Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? I always am... To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat and a picture.   

Our power came back last night! I immediately returned to the bad habit of staying up later than I should reading things online. Oh well. Today is a new day where I can make a different decision about how to spend my time.

The Big Picture covers Hurricane Irene. Their photo coverage of events is always amazing, but be warned the photos take a while to load (at least on my dinosaur of a desktop). Having lived in NYC I have trouble seeing #10 and #40 as rare. You can visit Fort Greene, Brooklyn's Target any weekend and find equally ravaged aisles and, sadly, people are always sleeping in Penn Station.

A teaser from Fresh and Direct From the Garden An Ocean Away (NY Times), "The foods we consider local are results of a globalization process that has been in full swing for more than five centuries, ever since Columbus landed in the New World." After reading the article I added 1493 to my long list of books I would like to read.

As one of the uncool people who almost always orders flavored vodka and soda when out, Vodka Nation: How the flavorless, colorless, odorless spirit became a billion-dollar business was of interest. (via Courtney)

Last June Edible Brooklyn's Melting Pot: An Icy Drink Turns White Hot covered another favorite beverage of mine, Horchata.

If you aren't familiar with Microbiology, The New Generation of Microbe Hunters (NY Times) gives an interesting overview.. It also provides a link to the study about the seaweed digesting enzyme I was intrigued by a few weeks ago; I plan to use school's access to Nature to read it sometime.

Recipes Bookmarked
Cheesy Parsnip Spread at Choosing Raw
Roasted Vegetable Polenta "Lasagna" at Perry's Plate (via VitalJuice)
Sunshine Kale Salad at Peas and Thank You
Thai Curry Paste at Perry's Plate

A view from Parc Güell, Barcelona, Spain September 2009

(I can't believe that trip was so long ago! Thanks again, Leslie.)

Getting our power back reminded me of this absurd video. Every time it came on at Liberation Dance Party I got the giggles. I don't remember there being nudity, but I can't promise and I still wouldn't advise that you watch it at work.