Ol' Jenny from the block

Nest Heads by John Allen

I'm posting this for my friend Jenny, who is struggling with the possibility she may be becoming the crotchety old lady of her neighborhood.

NC

Happy Pączki Day!

Pączki, pronounced Poonch-key, (plural for pączek) are fruit-filled, fried dough, glazed with a sugar coating. They look similar to a jelly doughnut. The traditional, and my personal favorite, is filed with a prune jelly; however, one may find a wide variety of fillings such as apple, custard, red raspberry, black raspberry, blueberry, and lemon. These Pączki are from Stimmel's Market here in BG, but Pączki are also available at the Lagrange Street (Lagrinka) Community Center, and at many supermarkets throughout the area. But, bakery fresh is always best.

Pączki are a Traditional Polish food typically prepared and consumed on Fat Tuesday. When Polish immigrants came to Northwest Ohio to work in the industrial factories, they brought this edible tradition with them. Typically prepared in the days leading up to Fat Tuesday, the purpose of this sweet is to clear the pantry of butter, lard, eggs, and any fruit that would spoil or go rancid during the forty days of fasting. Even though yours truly is neither Polish nor Catholic, I still appreciate and enjoy this edible Polish tradition. An added bonus, I can buy the leftovers at a discount on Ash Wednesday--the beginning of lent.

Enjoy!

NC

Dodging academe

What is it about the task of writing that inspires me to cook? For example, a few years back I had to take the mother of all exams, where, over the space of four days I had to demonstrate academic mastery of the principal areas of my Ph.D. course work. Seems simple enough, right? The exam was formatted into three parts: from part one, choose two questions from a list of five and develop a response to each; from part two, choose one question from a list of five; part three was the same. Michelle and the girls accommodated me by flying to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico while I stayed back in beautiful and scenic BG submitting to my round of academic hazing. Since the family was gone, I had the house to myself and the only breaks were to meet with a friend for a daily meal and BS session. In between writing forty pages in four days, I found this time to be ideal for preparing my long-simmered ragu. I make it completely from scratch and in my 12 quart stock pot, so there's plenty to freeze and take out for a "quick" meal. It's such a "common" food in our house, I don't have any recipes or photos to share. If you're wondering, since I'm still here at BGSU, now an instructor in Sociology, and working on my dissertation, I guess it's obvious I passed the exam.

I don't really know why I choose to take on additional tasks while burdened under the weight of academics; however, I'm doing it again. Only this time, I'm doing something completely different from anything I've done before. It's important to know that I need to have the dissertation written and to my committee within six weeks. In order to meet my self-imposed deadline, I've been putting in long days at my office where I have ample opportunities to gaze out on the bustle of undergraduates in constant motion, but when I was there all day Saturday and Sunday this past week, I looked out my window, and this is what I observed. Moseley Hall directly across from me:

University Hall in the center of the frame (home of the Eva Marie Saint Theater) and Hanna Hall (home of the Gish Film Theater) to the extreme right:And, it appeared as if I were the only human on campus--I quit counting the squirrels darting, dodging, scurrying across the quad. But, no other human life--I truly am pathetic.

My new deviation started with a discussion on the ASFS list about cheese, and I've always wanted to try my hand at making cheese, so, in between e-mail on cheese, and reading blogs about cheese, I decided to source some supplies for making ricotta. I researched a number of suppliers that seemed to fit my paradigm of ethical consumption where I tend to order from small, independent suppliers and I really liked the way the folks at the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company presented their business and described their products, and I decided to spend my money with them. Well, today I decided to work from home, and two good things happened: first, I work on a contract where I get paid monthly--I got paid today; second, my faithful letter carrier brought me this (I really like the big BLUE smiley--this company rocks):

Inside, Non-GMO Organic Veggie Rennet, two ricotta baskets that accurately mimic the traditional straw baskets used in Calabria and Sicila, and the crack that keeps me high for weeks on end, a catalog of cheese making supplies--GOOD GOD, I want to make more cheese and I've not made ANY yet!Stay tuned.

NC

Not quite buried alive…yet

I have legitimate reasons for not faithfully maintaining my blog for the past while. Yesterday, I handed four chapters of my dissertation Food That Matters to my advisor for some light reading while in Ireland. Now, I have to pound out another chapter in the next ten days she'll be gone, oops, nine days. On a related note, I've had friends badgering me to start a Facebook account for years and recently that has stepped up; however, I have successfully resisted and as of now I don't even remotely see it on my horizon.

My camera's been giving me "the look" lately and I'm starting to think it suspects something, or someone, or another camera may be coming between us. I guess I need to shoot some flower pics with it, or take it out to dinner and satisfy it with some food pics, or simply spend some quality time with it again. This blog looks oddly unadorned without visuals, so I'm going to post a picture of some American chestnuts I found at Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

If you've never had roasted chestnuts, they are very easy to prepare. The best way to roast chestnuts is over an open flame, but since 2008-2009 has been a bitter cold winter in Ohio, my gas oven roasts like a charm. Preheat your oven to 350. While your oven is warming, score an X with a sharp knife on the flat side of the chestnut and place on a baking tray. When the oven is warm, insert the tray of chestnuts. They should take approximately 30 minutes or so until the semi-soft shell peels back. Let stand until cool enough to handle, yet warm enough to enjoy.

They have a subtle sweetness and a somewhat grainy mouth feel to them, but if you down them with a warm beverage...it's like heaven, only with chestnuts.

NC

Days gone and days yet to come

I am looking through some photos to illustrate a point I want to make in a lecture next week--and it is bitter cold out, snow falling, roads icy--when I came across this. The Marblehead light at Marblehead, Ohio. I enjoyed seeing it all fresh and clean and green and bathed with springtime hues--gorgeous--and I want to share it with you:

Jessica slipped and fell into Lake Erie:

Sun setting on the Davis-Besse cooling tower, Lake Erie:NC

Ice-Storm Day + Two

Photos celebrating the beauty of nature in my yard--enrobed in ice. Song Sparrow nest in the flowering plum in my front yard. It has been fun to watch the sparrows return to this nest the last two years. I also have a couple bird houses in this same area of my yard that get used annually.Ice-covered Holly.
White pine in ice.

NC

Ice-Storm Day Part II

After scraping the ice and slush off the drive, sidewalk, and front approach, I treated the girls to BG's best hamburg at Corner Grill; then we were off to the Wood County Historical Center and Museum for some icy photos.

In reviewing the photos I took last Friday, I noticed something Abbey-esque. In the same way that the reader of Edward Abbey's homage to nature and seasonal park rangering, Desert Solitaire, would not be apprised to the historical reality that he was not alone, from the following photos, it would appear that I was alone. In this same way, I have obscured the historical fact that Jessica and Emily were with me all the while. The following photos were shot "on the fly" (using in-camera tricks) and have not been manipulated with any photo editing software.

I hope you enjoy your vitual holiday tour of grounds of the Wood County Historical Center and Museum:Front entrance. The stone arches and walls gracing the complex were completed using resident labor during the 1920s East entrance, looking toward the Portage River.The Pest House. Nest door to the former Lunatic Asylum. Those with communicable diseases would stay here.

Evergreen in icicle.

Mini light encased in an icy sheath.

A calm place to think icy thoughts. Ben: an homage to the Museum's farming tradition.
Front entry of the former county home. This area was mainly used by staff and guests, not residents, or patients, or both. The Wood County Poor Farm was in operation as a poor farm from 1869 to the 1950s. From the 50s on, it's main use was a nursing home for the elderly. It was closed and slated for demolition in 1971, when a group of concerned citizens proposed a new use. After extensive renovation and preservation, the county home reopened as the Wood County Historical Center and Museum in 1975.
The Staff Dining Room, decorated for the holidays.

Wall sconces in the main entrance. Notice the delicate shadows made by the intricate cuts in the crystal.

NC

Ice-Storm Day

Here's another photo to add to the Empty Nest Series; I shot it this morning off my front porch.Overnight, a massive weather system made it's way across the Midwest dumping eight or so inches of snow across Southern Michigan and a narrow band of ice from Nebraska, all the way across Southern Iowa, Central Illinois, Northern Indiana, Northern Ohio, and to Philadelphia, PA.

Today was supposed to be the last day of classes for Bowling Green Schools before the long holiday break; however, due to weather conditions, school was cancelled before 5:30 AM. It's slick-slidin' out there, and ever-determined Michelle went to do her daily swim at the BGSU rec center this morning at six, and then to Ben's Table a local restaurant for breakfast with the swim team. Some things are natural, others are just crazy. I think I'm going to take Jessica and Emily to Corner Grill for breakfast and then to the Wood County Museum; crazy?

NC

Fall Semester 2008 has expired

Wow! Look at that...did you see it? Time just flew by. And now? Fall semester 2008 is over--It's been a challenging semester with an overabundance of ambivalent students, liberally peppered with with freshly-cracked whine--my glass runneth over. I'm tired. I'm fed up, I probably should not be posting these thoughts on my 'family-friendly' blog, but to quote the masters of rhyme and lyrics, Nada Surf, "Oh fuck it, I'm going to have a party," and no students are invited.

I'm really looking forward to the winter break to catch up on all the things I have neglected this past semester, like breathing, and writing about the nasty-ass, dead albatross hanging around my worthless albatross-killing neck--no offence to Sam Coleridge, but his beautiful piece of prose has become a cliche used by folks who have never read "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"--the dread dissertation. I have to wrap it up or I'll be the one getting wrapped (or tagged and bagged for you crime drama folks).

NC

Winter: Part I of ?

It's bitter cold in Northwest Ohio, but at least we have inexpensive gas again:

Winter blew into BG yesterday, and left a short-lived dusting of snow across town, but we were not here to feel it. Michelle competed in her first swim meet since 1991, which took us to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio--more on this later. I have a backlog of day trips to post here (one to Frankenmouth, MI, our second trip to Holmes County, Ohio, and yesterday's trip to Oxford in SW Ohio) and hope to find a few minutes this next week to do it.