Finally a blog

Tea Party

TopThat — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:05:11 +0000

All the Tea Party talk reminded me of a childhood game “Tea Party – War” that was played in a swimming pool, did anyone else play that game?

This week, one of the Thristers Worldwide e-mail newsletters was titled “Tea Party’s Muddled Message I”. Bob introduces this post with “The Tea Party phenomenon appears to be growing in strength and numbers – fast enough so that it is worth taking a careful look at its message. Thirster in Residence JIM KAHAN, psychologist, generalist, futurist, and policy analyst, has done just that. Below is his take on what he found.”

Jim Kahan discusses four letters supporting the Tea Party published in the Oregonian on April 20, 2010.

In the fourth discussion he writes: “Finally, the letters descry government intervention in our daily lives. Well, folks, I don’t see you objecting to government intervention to prevent women from having to bear unwanted children, government intervention to prevent a loving couple from enjoying the benefits of civil marriage just because they are of the same gender, or government intervention to permit even-handed civil discourse on political issues instead of letting the loudest voices with the most money dominate. Your objections to government intervention seem all one-sided and — if I may say so — alarmingly undemocratic. It is as if money and property were more important to you than people.”

You might find us at the next Tea Party holding signs saying: “Government, keep your hands off of my abortion clinic!” or “Why should OBAMA decide what gender I should marry?!”

Day 5

TopThat — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:17:02 +0000

I saved it all for Sante.

Wine, ribeye, desserts, charcuterie.

Made it to the end but since my name wasn’t drawn and Monique and Andrew made it to the end too, I didn’t win the contest.

Sante was well worth it and what better way to finish out the last 7×7 contest.

Day 5

TopThat — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:32:53 +0000

Day 4: Ended with crackers. They didn’t turn out quite like I wanted. Not as crisp and a bit more dense than I expected. I used Lentz spelt flour, CDA olive oil, salt, baking power, and water to make them. The tortilla press came in handy again to quickly flatten the dough.

Toppings for the crackers:

1. Mushrooms and onions sautéed

2. Small Planet tofu with a Post Falls spice blend purchased from Natural Start

3. Cheese, the Q cheese and one from Dayton purchased with the Main Market $15

4. Garlic, my former roommates Dad taught me this simple trick. Take a clove of garlic, cut the top off, wrap in foil and pour olive oil inside. Close the foil and put in an oven at 350 – 400 degrees for 45 – 60 mins. Take it out and you have an excellent garlic spread.

5. Innards of Boulani, potato, green onion, Peri Peri sauce from Old European, salt

6. Tomato, cilantro, lemon, avocado, salt, salad

7. The beans didn’t quite make it into the mix but were from the last Locavore challenge

Day 5 the plan: Finish out the day at Sante. I was surprised when I saw my desk today with a homemade local cherry danish next to my computer, it tasted great, and was a very nice gesture.

Today I am loving:

1. Just how many choices there are for local out there, and I haven’t had time to come close to tasting or finding all the products.

2. It’s Friday!

3.”Parsnip Purgatory” from Crystal’s Buzz

4. Drawing names to see who will win the Doma Spokavore prizes

Day 4 Challenges

TopThat — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:18:21 +0000

Day 3: Ended with more studying and a great meal made by Remi. Yep, I said I wanted to make some elaborate creation and it didn’t happen. However, steak from Rocky Ridge (Main Market), mashed potatoes, and asparagus, with a glass of Arbor Crest did. I did enter the contest at Main Market yesterday and haven’t received a phone call, so I don’t think I won. That is fine though, because I can’t wait to go back today to enter to win the Cowgirl Cookware. Have you all check it out at Main Market? It is excellent and I want a set.

Updates: SFCC Students wrote back to me about the free produce: “Every third Tuesday of every month head to the food bank in 17 there was literally HUNDREDS of pounds left.”

Deborah from Roast House coffee challenged the Spokavore’s to a tasting of her new local coffee.

Last week, Blue Spark challenged Spokane Food Blog to a spicy foods day challenge. We are currently assembling the 4 person team. If you think you have what it take to win speak up, but so far the majority of the spots are spoken for. The contest details have yet to be determined. Spectators are welcome.

Day 4 the plan: It is a Gonzaga game night so that means I want to make something fun. Local sports with local food. Too bad PSAH didn’t follow suit. Becky, Bart, Paul, and Mark have claimed they aren’t being too creative with the meals but want to be. I am with them there. I read a blog in August and it had a post about homemade crackers, this happened to be on Monique‘s blog (yes, once again inspiration from Monique). I am going to attempt to make crackers tonight, something I have been wanting to do since I first tasted the homemade crackers at Wild Sage Bistro when it opened a few years ago.

Homemade crackers with a tapas twist. The tapas details are yet to be worked out. Some salad and possibly a beer – or beer crackers, hum…

Today I am loving:

1. Beans leftover from Locavore that are soaking at home waiting to be made into a hummus like dip

2. I am going back to Main Market today to spent my $15 postcard and enter to win the cookware

3. A coffee break sounds like a good idea, and Coffee Social isn’t too far away

4. I haven’t eaten at Sante, Latah Bistro, or One World this week and I budgeted to go out for food (not just drink) at some point during this week, might have to extend the challenge a few days to fit it all in.

5. My Jack LaLanne Juicer

Assortment Day 3

TopThat — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:07:02 +0000

Day 2: Ended with a tour of Airway Heights looking for the Golden Hills Brewery which is open for tours, if when you show up the owners are there. The red barn brewery was closed so we stopped in at a bar for the local beer. Then a quick stop by the Swamp where the local beer on tap was also Golden Hills. Off to a party with some Townsend T3 and the birthday cake served happened to a local Cyrus O’Leary pie.

The middle of the day served a fantastic sandwich assembled by me. Petit Chat tuscan roll, some Lite House dressing, lettuce, tomato, onion from Main Market, and cheese made by Quillisascut sold by Main Market.

Petit Chat oatmeal is tasty.

Also, SFCC has random days where an organization hauls in hundreds of pounds free produce. I mean you can get a 20 pound bag of carrots for free. Oh and most of it is local too. Time to track down more information on the days this event happens. They seem to have a hard time giving it away.

Day 3 The plan:

Well I know you all saw Main Market is having some drawings and I do love to enter contests so, I plan to stop by today to enter and win. That Monique sure is making some tasty treats, and now I want to spend the evening making something delicious from whatever I have in the pantry. Crystal posted about a contest that will help to inspire tonight’s creation.

Today I am Loving:

1. The thought of Sante at some point this week.

2. The funny posts on all competitors blogs.

3. Soup.

4. I have an assortment of products that are local from various contests and now, I can’t wait to turn them all into one creation.

Spokavore Day 2

TopThat — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:22:10 +0000

Day 1: Ended with Boulani, Dry Fly Vodka, Litehouse (Sandpoint, ID) salad dressing

Boulani (photo coming soon): The dough was made from Lentz spelt flour, water, and salt. The filling was made from potatoes and green onions from Rosauers, Peri Peri sauce from Old European, jalapenos from El Mercado del Pueblo. Then it was pan seared on both sides and topped with some Litehouse dressing which really should have been yogurt, but I didn’t want to make any.

Day 2 the plan: Work, take a test, work, another birthday party – which might mean wine tonight, but I am leaving the choices open.

Today I am loving:

1. My tortilla press purchased from El Mercado del Pueblo. Making boulani was easy with this device, no rolling pin needed. I can also make tortillas and mini pizzas, or even mince nuts or spices with it.

2. De Leon, I really want some pre-made tortillas.

3. Monique’s post, her photos always make her food seem awesome and provide inspiration.

4. The fact that if I wanted chocolate I have about a dozen places to chose from, Spokandy, Hallett’s, OMO, Chocolate Apothecary, some new product at Main Market, another new product up at Rocket Market, Chocolate dessert from Latah Bistro, Sante, Coffee Social, etc.

5. One World Cafe, I can’t wait to find some time grab lunch there or Checkerboard Tavern.

6. Petit Chat has oatmeal that looks awesome, so I am also excited to try that purchase.

7×7: Spokavore

TopThat — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:21:28 +0000

Here goes another food contest, Spokavore.

Day 1 The Plan: Work, study for a test, and birthday party with a some friends.

Today I am loving:

I still have the Main Market (up to $15) gift card that was in the mail last week.
Lentz products are everywhere. During Locavore Round 1, these could only be found at Fresh Abundance and now, I have seen them in bulk at Main Market, and on shelves at possibly my favorite grocery store, Rocket Market (I love the the small intimates space, shelves stacked high, and extremely varied selection of products). Had it not been for Locavore, I would not have tried these products and now I am hooked. I plan to make Afghan Boulani tonight with the flour.
Petite Chat is 100% on the list of thing we can eat. They even sell Shepard’s Grain flours right in their store, along with some other products I might not eat but appreciate, honey butter, and rosemary butter, fresh churned. This bakery is the best and I never get tired of their bread. My tip, have them slice it right there in the store. Huckleberry’s and Main Market have started selling Petit Chat products, and although these two locations are easier for me, I would not sacrifice buying the product there until they start marking exactly how many days it has been on the shelf. The bakery is worth the trip out of my daily zone.
Main Market is open. Not only do they carry great products but they also mark many of them “Local”. Now their local isn’t defined in this contests sense of local, but it is easy to read just where the products come from.
Lemon, which will be used to muddle a drink at a birthday party tonight. I love Dry Fly but I also like 44 Degrees Huckleberry infused vodka. That’s right lemon is allowed b/c this time around all fresh produce it totally legal, if purchased from a local vendor.

Instead of linking to the sources for these products, check out Spokavore.com for more information. We’ll be sure to get these items in the database at some point during the contest.

Self Study Cert: Copy/Paste Multi Text

TopThat — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:03:43 +0000

Paste Options | Match Destination

Formatting to change the formatting to that of the destination document.
Formatting such as bold and italics will still be maintained, but fonts and
sizes will change. (Best Choice)

Ctrl + A | Home tab | Font group | Clear Formatting – This will clear all

formatting including bold and italics.

Right-click a word within the destination document | Format Painter |

Highlight all of the non-uniform text – This method could possibly work, but
may be very tedious. Another point to consider, upon selecting the Format
Painter, is that the selected text will use the same format as the word
selected.

Home tab | Paste | Paste Special | Unformatted Text – This will clear all

formatting including bold and italics.

Locavore, That’s Right I’m Out!

TopThat — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:09:27 +0000

I am my own Bob Barker in these contests, and I don’t want to win a prize from myself. Friday was approaching fast and I knew I had to knock out a few more players before the end of the game. The prizes will be better if fewer people win, supply and demand. (If you knock people out today and you are the only winner, your prize will be awesome – motivation?!)

Fresh, the movie, happened before the hummus, I love spices. I told myself, I will wait until after the movie and see what direction it motivates me. Well, they had some amazing looking meals at those farms. My mind started racing for Locavore Round 2 where those meals would be totally legal. Of course spices have their fare share of issues so, now it is time to research the sustainable suppliers.

I also walked away inspired to buy my Main Market Co-op membership. I have it budgeted for next month when I originally planned to buy one but I am now more motivated and excited about it.

At the Fresh swap, I still was not sure if I would go out. So I traded for Rachel’s carrots, which we all ended up eating like popcorn at the movie, and Crystal let me have some of her oil. I will honor that with an awesome vegan meal made with the oil.

I learned more from this contest than in contests in the past. It definitely had more meaning behind it. I am quite a literal person, and I am happy to know more people would be willing to find out what “local” in Spokane, WA means in the literal sense.

I am very excited to start putting that “Annual Manual” of locavore places together. It will be web-based while the directory is complied. If you want to help or have suggestions please, feel free. Even at the movie Fresh, people were asking about local vendors. I don’t know why I just assumed the rest of the audience would know more than me about the local producers and supporters in our region.

Remember you 5 remaining, if you knock then out to one sole winner there will be an awesome prize, if there is more than one winner there will still be a prize it just won’t be nearly as good.

Locavore Day 4

TopThat — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:29:52 +0000

I’m out!

Fresh (the movie) was my inspiration. More on that later.

Remi and Andrew are also out.