Back to the lighter side: CB2, just what are you trying to say?

 

I wonder if "NO" is out of stock.

Monday Morning Quarterbacking: AZ Shootings

I don't know why I feel the need to put this here. This is not meant to be that sort of blog. But I want to at least try to eloquently express my view of the AZ shooting because I'm tired of the words "witchhunt" and allusions to (still! how can people PAID for their opinions STILL be using such violent imagery?) political fire.

I don't think any reasonable person is making the claim that Palin or Glen Beck or Obama or Joe Biden or any outspoken individual is directly to blame.

However, in light of what happened, the tastelessness of such a website, and of a lot of the violent rhetoric coming from both sides, is shown in sharp relief.

I don't understand the aversion to connecting this to a political motive born of a troubled mind and spurred by misinterpretation of off the cuff remarks and deliberate vocabulary. This was a politician who held some unpopular opinions in her state and who had been the target of violence and vandalism before.

Further, truthfully, no one knows the motives here but the troubled young man with the gun and perhaps law enforcement. So why, at this point, is one side any more right than the other? It's just something to think about and consider. Humans debate. Humans speculate. It doesn't have to be sides. And, as someone who has not, even in jest advocated violence toward those with a different interpretation of the matter, I am troubled by the divisive, and, frankly, still-violent imagery being used.

"It may be free speech, but it is not without consequences." -Clarence Dupnik, Pima County Sheriff's Department

I am not advocating censorship so do not even think of taking that argument with me. If you know me AT ALL, you know how repugnant the idea is to me. However, people need to start some self-regulation. To THINK before they speak. To those of you in power, people LISTEN to you, okay? They listen to your voice and they read your words ... and they take them and they DO things with them. You may be frustrated by roadblocks, but it's time to stop thinking in terms of enemies and crosshairs and accusations of treason just because someone wants something different than you do. THINK.

Now for something completely different: Pantsless Subway Ride!

Last January, I was in a weird place. Standing on the edge of something, to be so cliche. Newly divorced, 27, a whole city of people and places and experiences open to me.

So what's the first thing I did?

I took my pants off on the subway, of course!

Look, I wish I could say I did it for charity, or for awareness, or just simply for something. But here's the truth. I did it for me. I walked into Alewife station, up to a mass of strangers, introduced myself, met people, and then we took our pants off on the subway.

And it was awesome. It was perfect. It was selfishly just what I needed for me. Raising awareness that I was different and new and changed, if you will.

I handed my phone to a stranger and said "Hey, take a picture of me?"

 

I was paired up with someone I had never met before. Turns out disrobing on the subway is a bonding experience

 

And then, the group of us headed over to Beantown Pub for drinks, snacks, pool, and confusing patrons.

Not a bad way to start the year.

And tomorrow, I'm going to do it all over again. Alewife. 2pm. Be there.

(PS: That's me in the picture! In the red coat, just above the word "pants")

Pretzel Bites!

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to the fabulous Food Mayhem's fantastic mixer soft pretzels. Make them, you won't be sorry.

This weekend, that same friend and I were planning for a New Years Day cheese fondue party at her house and inspiration struck! What if we made THE PRETZELS, as we've come to call them, but in a more dipping-friendly form?

PRETZEL BITES!

I was charged with whipping them up and, to ensure freshness, I decided to do it the same day (neglecting to take the inevitable New Years hangover into account ... ahem ...). I made the recipe the exact same way through to the dough rising. Then, instead of dividing into 12 parts and rolling and forming the pretzels (something I SUCK at), I floured my hands and pulled off bits of dough, rolling them between my hands to form .75"-1.25" balls. I dipped them in the baking soda solution, same as the recipe, and put them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (oh god I love parchment paper ...) and baked for the same amount of time. When they were done, because I was in a hurry, I just put them in a big bowl, dumped in some melted butter, and kosher salt, and shook them around. I still prefer the pastry brush method for aesthetic purposes (plus I just love pastry brushes), but this worked just as well in flavor.

And you know what? I think I'll make these WAY more often now that the hard part of getting the stretchy, sticky, unwieldy dough to form pretzel knots is out of the way! The possibilities for party food are endless! I mean, everyone does mini-quiches and pigs in a blanket, right? Well let's make pretzels and pub cheese the next big thing!

 

(note, these are on a tiny app plate, not a full-sized plate! They're about 1.5-2" diameter)

I should note that if you want TRULY bite-sized pretzels, stick to the .75" ball of raw dough. These puff up pretty well. 

Thanks again to Jessica at Food Mayhem for this insanely popular recipe. And go check out her far superior blog!