Oh, T-Rex, I know exactly how you feel today.
(Source: trextrying)
"Always keep a bottle of champagne in the fridge for special occasions. Sometimes the special occasion is that you’ve got a bottle of champagne in the fridge."
— Hester Browne (via justbblog)
(via charmingdistractions)
"Writing is risk. If you don’t feel that when you’re writing, for god’s sake stop. It’s a shitty job. Give it up if you can. It takes a hell of a lot more than risk to be a good and relevant writer, and I’m not sure writers can judge whether our own work has merit in any way other than what it does for us emotionally. How “good” we are is for others to decide. But I know from the inside out that risk is the basic, lowest-common-denominator prerequisite. If you aren’t offending anybody, may I suggest you aren’t doing it right?"
— Gina Frangello | Risky Writing: The Story I Always Tell and Never Tell | The Nervous Breakdown
The Editorial/Advertising Venn
The Morning Reminder: Conflict of Interest
Via Indexed.
(Source: futurejournalismproject)
Squash gnocchi
I roasted one of the strange squashes we got from our CSA last week because I already had the oven on for something else. I forgot about it in the fridge for a few days. I dug it out yesterday and noticed the flesh had dried out a little — perfect to try squash gnocchi.
I never made gnocchi before. Part of me was scared. The dough has to be the right consistency or else it will fall apart in the water. Saddled with a decaying squash, I didn’t have much to lose.
Ingredients:
1 medium-sized squash (acorn, butternut - I used a hubbard squash)
1 egg
1.5 to 2 cups of white or semolina flour, possibly more
1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp nutmeg
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
1) Roast the squash. I cut mine in half, scooped out the seeds and laid it cut-side down on a cookie sheet, baked at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes. Let the squash cool, scoop it out of the rind and chill in the fridge at least overnight. (I waited a few days.)
2) Drain liquid from squash and warm to room temperature. Mash it in a medium bowl (could be beat in a food processor). Add the egg and mix well. Add salt, nutmeg and about half a cup of the flour. Mix until all flour is incorporated. Keep adding flour and mixing until dough forms. It’s OK if it’s a little sticky. Test the dough by dropping a small piece in a pot of boiling water. If it floats to the top after a minute, it’s good.
3) Divide dough into eighths and roll each piece into a log about 6 inches long. Cut into half-inch length sections with the dull side of a butter knife and roll each along the backside of a fork to make ridges. Place finished gnocchi on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Gnocchi can be cooked right away, chilled in the fridge for a few hours or frozen and bagged to make any time.
4) Bring a pot of water with a pinch of salt to boil. Cook the gnocchi in batches so they do not clump on others. When gnocchi float to the top of the water, remove from water with a slotted spoon and place back on the parchment paper.
5) In a saucepan or large frying pan, melt the butter and cook until it turns brown. Add the chopped sage and cook for 1 minute. Add the gnocchi, stirring frequently, until they’ve formed a nice, crisp crust on most sides. Serve with fresh grated parmesan cheese and a glass of pinot grigio or Albariño.
Sorry there’s no “after” photo. We ate it all before I thought about posting a recipe.
"But what if the trolls aren’t faraway, faceless bullies? What if, as our online social circles continue to expand to include people we’d typically choose not to associate with in the “real” world, we’re become ruder, more dismissive, less likely to take the feelings of these virtual friends into account? What if we’ve pushed aside the rock wall and peeked inside the troll cave only to find that they’re indeed ugly creatures … and that they’re us?"
"You write a lead. You sit down and think, Where do I want this piece to begin? What makes sense? It can’t be meretricious. It’s got to deliver on what you promise. It should shine like a flashlight down through the piece."
