The amazing part of Web 2.0 is the ability to connect. Take a look at all the different social media and feed tools I use daily for DS106 and my own life.
Created by jmasulli on Jan 23, 2011
Last updated: 01/23/11 at 07:59 PM
Tags: ds106 assignment3
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http://twitter.com/JessicaMasulli/statuses/29373751971811328
After reading What is Web 2.0, Web 2.0 Storytelling, and Seven Things You Should Know About Creative Commons, I wanted to blog about how I see Web 2.0 from my own personal experience. For me, the key to Web 2.0 is the social aspect. Web 2.0 is about collective thoughts and multiple hands (or mice) playing a role. “If readers closely examine a Web 2.0 project, they will find that it is often touched by multiple people, whether in the content creation or via associated comments or discussion areas. If they participate actively, by contributing content, we have what many call social media” (Bryan Alexander and Alan Levine).
For example, many of the websites I use daily are products of the Web 2.0 social media era. Wikipedia allows for users to edit and add the content. Facebook is simply user profiles being pulled into a feed. Online journalism has extensive comment sections. Even this blog is a product of the links I add to others work and the comment sections which I and others react to. Web 2.0 is about these connections, which ensure that very little is left in the hands of one person. This type of social structure aims to mimic real life. Rarely do class assignments or jobs only involve one person’s ideas and work. Instead, real life is about these same connections. Thus, Web 2.0 aims to mimic real social life, but in a very different forum.
As well, creative commons falls nicely into this social world. Tim O’Reilly points out that one of the key components to Web 2.0 is harnessing collective intelligence. By harnessing this collective social intelligence, we need a way of distinguishing what is acceptable to be shared and distributed, and what is solely the work of one individual. For example, if I write a paper for a class, and the teacher wants to use it as an example for next year’s class, they often ask for the right to use that paper again. Similarly, we have social structures in place that allow us to know in real life when it is acceptable to share work. For example, when I submit my work to an editor at my internship at the Free Lance-Star, I am within the social understanding that this is allowed to be published in the newspaper. Collective commons is the online language of agreement to use or not use. By searching on Flickr images under collective commons laws, I am honoring that agreement.
http://blog.jessicamas.info/2011/01/creative-commons-as-a-principle-of-web-2-0/
If you're flying east from either San Francisco or Oakland on a cloudless day, and if you're lucky enough to get a window seat on the right side of the airplane, you might get to see one of my favorite views of Yosemite. Look carefully, not long after take off (ten minutes?), and try to pick out Half Dome jutting up from the surrounding foothills below. It's pretty cool to see.Wayne is always trying to get me to go to Yosemite, I usually pass. As impressive as it is, I'm more of a coastal type. Up until this week I'd only been to Yosemite in the spring and summer, and my impression has always been that there are typically lots of people, and traffic to and from to match. But, this time of year is supposed to be quieter. So we packed a cooler, hopped in the car on Wednesday, and decided to give winter in Yosemite a try. A first for both of us. I'm going to include a bunch of pics from our trip, and also the recipe for the mushroom rice bowl I threw together when we returned home. It was the sort of thing assembled from some leftover kale and tofu in the refrigerator, following a quick dash to the store to pick up some golden chanterelle mushrooms.Thank you to everyone who sent Yosemite recommendations. We did the hike to the base of Vernal Falls, the bridge rather, and followed that up with a walk to Mirror Lake. Most of the trails were snowy and icy, but the roads were clear and the sky was blue. A guy on the trail near us at Vernal Falls said he saw a bobcat, but as far as wildlife goes my list is short: crows a plenty, a handful of squirrels, and one raccoon. Do the ants in our hotel room count? ;)This was my view for the better part of the day. Wayne loooves a nature walk. There's apparently a cabin you can snowshoe to from the valley, and I suspect that is next on his list. We watched the sunset from a near-empty parking lot at Inspiration Point, and made our way back in time for dinner at the Ahwahnee Hotel. This is me on the bridge near Vernal Falls. You can't believe how fast the water was running, and how much water was moving in the valley in general. The waterfalls were strong wherever you looked. Frazil ice fans will be sad to know, it's too early in the season for it, next time! I popped into a number of antique shops in the Sierra foothills, and made a couple neat finds. Hopefully things that will make appearances in future posts. And then I made this rice bowl when we got home. One ingredient some of you might not be familiar with is the Shichimi Togarashi spice mixture I used for seasoning here - although I suspect you'd recognize the little jar it often comes in. It's a Japanese spice mixture which includes red chile pepper, orange peel, sesame seeds, and a number of other ingredients. I love it sprinkled over brothy soba noodle soups, directly on tofu, on blanched vegetables, etc, etc. It's a great way to add pep and dimension to an endless list of foods and preparations. But as I mention down below, if you don't have it on hand, some red pepper flakes will do the trick for this recipe.So the overall concept here was pretty simple. Pan-fry slices of mushrooms until they're nicely browned. Do a quick saute of tofu and kale in the same pan. Then serve over brown rice. Season it all with Shichimi Togarashi. For those of you who need to get a jump start on weeknight meals, there's no reason you couldn't prep the brown rice, tofu, kale, and mushrooms ahead of time. The actual cooking time here, aside from the rice, is minimal. I hope to have a few more Yosemite shots to share once I get my film back. Thanks again to all of you who left me notes and sent suggestions. It was a uniquely beautiful place to visit this time of year. -h
Continue reading Shichimi Mushroom Rice Bowl...
http://feeds.101cookbooks.com/~r/101Cookbooks/~3/Il13X9SP9wc/shichimi-mushroom-rice-bowl-recipe.html
Fredericksburg has managed its finances responsibly through a bad economy, Fitch Ratings said in upgrading its outlook on city debt.
The agency affirmed Fredericksburg's AA-plus bond rating, which signals "very high credit quality" according to the company's ratings scale, and revised its outlook from "negative" to "stable."...
http://fredericksburg.com//News/FLS/2011/012011/01232011/602300?rss=local
Aside from population growth, the most drastic change affecting redistricting in Fredericksburg-area localities over the last 10 years is the improvement in technology.
New software, combined with Geographic Information Systems and census data, will make redrawing local voting districts a much less tedious exercise this time around....
http://fredericksburg.com//News/FLS/2011/012011/01232011/602106?rss=local
CLASSES/SEMINARS/EVENTS
Host Families Needed for World Heritage student exchange program. 800/888-9040. ...
http://fredericksburg.com//News/FLS/2011/012011/01232011/601792?rss=local
Supervisor Cedell Brooks Jr. will be honored next month during a program sponsored by the King George County chapter of the NAACP.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People plans its annual Black History Month celebration at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26, at King George High School. Brooks, who continues to recover from a stroke, will be honored for his contributions to King George County....
http://fredericksburg.com//News/FLS/2011/012011/01232011/601769?rss=local
Virginia's economy is on the recovery track but hasn't reached its destination.
That's the word from state Sen. Edd Houck, D-Spotsylvania, who held a town hall meeting in the county yesterday, telling the crowd that the state's economy will probably see "a slight uptick" this year. But it won't be enough to restore deep cuts made during the last budget cycle....
http://fredericksburg.com//News/FLS/2011/012011/01232011/602498?rss=local
RICHMOND--Virginia small businesses are hoping to see more protection for Virginia's already-strong right-to-work laws during the General Assembly session.
They also hope to avoid new health care mandates and expansions of unemployment coverage....
http://fredericksburg.com//News/FLS/2011/012011/01232011/602116?rss=local
STAFFORD COUNTY
Harrell Road (State Route 623)...
http://fredericksburg.com//News/FLS/2011/012011/01232011/602326?rss=local
Want to know how Virginia's redistricting will affect people on a local level?
Consider the questions raised this week by King George Supervisor Joe Grzeika. He hasn't decided whether he'll seek re-election this fall, but if he does, he'll need to start gathering signatures from those who want him to represent the James Madison District....
http://fredericksburg.com//News/FLS/2011/012011/01232011/602298?rss=local
Angel Lambert has a lot of firsts under her belt.
In 2006, the Caroline County native became the first female sergeant of the county's Sheriff's Office....
http://fredericksburg.com//News/FLS/2011/012011/01232011/602111?rss=local
CLASSES WILL FOCUS ON MINDFUL EATING
Starting Feb. 3, a local dietitian will host a series of classes focused on helping people eat more mindfully--in other words, when they're truly hungry, and not for emotional reasons....
http://fredericksburg.com//News/FLS/2011/012011/01232011/601963?rss=local
Fredericksburg is under no court order to build a new judicial complex at a cost of tens of millions of dollars.
Judges have been pushing for years for a more modern facility that better meets the needs of today's criminal justice system and the volume of cases that regional growth has driven into city courtrooms....
http://fredericksburg.com//News/FLS/2011/012011/01232011/601439?rss=local
FREDERICKSBURG
The City Council meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall, 715 Princess Anne St. Council members will take public comments on a proposal to raise downtown parking fines....
http://fredericksburg.com//News/FLS/2011/012011/01232011/602392?rss=local
Thanks to pledges from businesses, King George County residents will be able to celebrate the Fourth of July the way they used to--watching fireworks at the Navy base.
County officials have collected $17,000 in pledges from six businesses for the annual show. Parks and Recreation Director Tim Smith will set up an account for the funds and contact a vendor....
http://fredericksburg.com//News/FLS/2011/012011/01232011/602043?rss=local
The Orange Town Council has approved an amendment to Wiley/Wilson's time-and-materials contract for engineering of the town's new wastewater-treatment plant.
The 3 million gallons-per-day plant is up and running with a conditional operating permit from the state Department of Environment Quality....
http://fredericksburg.com//News/FLS/2011/012011/01232011/601766?rss=local
grief
CLASS TO EXPLORE ENDURING BONDS...
http://fredericksburg.com//News/FLS/2011/012011/01232011/601968?rss=local
El principal ejecutivo de Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB), Carlos Villegas, apunta en una entrevista como problemas graves que afronta el país a la excesiva demanda de combustibles y al contrabando. Asimismo, defiende la millonaria adjudicación de la planta de separación de líquidos de Río Grande y dice que no está manchada con sangre ni corrupción. Se excusó de tocar el tema de reservas petroleras.
http://www.lostiempos.com/diario/actualidad/economia/20110123/villegas-contrabando-de-combustible-sale-de-santa_109858_215877.html
El presidente de la Comisión de Relaciones Exteriores del Senado de Chile, Hernán Larraín, afirmó que Bolivia no debe esperar una solución a la demanda marítima con soberanía y que hay otras fórmulas que se están explorando en su país.
http://www.lostiempos.com/diario/actualidad/nacional/20110123/Âno-veo-salida-con-soberaniaÂ_109857_215875.html
Al margen de los daños causados en el centro del poblado tarateño, que fue seriamente perjudicado por la riada y el granizo de las últimas horas, el alcalde de Tarata, Emilio Rojas, informó que las comunidades de Tiataco, Pampanata y San Antonio además de una parte del municipio de Arbieto, que se destaca por su producción de durazno, fueron seriamente dañadas por las lluvias.
http://www.lostiempos.com/diario/actualidad/local/20110123/tarata-lluvias-perjudican-a-cuatro-comunidades-mas_109842_215849.html
En el primer aniversario del Estado Plurinacional, el presidente Evo Morales resaltó ayer los logros de sus cinco años de gobierno, obvió las fallas más críticas y convocó a organizaciones, Iglesias, empresarios y otros sectores a dejar las âbroncasâ para trabajar por el desarrollo de Bolivia.
http://www.lostiempos.com/diario/actualidad/nacional/20110123/morales-pide-acabar-con-ÂbroncasÂ-internas_109838_215836.html
La Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT), en el informe Panorama Laboral 2010, da cuenta de la disminución de la tasa de desempleo urbano en Bolivia, situándose en 2010 en su menor nivel en seis años. A nivel regional, señala que en la mayoría de los países la recuperación económica tuvo un impacto favorable en el mercado del empleo.
http://www.lostiempos.com/diario/actualidad/economia/20110123/oit-baja-indice-de-desempleo-en-bolivia-en-2010_109813_215782.html
While the story in “TRON: Legacy” is pretty appetizing, the real feast here is for the eyes and includes an unforgettable dessert for the ears. In other words, it’s an audio-visual masterpiece. It’s worth noting how strange this movie’s development cycle was; it’s a sequel to a 28-year-old movie that was a box office failure [...]
http://umwbullet.com/2011/01/20/living-up-to-its-%e2%80%98legacy%e2%80%99-new-%e2%80%98tron%e2%80%99-delivers/
By ALEX VAN BEEK It makes sense that Daft Punk would be asked to score “TRON: Legacy,” Disney’s sequel to the cult hit, “TRON.” The French duo has gained considerable recognition in the past few years, including a Grammy, for their work in the electronic music genre. Additionally, the visual elements that accompany their live [...]
http://umwbullet.com/2011/01/20/better-in-context-daft-punk%e2%80%99s-vision-of-tron%e2%80%99s-digital-frontier-is-best-on-screen/
By COLEMAN CLARK Oh Natalie. You used to be so sweet. Natalie Portman, known for typically cheery roles like in “Garden State,” lets her career take a much needed dark turn in “Black Swan,” a sleek film about a ballerina’s descent into madness that is equal parts thriller, melodrama and art film. Portman’s Nina, the [...]
http://umwbullet.com/2011/01/20/%e2%80%98black-swan%e2%80%99-pirouettes-its-way-to-the-top/
A gallery talk kicked off Michael Wsol’s contemporary art exhibit “Part of a Bigger Picture,” in the duPont Gallery last Thursday, Jan. 13, complete with a lavish reception. The exhibit itself showcases a variety of contemporary pieces, ranging from a simple line drawing of a hammer to its enormous, three-dimensional wooden counterpart. While the large [...]
http://umwbullet.com/2011/01/20/get-the-%e2%80%98bigger-picture%e2%80%99-at-michael-wsol%e2%80%99s-exhibit/
You know that joke that your one awkward friend loves but the rest of your friends find to be annoying and pointless? That’s what the Golden Globes are to awards shows. You see the same predictable nominees and winners and come to the realization that you have not seen half the movies that the critics [...]
http://umwbullet.com/2011/01/20/editorial-why-the-golden-globes-sucked-this-year/
By: FRANCES WOMBLE Stephen Burton, University Mary Washington music professor of 30 years, lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on Dec. 31. During his three decades at Mary Washington, he started the show choir ensemble known as “Encore” and worked with UMW’s Women’s Chorus, in addition to his teaching duties and commitments to various musical [...]
http://umwbullet.com/2011/01/19/department-of-music-mourns-burton%e2%80%99s%e2%80%88death/
Facing a wave of student opposition to proposed tuition increases, the Hurley administration plans to scale back the tuition increase it will seek for the next school year. In October, Hurley said that UMW could face tuition increases of up to 25 percent, providing several proposed increase options based on what he said the university [...]
http://umwbullet.com/2011/01/19/president-addresses-campus-tuition-woes/
By: JULIE DYMON President Rick Hurley, Chief of Staff Martin Wilder and a team of faculty are leading the university in a semester-long commemoration of James Farmer and the Freedom Riders. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides, and UMW has secured a host of guest speakers, classes and events in celebration [...]
http://umwbullet.com/2011/01/19/umw-celebrates-freedom-rides/
Yesterday morning two of the former University of Mary Washington students involved in the campus drug sting in October were sentenced to six months in jail by the Fredericksburg Circuit Court. Derek Rhule, 19, and William Bleimeister, also 19, pled guilty to misdemeanor possession of marijuana with attempt to distribute. The charges, originally felonies, were [...]
http://umwbullet.com/2011/01/19/two-former-students-sentenced-in-drug-trial/
Today University of Mary Washington students are going to Richmond to participate in Lobby Day to address the Virginia General Assembly about receiving funds for the university’s Dahlgren campus. The effort is headed by the Legislative Action Committee (LAC), whose aim is get UMW the money it needs to move forward on the Dahlgren campus, [...]
http://umwbullet.com/2011/01/19/group-lobbies-for-funds-to-build-dahlgren%e2%80%88campus/
@JessicaMasulli Welcome to Twitter and
http://twitter.com/intrepidteacher/statuses/27601463232430080
@Mega_Mc just give in Megan, we can have fun doing
http://twitter.com/JessicaMasulli/statuses/27543810854625280
I am now experimenting with my blog to try to get some of the features working. This is still a work in progress, and I am going to wait another day to see if the features are actually working. However, here is a list of what I have done so far with plugins.
Subscribe to Comments: I have installed this and activated it, but I cannot find it in the widgets. I’m not sure if this plugin should show up on the side of my screen like other widgets. Does anyone know? Has anyone else installed this yet?
Twitter Tools: This was simple to set up, but I had to go to Twitter to enter some information. Now, all my tweets are on the right side of my blog. I can also tweet right from my blog. I still want to look further at the settings of this to see if my blog posts can be tweets.
Akismet: This is for stopping spammers. I downloaded and it now is a widget at the bottom of my page. Not sure though if it is working right.
Google Analytics: I have used Google Analytics to track the Bullet’s readership (very interesting over the last year). I hope people will start visiting my blog so I can track how many people visit, and thus know if this feature is even working.
I also want to add a Facebook like option and a favorite quotes rotating box. I don’t have time now though, but it will get done later tonight.
http://blog.jessicamas.info/2011/01/it-this-working/
Since my engagement, I have promised myself that I would not get overwhelmed by planning my upcoming wedding. I laughed at the idea of the average wedding cost over $20,000, and I promised not to get wrapped up in the details of wedding favors and color schemes. I thought that a wedding would somehow just plan itself and that the real beauty of the ceremony would be in the fact that we love each other and are committed. While this is all nice, the reality is that my head has turned into that word cloud.
I am constantly obsessing over the fact that The Knot wedding magazine says to plan a venue 18 months in advance, yet I am down to 9 months and still have no idea where the reception will be. And, on top of that my fiance’s family is traveling all the way here from South America for the wedding, but I still haven’t even given them a date. And, I am planning this wedding from Virginia when the wedding will actually be in New Jersey (think about having to pick a venue, without even actually seeing it).
Despite all my woes and lack of time, I am trying to relax about the entire thing. So, instead of searching the Etsy website for the perfect cake topper and trimming down the guest list, I decided to create this wordle.
http://blog.jessicamas.info/2011/01/wedding-wordle/
This cardamom-kissed, brown sugar crusted, squash-battered spice cake nearly didn't happen. My oven has been on a slow, temperamental decline for months. It has always been a bit slow out of the gate, taking it's time to heat up, but generally I didn't think much of it. Fussy oven, end of story. Recently though, it has been taking the better part of an hour to get to 350F. Then, there were the times it would turn off on a whim. Poof. As if it was simply done baking for the day. And the moments when it felt compelled to belch gas. Just the sort of thing to send me into a panic. At any rate, I found myself standing in front it, promising to call the repair shop, if it would just finish up this last unassuming loaf cake without issue. And it did. And the cake was near perfect. As promised, a call was made, a part replaced, and now she hits 350F in under ten minutes.The inspiration for this cake was a bowl of leftover roasted winter squash. I was going to make pan-fried dumpling with this squash, but at the last minute opted to make a loaf cake instead. I'd puree the squash until it was smooth and creamy, then fold it into the batter for flavor, depth, and a moist crumb. And while I call it a cake, it's not hyper sweet. It's more like a cake-like bread - in the way banana bread, or zucchini bread is cake-like.The spices here are assertive, I didn't skimp. In turn, it might be the most wonderfully fragrant cake I've baked to date. I chose a garam masala spice blend, paired with a good amount of cinnamon, to deliver a bit of a twist as far as warming spices go. The garam masala brings the cardamom, but also a nice hit of black pepper. If you give the cake a go, let me know if you make any tweaks to the spice list. There's a lot of latitude to experiment here.We're thinking about skipping town with the cameras at some point in the next week to visit Yosemite. I'm embarrassed to say, although I've lived within a four hour drive nearly my entire life, I've yet to visit in the winter. Thoughts, tips, things I shouldn't miss en route? -h Continue reading Brown Butter Spice Cake...
http://feeds.101cookbooks.com/~r/101Cookbooks/~3/gPA3Mwp86fY/brown-butter-spice-cake-recipe.html
Assignment2
“Society doesn’t need newspapers. What we need is journalism,” Clay Shirky said in his post Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable. As someone who is involved with journalism, I never thought about the distinction in that way. I have always taken for granted that newspapers are journalism, but as Shirky points out, this is just a coincidental and fragile connection.
For someone like me, who is just months away from graduation and trying to find a journalism career, this would seem quite depressing. The industry I am stepping into is collapsing and downsizing. However, after reading Clay Shirky and hearing Gardner Campbell, I am actually quite excited to be stepping into this place. At this point, I am entirely unprepared to step into this industry, but the article made me realize that everyone, even the most experienced journalists, are unprepared for this as well. I am literally stepping into an industry where I, with just a few years of experience, am more qualified to be an online journalist than the 30 veterans of the New York Times. And, this is because I am still unhindered by common perceptions about how a newspaper should run. Instead, it is 20 year olds who are capable of dreaming a new journalism industry. And, when we look back in just 10 years, nobody will have seen this coming and nobody will have been able to predict the new model of journalism. As Shirky pointed out, “Now is the time for experiments, lots and lots of experiments, each of which will seem as minor at launch as craigslist did, as Wikipedia did, as octavo volumes did.”
However, I do agree with Gardner Campbell that education is not preparing students for this type of life venture. I have always considered my self proficient in the internet. Of course, I could use Facebook, write a blog, search Google, watch Youtube, etc. But, now I am realizing that I am not proficient at all. My education has prepared me very little to experiment with the internet in a way that would allow me creativity. My professors have only pushed BlackBoard and blogs, but they have never really asked us to create entirely new websites and ideas. Even my journalism classes have not sought to prepare me for the experimentation and launch of new journalism models. Instead, we seem to be stuck in a place where online creativity is halted by current structures.
I don’t know about you, but I am excited…and nervous to find a job.
http://blog.jessicamas.info/2011/01/beyond-blackboard/
Assignment1
Welcome to my blog! I usually spend my Wednesday afternoons and nights at the Bullet office, but lucky for me we didn’t have a newspaper this week. This gave me plenty of time to figure out my Digital Storytelling 106 domain, web host and blog. And, finally after many frustrating attempts, I have it up and working… for now anyway. I am going to list the steps I took to set everything up. This is mostly to remind me how to do this again in the future. I will also add the problems I had so that those mistakes can be avoided in the future.
1. I purchased a domain name from Godaddy. I bought a .info domain since it was cheaper. Also, I bought the privacy option since I didn’t want my name, address and phone number to be out there for everyone. I think it all cost me under $10, but a .com name would have been more expensive.
2. Then, I purchased a web host from Cast Iron Coding. I did the self management option and I think it will cost me about $10 a month. I messed up really bad here though. I accidentally put my domain name as jessicamas.com instead of jessicamas.info. I didn’t realize this until this morning when I got the e-mail bill. Immediately, I went on the Cast Iron Coding help site and talked to a support person. However, they wouldn’t fix it for me until noon since they are on the West coast. I was concerned I would have to buy a new web host. However, they fixed it and now my domain and web host are connected at jessicamas.info.
3. However, there was a little confusion when I tried to connect the domain and web host. First, you click domain manager under my products. Then, I clicked my domain name and name servers. Under name servers, you have to add in ns1.castingironcoding.com and ns2.castingironcoding.com, but the problem was that the tutorial forgot the period in ns1. My roommates and I were so lost on what to do so we used twitter to contact Jim Groom. However, I soon realized the missing period and everything worked, although it did take a few hours for the website to activate.
4. Now that this done, I set up the blog. I went to jessicamas.info/cpanel. This took me to the dashboard where I created a subdomain (named blog). Then, I clicked Fantastico De Luxe and from there I clicked wordpress. I did a new installation of wordpress and put in my e-mail address.
Phew… that wasn’t so hard.
http://blog.jessicamas.info/2011/01/hello-world/
One of the things I love about the internet is the ping-pong culture of ideas. Here's an example. I love making soda bread. Homemade bread slathered with butter in less than an hour? Hard to beat. There are a million directions you can take soda breads, but the rye version I bake is a long-running favorite. I've never posted it here, but I include it in Super Natural Every Day. So, here's where things start to get interesting. Ten Speed sent out advance copies of the book to a number of food writers/editors a few weeks back. One of them was Jennifer Perillo. I follow Jennifer on Twitter. And last week she mentioned baking an oat soda bread based on the soda bread recipe in my book. Her bread looked beautiful. It's like I threw out a polka-dotted boomerang, and it came back to me plaid. So I decided to bake oat soda bread, based on Jennifer's version, adding a few twists of my own.I'm not sure why I've never done an oat-centric soda bread, but the minute I saw Jennifer's it made perfect sense. The ingredient list is impossibly short: rolled oats, flour, buttermilk, baking soda, and salt - and some seeds if you like. I normally bake soda breads free-form, but I decided to try this one in a loaf pan. As I was making it, Wayne finished off a container of crackers, the only thing left was a couple of tablespoons of seeds, so I sprinkled those across the top of the bread, just before baking, to give it a crunchy crust. The bread bakes up fragrant and a touch sweet from the oats. It is fantastic sliced and toasted along with a bowl of soup. Or slathered with jam and butter. Or with a creamy cheese and a sprinkling of herbs. I know I say it nearly every time I post a recipe like this, if you've never baked bread before, give it a go. Or if this doesn't look up your alley, you might find some ideas on Michael Ruhlman's blog right now. It's a great time of year for bread baking. Thanks again for the inspiration Jennifer :). Continue reading Oat Soda Bread...
http://feeds.101cookbooks.com/~r/101Cookbooks/~3/7k8LKJgqY8k/oat-soda-bread-recipe.html
I'm having such a hard time figuring out how to introduce this post. So, instead of agonizing over the wording, let me just put it out there. Today, I want to share some of the spreads from my new cookbook with you. I'm excited about it, and I can hardly wait for March/April, when I'll have a real paper copy in my hands. The PDFs are nice, but having a book to hold in your hands, after years of thinking about it - there are few things like it. I'll include some images in this post, but for those of you who want to jump straight to a dedicated preview site, here you go. I'll add to it in the coming weeks. You can also pre-order the book here.I apologize for letting six months pass since the last proper update on this front. I'm not entirely sure how that happened, but wow, a lot has come together since then. I'll get to some of that in a minute. Allow me to back up a bit for any new readers, or for those of you who just want a recap. I've been writing a series of posts related to the creation of this new cookbook, Super Natural Every Day. The first post was nearly a year ago. Followed by one related to the manuscript, and then another about choosing a cover. Some of you who have been watching the book evolve likely noticed the cover in the last post isn't the cover you see here. That's a long story. In short: While I loved the moody darkness and pinks in the original cover, in the end, i.e. the very last minute, we went for something a bit brighter, livelier. Another factor, a surprising number of you thought the pink potatoes on the original cover were ham chunks. Wish I was kidding.The book is the same trim size as Super Natural Cooking, but the new book has more pages. Said another way, it's thicker. I wrote all the recipes in cups / ounces / grams this time around. And there are lots of photo spreads throughout, both splits and full-pagers. I took most of the photos for the book, although two or three of my very favorite shots came from Wayne. There is one shot in particular - we were walking along a coastal trail in Point Reyes one morning, when two deer popped their heads up above the tall grass, just across the meadow. Wayne got the shot, I completely over-exposed the shot.For the most part I wrote and photographed the book in real time. Often, cookbook manuscripts are written, then an intensive shoot is scheduled toward the end of production, once the text has been finalized. I work a bit differently - writing and shooting in tandem. What you see in the book is what I cooked for breakfast, lunch, or dinner that day. I like working this way, it's relaxed, not much fuss, and I can shoot the food when it looks the most appetizing and alive, in the seconds after it comes off the stove or out of the oven. The book structure moves through the day with recipes divided into chapters starting with Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, Dinner, Drinks, and then Treats. You can see how the breakfast chapter opening pages look just above. If you're interested, I'd be happy to post a complete recipe list in the coming weeks. I'd better check with Ten Speed, but I can't imagine it'd be a problem.More than anything, I wanted this cookbook to feel like it was from a place - northern California, where I've lived most of my life. And I wanted the recipes to be approachable, and a reflection of the food I cook every day. My hope is that you can take some of these ideas, get a bit of inspiration from them, and make them your own in your own kitchen. Can't wait to share the real thing with you all. And before I log off, I know a lot of you are looking for new year recipe ideas - I've compiled a number of favorite one-pan recipes in one place, and have a new recipe to share on Tuesday. -hRelated links:
- Super Natural Every Day - preview site
- Super Natural Every Day - pre-order
Continue reading SNE: Preview...
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I'm feeling the inclination to tip-toe into 2011. I'm concerned that if I step on one squeaky floorboard, all hell could break loose. For the most part 2010 was good to me, it was busy, interesting, unpredictable and fulfilling. I feel very, very fortunate. I consider every day I'm happy and healthy a gift. On the flip side, it was a difficult year for a number of people I know and care about, and to them, I hope 2011 shines better and brighter. 2010 was the year I finished this, spent three weeks here, and made many pots of soup along the way. I hung out at the cabin. And we camped, and camped some more. As far as 2011 is concerned, it looks like I'll be ushering in the new year with a nasty head cold and an awesome bowl of noodle soup. I can tell you with confidence, sparkling wine and throat lozenges are a terrible pairing. That said, I'm looking forward to shaking this bug quickly to take a crack at making 2011 memorable and meaningful. I've been thinking about some of the things I'd like to focus on this year, and I've come up with a list of sorts...Here goes. I'd like to get out of San Francisco for trips near and far. Top of the list: London, Japan, the Pacific Northwest, and Kauai. I'm feeling the pull of a road trip, not sure of where yet though, Marfa? Across Canada? I've always wanted to drive to the tip of Baja, but I'm not sure that's the best idea right now. What else? I'd like to jog to the beach more often. And I'd like to take this big guy out more often. I want to commit to brewing beer once a month, and also stay current with the New Yorker. I want to cook from lots of books. Cook alongside lots of cooks. Get to know less familiar ingredients better. And revisit favorite recipes more often. I want to try keep things simple. I'm sure I'll think of others, but this is what is top of mind right now. What about you? I love hearing your new years thoughts and resolutions.Today's recipe is exactly what I've been craving. I've cooked it twice now, and it's the perfect recipe to usher in the new year with, particularly if you have a cold. But let me back up a bit, and let you know how I came across it. One of my Aussie pals works in a bookshop in Melbourne that focuses on food and wine titles. She always has great insight into books and recipes, and she mentioned hosting Greg & Lucy Malouf in the shop one night. They made a trio of breads for the event from Saraban: A Chef's Journey Through Persia that sounded wonderful, and I had it in the back of my mind to flip through the book as soon as I could find it. I stumbled on the book at Omnivore Books, and bought it on the spot. The New Year Noodle Soup caught my attention, and I'm thrilled it did. At its core it is a bean and noodle soup featuring thin egg noodles swimming in a fragrant broth spiced with turmeric, cumin, chiles, and black pepper. You use a medley of lentils, chickpeas, and borlotti beans, making the soup hearty and filling without being heavy. You add spinach, dill, and cilantro. You add lime juice for a bit of sour at the end. And then you've got a number of toppings to add when you serve the soup - chopped walnuts, caramelized onions, and sour cream. It's a long ingredient list, but worth it. I think I'm going to double up on the next pot. It was delicious reheated for days, even with the noodles in there. The book itself is amazing, and I can't wait to explore it beyond this soup.So here we go. 2011 it is. My hope is that each of you has a happy, healthy, and peaceful new year. I'd also like to add a heartfelt thank you for your ongoing insight and encouragement. Can you believe we're coming up on eight years together? It seems surreal to me. xo-h Continue reading New Year Noodle Soup...
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I thought we'd close out the year with a hearty, rustic, warm-you-from-the-inside baked casserole. It's a cold weather crowd-pleaser made of alternating layers of broken farro pasta, sliced potatoes, two cheeses, and mustardy shredded cabbage. The sort of thing you can prep a day or two ahead of time, then bake when convenient. I suspect you might be able to tell from the photo - its the sort of food that pairs magnificently with a pint and a stormy night.Let's break it down a bit. One of the things that works for me here is the play between the starchiness of the pasta/potatoes and the bite of the mustard. You can, of course, adjust the amount of mustard to your liking if you make this more than once. The amount I use here is straight up the middle - it comes across as neither meek or assertive once the casserole is baked. But keep in mind, the type of mustard you will also be a factor. I guess what I'm trying to say - feel free to adjust to your tastes.Like most casseroles or lasagnas, you'll have a bit of a project on your hands, but in the end there's lots of food to enjoy. It took the two of us the better part of a week to finish it off. If you have kids, I imagine a version with a blend of whole wheat/regular macaroni elbows could be a more kid-friendly version. The original idea for the recipe actually came from a buckwheat casserole I came across while flipping through in The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook. She used a buckwheat pizzoccheri and savoy cabbage. The premise is brilliant and there are a thousand ways you can mix it up. Another alternative I've been thinking of...for those of you with The Essential New York Times Cookbook....I made the Brussels Sprouts "Slaw" with Mustard Butter the other night. I can imagine using that in place of the cabbage here if you're more of a sprout fan, or if that is what you happen to have on hand. I'm spending the next few days looking after my nephew. Hopefully we'll have some adventures to share with you - today involved hot chocolate, buffalo spotting, and the beach. Enjoy the last of the holiday season - I'm certainly looking forward to a fresh year of recipes and stories with all of you. I've got a fantastically good noodle soup to share with you when we kick off the new year. xo -h Continue reading Baked Farro Pasta...
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It was Saturday morning, and I'd become preoccupied with the idea that we should have cinnamon buns on Christmas morning. Homemade, hot from the oven, loaded with sugar and spice, golden, buttery cinnamon buns. The kind that snuggle together in a pan until you coax one out for yourself. This isn't a family tradition, yet. But Lotta Jansdotter gave me the idea. Her book rather. And it was at that moment I found myself riffling through the spice drawer looking for ground cardamom and active dry yeast when I should have been wrapping presents, or finishing the construction of the IKEA EFFEKTIV storage unit stacked eleven boxes tall in my office. Ack.This was the plan. Make Lotta's cinnamon bun dough. Bake half. Freeze the remaining uncooked dough for Christmas morning. I'd put the frozen coils out on the counter on Christmas Eve, let them thaw overnight, and bake when I get to my sister's house on Christmas morning. But then I got worried - what if I told you to thaw your dough overnight on Christmas eve, and it didn't work out as planned? I'd feel bad. So I tested that, and the good news is, they baked up beautifully.To make these cinnamon buns you start by making a buttery yeast dough. I know some of you shy away from all recipes yeasty, but these really are fun to make. They take some time, because you need to let the dough rest and rise at various points, but most of that time isn't active. Once you get the hang of things, you can play around with all sorts of different fillings in future batches. If you want to explore something beyond cinnamon sugar, the filling can be anything from jam, a sweet compound butter, a flavored cream cheese filling...you get the idea.Backing up a bit, making cinnamon buns goes something like this: Mix the dough. Let it rise. Roll it out. Put down the filling. Roll. Slice. Another rise. Bake. You can see most of the steps in the pictures up above. Lotta sprinkles her cinnamon buns with pearl sugar before baking, which gives them a nice crunchy top, but I know a lot of people like a thick slathering of icing. I served these w/ raw sugar on top and icing on the side. I used the icing from these hermit cookies. Might I suggest a splash of bourbon as well? You can actually flavor the icing any number of ways...Let me know if you like these as much as I did. I made a few tweaks/changes to Lotta's original recipe which are reflected below. I made a fresh batch of dough yesterday, and they're all ready to go in the freezer. Happiest holidays and Merry Christmas to all of you. xo -h! Continue reading Cinnamon Buns...
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A number of you emailed asking about the soup pictured at the top the recent favorites list. This one. It was at the top of my list for a reason. If last year was the year of lentil soups, this year has been all about one rustic bean and celery soup. I make it a lot. I make it for us to eat. I made it when our neighborhood wine club came over. And I made it to share at soup night over at my friend Holly's. The original recipe is Hassan's Celery and White Bean Soup with Tomato and Caraway, from Moro East. It's a soup shared in the book by Sam & Sam's allotment neighbor - celery, caraway, and garlic are cooked together alongside big hearty beans and chopped tomatoes in what becomes an olive-oil dappled broth. You serve each bowl with chopped black olives and fresh lemon wedges. I thought I'd share a holiday version of the stew made with Christmas Lima beans.As is prone to happen, the first few times I made Hassan's stew, I followed the recipe verbatim. Then I started making tweaks. In the beginning, I would blanched and seed the tomatoes, I would track down spring onions. I would use the exact beans called for. And I was smitten. The soup is awesome. But eventually the onions disappeared from the market, and then the best tomatoes did too. And I still wanted to make the soup. And I wanted it to be just as good.There were also those nights when I wanted to make the soup, but I was short on time. I wondered, could I shave some time off the prep by using good canned tomatoes? What about beans? I have some giant corona beans already cooked, those might be nice. And on and on...you'll see all my tweaks, notes, and considerations in the recipe below. I also made this a larger pot of soup. Most of you know by now, if I'm going to make soup, I'm going to make a good-sized pot of it. Plenty for leftovers.If you ignore everything else I write about today, pay attention to this. You can't skip out on the toppings. Please, just trust me on this one. The chopped black olives and fresh lemon wedges for squeezing are key. Collectively they add dimension, surprise bursts of flavor and nuance you don't get otherwise. And a chunk of toasted, crusty artisan bread is the perfect sidekick.Lastly, the recipe has you make your own celery salt. It couldn't be easier, and any leftover sea salt is great sprinkled on any number of things - eggs, potatoes, soups, you name it. The trick is finding celery with lots of leaves still intact. I stumbled on a bunch of heirloom celery this time around with endless leaves, but this is atypical. It seems like grocers "top off" most celery leaves. That said, I can always find celery with a few leaves intact, and there are generally more leaves hiding in the heart of the celery - so I use those to make the celery salt. Works just fine.
Continue reading Christmas Lima Bean Stew...
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Hi everyone, happy happy holidays to you. Are you ready? I'm not. Not at all. I don't really have it together this year, yet! I mean, there's still hope, and some time left, but I'm short a number of presents for sure. We do have a small tree set up in the window - all white lights and silver pom-poms. But that's thanks to Wayne, mostly. At any rate, break out your baking sheets, dust off your mixers, and fire up those ovens - it's Christmas cookie season - I didn't want to drop the ball on this one. I suspect it is going to be a big baking weekend, so I thought it might be helpful to wrangle some of my favorite holiday-esque cookie recipes into one spot, in a single list. There is a pretty wide range - from gingerbread to shortbread to chocolate...Sante's Hermits - My friend Sante shared his hermit recipe with me. A simple drop-style, spice cookie loaded with tiny currants, chopped walnuts,and finished with a bit of icing.Swedish Rye Cookies - Powder-kissed and pretty, these Swedish Rye cookies are perfect for holiday cookie enthusiasts who are after a not-too-sweet, shortbread-style butter cookie made from a Rye flour blend.Triple Ginger Cookies - This ginger cookie recipe is made special with three kinds of ginger and a hint of lemon zest. Cracked and sugar-crusted on the outside, dense and moist within.Itsy Bitsy Chocolate Chip Cookies - The perfect bite-sized chocolate chip cookie. Tiny, thin, golden, crisp, a bit nutty with plenty of shaved chocolate.Sparkling Ginger Chip Cookies - I made these for Lottie & Doof's 12 DAYS OF COOKIES last year. They are tiny, bite-sized holiday cookies made with two kinds of ginger and lots of shaved chocolate. The turbinado sugar crust gives them a bit of crunch which is a nice contrast to the ooey-goey chocolate.Limoncello Macaroons - A nice alternative to all of the peppermint and chocolate flavors this time of year. These are golden-crusted, powder-coated, almond-citrus gems spiked with limoncello liqueur.Chocolate Puddle Cookies - I came across a cookie when I visited Portland, it was a crackle-edged puddle of chocolate with a texture that made me think of the collision between a soft meringue and a fudgy brownie. They are amazing. Downsize them a bit for a holiday cookie plate.Biscotti al Pistaccio - Charming little bite-sized, powder-coated pistachio cookies inspired by a visit to Mona Talbott's kitchen and the Rome Sustainable Food Project at the American Academy in Rome.Gingerbread Cookies - A delicious, traditional tasting, yet healthier gingerbread cookie recipe that includes white whole wheat flour, more assertive spices, and less refined sweeteners. You wont miss the traditional version. They are very cute on popsicle sticks.Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies - Super decadent. A rich chocolate dough punctuated by generous amount of chopped peppermint bark and mini chocolate chips.Pine Nut Rosemary Shortbread - A twist on the shortbread recipe I included in Super Natural Cooking -perfectly golden pine nuts and just enough rosemary and lemon zest infuse a buttery sweet dough with fragrance and flavor. I also posted a more traditional shortbread recipe years back - the recipe was the one made in the Hearst Castle kitchen.Peppermint Bark Chocolate Chip Cookies - A great peppermint bark cookie recipe using one of my favorite cookie doughs along with a generous amount of chopped peppermint bark.I'm going to leave the comments closed - with the idea that this is more of a reference post. I'll keep adding to this list in the future in case you want to bookmark it. And lastly, on an unrelated note, to those of you who wanted the recipe for the soup/stew at the top of my last favorites list - I made it again this week, and I'll write up the recipe over the weekend. I haven't forgotten.Photo taken in 2001 while driving near Joshua Tree, California. Continue reading Christmas Cookie Recipes...
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Have any of you ever made a sauce from green olives? Me either. Until now. I found myself with a large container of pitted, herb-flecked green olives. And I mean a laaarge container. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I bought them, intending to use them as part of a dinner spread for friends. Then promptly forgot they existed. I found them the following morning hiding behind a container of feta. And so, olive season on Pierce Street begins. You can imagine my excitement when, I came across a recipe I'd tagged many months ago in Maggie Beer's book, Maggie's Harvest. She makes green olive gnocchi, then tosses it in a quirky, off-beat lightly creamy green olive sauce. The perfect way to put a dent in my olive supply.Before we start, let me warn you, this isn't a particularly attractive sauce. And, I'm being kind here. But the sauce is assertive and deliciously distinctive. Here's a case where finishing the gnocchi with a few flavorful garnishes like fried capers and chives made all the aesthetic difference in the world. As far as the specifics go - it's worth noting, I did a quick version of Maggie's recipe, reflected in the recipe below. I used store-bought gnocchi, and pan-fried it until it was deeply golden and crusted, instead of making the gnocchi from scratch. You can dress the gnocchi lightly, or more heavily, based on your preference. The leftover green olive sauce kept nicely in the refrigerator for the better part of a week, and was delicious on pasta, over brown rice, and alongside a bit of crumbled goat cheese in an omelette.I hope some of you give this a try. And now that I'm thinking about it, I think you could introduce some blanched broccoli if you like - a good way to get some green vegetables on the plate. Or even better, you might cut the florets extra small, and toss them in the pan with the gnocchi at the last minute to cook that way. Continue reading Green Olive Gnocchi...
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Before I share the recipe for the soup I enjoyed for lunch today, I feel compelled to tell you something about myself. Here goes. I'm the sort of person who owns one umbrella. One umbrella I really like, instead of four umbrellas I sort-of like. It's a tendency that carries over into other areas of my life (books and magazines aside) and it works out nicely because our apartment isn't particularly large. But it's raining today, and I'm sitting here next to the window, lovely bowl of soup in front of me, thinking about my favorite umbrella. Midnight blue adorned with tiny, pin-point white dots, it has scalloped edges and folds down to a size that can usually be accommodated by my bag. It braves a strong wind with confidence, and guides rivulets of water out past my shoulders before letting them drop - keeping me dry in the process. I bought it at a Muji store in Tokyo, and thoroughly enjoyed having it as my rainy day partner. It went with me to France. It went with me to Spain. And then, a few months back, it went with me to Tartine - the sun broke through, we sat outside, visited with a few friends, had a few treats, and when I walked away from the table I must have left it hooked to the back of my chair. My hope is that someone found it, took it home, and now likes it as much as I did. I think about it on days like today, I somehow can't help it. I've tried three umbrellas since I lost the Muji, and quite frankly, rainy days aren't quite the same.The soup? I riffed on a recipe from The Essential New York Times Cookbook. I often crave clean, simple meals in between all the holiday decadence, and there was a carrot & fennel soup in Amanda's book that sounded just right. It's simple, brothy, and the perfect way to use up a bunch of bushy-topped farmers' market carrots. I added wild rice, but you could use another grain if you like. Or omit he wild rice altogether - it isn't in the original recipe. I also had a vibrant blood orange olive oil on hand, so I used that to add a citrusy accent to this soup, you can certainly use fresh orange juice instead. And, as I mention below, you can top with a poached egg and have a one-dish meal on your hands. I hope all of you here in the U.S. enjoyed the long weekend and were able to spend it with lots of friends and family around. -h
Continue reading Carrot and Fennel Soup...
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I would like to share a new recipe with you right now, in fact I have one all ready to go. But I fear many of you have shifted into Thanksgiving mode. Meaning, if what I have to share isn't fit for the Thanksgiving table, you probably don't want to hear about it. And it's not. So I won't. Instead, I decided to write up a new favorites list - something I love doing. And for the handful of of you hitting this page today, still on the search for Thanksgiving inspiration, I'll kick off the list with a few personal favorites on that front:- Here's an updated list of favorite vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes: Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Delicata Squash Salad, Vanilla Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Hazelnut & Chard Ravioli Salad, etc.- Thinking I need to do more things like this in 2011.- A perfect shade of blue.- Podcast pick: The Monocle Weekly. What other podcasts should I be listening to? I like newsy/current event ones.- Soup season is really on here. We had fog, rain, thunder and lightning last week. The soup in the photo up above became a favorite this year. This one. I've cooked it at least ten times. If you have Moro East, give it a go.- Daydream real estate listing number 1, and number 2. I stumbled on that second one the other day and it's all about the location and setting - it's surrounded by the magical Grace Marchant Gardens, just below Coit Tower.- Favorite stocking stuffer: June Taylor's Candied Citrus Peels- Saw this movie in Rome. And this and this since I've been home. - Would love to stay here someday. - I like to add a pinch of this to my eggs, and also to the occasional vinaigrette for some extra herby-green dimension. Oh! And I just noticed the Herriott Grace rolling pins at Terrain, part of their Holiday Heirloom Collection.- To my family, I would love a subscription to this and/or this.- Gabi's lovely food site - I've shortlisted this sweet tahini dressing.- Think of the fun to be had around this.- Tempted by this fancy pants
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