Blueberry-Peach Smoothie

Blueberry-Peach Smoothie
Serves 1

.5 C Nancy's nonfat yogurt
.5 C skim milk
.5 C frozen blueberries
1 medium banana
1 medium peach

- Put yogurt & milk in blender. Blend.
- Put broken up banana in blender.Blend.
- Cut up peach. Leave skin on. Place in blender. Blend.
- Pour blueberries into blender. Blend.
- Serve

According to Master Cook this has 343 calories.

Onion & Bell Pepper Frittata

Onion & Bell Pepper Frittata
Serves 4

4 large eggs, beaten
1 cup Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced thin
1/4 cup tomato, diced
1/8 cup onion, sliced thin
1/8 cup bell pepper, sliced thin
1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced
1/2 teaspoon garlic, crushed
dash salt
dash black pepper
1/4 cup mushroom, sliced
1/4 cup colby cheese, sliced thin
1/2 tablespoon butter

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Spray olive oil into baking dish

3. Layer potatoes evenly across bottom of pan and up the sides. Form a "crust". Lightly season the crust with salt and pepper.

4. Place potatoes into preheated oven for 15 minutes

5. Saute basil,onion & bell pepper in butter over medium heat

6. Add mushrooms to saute pan. Saute for 3 minutes more.

7. Set saute aside until 15 minutes are up for the potatoes

8. Take potatoes out of oven.

9. Spread tomatoes over the crust

10. Spread saute over tomatoes

11. Pour eggs over saute

12. Layer cheese evenly over eggs

13. Cover. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Dish is done when eggs are mostly set.

14. Remove from oven. Let set for 15 minutes.

15. Cut into 4 even portions. Serve while still warm.


According to Master Cook software this is 157 calories per serving.

Jewels of Summer styleboard

I entered this styleboard into a contest on kaboodle. Please vote for it. Thanks!

Jewels of... by riotkop

Review: English High-Grown Leaf Blend

Company: Special Teas www.specialteas.com
Name: English High-Grown Leaf Blend

Ingredients: Black tea

Smell: mild warm brown grass.

Taste: First taste of tea cut with water no sugar or cream. Mild smooth black tea with a slight lift of tannins after swallowing. Taste with cream and a pinch of sugar. Mild flavor with the same lift as the first taste. Comforting and drinkable.

I like it. I will probably buy more in the future. It will be a wonderful all day tea.

Tea Review: Green Tea Lemon Drop

Company: Special Teas www.specialteas.com
Name: Green Tea Lemon Drop

Ingredients: Green tea, lemon myrtle, citrus peel, ginger, lemon grass, orange bits, chamomile and flavoring.

Smell: coconut, white chocolate, vanilla. Can not smell the green tea or citrus.

Taste: Initially it hits the tongue as tangy and bitter. A little of the green tea is detectable. Still hits the nose as white chocolate and vanilla after swallowing. After effects on the mouth is astringent.

Not to my liking. I will not be buying any more of this one. I was not able to finish the cup much less the pot. Perhaps I brewed it wrong. I will try one more time with a shorter brewing time. Some green teas can sit and others don't hold up well to long steeping.

White Bread

White Bread
Originally uploaded by RiotKop

White Bread

Makes 2 loaves

- Warm 2 cups pf milk and water for 2 minutes in a microwave.
-Pour milk into bowl. Add enough cold water to turn milk mixture tepid. Stir in 2 teasoons of regular sugar.
-Add 1 package active dry yeast, or equivelent.
-Cover with a tea towel or flour sack cloth for at least 10 minutes. The key is to feed the yeast but not let it cool completely.
-Stir in 5 cups of white flour. Adding gradually. Stop when a decent dough has formed.
-Cover bowl with tea towel and let dough rise until at least 2x it's original size.
-Grease 2 bread pans.
-Divide dough into two segments. Place in the loaf pans. Stretch the dough to fit the bottom of the pan if needed.
-Cover with tea towel and let rise until at least 150% original size.
-Bake for 15 minutes in an oven that has been preheated to 350 d F.
-Brush tops of loaves with milk.
-Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden.
-Laet cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Depression Era Cooking Videos

One video from a great youtube channel. Clara is a well spoken 93 year old great grandmother who lived through the Great Depression in the mid 20th century. Her recipes are economical and wonderful.

Babawawa Clip on Transman in Bend OR

The fact that this family has essentially hidden in their house for the past year shows that this country has a long way to go before trans discrimination is anywhere near over. Yes, there have been huge strides but this family should have been able to be in the press and able to maintain their lives.

Yes. The trend of trans men carrying their own children is happening. It has for a number of years. There are many reasons why this is so. One of the legal ones has to do with concerns over custody. Do they have reason to be concerned? Look at Prop 8. While not a trans specific issue it could signify a roll back of rights that might hit transfolk full in the face. If you believe in equality for all US citizens then I encourage you to fight the hate. If you are in the Bay Area in particular you have opportunities this weekend. Help quiet the Phelps brigade in Alameda on Friday night. Nationally, on Saturday attend the Anti 8 rallies in or near your hometown. Stand up and fight for the rights of all people in the United States.

This is a 20/20 webclip. It is safe for work. There is an annoying commercial before the segment.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=10649300&ch=4226723&src=news

Keith Olbermann Asks: Why Yes on 8?

Ski Oregon

Ski Utah? Why? Come ski Mt Hood. Portland is lovely and not full of haters. http://www.mthood.org/

Tomato Soup

Raw Vegis for Tomato Soup
Originally uploaded by RiotKop

Tomato Soup

8 cups of soup

6 medium tomatoes, diced
0.5 c celery, chopped
0.5 medium onion, chopped
1 c parsley, minced
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp paprika
4 c broth

a) Combine all ingredients in a pot.
b) Stir to mix thoroughly.
c) Bring soup to a boil.
d) Reduce heat and simmer soup for 30 minutes.
e) Serve either warm or chilled.

Goes well with bread or crackers and a glass of iced tea. To up the calorie load some cheddar type cheese makes a wonderful side.

Less expensive version: Omit the paprika and tomato paste. Use water instead of broth. This soup will be a thinner consistency.

Rustic soup: Leave as is.

Smoother soup that looks more like the canned stuff: Puree in blender or food processor.

Cream of tomato soup: Mix 2 parts soup to 1 part milk. Milk with higher fat will result in a richer soup. This will work with the less expensive version too.

Canning?: Use water or vegetable broth.

Turkey Salad

Turkey Salad with Tea
Originally uploaded by RiotKop

Pictured as part of afternoon tea. Served with quartered Kavali crackers, red grapes, Havarti cheese and bread and butter pickles. One half of the total quantity of the recipe is on the plate. Click the picture to see preparation photos.

Turkey Salad Recipe

0.5 lb turkey, sliced in 0.25 inch slices and minced
1 stalk celery, minced
Mrs Dash, to taste*
Mayo, to taste

-Combine turkey, celery and Mrs Dash in bowl.
-Add at least enough mayo to moisten mixture. Add more to taste.

* Crushed black pepper and salt may be substituted for Mrs Dash.

Savory Mung Bean Porridge

Savory Mung Bean Porridge
Originally uploaded by RiotKop

Savory Mung Bean Porridge

Serves 4-6

0.5 c short grain brown rice
0.33 c mung beans
2 Tbsp ghee
1 c chopped carrot
2 c chopped green beans
0.5 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seed
6-10 c water
1 stick kombu
0.5 tsp salt
1 Tbsp amaranth
1 Tbsp corriander powder
Chopped cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)

-Rinse mung beans and rice until water is clear.
-Warm ghee in pot.
-Add fennel and cumin seeds.
-Saute seeds for approx. 1 minute.
-Add drained rice and mung beans to ghee. Saute for a minute or two more.
-Add carrot and green beans to ghee mixture. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
-Add water to pot. Bring to a boil.
-Lower heat to medium low. Add salt, kombu and amaranth.
-Cover and cook for 1 hour. Add water as needed to keep mixture from drying out.
-Check rice for doneness.
-Remove from heat.
-Stir in corriander powder and garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.

Double Carob Cookies v1.0

Double Carob Cookies v1.0
Originally uploaded by Phoebe Swyft

Double Carob Cookies v1.0
2.5 c all purpose white flour
1 tsp baking soda
0.5 tsp salt
1.5 C brown sugar
0.25 c carob powder
2 Sticks butter at room temperature
2 eggs at room temperature
1 cup carob chips

-Mix flour, baking soda and salt.
-In a separate bowl combine brown sugar and carob powder. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
-In another bowl cream eggs and butter together. Save the butter wrappers in the fridge to grease the pans later.
-In small amounts add sugar-carob mixture to egg-butter.
-Gradually add flour mixture to the sugar-egg combination.
-Cover dough and chill for 12-48 hours.


-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Be sure to place a rack in the center of the oven.
-Using the butter wrappers, or your preferred non stick substance, grease a cookie sheet.
-Pinch off a small amount of the dough. About the size of a shooter marble or half of a ping pong ball.
-Roll the dough into a ball.
-Place onto greased cookie sheet.
-Bake 1 sheet full of cookies on center rack for 7 minutes.
-Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes.
-Remove cookies to cooling racks. Cookies can be left to cool overnight.

Makes approx. 55 cookies

Summer Watermelon Salad

Summer Watermelon Salad
Originally uploaded by Phoebe Swyft

Inspired by a thread on the Newcomers Portland SCA yahoo group.

-1 small seedless watermelon
-2 sprigs of fresh mint
-1 lime

1)Peel and chop watermelon into bite size pieces.

2) Strip leaves off of mint sprigs. Rinse in cold water until relatively dirt free. Finely chop leaves.

3) Zest skin off of lime. Cut lime into 4 pieces and squeeze juice into bowl with zest.

4) Add chopped mint to juice and zest. Mix.

5) Pour lime-mint mixture over watermelon pieces and toss.

Variations:

-Puree lime and mint before tossing with watermelon slices.

- Freeze entire salad. Puree in blender then add tequila, rum or vodka.

Costume Con 26

Alien Furries
Originally uploaded by Phoebe Swyft

My Flickr photoset from Costume Con 26. Click the picture for more.

Oriental Style Soup v1.0

Makes 2 large portions or 4 small

-5 c water
-2 tbsp miso paste (I use light yellow)
-0.5 medium carrot
-4-5 sugar snap peas
-2 small mushrooms*, any variety you have on hand or prefer
-0.5 Tbsp Ponzu or soy sauce (optional)
-0.5 Tbsp beef better than bouillon or one bouillon cube of whatever flavor you
have on hand.If using Ramen you can use the sauce packet. (optional)
-25-40 Buckwheat soba noodles or your favorite noodle. If using ramen you will
need 0.5 brick of noodles. (Optional)

-Add water and miso to pot
-Bring to boil over medium high heat
- Chop vegis and add them to the pot with the bouillon and ponzu sauce
- Stir
- Add noodles and cook for as long as the noodle package says
-Serve


*Dried mushrooms work too.Be sure to soak your dried mushrooms in room
temperature water for at least 30 minutes before using in this soup.

Recipe: Golden Chicken

Golden Chicken

2 chicken breasts
2 chicken thighs
1 Tbsp butter, diced
2/3 c onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, crushed and minced
ground clove
ground sage
ground tumeric

Preheat oven to 375 F

a) Remove skin and as much fat as possible from the chicken pieces. Save skin and fat for stock.

b) Place chicken in an ungreased casserole dish or dutch oven. Layering the chicken is fine. If you do not have a casserole dish you can use a pie tin. In a pinch you can use a 9x13 pan or even a loaf pan. Just be sure to cover the alternate baking dishes with foil before baking.

c) Sprinkle a fine dusting of ground clove over the top of the layered chicken. You should barely be able to tell it is there when you look at it.

d) Sprinkle a liberal amount of tumeric over the clove.

e) Sprinkle a moderate amount of sage over the tumeric.

f) Layer the garlic over spices.

g) Layer onion over garlic.

h) Dot the dish with butter.

i) Put lid on casserole.

j) Bake for 60 minutes.

k) Check a chicken breast for doneness. If you can not detect any pink it is cooked. If chicken is not done: place back in the oven and check every 15 minutes.

"Bad Questions" with Calpernia Addams

Very worth watching. Great coaching of how not to be a jerk with transwomen.

'verse Purse

Firefly purse 1
Originally uploaded by Phoebe Swyft

Safety orange purse purchased at Old Navy for less than $6. Inside is a tropical motif of orange flowers on a white background. Patches are purchased iron on style with metallic thread and rhinestones.