Orange Cranberry Scones

The key here is to handle the dough as little as possible in order to increase the tenderness of the scone.  I have a friend getting married in May--she is having a morning wedding in her garden with breakfast food to follow.  This would be perfect for that.

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• Freshly grated zest of 1 orange or tangerine
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup dried cranberries chopped or small chunks of other dried fruit
• Egg wash (2 large eggs beaten with 1 tablespoon water)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar, for sprinkling (optional)                   

1.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or baking mat, or use a nonstick pan.

2.

Toss dry ingredients and zest together in a large bowl. Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, rub butter and flour mixture together just until butter pieces are the size of peas and covered with flour. Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in egg and cream. Mix ingredients together by hand until a shaggy dough is formed.

3.

Turn out onto a floured surface and gently mix in currants, kneading dough and currants together just until incorporated.

4.

Pat dough into a 3/4- to 1-inch-thick rectangle. Cut rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut across into 8 or 12 smaller rectangles. Place them on the baking sheet, spaced out.

5.

Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with brown sugar (if using). Bake until light golden brown, about 22 minutes; rotate the pan front to back halfway through. Let scones cool slightly on the baking sheet. Serve warm or at room temperature. Eat within 24 hours

A Passage to India by E.M. Forster (1924)

The book was written at a time when the end of the British colonial presence in India was becoming a glimmer of a very real possibility. The novel is considered  one of the truly great discussions of that colonial presence in a country in all of  English literature.  That is a real shame, because while it exposes many of the problems of the corrupt British rule in India, it is not without it's very significant biases.  I wish someone had done a better job, but that was the world in which Forester lived.

The main event in the novel is the accusation by an English woman that an Indian doctor who she had previously befriended followed her into a cave and attempted to rape her. Doctor Aziz (the accused man) is a respected member of the Muslim community in India. Like many people of his social class, his relationship with the British administration is somewhat ambivalent. He sees most of the British as enormously rude, so he is pleased and flattered when an English woman, Mrs. Moore, attempts to befriend him.  His accuser is let off far too lightly in the story in my estimation.  She leads the doctor on, ignoring the social norms that would preclude their relationship, and it isn't until she is physically in court testifying that she retracts her statement that it was he that attacked her.  Her reputation is ruined and she is forced to leave the country with her prospects forever stained, but my feelings about her behavior are far stronger than those of the author.

The book does address the issue of friendship in a colonialist country.  Can a subjegated population ever have a true friendship with their oppressors?  Fielding also becomes a friend of Aziz, and he is the only English person who attempts to help himafter the accusation is made. Aziz is on the one hand appreciative of any support he can get, but he is also suspicious of what Fielding's motives might be and anticipating being double crossed.  Forster suggests that the two can never really be friends until the English withdraw from India.

A Passage to India is a marvelously written and tremendously sad novel. The novel recreates the Raj in India and offers insight into how the Empire was run. Ultimately, though, it's a tale of powerlessness and alienation.

The Square (2013)

How does a revolution feel ? I’m sure I’ll never get closer than “The Square,” an electrifying and heartbreaking documentary from the Egyptian-born, Harvard-educated documentarian Jehane Noujaim.

The film was nominated for Best Documentary at this year's Academy Awards and the title refers to Cairo’s Tahrir Square, where the Arab Spring of 2011 spontaneously coalesced and then erupted, resulting in President Hosni Mubarak’s removal from power after 30 years of rule. But because the story has continued to evolve, dramatically so in recent months, Noujaim’s film is longer (by eight minutes) than when it debuted, and the film’s tenor has changed, too. It now also shows what betrayal feels like, on all sides.

The early scenes of “The Square,” of course, are a group portrait of joyous disbelief. The director follows a balanced handful of young Egyptians — faces in the crowd of the Square — from the midpoint of the 2011 uprising, just as it’s gathering critical mass.  The movie’s undisputed star is Ahmed Hassan, who is baby faced young  when the uprising begins and who, two years later, is fully wise to the ways of the world. That Ahmed holds on to his ideals and irrepressible sense of commitment in the face of all the Egyptian military and the Brotherhood can throw at his country is the movie’s most convincing claim to hope for the future.

When the military forces elections early after Mubarak’s ouster and the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi is reluctantly voted in by many protesters, the young man hazards a guess that the new president is sowing the seeds for his own downfall. “The more they control, the more the people will hate them,” he says of the Brotherhood.  After the actual coup — when Morsi was removed from office by the military in July 2013 and a series of violent reprisals against his followers ensued — we see the firebrands of Tahrir Square struggle to keep their goal of a free, democratic Egypt in sight.

Bien Trucha, Geneva, IL

 

This is a place worth seeking out and eating at.  Zagats gave it 29/30 for food, and they were right on as far as I am concerned.  Everything we are at the restaurant was fantastic.  We sat down and started with chips and a bean dip--I am a big fan of bean dip, so the fact that this is provided gratis was a big plus for me.  The attention of the staff to service was outstanding, and they were all very personable as well.

We opened with the special ceviche, which was made with tilapia, and while I was surprised by the choice of fish, it is a sustainably farmed fish, so I was open minded--and was rewarded.  It was delicious, and the portion was quite large.  Nice to share with at least two people. 

Next we had the poblano chili soup, which had a rich poblano flavor (and color--see it pictured on the left), and was light.  Delicious.  We had the corn salad on the side, which is not light, but fantstic, so do not miss it.  Then we ordered two kinds of tacos.  That was the moment when my spouse and I really wished that we numbered more than two.  This is definitely a place to think about bringing more than a couple of people to because the taco options come with 4 small tacos, and you could really try a variety. 

We got some tortas to go, and while the fillings were deliciou, the bread was too soft for my taste--I would have preferred a crustier, chewier bread.  This is a small thing--do not let it dissuade you from finding this place!

Boycott Hobby Lobby

There is so much wrong with what Hobby Lobby is contending that it is just time to stop shopping there.  Period.  A private corporation has no religious freedom rights.  They have no business regulating which form of contraception a couple chooses.  Acknowledging that they have such a right in this instance will open a flood gate of things that private corporations could contend is within their 'religious right' to refuse.  Jehovah's witness owned companies refuse coverage for blood products, Christian scientist owned companies refuse health coverage all together.  And who is to say what is a religion?

My next objection is that contraception is not a women's issue alone.  It takes two people to conceive a child, a man and a woman.  To imply that the man has no dog in the contraception fight is ridiculous, and I am both surprised and angered that there isn't a greater voice from men in the conversation.  Children conceived who are not wanted will either be aborted or they will need to be raised.  The issue affects women disproportionately, but it also affects men.

The argument that Hobby Lobby makes that IUD's and the morning after pill are forms of abortion is without scientific basis. Emergency contraception pills work by inhibiting or postponing ovulation, or the release of the egg, and this prevents fertilization from occurring.  IUDs also primarily work by preventing fertilization. The progestogen released from the hormonal IUDs prevents ovulation from occurring so an egg is never released. The hormone also thickens the cervical mucus so that sperm cannot reach the fallopian tubes. The copper IUDs contain no hormones, but the copper ions in the cervical mucus are toxic to sperm. They also cause the uterus and fallopian tubes to produce a fluid that contains white blood cells, copper ions, enzymes, and prostaglandins, a combination that is also toxic to sperm. The very high effectiveness of copper-releasing IUDs as emergency contraceptives implies they may also act by preventing implantation, but let's be clear, this is not abortion.

Contraception leads to healthier women. The ability to time and space children reduces fetal, infant and maternal morbidity and mortality. Contraception can help families better plan for pregnancies, leading to more optimal health outcomes. Planned pregnancies lower the risk of potentially serious issues such as low birth weight, preterm birth and small-for-gestational age. They also prevent an unanticipated worsening of health for women with pre-existing health conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease. Of course, contraception reduces unintended pregnancy, but it is also used for non-contraceptive medical problems.

I suspect that the Hobby Lobby has many customers who use birth control and want to continue to do so.  Please consider boycotting this company based on their lack of commitment to the health and welbeing of women, the people who love them, as well as Americans who want to live in a country where personal freedom is protected.

Bend of the River (1952)

My youngest son continues to be a source of movies from the past through his film course on sound that focuses on movies with a historical focus.  It is true that I have not loved every movie that we have watched, but it is very fun to have a film professor choose a movie, and then watch it, trying to decipher what it is about the movie that made it so attractive to an academic.

This movie is one of the first to have substantial amounts of filming done on location rather than shot solely on a Hollywood lot.  The director in Anthony Mann, who was famous for well-done Westerns.  The film is set on the Oregon Trail, with Jimmy Stewart playing Glyn McLyntock, a Missouri man wanted for various bad behaviors.  He has joined a group of settlers who would never have made it had he and fellow bad boy, Emerson Cole (Arthur Kennedy) had not intervened and taken out a group of Native Americans who way lay them en route.  McLyntock has saved Cole from a hanging, which it later turns out he very much deserved, so Cole stays with the group--but maybe more to see what he can gain from them than to lend a hand.  When they get to Portland there is a gold rush on and Cole is in his element, while McLyntock is trying to change his ways.  Rock Hudson plays a gambling dandy who gets caught between the two men, and in the end manages to redeem himself, and the sound track for the movie is spectacular.  You could watch the movie with your eyes closed and know the tenor of the scene based on the music accompanying it.  A fantstic example of what sound can add to a film.

Boss Brown Art Clocks

Mark Brown and his wife Susan Boss have a studio together--he build things like clocks and robots out of found or easily acquired objects and she makes silk screened quilts.  They work in Massachusetts, but distribute their work around the country.  I received this whimsical owl clock for the holidays this year. 

Several things are noteworthy about these artists work.  The first is that the clock keeps wonderful time, so it is not jsut about art, it is also functional.  The second is that it makes me laugh almost every time that I look at it.  it is not quite as whimsical as my cuckoo clock from Switzerland, but then again, it does not need to be wound either, so it is good for a smile with very low maintenance.

The other thing that I like about the clocks this couple makes is that they use ordinary objects to create art--the fork and spoon here could havve some from the cafeteria at any one of a number of locations around the country (these are all unused, but you get my drift).  Just lots of fun!

Roasted Carrots with Cumin

I have been on a vegetable roasting spree, which is a good road to be on in the extended winter situation that we have been living under.  My spouse sent me this one (after I purchased a bag of carrots at Costco and he wondered which decade we might possible be able to finish them in, he and I).  This is an excellent way to have them, it turns out.

• 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
• Flaky sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon red chile flakes, or more to taste
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb. of carrots, cut into three inch pieces and quartered
• 1/4 cup water
• A handful of minced herbs of your choice

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Put the minced garlic in a roasting pan along with the cumin, coriander, chilies, and the olive oil. Stir well.
3. Add the carrots and toss well -- I like to do this part with my hands -- so they’re thoroughly coated. Add a big, three-finger pinch of salt. (If you're using kosher salt, just scale back slightly.)
4. While tilting your baking dish, pour the water into one fairly clear corner. Then tip it back onto the counter, so the water spreads out evenly and the carrots don't lose their spicy coating. Cover the dish tightly with foil and put it in the oven.
5. Cook the carrots for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and cook for an additional 20 minutes, or until they're browned and soft, but not so much that they're falling apart.
6. Serve warm, as a side, part of a salad, or anything you like.

Thanks for Sharing (2013)

This is a  movie about addicts and those who love them.  the particular addiciton is sex addiction. They do a good job of describing what is different about enjoying sex or being a bit hypersexual--this is a compulsion and an obsession that has a significant and detrimental to interpersonal relationships in a very big way.

Adam (Mark Ruffalo) is in a 12-step program and has 5 years of sobriety, which is defined as no sex outside of a committed relationship.  His sponsor is Mike (Tim Robbins), who has multiple addictions and does a very good job of portraying a dry drunk in his relationship with his son, Danny.  Danny has just gotten out of jail, having served time for crimes he committed in the furtherance of his addiction, and while Mike can forgive any transgression in his group members, he cannot forgive his son--nor has he asked his son for forgiveness.  He verbally and physically abused him as a child, where he grew up watching his mother tolerate repeated beatings and repeated infidelities. 

So it all sounds pretty miserable, right, but the inconsistencies, the demands that one do everyting your way, and the lack of personal responsibility is very much the life that addicts have lived and the urges they fight, many of them every day.  Adam manages his addiction by keeping everything out--no TV, no relationships, no temptations--and that is not freedom from addiction, it is freedom from the consequences of the addiction.  really tense at times, very funny at times, but a lot of it rings very true.

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

Sue Monk Kidd has not been a prolific author, but she has been a quality one.  I enjoyed her previous two books very much (especially The Secret Life of Bees) and this one is no exception.

The main character is Sarah, who is based on an actual person, Susan Grimke.  The basic template of the real life abolitionist is as follows.  She grew up on a large plantation in Charleston, South Carolina in a family with 14 children.  She was born in the middle, and while she had high aspirations, her father crushed them at an early age.   She took on the role of raising her youngest sister Angelina.  She converted to Quakerism and became an abolitionist first and then an advocate for women's suffrage.

Sarah's world in the book is a place where "owning people was as natural as breathing" and on her 11th birthday Sarah, the daughter of a wealthy family of a prominent slave owning judge, is given 10-year old slave-girl Handful as a gift, wrapped in lavender ribbons.   Her first act as a slave owner is to free her slave, which she then discovers is not within her right to do.  She has a time as a rebellious girl, teaching her slave to read and write, reading books freely and educating herself. He father is at first entertained by her, but then becomes quite angry that she is upsetting the social order--both for herself and her slave and he takes all her privileges away. She comforts herself helping to raise her youngest sister, Charlotte, and creates her in her own mold.  The rest of the book is her journey away from slavery, the reaction it engenders, her abandonment and subsequent reunion with Handful.  It chronicles in fiction a turbulent time in America's past, both with slavery and the lack of opportunities for women in general and Southern women in particular.