Lions and lambs

Well, here we are on 3/31 and lo and behold it IS sunny and around 50. Not quite what I asked for, but close enough. And it's even supposed to stay nice tomorrow. Thursday is when the April showers start. Now I'm just waiting on those May flowers...

But seriously, tomorrow is April. 2009 is already flying by.

Calzones

This week, I got the craving for calzones. I've been enjoying ricotta as of late, and thought this might be a nice way to enjoy it. I picked up some wheat pizza dough and broke it into 4 pieces. I scooped abt a cup of ricotta into a bowl and added some seasoning (oregano, parsley, chili flakes, basil, s&p), a little of my flavored olive oil and some fresh garlic. For filing, I had green pepper, tomatoes and some frozen spinach.

I smoothed the ricotta mixture on the dough, then added the filing and then topped it w/ some fresh mozzerella. I folded the dough over and pressed the edges. I baked the calzones at 400 for about 20 minutes. My dough was a bit thin in the middle, so I def had some leakage. Not sure if I should have put in some breathing holes or if actually using a roller to roll out the dough would have helped. I just pulled and pushed the dough. I have very limited counter space, and no roller, so this combination forces me to generally try and toss dough. Poorly, but toss I try...
Overall, the calzones were good, altho I probably would use less ricotta next time. Also, my filing worked fine, but if you want to do something like broccoli, you'd want to pre-cook it a bit. My pepper def kept its crunch, which is what I'd expected.

Steamed Artichokes

So this is super easy, but delicious and satisfying. You just cut off the top 1/4 of the artichoke and steam for about 20 minutes. I put bay leaf and dried garlic and a squirt of lemon juice into the water, to add a bit of flavor to the artichoke. The artichoke is done when you can easily pull away a leaf. For a dipping sauce I add some vinegar to mayo. This time I used some yummy red wine vinegar my parents brought back from France. Mmmm.
The first couple of leaves, may be a little tough w/ little meat, but as you go, the more tender and meaty.

Making EC Easy

On Monday, 3/23, a federal court ruled that the FDA must revisit their ruling that limited over-the-coutner (OTC) access to EC to women over 18. Thru the ruling, EC must be available to 17 yr olds within 30 days and the judge recommended that the FDA revisit their entire ruling and consider removing the age restriction altogether. The judge also criticized the FDA for its political and ideological decision, based on the principles of the Bush administration, and not any scientifc merit.

I would like to point out that within a year of me writing my case study Making EC Easy: Improving Access to Emergency Contraception in Massachusetts two of my recommendations have come to fruition! First, Plan B got an ad on TV, which I hope will hape make EC understood as part of a responsible reproductive rights regimen, and now the FDA will reconsider the age restriction for OTC access. WOOT, WOOT!

Article on women in politics

My first of many article links I'm sure--

Former VT Gov speaking to college course, encourages women to run, notes duality (Huffington Post)

Not a lot of new discussion here, more of the same ol', but until that changes we have to keep talking abt it. It's too bad that this is the case, but it is something I can easily relate to.

Heroine?

So, I may have saved a man's life tonight. Working the second job, and one of my last tables was a father and son. After they got their meals, I realized the father was coughing non-stop for a bit and making some pretty horrendous noises. His son didn't seem too concerned, but I brought him over a glass of water, just to show that I noticed his discomfort. Later, much later, after he finally caught his breath, he thanked me profusely for my foresight. No biggie homes, just looking out. All in all kinda scary, but he was making noise the whole time, which is the sign that he's getting some oxygen in. Shook my hand when he left and thanked me again. I mean really, what else would you do in that situation?

Extreme Beer Fest

A few times a year Beer Advocate hosts various beer fests at the Cyclorama in the South End. I've been going to these since I moved to Boston since Sunset caters all the food. Each Beer Fest has a distinct theme, all of them amazing-- Belgian, German, American or Extreme. A few weeks ago, Jamie came to town for the Extreme Beer Fest.

I love the Cyclorama. It's an amazingly beautiful and as lame as this sounds, the bathrooms are amazing. All exposed brick and copper piping. So pretty.

Obviously, the Extreme Beer Fest is pretty intense. This year I did the best I've ever done in trashing beer I wasn't feeling: taking a sip and deciding, nah. Or maybe I was moving to quickly and hadn't finished my 2-3oz sample by the time I'd reached the next station. Whatevs. While, I generally avoid the Sunset food except what I can snag for free, I LOVE the Belgian waffles, despite their extraordinary price. They are TOO delicious to pass up. I think I also housed some tortilla chips and perhaps a Beer Pretzel. I'm sure I was also sorely disappointed that Marc hadn't made a batch of beer ice cream for this one... Regardless, we made a night of it, even tho beer fest ends at 930. We cabbed it back to Allston, hit up Deep Ellum and eventually made our way to Sunset for a nightcap and some SpinArt Dip. I'm sure I flirted and gropped Renaldo before I left beer fest. A day in the life...

Photo captions--
2: I'm sure that is how the actual Extreme Beer Fest flag looked to us as we left.
3: Me and Angie.
4: Me and Ben. I love how he's shrinking to not tower over me. Also, I'm not double fisting, but instead holding Jamie's brew, while he takes the picture.