Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? 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.   

I loved this conversation between Valentino and Sarah Jessica Parker about their involvement with New York City Ballet. The black tutu in the sidebar is amazing!

Elderly deaths due to bed rails meant to protect them? Unreal and heartbreaking...

Kevin Kelly's The Universe Is Conspiring to Help Us (via Heidi at 101 Cookbooks)

I admire "Humane End of Life" practices like those described here, but the perspective voiced by Ben Mattlin in "Suicide by Choice? Not So Fast" is one I hadn't considered. That said I think I'm still for it.

Fairytales for 20 Somethings are also amusing for this 30-something.

Recipes Bookmarked
Apple Cider Caramels at Smitten Kitchen
Caramel Apple Pie at The Best Remedy
Inside-Out Apple Pie à la Mode from The Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook at Epicurious

Sunset View from a Suite at The Jefferson Hotel, Richmond, VA November 2012

Thanks to Amanda for the shot opportunity!

No song this week... A girl has to sleep when she's actually going to Crossfit on back to back days for once on top of an exciting workday at the deli counter. 

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? 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.   

"Increasingly, milk isn't something you just drink anymore — we're drinking less plain old milk these days. Instead, milk's become a raw material, sort of like crude oil, that's broken down into separate, more valuable products. ... 'Depending on the markets, in any given year, the whey may be more valuable than the cheese,' Bastian says." You Can Thank A Whey Refinery For That Protein Smoothie

We've come a long way since Jeanette Rankin. In the recent election, we elected a historic number of women US Senators. Read the details here.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor Visits Sesame Street, Explains that ‘Princess’ Is Not a Career. (Nice find, Jaime.) And on a semi-related note... Check out this toy that aims to encourage girls to pursue engineering and to learn problem solving, spatial orientation, etc. It looks fun! (Thank to Alex H.)

"For people to adopt a healthful lifestyle, I have become convinced, they need to live in an ecosystem, so to speak, that makes it possible. As soon as you take culture, belonging, purpose or religion out of the picture, the foundation for long healthy lives collapses. The power of such an environment lies in the mutually reinforcing relationships among lots of small nudges and default choices." The Island Where People Forget to Die

83 years old young and doing Crossfit? You're amazing, Jean Stewart. (via Gabby of Gabby's Gluten-Free)

Recipes Bookmarked
Braised Chicken with Capers and Parsley at Bon Appetit
Chicken Pad Thai at Paleo Perfectly

Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Almonds at Epicurious

Mustard-Baked Chicken with a Pretzel Crust at Food & Wine
Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken at Epicurious

Is it wrong to already miss this time of year? Central Park, New York, NY, May 2010

OMG. It is a song about thrift shopping. Their lip syncing could use some work, but I love how unique it is...and let's face it...I can relate.

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? 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.   

"On October 5, 1947, in the first televised White House address, President Truman asked Americans to refrain from eating meat on Tuesdays and poultry on Thursdays to help stockpile grain for starving people in Europe." I was surprised to see a US President advocated eating less meat, ever. (via the NY Times Headlines e-mail of that day)

Runner's World's Detailed Shopping List of Best Buys and Must-Avoids at the Grocery Store (and a much shorter cheat sheet with the items sans explanations.)

Why Foods Go Together Like 'Rama Lama Lama, Ke Ding A De Dinga Dong' provides an explanation for why dinner parties always seem to get out of hand. ;) "Even though the drinks are only weakly astringent, such beverages (wine, tea, beer, etc.) build in astringency with every sip, creating a strong feeling of dryness in your mouth. Conversely, fatty foods lubricate your mouth and make it feel slimy. 'Our mouth really wants to be in a position of balance,' says Breslin. And the more you sip and chew, the better your mouth feels."

Well, shoot, I thought evaporated cane juice might be better/less refined than plain Jane sugar. When will I learn sugar is sugar and I need to learn to let it go...

"Some of you called me out: the recipes I frequently post here don’t necessarily reflect the way I eat, every day, when I arrive home just needing to get some good, filling food on the table. Food blogs, photography, and writing tend to highlight the unusual, the unique, the quaint, and the momentous. I love and celebrate all these things too, but perhaps it is time to document the everyday." excerpted from a smart essay On dinner, work, & lifestyle (via 101 Cookbooks)

Recipes Bookmarked
Pumpkin Pie Spice Chips at Cupcake Project
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (Grain Free, Gluten Free) at Deliciously Organic
Pumpkin Walnut Granola at Everybody Loves Sandwiches and/or Skinny Pumpkin Granola at Skinnytaste
Sugar Detox Cinnamon Sweet Potato Ice Cream with Toasted Walnuts at PaleOMG

Cottage-style homes are some of my favorites. Arlington, VA, January, 2007

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? 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.   

"The ball itself isn't what was important. All of the memories I relayed in this article I conjured up without it. The ball is now in the trash bin; the memories and emotions of that day are in me. When I realize the ball is chewed, or my life is short, I’m reminded every moment with it was precious." A lesson on impermanence from a ruined baseball

Rodney the Ram has been revamped for the A10. I hope he is better than the Air Rodney they tried out back in my undergrad days. Go VCU!

I'm usually all about scientific advances of this nature, but for some reason this creeps me out. Perhaps because it makes me think of Never Let Me Go? "In what could be the ultimate in personalized medicine, animals bearing your disease, or part of your anatomy, can serve as your personal guinea pig, so to speak. Some researchers call them avatars, like the virtual characters in movies and online games." Seeking Cures, Patients Enlist Mice Stand-Ins. I much preferred the other fascinating articles in this series: One Day, Growing Spare Parts Inside the Body and Human Muscle, Regrown on Animal Scaffolding.

Ever wonder what pattern an upholstery featured? Here's a resource that identifies them all. (via 101 Cookbooks)

"Taking a pill to feel normal, even a pill sanctioned by the medical profession, led to a strange situation: it made people wonder what 'normal' really was. What does it mean when people feel more like themselves with the drug than without it? Does the notion of 'feeling like themselves' lose its meaning if they need a drug to get them there?" Valium’s Contribution to Our New Normal

Recipes Bookmarked
Mangalore Salmon Braised with Coconut Milk at Epicurious
Steamed Whole Fish with Ginger, Scallions, and Soy at Epicurious
Tarragon Oil at 101 Cookbooks (want to do it with basil!)
Quick Shrimp Tacos with Spicy Mango Salsa at Always Order Dessert

Briante Weber's got the look. VCU's win over VUU in the exhibition game was a great start to the season. November 2012, Richmond, VA