo's recipes are easy...cook friendly. I was drawn to this souffle recipe for a couple of reasons. One, the color is phenomenal. Color is terribly important to me as a cook. When creating menus, color is one of my major decisions. Experencing food involves visual, olfactory and texture and taste sensations. Imagine this souffle next to some bright green barely steamed broccoli, Dauphanoise potatoes with a hint of Gueyere and a gorgeous slice of standing rib roast a jus, all on a pistine white dinner plate. (I only use white plates. I want the food to be the star of any meal and the dinner dishes a supporting cast member.) Another reason I like this recipe is that it difficult to have a huge repertoire of carrot recipes. Carrots are often just a stew thing or a sickeningly sweet brown sugar pineapple veggie side (the only way my kids would eat them when young) or in their best incarnation, grated into a cake and slatered with cream cheese icing. The carrot souffle above is a grown up vegetable dish that has elevated the lowly carrot far above it's pedestrian roots (hey! another pun...damn I'm firing on all cylinders today. I must be recuperated).Finally, souffles are classy and impress the heck out of anyone who has never made one and does not realize what an easy thing it is to accomplish...shhhhhh. I made this for our Christmas dinner at son's home and even the kids ate it!...Mind you, we told them it was dessert being served right along side dinner and they believed us.

If you love me, promise me you'll try this recipe. It will get you over your fear of souffles...honest. It's that easy. Just remember one thing though...timing is everything. Your souffle must be served immediately or it will deflate as rapidly as the Hindenburg. Also, you can make it as I did in a 2 qt souffle dish rather than individual ramekins.

Carrot and Cheese Souffles

Yield:6

Ingredients:

Carrot and Cheese Souffles

• 375 ml (1 1/2 cups) cooked carrots
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) carrot juice or chicken broth
• 45 ml (3 tablespoons) butter
• 45 ml (3 tablespoons) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) grated Swiss cheese
• 2 x eggs, separated
• 1 ml (1/4 teaspoon) cream of tartar
• 30 ml (2 tablespoons) honey
• 1 ml (1/4 teaspoon) cayenne, or more to taste Salt and pepper

Directions:

Carrot and Cheese Souffles

1. In a food processor, purée the carrots and juice or broth until smooth.
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. While stirring, add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the carrot purée. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool.
3. With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Lightly butter 6 125-ml (1/2-cup) ramekins.
4. In a large bowl, combine the carrot purée, cheese and egg yolks. Set aside.
5. In another bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the honey and add the cayenne. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
6. Whisk about 1/4 of the egg whites into the carrot mixture. Using a spatula, gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
7. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins, filling them to within 1 cm (1/2 inch) of the rim. Smooth the top. Bake until the soufflés are well risen and the tops are lightly browned, about 18 minutes. Serve immediately.

Ebb, Not Flow

There is usually a reason for lack of entries in a blog.  Mine is that both of my parents, who are in their eighties an live in another country, have been very ill.  In order to help out, I was gone from my home from mid-September until two days before Christmas.  I am now back home in a place where the sun shines and temperate ocean breeze soothe the soul.  I need this place.