blog from OUR kitchen (a portal)

January 2012 posts

2012-01-24T17:08:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Golden fish curry (Indian-style)
summary: recipe for coconut fish curry; garnishing with toasted peanuts and coconut; we love our Magic Bullet;

Saturday, 21 January 2012
news flash: barley is good!!
summary: mushroom ~~risotto~~ orzotto; removing deep seated prejudices about barley;

Tuesday, 17 January 2012
snowflakes: the good kind
summary: citrus fennel snowflakes; perfect way to use up syrup after candying peel; submission for YeastSpotting;

Monday, 16 January 2012
Cuban Bread in NO time!! (BBB January 2012)
summary: recipe for Cuban Bread based on a recipe by Bernard Clayton; information about Bread Baking Babes

12 Days of Christmas

Monday, 2 January 2012
I ♥ artichoke hearts!
summary: recipe for preserved artichoke hearts; pizza for New Year's Day; Happy New Year!

December 2011 posts

2011-12-30T09:11:00.000-05:00

12 Days of Christmas

Friday, 30 December 2011
digital "fish soup" bread
summary: "fish soup" bread based on the recipe for Pan Bigio in "The Italian Baker" by Carol Field; measuring ALL the ingredients with a digital scale; submission for YeastSpotting;

Wednesday, 28 December 2011
On the 4th day of Christmas...
summary: 'The 12 Haiku of Christmas' by Warren Baker; Christmas goodies
To window-pane test, or not to window-pane test
summary: window pane testing; using the "precision pocket scale"; is reading the instructions really necessary?

Tuesday, 27 December 2011
I have a new toy!
summary: a thrilling Christmas present: "precision pocket scale" that measures in tenths of grams!!

Saturday, 24 December 2011
Do you hear what I hear?
summary: Merry Christmas to All!!

Advent calendar

Thursday, 22 December 2011
RRrrrrrrrr....
summary: When converting sandwich bread into a two day process, leave the sandwich bread starter on the counter or in the FRIDGE overnight.

Saturday, 17 December 2011
Biscotti, anyone?
summary: photos of candied peel and BBB (Erzatz) Stollen

Friday, 16 December 2011
Candied Citrus Peel and Ersatz Stollen (BBB December 2011)
summary: recipe for candied peel and BBB (Ersatz) Stollen; information about Bread Baking Babes;

November 2011 posts

2011-11-30T13:11:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, 30 November 2011
You must try Rosanne Pezelli's Ginger Cookies
summary: recipe for BakerBots Baking ginger cookies; black pepper is the magic ingredient;

Monday, 21 November 2011
Braised Vegetables + Food Mill = Rich Velvety Sauce
summary: "Catering Line" stainless steel food mill; making a smooth sauce; hazards of too much Szechwan Pepper;

Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Streusel Potato Coffee Cake – or IS it bread?? (BBB November 2011)
summary: recipe for BBB Streusel Potato Coffee Cake (Kartoffel Kuchen); baking times aren't always correct; information about Bread Baking Babes and YeastSpotting;

Saturday, 12 November 2011
How many whisks does one kitchen need?
summary: we each have our favourite whisks

Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Wordless B&W Wednesday: date bread
summary: an experiment in sepia and b&w; Aunt Shirley's datebread - when my mother and her life-long friend Shirley were 12, they made this date bread for the first of many many times together in Aunt Shirley's mother's kitchen;

Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Catching up: 5 Grain Bread with Walnuts (BBB February 2009)
summary: recipe for 5 Grain Bread with Walnuts; brief review of "The Italian Baker" by Carol Field; information about Bread Baking Babes and Lynn’s High5; submission for YeastSpotting;

October 2011 posts

2011-10-31T08:50:00.000-04:00

Monday, 31 October 2011
Fougasse BBBuddies (October 2011)
summary: October 2011 Bread Baking Buddies; Hallowe'en fougasse; information about Bread Baking Babes;

Friday, 28 October 2011
Mmmmmm... pie and pear chutney....
summary: meat pie with pear chutney; pear chutney woes; easy fix; information about "Not Far From the Tree"

Thursday, 27 October 2011
This tomato chutney is sweeeeeeeeeet!!
summary: recipe for sweet tomato chutney

Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Wordless B&W Wednesday: two chutneys
summary: an experiment in sepia and b&w; two kinds of chutney: sweet tomato; HOT pear

Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Wordless B&W Wednesday: there are too many empty bowls
Please help fill the bowls. FAO of the UN: Get involved; What we can do about hunger and need;

Sunday, 16 October 2011
Give us this day our daily bread (WBD/WFD 2011)
summary: recipe for Poppy Seed Fougasse ; information about World Bread Day and World Food Day
fougasse IS different from focaccia! (BBB October 2011)
summary: recipe for BBB Fougasse; information about Bread Baking Babes and YeastSpotting;

Thursday, 13 October 2011
Amazing Sandwich Bread
summary: interestingly shaped bread; what to do with dough that has over-risen overnight; make sure there’s plenty of flour under shaped bread before transferring to the oven;

Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Wordless B&W Wednesday: Is it Indian Summer?
summary: Ooops!! experiments in sepia and black and white; bread dough mixed late last night and left to rise overnight in the unheated section of the house by the back door; it's not as cool at night as we thought;

Thursday, 6 October 2011
RED apple sauce
summary: Apple Sauce; necessity is the mother of invention; “Joy of Cooking” always comes through on the basics.

Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Catching up: Croissants and Pain au Chocolat (BBB January 2009)
summary: recipe for Croissants and Pain au Chocolat; getting rid of unwelcome visitors; information about Bread Baking Babes and Lynn's High5; submission for YeastSpotting;
Wordless B&W Wednesday: Breakfast of Champions
summary: an experiment in sepia and b&w; Breakfast of Champions: cafe au lait, croissant, pain au chocolat and home-made apricot jam

Today is World Food Day

2011-10-16T07:54:00.014-04:00

World Food Day (WFD) - 16 October 2011

World Food Day is an annual event put together by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to raise funds to feed the world's chronically hungry.

[T]here have never been so many hungry people in the world.

- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2010

World Food Day is on October 16 to remind us that every day there are empty bowls and critically hungry people world wide.

Let's make every day World Food Day.

blog from OUR kitchen WFD posts:
» Give us this day our daily bread (WBD/WFD 2011)
» Masala Dosa and a Reminder; Dragon Tail Baguettes (WBD/WFD); Broa – Portuguese Corn Bread (BBB October 2010); Event Announcement: World Food Day (2010)
» A billion for a billion (2009)
» the staff of life (2008)
UN World Food Program:
» A billion for a billion
» FAO of the UN: Imagine achieving food security in times of crisis
» 10 things you can do to fight hunger

Acute hunger or starvation are often highlighted on TV screens [...] These situations are the result of high profile crises like war or natural disasters, which starve a population of food, yet emergencies account for less than eight percent of hunger's victims. [...] Daily undernourishment is a less visible form of hunger - but it affects many more people [...] By 2001-2003, the total number of undernourished people worldwide had risen to 854 million and the latest figure is 925 million.

Today, almost one person in six does not get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life, making hunger and malnutrition the number one risk to health worldwide - greater than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.

- UN World Food Program, Hunger FAQs

WFP Hunger Map 2011 Undernourished: Blue <5%; Yellow 5-9%; Orange 10-19%; Red 20-34% Maroon; >35%; Grey incomplete data (source: FAO: The State of Food Insecurity in the World)

Please note that there are impoverished and hungry people everywhere in the world. And while there are many of us more fortunate who might want pretend that nobody is hungry, happily there are also many who are not ignoring them but working hard to feed these people. Here are just a few possibilities of viable organizations. Please look in your community for others:

Remember when giving your donations to ensure that the relief agency you have chosen already has operations set up in the area. Also, it's a good idea to ask their advice about whether it is best to specify "greatest need" on your donation. They know best where the moneys really need to go.

And don't forget about these sites online.

Bloggers Against Hunger
Working together with the World Food Programme to fight hunger.

September 2011 posts

2011-09-29T00:31:00.000-04:00

Thursday, 29 September 2011
Banana Cranberry Bran Muffins
summary: recipe for Banana Cranberry Bran Muffins stuffed with Cream Cheese and Grape Jam

Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Wordless B&W Wednesday: Mmmmmmm....
summary: neither fish or butter, it's a muffin knife – banana bran muffin knife to be precise

Wednesday, 21 September 2011
B&W Wednesday: Zucchini Fritters
summary: recipe for Zucchini Fritters made with breadcrumbs, based on Laura Calder's Crispy Courgette Fritters; you'll wish you had more zucchini growing in your garden;

Monday, 19 September 2011
Let's share, shall we?
summary: markets and gardens are so lush these days; thoughts about wealth and hunger; information about Not Far From the Tree, relief organizations and what you can do to help feed the hungry

Sunday, 18 September 2011
Soon to be Pretzelless Again (BBB September 2011)
summary: recipe for Soft Pretzels; soft pretzels are fabulous; make sure there's lots of room in the car when going to buy 2 dozen eggs; information about Bread Baking Babes and YeastSpotting;

Saturday, 17 September 2011
I'm a BBBB – currently pretzelless
summary: pretzel dough is mixed and rising; link to Bread Baking Babes September recipe;

Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Wordless B&W Wednesday: what do you call this??
summary: hand-embroidered linen serviette; is this knife for fish or butter?

Thursday, 8 September 2011
Jam Tarts
summary: jam tarts and faux clotted cream; Sovereign Coronation grape jam; no-name ice wine;

Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Wordless B&W Wednesday: ohh la la!
summary: cork from Jadot Pernand Vergelesses 1990 Clos de la Croix de Pierre

Tuesday, 6 September 2011
Mmmmm... oil infused mushrooms
summary: oil infused mushrooms; mushroom omelette; inspiration: Xiang Gu You (Mushroom Infused Oil), "Season of Plenty: Yunnan's Mushroom Harvest" by Beth Kracklauer, SAVEUR Magazine, Issue #140 - August/September 2011, p.54-66; SAVEUR magazine is great;

plagued with internal error messages and slooooooooow loading

2011-09-21T03:48:00.003-04:00

At first I thought it was just my computer that was at fault. I've been running virus scans, clearing caches, rebooting, etc. etc. to try to fix things.

And now, my real blog appears to be plagued with internal error messages and slooooooooow loading. Rats. No doubt this will be fixed as soon as it's not the middle of the night.

August 2011 posts

2011-08-31T20:22:00.001-04:00

Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Wordless B&W Wednesday: ahhhhhh!
summary: Iced Coffee; information about Black and White Wednesday – A Weekly Culinary Photo Event

Sunday, 28 August 2011
Flattened Vienna Bread Rescue
summary: BBB Vienna Bread followup; bread that was crushed while baking can be sliced and grilled – it's fabulous;

Friday, 26 August 2011
Remind me to put bananas on the grocery list!
summary: banana cranberry bran muffins are fabulous; even people who can't stand bananas might like these muffins; don't let "Hawaii" by James Michener influence your decision to try them;

Friday, 19 August 2011
Wordless Non-Wednesday: mmnnnffphhhh
summary: it's one of those days cup, brown betty tea pot, pot holder

Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Kaiser Buns and Vienna Bread (BBB August 2011)
summary: recipe for BBB Kaiser Rolls and a Boule baked on the barbecue; no really, it’s entirely unnecessary to oil the rising bowl; baking bread AND rolls on the barbecue at the same time can be tricky; information about Bread Baking Babes and YeastSpotting;

lalalalala....

2011-08-22T18:10:00.000-04:00

edit 22 August 2011, 6:05 PM: I'm glad to see that we're back online once more. I have no idea how long it was out. (But there was some wild weather yesterday and last night; a tornado ripped through a town west of Toronto late Sunday afternoon. Who knows if there is some sort of domino effect....

====================================

edit 22 August 2011, 10:19 AM: and we're offline again. No idea how long it will be. :-(

As always, the way to know whether etherwork is back online is to refresh this page. If you see a leafy image at the top of the page, then you can access the real blog.

=====================================

edit 21 August 2011, 1:41 PM: and we're back!! (Yay.)

From the updates page:

August 21, 9:54 PM - Server is Back Up

The server is back up and the datacenter is investigating what other damage has been done. For the moment we are up and working. If any work/maintenance needs to be done we will be giving a heads up.

August 21, 9:20 PM - Lightning Strike

Got a series of alerts - there was a lightning strike that hit the datacenter directly. The UPS had a couple circuits blow out so some gear eventually went down after the UPS drained and the rest stayed up okay.

This has been a crazy summer for storms and the second direct hit we've seen. The first did no apparent damage.

Systems are just FSCK-ing (verifying the data) and coming up.

=====================================
21 August 2011, 1:12 PM:
Yup. My real blog is once again offline. No idea how long it will be so.

July 2011 posts

2011-07-23T17:02:00.000-04:00

Saturday, 23 July 2011
Dinner for a Hot Summer Evening (WHB#293: lemongrass)
summary: The Vietnamese understand how to eat when it's hot and humid; recipe for Vietnamese-style Lemongrass Chicken on Vermicelli Rice Noodles; information about lemongrass and Weekend Herb Blogging;

Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Summer = Baking Bread on the Barbecue
summary: baking bread on the barbecue is easy with parchment paper and a pizza stone; Chad Robertson's boule shaping method is great; submission for YeastSpotting;

Saturday, 16 July 2011
Not-Quite-Williams-Sonoma Hamburger Buns (BBB July 2011)
summary: recipe for BBB Hamburger Buns based on Williams Sonoma recipe and baked on the barbecue; how many grams in a tablespoon of kosher salt?; information about Bread Baking Babes and YeastSpotting;

Friday, 15 July 2011
Wordless Non-Wednesday: Wild Pacific Salmon Belly
summary: Fresh (the fish was caught the day before) Wild Pacific Salmon Belly with steamed snowpeas, green peppercorn mayonnaise, herbs & sprouts from the garden, poppy seed bread and rosé (Argentinian "Misterio" Malbec-Shiraz 2010).

Tuesday, 12 July 2011
poppy seed rolls on the barbecue revisited
summary: poppy seed rolls baked on the barbecue; submission for YeastSpotting; I have a new bread book: "Tartine Bread" by Chad Robertson;

Monday, 11 July 2011
Spaghettini Puttanesca (PPN #222)
summary: Spaghettini Puttanesca is the perfect dish for hot weather; information about Presto Pasta Nights (PPN);

how do you spell frustration?

2011-07-20T14:02:00.000-04:00

Edit 20 July 2011 14:02:

My real blog is back. No explanation, naturally. As I was pathetically wandering around making sure that it wasn't my internet connection (which has also been giving us grief), it came back online. Yay. I hope I didn't jinx anything by reporting that it's back. :-/

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
20 July 2011 13:48EDT:

It's disgustingly hot in Toronto - about 30C and very humid. The weather people have been droning on and on about what the humidex temperature is. I DON'T want to know. All I know is that almost everyone who has an air conditioner has it going full blast.

I don't KNOW that this revolting heat is why my real blog on etherwork.net is offline yet AGAIN. And I have no idea exactly how long it has been offline, nor when it will return.

I just know that it's 31.8C in this room as I type and I'm melting... I'm melting....

As always, the way to know whether etherwork is back online is to refresh this page. If you see a leafy image at the top of the page, then you can access the real blog.

about my real blog... yet again....

2011-07-16T17:48:00.004-04:00

edit 17 July 05:23: And etherwork.net is back online. Don't you just love summer heatwaves? (Yesterday, at 5:00 it was 31C outside. The temperature went down to 22C overnight. Environment Canada is forecasting that it will go up to 34C today.)

Updates - Sunday, July 17th, 2011 5:07:21am

July 16, 11:27 PM - Murphy's Week

DNS DOS and now *another* chiller (A/C) failure.

The server locked up 3 times preventing data damage. We are bringing it up again and the NOC is working to get a new chiller unit brought in asap.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

16 July 5:48 PM:

The webhost for my real blog on etherwork.net is offline AGAIN. I have no idea how long it has been offline, nor when it will return.

It could be the extreme heat here. Or it could be more of what was going on yesterday. Clearly, the kiddies don't have enough to keep them occupied. (Apparently there were problems yesterday.) Here is an excerpt from the updates page:

Updates - Saturday, July 16th, 2011 5:47:38pm

July 15, 9:08 AM - DOS Update
[M]ost things still working but still not 100%.

I got a call about 30 mins ago and informed that "changes were made" and things should be better if I could make a small change to our DNS servers. When I did, the sites were immediately loading faster, there was no delay in resolving DNS.

The DNS attack was very simple - someone (or group of people) were sending tons of DNS requests to DNS servers (ours, our colo's, our upstreams - Bell Canada, and other customers).

Normally there would be a total of 70,000 packets per section for *all* traffic - web, ftp, dns, everything else. At the peak yesterday, DNS alone was accounting for 108,000 packets per second on top of the normal volume.

That is like 108,000 different people loading up your web site each and every second. The network was so flooded that DNS could not get out and normal traffic flow was impeded.

Well it's over for now and we hope for good!

We are watching vigilantly.

July 15, 1:40 AM - Much Better

One of our upstreams found a lot of traffic coming in and hitting us and has filtered it - a bit aggressively but it is keeping the servers up.

They are going to keep looking into the the root cause and make a more intelligent filter. In the mean time, the majority of people can see all the sites.

July 15, 12:51 AM - DNS DOS
Posted by: tony
We have been hit with a large DNS DOS attack since about 10am Eastern Time. My ISP was also having DNS issues which has made this entire thing more difficult to work through.

The DOS is still going but not as strong as before.

We are working with upstream providers to identify what is going on and who is doing this. As soon as we have news we will advise.

The problem is that the source of the traffic has spoofed their address to places that would never DOS. Tracking this down is going to be tricky.

As always, the way to know whether etherwork is back online is to refresh this page. If you see a leafy image at the top of the page, then you can access the real blog.

June 2011 posts

2011-06-28T09:11:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, 28 June 2011
grilled shrimps on a bed of spinach
summary: grilled shrimps in Pernod; garnishing with tarragon; SAVEUR's definition of grilling vs. barbecue; stir-frying spinach; how to ensure the spinach doesn’t get grey and slimy;

Sunday, 26 June 2011
Wordless Non-Wednesday: Have you tried Champfleury?
summary: Champfleury, made by the Fromagerie de Corneville in Quebec, is a "washed rind soft ripened fine cheese that has the interior texture of a double crème brie enveloped in a delicious copper orangey rind". It is the best cheese. Too bad it's only available at the supermarket downtown;

Friday, 24 June 2011
We have the best no-stick pan
summary: a well seasoned cast iron pan is the best kind of no-stick pan; brief review of "A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove: a history of American women told through food, recipes, and remembrances" by Laura Schenone;

Thursday, 23 June 2011
Phooey?? ...Clafoutis!
summary: red grape clafoutis; being off-line for several hours; how comforting information on an updates page can be;

Wednesday, 22 June 2011
new favourite barbecue sauce
summary: recipe for our new favourite barbecue sauce; sometimes ketchup is good; childhood memories of cheese soufflé;

Monday, 20 June 2011
mmmm... blue cheese dressing
summary: steamed artichokes are great with blue cheese dressing (Hellmann's mayonnaise mixed with blue cheese); I am the run-on sentence queen; barbecue season is upon us; what has happened to Yukon Gold potatoes?

Friday, 17 June 2011
Soda Bread Baked on the Barbecue
summary: recipe for Soda Bread baked on the Barbecue; follow-up to BBBabes’ June 2011 task; playing with the ingredients by adding an egg;; soda bread is great toasted with asparagus and cheese sauce; history of Soda Bread; information about YeastSpotting;

Thursday, 16 June 2011
Herbed Irish Soda Bread (BBB June 2011)
summary: recipe for Herbed Irish Soda Bread; information about Bread Baking Babes and YeastSpotting;

Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Thin-crust Pizza on the Barbecue
summary: making thin-crust spinach pizza by accident; importance of taking humidity into account when making pizza dough; two peels are better than one; inexpensive stone is perfect for the barbecue;

Monday, 13 June 2011
I love asparagus season....
summary: Eggs Fauxrentine with Asparagus revisited; New (for us) Copper Bowl;

Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Who says guacamole has to have tomato?
summary: recipe for guacamole WITHOUT tomatoes; it's easily as good as guacamole with tomatoes;

Tuesday, 7 June 2011
It's asparagus season at last!
summary: steamed asparagus with Hollandaise sauce; garnishing the plate with garden herbs; other ideas for how to prepare asparagus;

Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Mmmmmm... jerk chicken and black-eyed peas with rice
summary: black-eyed peas and rice (inspiration: "Hoppin' John" p.78,79) with barbecued Jerk Chicken; what to do with sprouting onions; brief review of "A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove" by Laura Schenone

Whoa...

2011-06-23T13:16:00.001-04:00

edit: Return of service was achieved by mid-afternoon. Yay!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The webhost for my real blog on etherwork.net has been offline (once AGAIN) in the late morning. I have no idea when it will return. Fingers crossed that the outage will be for a shorter time today AND that when it does come back online, things will be stable for longer than 12 or so hours.

As always, the way to know whether etherwork is back online is to refresh this page. If you see a leafy image at the top of the page, then you can access the real blog.

And my real blog is back online again!

2011-06-22T20:59:00.000-04:00

And at last etherwork.net is back online! Yay!!

sigh... my real blog once again offline

2011-06-22T19:03:00.000-04:00

The webhost for my real blog on etherwork.net is offline AGAIN. I have no idea how long it has been offline, nor when it will return. Here is an excerpt from the updates page:

Updates - Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011 12:56:23pm

June 22, 12:50 PM - Server location issue

[T]here was a problem with the cooling system at our server location, and our servers were taken down to prevent any issues and to protect data. We are in the process of bringing them back up now. ETA approximately 30 mins, give or take.

edit 17:12EDT: I was really hoping that the "give or take" was not going to exceed an hour. Alas, the server is still offline and throwing "not found" error pages for my real blog.

I'm just hoping that the problem with the cooling system at the server location has nothing to do with a fire....

edit 17:37EDT: There is an update.

June 22, 5:34 PM - What a Day!

[...] The A/C for our section lost it's water, which means it couldn't cool things. 4 servers went down but the rest stayed up. This took down [the server for etherwork.net] Since bringing it back up, [it] has crashed 2 more times - it looks like there might have been some heat damage.

We are investigating what the issue is and what needs to be replaced.

Will keep you up to date.

Eeeek!! I'm trying not to fear the worst.

edit 19:01EDT: There is another update:

June 22, 6:55 PM - Failed Memory!

[The server for etherwork.net] has memory that has gone bad. We are getting a replacement in (eta 20mins) and bringing the system up - we expect it might need a fsck, but I will let you know.

Fingers crossed that nothing is lost...

As always, the way to know whether etherwork is back online is to refresh this page. If you see a leafy image at the top of the page, then you can access the real blog.

And my real blog is back online again!

2011-06-05T17:46:00.003-04:00

I'm pleased to report that everything is back to normal. Whatever normal is....

The webhost for my real blog on etherwork.net has recently posted the following:

Updates - Sunday, June 5th, 2011 5:42:50pm

June 5, 1:44 PM - Back!

The upstreams seemed to have reduced the traffic to the point where the server can now respond.

I do see residual hits that are definitely related to the DDOS but the server is handling them.

We apologize for the inconvenience but we can't do much against traffic volumes of this size.

sigh... my real blog is currently offline

2011-06-05T12:16:00.004-04:00

The webhost for my real blog on etherwork.net has recently posted the following:

Updates - Sunday, June 5th, 2011 12:15:31pm

June 5, 10:44 AM - They're back at it

DDOS is back and attacking 4 key systems. One cPanel server hosting sites (cwpro1) is being attacked and is down.

Working with the NOC to filter out again. Will keep you appraised.

As always, the way to know whether etherwork is back online is to refresh this page. If you see a leafy image at the top of the page, then you can access the real blog.

May 2011 posts

2011-05-30T19:13:00.001-04:00

Monday, 30 May 2011
We ooooh... a new (for us) spice: ajwain
summary: ajwain is the new thyme; it's wonderful with Indian-style collard greens

Tuesday, 24 May 2011
We have the cleanest kitchen now
summary: replacement gaskets for Vesuviana and other espresso coffee makers; how to make sure the kitchen floor, walls and ceiling get clean as a whistle;

Monday, 23 May 2011
What do you know about Schezuan Pepper?
summary: reason for lack of blog posts; SAVEUR announces "favourite" blogs; should we try Schezuan Pepper again?

Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Dinner and a Movie: Stromboli (BBB May 2011)
summary: recipe for Stromboli; filling options; information about Bread Baking Babes and YeastSpotting;

Sunday, 15 May 2011
My new favourite: Kung Pau Chicken
summary: Kung Pau Chicken based on a recipe in 'A Taste of Chinatown' by Joie Warner; following (or not) cookbook instructions; what to do with sprouting onions;

April 2011 posts

2011-04-16T12:37:00.000-04:00

It's April and time for RePoWriMo – Refrigerator Poetry Writing Month!

Saturday, 16 April 2011

Garlic Bread – with lots and lots of garlic (BBB April 2011)
summary: recipe for Dan's Garlic Bread with lots and lots of garlic; information about Bread Baking Babes and YeastSpotting; more magnetic poetry for spring: RePoWriMo; today's poem;

Monday, 11 April 2011
Should I bother with rich snippets?
summary: rich snippets for google recipes; more magnetic poetry for spring: RePoWriMo; today's poem; some apple pie recipes

Saturday, 9 April 2011
We make the best coffee!
summary: a manual crank burr grinder does make a difference; how much tamping is necessary; more magnetic poetry for spring: RePoWriMo; today's poem;

Thursday, 7 April 2011
what to do with left over kale chips
summary: kale quiche; more magnetic poetry for spring: RePoWriMo; today's poem;

Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Birthday Series: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
summary: yet another shameless self-promotion: Please join us on Saturday, 7 May 2011 while we celebrate the life and music of the Russian composer, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (7 May 1840 – 6 November, 1893). (...more information here)

Monday, 4 April 2011
kale chips
summary: oven baked kale chips; magnetic poetry for spring: RePoWriMo; today's poem;

Sunday, 3 April 2011
Stir-Fried Collard Greens
summary: stir-fried collard greens; magnetic poetry for spring: RePoWriMo; today's poem;

Saturday, 2 April 2011
Pickled Beets Recipe
summary: summary: recipe for pickled beets; magnetic poetry for spring: RePoWriMo; today's poem;

Friday, 1 April 2011
Bitter Sweet (J'adore pickled beets)
summary: pickled beets; a new dessert; brushing up my French; magnetic poetry for spring;

March 2011 posts

2011-03-23T15:28:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Salt is salt, right?
summary: how to measure the salt: carefully; differences between table salt, seasalt and kosher salt; magnetic poetry for spring;

Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Rewena Paraoa: Maori Bread (BBB March 2011)
summary: recipe for Rewena Paraoa – Maori Bread; fermenting, bubbling and stencilling; information about Bread Baking Babes;

Saturday, 12 March 2011
irritations: unbleached flour increasingly difficult to find
summary: failure to find reasonably priced unbleached flour WITHOUT additives in Toronto

February 2011 blog entries

2011-02-28T17:58:00.000-05:00

Monday, 28 February 2011
chettinad and saag
summary: chettinad – our new favourite curry; making substitutions in palak paneer: using rapini rather than spinach and omitting the paneer – it’s fabulous; thoughts about hunger and food freedom day

Monday, 21 February 2011
what to eat with ensaimadas
summary: brown lentils and smoked sausage are perfect with ensaimadas; wordpress is exploding – be careful what you ask for!!

Thursday, 17 February 2011
comments area is fixed...
summary: after recent wordpress upgrade, something happened to the comments file;

Wednesday, 16 February 2011
Ensaimadas with Duck Fat (BBB February 2011 – 3rd Anniversary)
summary: Ensaimadas for the Bread Baking Babes 3rd anniversary; information about Bread Baking Babes and how to become a Bread Baking Buddy;

Monday, 14 February 2011
More about our toaster oven
summary: toaster ovens are great when they work, but they sure don't last very long;

Friday, 11 February 2011
Marmalade Rosemary Chicken
summary: recipe for marmalade rosemary chicken; toaster ovens are great; rosemary doesn't overwinter very well in Toronto;

Wednesday, 9 February 2011
Fighting with previous/next post links
summary: wp upgrade from 2.9.2 to latest stable wp version 3.0.5; I hate upgrades...

Tuesday, 8 February 2011
cauliflower au gratin revisited
summary: cauliflower au gratin;

Sunday, 6 February 2011
How many knives do you need?
summary: essential knives for the kitchen;

Tuesday, 1 February 2011
BBBabes 3rd anniversary: let's celebrate!!
summary: reminder about Bread Baking Babes 3rd anniversary on Wednesday, 16 February 2011; links to all the BBB recipes to date; information about Bread Baking Babes and how to become a Bread Baking Buddy;

January 2011 blog entries

2011-01-31T17:29:00.000-05:00

Monday, 31 January 2011
Anaemic Blood Orange Marmalade
summary: recipe for Blood orange and Black Pepper marmalade; sometimes thermometers don't help

Monday, 24 January 2011
We ♥ Seville Orange Marmalade
summary: recipe for Seville orange marmalade; what to do and what not to do

Sunday, 23 January 2011
Wordless Not-Wednesday: well, we HAD Seville oranges
summary: sigh, don't ask...

Saturday, 22 January 2011
fresh herbs in winter
summary: fresh herbs and chillies in winter; bring summer back please;

Monday, 17 January 2011
St. Hildegard's Spelt Bread (BBB January 2011)
summary: recipe for Spelt Bread; information about Bread Baking Babes; submission for YeastSpotting;

Monday, 10 January 2011
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
summary: Happy New Year!; recipe for best chocolate chip cookies we've had in ages;

December 2010 blog entries

2010-12-26T00:07:00.000-05:00

Sunday, 26 December 2010
What are your plans for Boxing Day?
summary: Giving and receiving; Boxing Day?? What's that?

Saturday, 25 December 2010
Merry Christmas to all!

Advent calendar

Thursday, 16 December 2010
Have you tried Taralli yet? (BBB December 2010)
summary: recipe for Taralli; information about Bread Baking Babes; submission for YeastSpotting; link to Advent Calendar;

Thursday, 9 December 2010
cherry snowballs (ECC revisited)
summary: cherry snowballs made with dried cherries; Eat Christmas Cookies (ECC) revisited

November 2010 blog entries

2010-11-25T14:51:00.001-05:00

Thursday, 25 November 2010
Duck Legs with Garlic and Leaves (WHB#261: bay laurel)
summary: roasted duck legs with thyme, garlic and Bay Laurel; Chateauneuf du Pape Chateau de Beaucastel 1990; information about bay laurel and Weekend Herb Blogging;

Wednesday, 17 November 2010
All Edible Cornucopia (BBB November 2010)
summary: recipe for Cornucopia; information about Bread Baking Babes; submission for YeastSpotting;

Friday, 5 November 2010
ISO unbleached flour for bread-making
summary: failure to find reasonably priced unbleached flour in Toronto

October 2010 blog entries

2010-10-29T23:59:00.000-04:00

Friday, 29 October 2010
Broa Baking Buddies
summary: October 2010 Bread Baking Buddies

Saturday, 16 October 2010
Dragon Tail Baguettes (WBD/WFD)
summary: recipe for baguette with malt – based on Susan's (Wild Yeast) recipe for "Baguettes with Poolish"; information about YeastSpotting, World Bread Day and World Food Day
Broa – Portuguese Corn Bread (BBB October 2010)
summary: recipe for Broa – Portuguese Corn Bread; information about Bread Baking Babes, YeastSpotting, World Bread Day, World Food Day;

Event Announcement: World Food Day: 16 October 2010
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (fao.org) - get involved

The theme of this year's observance is United against Hunger, chosen to recognize the efforts made in the fight against world hunger at national, regional and international levels. [...] [T]here have never been so many hungry people in the world.

World Food Day is on October 16 to remind us that every day there are empty bowls and hunger world wide.

Let's make every day World Food Day.

For more information about World Food Day and aid organizations please read etherwork.net/blog/?p=1332#reminder. And of course, there is even more information about World Food Day on the UN Food and Agriculture Organization website: www.fao.org/getinvolved/worldfoodday/en/

Friday, 8 October 2010
mmmmuffins: spinach and cheese
summary: recipe for spinach & cheese muffins;

Wednesday, 6 October 2010
smoked penne and cheese (PPN #184)
summary: smoked penne and cheese; information about Presto Pasta Nights (PPN)

Friday, 1 October 2010
2 Kinds of Chutney: Pear and Coconut
summary: recipe for 2 chutneys: pear (made with pears from volunteering for "Not Far From the Tree") and coconut;

September 2010 blog entries

2010-09-26T14:47:00.002-04:00

Sunday, 26 September 2010
masala dosa and a reminder
summary: recipe for dosa made with dahl; reminder of those in need and that October 16 is World Food Day; list of some of the aid organizations working to feed the hungry

Thursday, 17 September 2010
Tomatillos and Corn for Two Salsas (real food)
summary: Two Salsas!! recipes for corn and tomatillo salsas based on recipes in "Salsas and Ketchups" by Silvana Franca; information about "Hearth 'n Soul (real food)" (formerly "Two For Tuesdays!");
Birthday Series: Dmitri Shostakovich
summary: yet another shameless self-promotion: Please join us while we celebrate the life and music of the Russian composer, Dmitri Shostakovich (September 25, 1906 – August 9, 1975). Saturday, 25 September 2010 at 7:30 p.m. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Avenue, Toronto

Thursday, 16 September 2010
Brunkans Långa – Brunkeberg's Bakery Long Brown Bread (BBB September 2010)
summary: recipe for Brunkans Långa – Brunkeberg's Bakery Long Brown Bread; information about Bread Baking Babes; submission for YeastSpotting;

Friday, 10 September 2010
Catching up: Coccodrillo one more time (BBB March 2008)
summary: one last attempt at making (by hand) Coccodrillo based on a recipe in "The Italian Baker" by Carol Field; information about Bread Baking Babes and Lynn's High5 and YeastSpotting;
what to do with left-over smoked salmon steak (PPN)
summary: smoked salmon with spaghettini; information about Presto Pasta Nights (PPN);

Saturday, 4 September 2010
Holy Mackerel!
summary: salmon steaks and whole mackerel; follow-up to indirect smoking on a gas bbq;

August 2010 blog entries

2010-08-31T18:35:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Pears galore (real food)
summary: picking pears; ideas for what to do with pears; stuffed pattypan squash; a surprise drawing of my pear bread; information about Two For Tuesdays! (real food) and Not far from the Tree;

Sunday, 29 August 2010
where there's smoke, there's...
summary: recipes for indirect smoking on a gas bbq: chicken and pork butt; includes a thrilling video;

Friday, 27 August 2010
green chilli omelette for the colour blind
summary: green chili omelette revisited; archives; shopping photos; how much editing is too much editing?

Sunday, 22 August 2010
Yeast Equivalents – AGAIN
summary: calculating yeast equivalents; why guessing is sometimes less painful; nifty javascript yeast measurement converter

Friday, 20 August 2010
when to bake bread
summary: advantages of baking Rose Levy Beranbaum's caraway rye bread early in the morning;

Thursday, 19 August 2010
grilled shrimps and basil pesto with whole pecans (PPN #177)
grilled shrimps and basil pesto with pecans; finding buried treasure in the freezer; information about Presto Pasta Nights (PPN)
Wordless(ish) Non-Wednesday: World Humanitarian Day (2010)
summary: a not quite wordless Non-Wednesday post for World Humanitarian Day; definition of humanitarian; links to humanitarian organizations working towards feeding the hungry;

Tuesday, 17 August 2010
blue grapes for pie and jam (real food)
summary: Blue Grapes are perfect for pie; they also might be perfect for jam; what to do with grape jam that tastes like raisins instead of grapes: make a jam roll; recipe for making yoghurt cheese; information about Two For Tuesdays! (real food); submission for YeastSpotting;

Monday, 16 August 2010
Pão Doce – Sweet Portuguese Bread (BBB August 2010)
summary: recipe for Pão Doce – Sweet Portuguese Bread; information about Bread Baking Babes; submission for YeastSpotting;

Friday, 13 August 2010
Did we miss corn season? (real food)
summary: dealing with disappointing overripe corn by making corn and rice; red Swiss Chard turns black if there is no added vinegar; information about "Two For Tuesdays! (real food)"

Sunday, 8 August 2010
Wordless Non-Wednesday: Pancakes!
summary: Pancakes, butter, honey and ham. Goat cheese and plum ~~jam~~ sauce are good too....

Friday, 6 August 2010
raiding the icebox to make mjdarra (MLLA #26)
summary: using up leftovers; mjdarra (lentils and rice) made with Puy Lentils; red kidney bean fuhl; great for dinner OR picnic breakfast by the river; Humber River rocks; information about My Legume Love Affair

Tuesday, 3 August 2010
more jam making: plums and apricots (real food)
summary: recipe for apricot and plum jams with zero added pectin; changing sugar amounts; information about "Two For Tuesdays! (Real Food)" and Lynn's High5;
Pear Bread (bookmarked recipe)
summary: recipe for pear bread made with sugar pears, unbleached all-purpose, whole wheat and rye flours – based on Sandra Avital's (Le Pétrin) recipe for "Pain Rustique aux Poires"; about dry vs fresh yeast equivalents; information about Lynn's High5, Bookmarked Recipes and Lisa Orgler's Lunch Box Project; submission for YeastSpotting;

connection problems again at etherwork.net

2010-08-20T12:29:00.003-04:00

edit 20 August 2010 13:56EDT: And etherwork.net is once again available. Yay!

====================
20 August 2010 12:29 PM Sigh. For reasons unknown, I once again cannot access my real blog, the recipe site or my real home page. A message comes up saying the browser "can't establish a connection to the server at etherwork.net". The updates page of my webhost shows no new issues since 13 July 2010. I don't know how long service will be unavailable.

This will no doubt be resolved eventually. Let's hope it's sooner rather than later.

As always, in order to tell whether the situation has been resolved, try refreshing the page; if the ivy image appears at the top, then you can access my real blog.

=========================================
The following was originally posted 16 August 2010:

edit 15:15EDT: I'm pleased to report that etherwork.net is back online. Quel relief.

11:39EDT: I cannot access my real blog, the recipe site or my real home page. A message comes up claiming that ALL the folders on my site on not on the server. The updates page of my webhost is blank. I cannot log into my account because there is a message claiming that the login area is not on the server. I cannot ftp to my account because, well, you get the picture. I don't know how long service has been unavailable.

This will no doubt be resolved sooner rather than later.

As always, in order to tell whether the situation has been resolved, try refreshing the page; if the ivy image appears at the top, then you can access my real blog.

connection problems at etherwork.net

2010-08-02T00:05:00.003-04:00

2nd edit at 11:39AM: It's fixed!!! And it turns out that the following tale of woe had nothing to do with my webhost OR my ISP. It's firefox! Clearing the firefox cache didn't do the trick. So I closed firefox and then was unable to open it again. I rebooted the computer and suddenly, "hey presto!" everything was back to normal. Sigh. WHAT have they done to firefox to make it so buggy?

It's a long weekend here in Ontario (and several other provinces as well) and, naturally, my internet connection is suddenly iffy. I can access one of my subdomain's wordpresses, but none of the rest of my site, which includes my main wordpress.... I COULD access everything until around noon yesterday.

I cannot access my real blog, the recipe site or my real home page. The ONLY things I can access are two subdomains - not anything from the main site, nor any folders attached to it.

unavailable domain: etherwork.net
unavailable folder: etherwork.net/recipes/
unavailable folder: etherwork.net/blog/ <<=blog from OUR kitchen

I don't know if it's my webhost or our ISP that is causing the weirdness. I filled out a trouble ticket and of course haven't heard anything back. I'll just assume that things will be fixed by Tuesday when people go back to work.

RATS!!

Long weekends... you gotta love them.

==========================
edit: In order to tell whether the situation has been resolved, the images on the sidebar will actually finish loading.

July 2010 blog entries

2010-07-31T23:55:00.000-04:00

Saturday, 31 July 2010
Jamming: it just calls for improvisation
summary: what to do about missing rack in bottom of canning pot;

Wednesday, 28 July 2010
Wordless Wednesday: Beranbaum's Caraway Rye revisited
summary: caraway rye bread - perfect from Reuben sandwiches;

Tuesday, 27 July 2010
jam making: peaches and apricots (real food)
summary: lesson on making jam with apricots and peaches; liquid pectin; sugar preferences; information about "Two For Tuesdays!" and Lynn's High5;
Beans rock, don't they? (real food)
summary: cleaning and sorting kidney beans; links to bean recipes; information about "Two For Tuesdays!"

Thursday, 22 July 2010
Catching up: Royal Crown’s Tortano (BBB February 2008)
summary: recipe for Tortano based on a recipe in "Artisan Baking Across America" by Maggie Glezer; information about Bread Baking Babes and Lynn's High5; submission for YeastSpotting;

Wednesday, 21 July 2010
What has happened to the baking aisle at the supermarket?
summary: what's up with the yeast and flour?
Wordless Wednesday: Mmm is for Monforte
summary: Mmmm, cheeeeeeese;

Sunday, 18 July 2010
Katie's Salad (bookmarked recipe)
summary: recipe for Katie's salad with sausages, goat cheese and potatoes; whine about onions; information about Bookmarked Recipes;

Friday, 16 July 2010
Sprouted Wheat Flourless Bread (BBB July 2010)
summary: recipe for Yeasted Sprouted Wheat Bread; whining pays off; reading difficulties; information about Bread Baking Babes; submission for YeastSpotting;

Thursday, 15 July 2010
poppy seed bread on the barbecue
summary: recipe for poppy seed bread; submission for YeastSpotting; whines: rye flour and salmon provenance;

Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Wordless Wednesday: can we bake a cherry pie?
summary: mmmm... cherry pie;

Tuesday, 13 July 2010
grilled oyster mushrooms and thyme (real food)
summary: recipe for grilled red peppers and farmers' market oyster mushrooms on salad with a simple vinaigrette; thyme in the garden; information about "Two For Tuesdays! (Real Food)";

Thursday, 8 July 2010
Wordless Non-Wednesday: when it’s sizzling
summary: Sszzzzt!!; 30C; sangria with oranges, limes, lemon and strawberries;

Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Lawn Sale Find: Stainless Steel Kettle
summary: new (to us) kettle; why macrame should make a comeback; tea cups; morning tea;

Monday, 5 July 2010
strawberry lassi
summary: summer heat; strawberry lassis;

emergency upgrade for etherwork

2010-07-07T09:07:00.005-04:00

The webhost for my real blog on etherwork.net has just posted the following and my real blog will be off-line for a brief (I hope) time this morning:

July 7, 8:59 AM - Emergency Upgrade Over the weekend, cPanel's nightly updates made a huge mess of things. It broke some functionality that many sites rely upon (GD for one). To fix it I have to embark on a series of upgrades the first of which is an OS upgrade. [...] I expect the total downtime to be under 1 hour, but keep watching here for details and updates. I am taking down all services and starting the fundamental OS upgrade right now.

As always, the way to know whether etherwork is back online is to refresh this page. If you see a leafy image at the top of the page, then you can access the real blog.

edit: I'm very happy to say that my real blog is now back online

July 7, 9:15 AM - Base OS Update Completed The Operating System upgrade has been completed and the system is coming back up. It took far less time than expected because I prepared a lot of work last night (it's nice when a plan actually goes off as expected!) The second step is to upgrade cPanel - this really won't have too much of an affect on the server - your web sites, email and everything else will be up and functioning as usual.

June 2010 blog entries

2010-06-29T13:39:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, 29 June 2010
at last, great hummus (MLLA#24/Real Food)
summary: recipes for hummus (based on a recipe in "Mediterranean Street Food" by Anissa Helou) and pita chips; information about My Legume Love Affair, Two For Tuesdays! (Real Food) and Yeast Spotting;

Saturday, 26 June 2010
Wordless(ish) Non-Wednesday: Twisted Rings revisited
summary: twisted rings with sesame and/or nigella seeds (kalonji);

Tuesday, 22 June 2010
asparagus and baby red onions (real food)
summary: two seasonal vegetables barbecued together: asparagus and baby red onions; information about "Two For Tuesdays! (real food)"

Sunday, 20 June 2010
you win some; you lose some
summary: oatmeal topping for multigrain bread; playing with the grain combinations; submission for YeastSpotting;

Friday, 18 June 2010
Fabulous Lemon Pie
summary: recipe for shaker lemon pie – easily the best lemon pie I've ever had (recipe includes pastry made with lard); SAVEUR magazine is wonderful and why it's a good reason to keep back issues;

Tuesday, 15 June 2010
fully dressed scones (real food)
summary: two recipes: scones and a reasonable facsimile for clotted cream made with yoghurt and goat's cheese; information about "Two For Tuesdays!" and "Cook the Books"

Monday, 14 June 2010
fresh black pepper noodles (PPN#168)
summary: fresh cracked black pepper linguini tossed with ham, chili flakes, fiddleheads, onions and broccoli; asparagus as an alternative to fiddleheads; information about Presto Pasta Nights;

Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Steamed Asparagus with Butter and Lemon
summary: steamed asparagus with butter and lemon; how to trim asparagus; other ideas for what to do with asparagus;

Sunday, 6 June 2010
May I have some more asparagus please?
summary: barbecued asparagus with garlic and ginger; bird feeder used as an herb planter

Wednesday, 2 June 2010
green garlic omelette (bookmarked recipe)
summary: green garlic omelette made with green garlic, ham, potatoes, mushrooms; information about Bookmarked Recipes;

etherwork.net - offline temporarily

2010-06-06T10:22:00.009-04:00

The webhost for my real blog on etherwork.net has just posted the following:

June 6, 9:51 AM - Emergency Maintenance
One of the disks on the main web server has caused some very odd stuff to occur. We are running some emergency maintenance right now to make sure your data is safe and to head off any problems. The system won't be down long - I expect 45-60 mins total.

As always, the way to know whether etherwork is back online is to refresh this page. If you see a leafy image at the top of the page, then you can access the real blog.

edit 10:52AM: I'm very happy to report that etherwork.net is back online.

June 6, 10:45 AM - Emergency Maintenance Completed
The emergency maintenance has been completed. The disks are behaving, user data is safe and we are back up and running!

May 2010 blog entries

2010-05-27T15:39:00.000-04:00

Thursday, 27 May 2010
sesame twisted rings (bbd#30)
summary: sesame twisted rings based on a recipe for Koulouria in "Mediterranean Street Food" by Anissa Helou; YeastSpotting post; information on Bread Baking Day;

Wednesday, 26 May 2010
frying radishes and radish leaves (PPN#165)
summary: recipe for penne with radish leaves and broccoli; another rave about radish leaves; information about Presto Pasta Nights; posting doldrums;

Tuesday, 18 May 2010
egg noodles with wild leeks (PPN#164)
summary: egg noodles tossed with wild leeks recipe as a sidedish for fiddleheads, chop and horseradish mayonnaise; information about Presto Pasta Nights

Thursday, 13 May 2010
Swiss Chard Revisited Yet Again (ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday)
summary: Swiss Chard; information about ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday; Yes, I know it's Thursday. But it was Tuesday two days ago....

Saturday, 8 May 2010
the beauty of local fiddleheads
summary: about fiddleheads

etherwork.net - ONCE AGAIN

2010-05-24T09:13:00.002-04:00

24 May 9:10 AM: Alas, once again etherwork.net is unexpectedly offline. Why am I surprised? It's a long weekend in Canada. Of COURSE, it's offline! I do not know when it will return but it will probably be sooner rather than later.

As always, the way to know whether etherwork is back online is to refresh this page. If you see a leafy image at the top of the page, then you can access the real blog.

edit 24 May 10:21 AM: I'm happy to report that etherwork.net is once again back online. There is no mention of this outage on the official updates page so I guess it can be pinned down to the usual "It's Monday of a long weekend".

The following was originally dated 21 April 2010 at 8:15 AM:
======================================================

21 April 8:15 AM: Alas, one again etherwork.net is unexpectedly offline. I do not know when it will return but it will probably be sooner rather than later.

edit: 21 April 11:59 AM: I'm very happy to report that etherwork.net is back online.

Here is an exerpt from the updates page:

April 21, 10:03 AM - Back Up

The system is back up.

This is the kind of issue we dislike - spontaneous reboot, no error messages that point to an obvious reason however we are seeing a large number of unusual "probes" - which is usually the sign of hackers/exploiters looking for web sites/servers to infect.

We will be hardening the network against these, just in case!

But for now, we are back and running at full steam!

April 21, 8:45 AM - Spontaneous System Reboot

The server decided to spontaneously reboot with no reason or warning. Doing a file system data check and bringing it back online asap.

Will post when it's live!

The following was originally dated 15 April 2010 at 3:00 PM:
======================================================
Sigh. The etherwork.net server (where my real blog is) is currently offline. I do not know when it went off-line, nor do I know when it will return.

As always, the way to know whether etherwork is back online is to refresh this page. If you see a leafy image at the top of the page, then you can access the real blog.

edit 15 April 2010 11:03 PM: I'm happy to report that etherwork.net is back online and has been for some time.
======================================================

April 2010 blog entries

2010-04-29T15:14:00.000-04:00

Thursday, 29 April 2010
spaghettini with chicken livers (PPN#161)
summary: recipe for spaghettini with chicken livers; information about Presto Pasta Nights

Sunday, 18 April 2010
Wordless(ish) Non-Wednesday: easy egg cracking
summary: EZ egg cracker; learning from TV; using one hand, two hands or more to crack an egg; hard-boiled egg party trick; a not-quite-wordless not-quite-Wednesday post

Friday, 16 April 2010
...so beautiful (cough)
summary: recipe for chicken livers, inspired by two recipes in SAVEUR magazine (issues #127 and #117); ...so beautiful... information about Beautiful Blogger Award;

Monday, 12 April 2010
ISO rennet: another exercise in futility
summary: searching for rennet in Toronto

Thursday, 8 April 2010
stuffed manicotti from scratch (PPN)
summary: recipe for Manicotti stuffed with spinach, homemade ricotta baked in sauce made with fresh tomatoes; information about Presto Pasta Nights

Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Happiness is... a new (to us) juicer
summary: new (to us) juicer; fruits vs vegetables; happy 101 award recipients (meme);

Thursday, 1 April 2010
Homemade Chocolate Cream Eggs
summary: recipe for homemade chocolate cream eggs; (Filed under: food & drink, note the date, posts with recipes, starter)

show/hide the blogger navbar

2010-04-23T17:12:00.000-04:00

*bump*
(originally posted 6 November 2007)
reposted 6 February 2008, 6 November 2008, 6 July 2009, 16 September 2009, 23 November 2009
********************************************
It has been bothering me for a while that my email address is in full view at the top of the page whenever I am logged on. I do realize that it is only viewable by me and that others see their email addresses at the top of the page. However, if I were to log in to blogger or google on a shared computer in a public place, anyone could easily take note of my email address. I get plenty of spam as it is and don't really like the idea of adding even more.

Also, it has come to my attention that the "next blog" link may turn up a blog with really questionable content. I really dislike the idea of linking to unknown drivel. (I don't mind linking to drivel that I KNOW about... ;-))

I have searched and searched for a way to disable the "next blog" link and change the navbar so that the user nickname rather than the email address shows.

I did not find anything about that other than some hacks to remove the navbar entirely. I'm reluctant to do this as it is likely to be a violation of the blogger TOS.

However, I did find a very nice little javascript at Derya's WebResource.axd. I have modified it a little so that the words change depending on whether the navbar is visible or not. The nice thing about this is that it cannot be construed as a violation of the TOS because of the visible link to the blogger navigation bar.

Here is the coding to copy and paste somewhere above <head>:

<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
var showHeader=false;
function ShowHideNav()
{
showHeader=!showHeader;
var nav=document.getElementById("navbar-iframe");
if (showHeader)
{
nav.style.visibility="visible";
nav.style.display="block";
}
else
{
nav.style.visibility="hidden";
nav.style.display="none";
}
var nav=document.getElementById("warning");
if (showHeader)
{
// when the navbar is visible, the phrase after innerHTML will be seen
document.getElementById('warning').innerHTML="Please be wary of "next blog" link - there is questionable content on many blogs";  
}
else
{
// when the navbar is invisible, the phrase after innerHTML will be seen
document.getElementById('warning').innerHTML="to search the blog; sign in and out of blogger; etc. etc.";
}
var nav=document.getElementById("showit");
if (showHeader)
{
// When the navbar is visible the word will be "Hide "
document.getElementById('showit').innerHTML="Hide ";  
}
else
{
// When the navbar is invisible the word will be "Show "
document.getElementById('showit').innerHTML="Show ";
}

}
</script>
<style type="text/css">
#navbar-iframe {
visibility: hidden;
display: none;
}
</style>

And here is the coding to copy and paste somewhere below <body>

<small><span id="showhide" onclick="ShowHideNav();" title="Please be wary of "next blog" link">
<b><u><span id="showit">Show</span> Blogger Navigation Bar
<a href="http://derya-webresource.blogspot.com" title="derya-webresource.blogspot.com">...</a>
</u></b><br />
<span id="warning">to search the blog; sign in and out of blogger; etc. etc.</span></small>

The result is the following phrase when the navbar is invisible:

Show Blogger Navigation Bar
to search the blog; sign in and out of blogger; etc. etc.

that changes to this when the navbar is visible:

Hide Blogger Navigation Bar
Please be wary of "next blog" link - there is questionable content on many blogs

The words "Show" and "Hide" are housed in a span with the spec id="showit". To change those words, go to the first piece of coding and look for var nav=document.getElementById("showit"); and see the notes below.

The second phrase is housed in a span with the spec id="warning". To change those words, go to the coding in the header and look for var nav=document.getElementById("warning"); and see the notes below that.

I hope this all made sense!!

To enable Blogger "word verification for comments"

2010-04-16T12:06:00.000-04:00

*bump*
*bump* (reposted 16 June, 16 Mar, 16 Sept 2009, 16 Nov 2009; 2 Aug, 16 Nov, 2 Jul, 2 Feb 2007; 2 November, 2 Aug, 1 Feb 2006)
*bump* (originally posted 13 September 2005)
********************************************

Blogger has added a new, sadly much needed feature to help prevent comment spam. To enable this feature on your Blogger blog, go to

Dashboard --> Change Settings --> Settings --> Comments

and check "yes" for Show word verification for comments. And that's all there is to it.

You can also choose whether or not to allow anonymous posting from a dropdown list beside Who Can Comment? on the Settings --> Comments page. The choices are "only members" (this means one must have a Blogger account to post a comment), "anyone" and "only members of this blog" (this means one must have a Blogger acount AND be a member of the blog). Unfortunately, there does not seem to be an option for disallowing anonymous posts but allowing non blogger accounts to post.

Display links to recent comments on Blogger sidebar

2010-04-15T12:08:00.013-04:00

*bump*
(reposted 15 June, 15 March, 15 September, 15 November 2009; 15 September, 15 November, 1 July 2007; 1 November, 1 August, 1 February 2006; 1 October 2005)
(originally posted 17 April 2005)
**********************************************

You can display links to recent comments on the sidebar by adding the recent comments hack

Add up to 10 links to most recent comments on your blogger sidebar. ~~Go to:~~ Found at:

recent comments hack from bloggerhacks.blogspot.com (http://bloggerhacks.blogspot.com/2004/09/farrago-recent-comments-hack-103.html)

~~to see how.~~ Select ALL of the following coding. Copy and paste it into your sidebar coding where you want to see the recent comments listed.


<!-- **** FARRAGO RECENT COMMENTS HACK **** -->
<!-- Version 1.03 -->
<!-- Copyright &copy; 2004 Ebenezer Orthodoxy -->
<!-- was at http://boggerhacks.blogspot.com -->
<!-- ************** OPTIONS *************** -->
<script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript1.2">
var titleText = "Recent Comments"; // heading on sidebar
var numberToShow = 5; // number of comments to show on sidebar
var displayTemplate = "[name]:<br/>[title]"; // formatting of comment link
var nameIsLink = true; // whether to add links to commenters' profiles
</script>
<!-- ********* CODE DO NOT CHANGE ******** -->
<script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript1.2">
var comments=new Array(0);var title = "";
var itemurl = "";
function getSortDate(strDate){var d=new Date(strDate);
var day=''+d.getDate();if(day.length==1)day='0'+day;
var month=''+(d.getMonth()+1);if(month.length==1)
month='0'+month;var hour=''+d.getHours();
if(hour.length==1)hour='0'+hour;var min=''+
d.getMinutes();if(min.length==1)min='0'+min;var sec=''+
d.getSeconds();if(sec.length==1)sec= '0'+sec;
var sortDate=''+d.getFullYear()+month+day+hour+min+sec;
return sortDate;}
function recentComment(t,u,i,a,d){var rcmnt=
document.getElementById('frch'+i).innerHTML;
while(rcmnt.indexOf("\n") > -1)rcmnt=
rcmnt.replace("\n","");while(rcmnt.indexOf(" />") > -1)
rcmnt=rcmnt.replace(" />","/>");
while(rcmnt.indexOf(" <a/>") > -1)rcmnt=
rcmnt.replace(" <a/>","<a/>");var author=a;var pos=
rcmnt.toLowerCase().lastIndexOf('<br><a></a>posted by');
var pos2=
rcmnt.toLowerCase().lastIndexOf('<br><a></a><a></a>');
var pos3=
rcmnt.toLowerCase().lastIndexOf('<br/><a/><a/>');
var pos4=
rcmnt.toLowerCase().lastIndexOf('<br/><a></a><a></a>');
var aoffset=pos+6;if (pos3 > -1) pos2=pos3;
if (pos4 > -1) pos2=pos4;
if (pos2 > -1){pos=pos2;aoffset=
rcmnt.toLowerCase().lastIndexOf('<a><b> </b></a>');
if (aoffset==-1)aoffset=
rcmnt.toLowerCase().lastIndexOf('<a><b></b></a>')-1;}
if (pos > -1){author=
rcmnt.substr(aoffset+15,rcmnt.length-1);var expt="";
expt=rcmnt.substr(0,pos-4).replace(/(<([^>]+)>)/ig,"");}
else expt=rcmnt.replace(/(<([^>]+)>)/ig,"");
author=author.replace("<A ","<a ");
if (expt.length > 50){expt=expt.substr(0,50);
if (expt.lastIndexOf(' ') > -1)
expt=expt.substr(0,expt.lastIndexOf(' '));expt+='...';}
expt=expt.replace('"',"\"");expt=expt.replace("'","\'");
if (!nameIsLink)author=author.replace(/(<([^>]+)>)/ig,"");
var st=getSortDate(d)+'<li>'+displayTemplate+'</li>';
st=st.replace('[name]',author);
st=st.replace('[title]','<a title="'+expt+'" href="'+
u+'#c'+i+'">'+t+'</a>');comments.push(st);}</script>
<MainPage><h2 class="sidebar-title">
<script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript1.2">
document.write(titleText+'</h2>');</script>
<Blogger>
<span id="frcht<$BlogItemNumber$>"
style="visibility:hidden;position:absolute;">
<BlogItemTitle><$BlogItemTitle$></BlogItemTitle></span>
<script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript1.2">
title=
document.getElementById('frcht<$BlogItemNumber$>').innerHTML;
itemurl='<$BlogItemPermalinkURL$>';</script>
<BlogItemCommentsEnabled><BlogItemComments>
<span id="frch<$BlogCommentNumber$>"
style="visibility:hidden;position:absolute;">
<$BlogCommentBody$></span>
<script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript1.2">
recentComment(title,itemurl,'<$BlogCommentNumber$>',
'<$BlogCommentAuthor$>','<$BlogCommentDateTime$>');
</script></BlogItemComments>
</BlogItemCommentsEnabled></Blogger><ul>
<script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript1.2">
comments.sort();comments.reverse();
for (i=0; i<10 && i < comments.length && i < numberToShow; i++){
var s=comments[i];s=s.substr(14,s.length-1); document.write(s);}
</script><br/><br/><span
style="font-size:7pt;text-align:center;width:100%;border-top:1px dashed;">
<a title="Farrago Recent Comments Hack from BloggerHacks was at http://bloggerhacks.blogspot.com"
name="bloggerhacks.blogspot.com">BloggerHacks</a> </span>
</ul></MainPage>
<!-- END FARRAGO RECENT COMMENTS HACK -->

To customize the hack, look for
var titleText = "Recent Comments"; // heading on sidebar
You can put anything you want inside the quotation marks.

To change the number of recent comments that are shown on the sidebar, look for:
var numberToShow = 5; // number of comments to show on sidebar
Where the "5" is, you can type any number between 1 and 10

To customize what is shown for each link, look for:
var displayTemplate = "[name]:<br/>[title]"; // formatting of comment link
[name] is the name of the commenter; <br/> puts a line break after the name of the commenter; [title] is the title of the post being commented on.

To link to commenters' profiles or not, look for:
var nameIsLink = true; // whether to add links to commenters' profiles
true adds the link; false displays just the commenters' names without linking to their profiles.

March 2010 blog entries

2010-03-28T10:03:00.000-04:00

Sunday, 28 March 2010
Moroccan-style Chicken with Couscous (WHB#226: preserved lemons)
summary: recipe for Moroccan-style chicken with preserved lemons and oil-cured olives with whole wheat couscous – based on Anissa Helou's recipe for Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemons in "Mediterranean Street Food"; information about preserved lemons and Weekend Herb Blogging;

Friday, 26 March 2010
Are you going to turn out your lights?
summary: reminder about Earth Hour 2010; suggestions for what to eat while the lights are out;

Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Nigella's Chicken revisited (PPN)
summary: Nigella's chicken (roast chicken, pine nuts, raisins, rosemary and parsley tossed in fresh egg noodles – based on Nigella Lawson's Tagliatelle with Chicken from the Venetian Ghetto); information about Presto Pasta Nights;

Sunday, 21 March 2010
Yes, you can make rasgulla at home!
summary: recipe for homemade rasgulla;

Tuesday, 16 March 2010
our favourite pasta (PPN)
summary: recipe for spaghettini with blackened chilis, rapini and sausage (or broccoli and ham instead of rapini and sausage); information about Presto Pasta Nights

Sunday, 14 March 2010
gluten-free corn bread for Pi Day
summary: recipe for gluten-free corn bread; wonders of chickpea flour; information about Pi Day

Sunday, 7 March 2010
choosing what spice to sprinkle on coffee
summary: Cafe Latte made in a Vesuviana Coffee Maker; favourite spice choices to sprinkle over top;

Monday, 1 March 2010
Is 'fine' seasalt out of fashion?
summary: we bicycled to 4 different supermarkets, in search of "fine" seasalt.

February 2010 blog entries

2010-02-23T13:44:00.001-05:00

Tuesday, 23 February 2010
za'tar: a new favourite spice mix
summary: recipe for za'tar; another brief review of "Mediterranean Street Food" by Anissa Helou;

Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Verdi's spinach gnocchi (PPN)
summary: recipe for Verdi's spinach gnocchi, based on a recipe in the Fred Plotkin’s article "Bella Cucina! The Story of a Hungry Maestro" in SAVEUR magazine, issue #123; information about Presto Pasta Nights (PPN)

Friday, 5 February 2010
Do you have any nutella in the cupboard?
summary: information about world nutella day

January 2010 blog entries

2010-01-29T08:58:00.000-05:00

Friday, 29 January 2010
chickpea soup with harissa and croutons (MLLA #19)
summary: recipe for chickpea soup with harissa; chickpeas are tender using soaking technique in "Mediterranean Street Food" by Anissa Helou; brief review of this wonderful book; information about My Legume Love Affair and YeastSpotting

Tuesday, 26 January 2010
raisins, curry powder, mango chutney and naan (BBBwB)
summary: recipe for naan with kalonji (nigella seeds); Bread Baking Babes wannaBe; information on Bread Baking Babes;

Monday, 25 January 2010
using dried chickpeas
summary: how to get dried chickpeas to soften; chickpeas that haven’t been soaked overnight;

Saturday, 23 January 2010
what's with the plastic egg carton?!
summary: President's Choice packaging for free-run egg; how much room do the PC hens really have to range?

Friday, 22 January 2010
buttermilk cluster (bookmarked recipe)
summary: bookmarked recipe for buttermilk cluster based on Floyd's "Freshloaf" recipe; submission for YeastSpotting;

Wednesday, 20 January 2010
some remarkable bloggers
summary: bloggers working to raise funds for Haiti; tips for donating; links to relief agencies working in Haiti;

Monday, 18 January 2010
fuhl without favas (MLLA #19)
summary: recipe for Fuhl made with kidney and romano beans and tahini; fuhl can be made with any dried bean; opposing views on soaking techniques: "Brilliant Bean" by Sally & Martin Stone vs. "Mediterranean Street Food" by Anissa Helou; cutting back on meat consumption; information about My Legume Love Affair

Friday, 15 January 2010
re: Earthquake in Haiti
summary: urgent call for donations to help those affected by the earthquake in Haiti; information about WFP, Canada and Canadian Aid organizations

Friday, 14 January 2010
prune onion blue cheese tart – revisited
summary: recipe for prune onion blue cheese tarts with whole wheat pastry;

Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Wordless Wednesday: comfort food (13/1/2010)
summary: The ultimate comfort food... claypot chicken

Sunday, 10 January 2010
dhokla (WHB#215: curry leaf)
summary: recipe for dhokla with coconut chutney; information about curry leaf (Murraya koenigii) and Weekend Herb Blogging;

Friday, 8 January 2010
Where to get eggs?
summary: information about "Cage Free", "Chicken Out", egg labelling, Toronto bylaws about backyard chickens;

Thursday, 7 January 2010
winter broccoli rescue
summary: recipe for broccoli with garlic and anchovies - very loosely based on the recipe for purple sprouting broccoli with anchovy and chile dressing in "The River Cottage Cookbook" by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall; rescue for inferior broccoli;

12 Days of Christmas

Wednesday, 6 January 2010
broccoli blahs
summary: broccoli tastes terrible in the winter in Toronto

Tuesday, 5 January 2010
leftovers are the best part of Christmas dinner
summary: comfort food: chicken a la king with puff pastry;

Friday, 1 January 2010
nothing says "Happy New Year!" like paella
summary: Happy New Year; Paella is perfect for New Year’s Eve feast; reminder about the BloggerAid cookbook;

Do you have ads on your blog?

2010-01-25T17:03:00.009-05:00

Do you have ads on your blog? I don't; otherwise, I’d definitely join in this terrific idea put together by Marc (Blog Away Hunger), who wrote the following:

One in seven people on Earth go to bed hungry every night. Blog Away Hunger is a coalition of bloggers from around the world dedicated to spreading the word about this solvable problem while raising money for the World Food Program.

[...]

[A] group of bloggers have come together and will be donating their January ad revenue to aid the Haiti relief efforts. Since ads are paid by the number of pages viewed, you can help by going back through their old posts to increase the amount of ad money donated.

For more information, including a list of bloggers who are donating their ad revenues to the UN's WFP work in Haiti, please see the following:

blogawayhunger.com: Help Haiti

Or, you can go directly to the WFP and donate:

re: Earthquake in Haiti

2010-01-15T18:08:00.003-05:00

Here is a list of relief organizations, along with phone numbers and links to online donation pages:
Globe and Mail: How you can help those in Haiti

Sadly, there are many areas of the world where relief is needed:
Relief Web: countries and emergencies

Because of the nature of the crisis, there may be a larger number of donations than usual with regards to the earthquake; please specify "greatest need" on your donation. It's very likely that your donation will go towards helping those in Haiti. However, in the case where there is a surplus (wouldn't that be wonderful?), any amounts labelled "greatest need" can be moved to areas that have not received the same amount of press.

But having said that, please note this announcement from the Canadian Federal government:

The federal government is earmarking up to $50 million to match Canadians' donations of up to $100,000 to charities aiding relief efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. The donations must meet the following requirements:

* Made by an individual Canadian.
* Made to a registered Canadian charitable organization that is receiving donations in response to the Jan. 12 Haiti earthquake.
* Specifically earmarked by such organizations for the purpose of responding to the earthquake.
* Made between Jan. 12 and Feb. 12, 2010.

The Canadian International Development Agency has more information on Canada's Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.

- CBC: Haitian contacts, relief efforts

December 2009 blog entries

2009-12-30T17:06:00.001-05:00

12 Days of Christmas

Wednesday, 30 December 2009
Wordless Wednesday: festive dinner (30/12/2009)
summary: what followed the Moules Marinière (”Moules Meunière”??): roast duck leg on a rich stock reduction with steamed asparagus and oven-roasted potatoes (roasted in duck fat, of course);

Advent calendar

Friday, 25 December 2009
Let the feasting begin!
summary: Merry Christmas!

Monday, 21 December 2009
Wordless: Giving and receiving... (21/12/2009)
summary: Giving and receiving; information about WFP, Menu for Hope VI, BloggerAid-CFF, WV Gifts to Canada and Canadian Aid organizations – to make a not-quite-wordless not-quite-Wednesday post;

Friday, 18 December 2009
Moules Marinière (WHB#214: parsley)
summary: Moules Marinière; information about parsley and Weekend Herb Blogging;

Tuesday, 15 December 2009
bran muffins with jam
summary: tyranny of the camera; bran muffin recipe; link to Advent calendar;

Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Eggplant with mint... (WHB#213: mint)
summary: recipe for eggplant with yoghurt mint sauce; information about Weekend Herb Blogging and mint; reminder that the BloggerAid-Changing the Face of Famine cookbook is now available

November 2009 blog entries

2009-11-28T11:25:00.000-05:00

Saturday, 28 November 2009
Yesterday was Cake Day
summary: Cake Day; annual vinarterta making; disaster averted (again?!)

Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Wordless Wednesdays: mmmmmm
summary: ice cream - guess what flavour

Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Fish Soup (mussels and shrimp)
summary: Niagara Wine Touring; mussels and shrimp soup; using parsnip as a garnish; Leily vineyards chardonnay;

Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Wordless Wednesdays: Ssffwwoooshhh!
summary: video of coffee making with our vintage Vesuviana; Wordless Wednesday post;

Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Announcement: BloggerAid-CFF cookbook release

Announcement:
BloggerAid-CFF Cookbook Release – ~~1 December 2009~~ NOW available!

Bloggers Against Hunger
Working together with the World Food Programme to fight hunger.

summary: BloggerAid – Changing the Face of Famine (CFF) Cookbook release date announcement; information about BloggerAid-CFF and UN's World Food Program (WFP)

Saturday, 7 November 2009
custard ice cream
summary: coconut ice cream; custard ice cream recipe; eggs are great in ice cream!

Wednesday, 4 November 2009
what to do with Hallowe'en pumpkins
summary: what to do with Hallowe'en pumpkins; pumpkin bran muffins recipe; Sorauren Park Pumpkin festival;

Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Event announcement: bloggeraid cookbook release
summary: BloggerAid Cookbook Release Date: 1 December 2009

Tuesday, 2 November 2009 (originally published Wednesday, 21 October 2009)
bloggeraid cookbook soon to be released
summary: BloggerAid – Changing the Face of Famine (CFF) Cookbook release date; information about BloggerAid-CFF and UN's World Food Program (WFP)

Lest We Forget

2009-11-11T09:31:00.003-05:00

October 2009 blog entries

2009-10-31T15:03:00.001-04:00

Saturday, 31 October 2009
Want to see something really scary?!
summary: wine pasta with ham, peas and mint in cream sauce based on a recipe in "Piano Piano Pieno" by Susan McKenna Grant; information about UNICEF: please remember that even though the children no longer carry UNICEF boxes, donations are still welcome;

Friday, 30 October 2009
Coconut Curry (Thai Style)
summary: Thai-style Coconut Chicken Curry; eggplants come in many shapes and sizes; information about the BloggerAid Changing the Face of Famine Cookbook;

Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Wordless Wednesdays: rrrfppzmmbgggh!
summary: Boo!! (hoo!!)

Thursday, 22 October 2009
penne with fried dried peppers (PPN)
summary: recipe for penne with fried peppers and bread crumbs, based on a recipe in the article "In Deepest Italy" by Francine Prose in SAVEUR magazine, issue #120; information about Presto Pasta Nights (PPN);

Wordless Wednesday: 1,000,000,000 for 1,000,000,000 (21/10/2009)
summary: a billion for a billion: fill the cup; addendum to Blog Action: Climate Change; information about WFP to make this a not-quite-wordless Wednesday post;

Monday, 19 October 2009
Blog Action: Climate Change

Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference. - Dr. Jane Goodall

summary: how much foil and plastic wrap does one household need??; tips for what to do to reverse climate change; information about Blog Action Day: Climate Change;

Thursday, 15 October 2009
Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Beer Sauce
summary: recipe for smoked pork tenderloin with beer sauce, based on an article and recipe in SAVEUR magazine; recipe for dry spice rub; cool rainy summers aren’t good for squash;

Wednesday, 14 October 2009
Wordless Wednesdays: 14/10/2009
summary: is it a boomerang?? is it a baguette???

Wednesday, 7 October 2009
more beets for dessert please
summary: beet cake and cream cheese icing recipe; beets are delicious for dessert!

Tuesday, 6 October 2009
WHAT kind of ice cream??
summary: beet ice cream recipe (eggless);

Monday, 5 October 2009
No more Gourmet Magazine!?!!
summary: Gourmet Magazine closing

etherwork.net - YUP

2009-10-27T08:59:00.003-04:00

sigh. The etherwork.net server (where my real blog is) is suddenly and inexplicably unavailable. No idea when it will be back but it's likely to be sooner rather than later.

As always, the way to know whether etherwork is back online is to refresh this page. If you see a leafy image at the top of the page, then you can access the real blog.

edit: I'm happy to report that etherwork is once again back online.

September 2009 blog entries

2009-09-25T18:25:00.000-04:00

Friday, 25 September 2009
mmm... more pie please
summary: meat pie for dinner; isn't fall wonderful?

Thursday, 24 September 2009
I think I have finally gotten rid of the stray Âs
summary: After hours of angst, combing the wordpress forums, and pitifully begging for a solution to how to decipher sql in various forums, I finally managed to finish (I think) this latest wordpress upgrade

Sunday, 20 September 2009
mmmmm... coronation grape pie
summary: the joys of September include coronation grape pie;

Tuesday, 15 September 2009
Augh!!! I loathe change
summary: How to spend two or three hours (ha.) tidying up coding and then give up and just whimper pitiously;

Monday, 14 September 2009
apricot preserves (oven-roasted apricots)
summary: recipe for apricot preserves (oven-roasted apricots) based on Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's "River Cottage" really easy way to make fresh apricot preserves; a little information on toxicity of apricot pits

Sunday, 13 September 2009
dangers of dull paring knives
summary: How to spend two or three hours in emergency room; do NOT try this at home!!

Saturday, 12 September 2009
Wish me luck....
summary: Well, rats. Nothing like going away on a holiday and coming back to a "Be afraid! Be very afraid!!" message - upgrading wordpress to the latest version

etherwork.net - quel relief

2009-09-24T09:34:00.006-04:00

I'm pleased to say that etherwork.net is at last back online. Here is an excerpt from the server's updates page:

September 23, 7:07 PM - Emergency Maintenance Complete!

It is finished!

The data has been kept safe, the drive replaced, an additional drive added. The file system is up and running well, all services have been restored.

I do apologize for the extended downtime.

I think there may have been a typo on the completion time. It wasn't until about 08:30 today that things were restored. (Actually, I don't know if they returned last night and disappeared again; I wasn't online at all from about 19:00 until early this morning.)

etherwork.net - ONCE MORE with feeling

2009-09-23T12:39:00.002-04:00

When I left this morning at 09:20, the etherwork.net server (where my real blog is) had been offline for about two hours and from reading the updates page, it appeared that everything was going to be back online imminently. And indeed, it was. The updates page says:

September 23, 9:26 AM - Complete and Up [...] the partition has been brought back online. Sites are visible, no data was lost and we are live!

Alas, though, in my absence, things went awry. And the etherwork.net server is once again offline. For who knows how long....

September 23, 12:33 PM - Emergency Maintenance [...] The second drive that started to go bad after the first is apparently causing issues with system. [...] The system is currently offline to ensure no data corruption.

- excerpt from updates page

As always, the way to know whether etherwork is back online is to refresh this page. If you see a leafy image at the top of the page, then you can access the real blog.

struggling with switching from latin1 to utf-8 in wordpress database tables

2009-09-22T08:59:00.004-04:00

Sigh. Still fighting with trying to fix things on the etherwork blog (my real blog). So far I've had to restore the database twice. Thank goodness for backups!!

As a result of my experiments with sql, there are several stray Âs in the posts. After the initial upgrade, there were Ã»s instead of üs, Ã©s instead of és, Ã¢s instead of âs, etc. etc. too but I think (I hope) I dealt with them by using the wordpress "search and replace" plugin.

I have enabled comments for this post in the wild hope that someone knows the answer to how to change the wordpress database tables to be utf-8 - without causing explosions. Any realistic suggestions will be most welcome. (Please refrain from suggesting that I leave wordpress entirely; that would mean having to move the database to another program. EEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeek!!)

I have two different character sets for the tables in the wordpress database: latin1_swedish_ci collation and utf-8 collation labels

Unfortunately, I am not comfortable to just go ahead and blindly change the tables to utf-8 (as if I know how!); I only know enough about SQL to get myself in trouble.

Alas, the wordpress "guide" is not written in layman's terms, except for this phrase in the opening paragraph: "character set conversion is not a simple process". And the official wordpress forums are pretty much useless because they are filled with people like me - the blind leading the blind. But luckily, googling revealed that someone has attempted a translation at mydigitallife.info:

[I]n existing WordPress installations that are upgraded from earlier version of WordPress or not explicitly set a Unicode UTF-8 charset collation, the default database character set is normally set up as Latin1 (default on almost all MySQL installation) with latin1_swedish_ci collation. If you run a bilingual or multilingual blog with WordPress, you may face problem on character encoding when your blog posts are written in other foreign languages, or when you export and backup the database and later attempt to re-import the database dump in the event of database failure or server migration and moving. The symptom is obvious, your WordPress posts or pages will contains garbled, weird and funny characters, sometime just lots of ????? (question marks), rendering the WordPress database with your hard work useless and output unreadable. (May cause also by wrong charset collation)

This is EXACTLY what happened to me (thank goodness for copies of database backups kept in separate folders!)

In the Guide to Convert WordPress Database Character Set to UTF8, it says:

Ensure that your post_content and post title fields on wp_posts table DOES NOT belongs [sic] to any indexes or FULLTEXT indexes. Else the type of the fields may not be converted to BLOB with one of the errors list below. Some plugins, such as related posts tend to add indexes to these fields. In this case, temporarily drop the indexes.
I've asked the following question in mydigitallife.info forum, but the thread is dated 2007, so the question may be overlooked. I am hoping that someone here will help.

What exactly do I look for in phpMyAdmin to find out if fields belong to indexes or FULLTEXT indexes?

(I'm running WinXP, firefox, SQL 4.1.21-log, PHP 5.2.8, Apache 1.3.37 (Unix); screenshot of what I see in phpMyAdmin at flickr.com (etherwork)

I am reluctant to simply dive in again and hope for the best, having already TWICE restored wordpress from a backup after the first disastrous result from running the wordpress plugin to Convert WordPress Database Character Set and the second most recent disaster.)

Nooooooooooo!!!!!!

2009-09-12T10:32:00.008-04:00

Augh!!!! I have just upgraded my real blog (wordpress) and all Hell is breaking loose. All the posts appear to be there still but NONE of them are showing up.

I HATE CHANGE!!!

edit a little later.... I've got the posts to show up but the sidebar is still messed up. RATS. (Fiddly dee dee, I'll think about it later....)

Joy of joys... etherwork.net ONCE AGAIN

2009-09-10T13:31:00.001-04:00

Rrrrrrrrrr. The etherwork.net server (where my real blog is) is unavailable ONCE AGAIN. No idea when it will be back.

As always, the way to know whether etherwork is back online is to refresh this page. If you see a leafy image at the top of the page, then you can access the real blog.

Edit 14:58 EDT: I'm happy to report that etherwork.net server is now back online. Quel relief.

August 2009 blog entries

2009-08-25T13:12:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Beranbaum's bagels from "The Bread Bible"
summary: recipe for bagels based on Rose Levy Beranbaum's "Bread Bible" bagels;

Sunday, 23 August 2009
bagel making and Rose Levy Beranbaum's instructions
summary: review of "Levy's Bagels", pp 152-161 in "The Bread Bible" by Rose Levy Beranbaum; rambling on about nothing much of anything;

Thursday, 20 August 2009
Ah!! peach lassi at last!
summary: peach lassis; when will we get tree ripened fruit in Toronto? Warning: some portions of this post contain incoherent foaming at the mouth

Wednesday, 19 August 2009
cold comfort
summary: how to beat the heat: make lassis; another less successful method; how do we get rid of all these fruit flies?!!

Tuesday, 18 August 2009
a fabulous mole - what? no chocolate??
summary: recipe for pecan cashew mole; wonders of dried shrimps;

Friday, 14 August 2009
Fried Mandolined Potatoes
summary: hash browns, latkes and/or potato pancakes recipe; Benriner mandolin guard;

Wednesday, 12 August 2009
mmmm... plum pie
summary: recipe for plum pie (includes pastry made with lard); great cafe latte; Saveur magazine bonuses

Saturday, 8 August 2009
I ♥ Cauliflower
summary: three ways to cook cauliflower: au gratin, steamed with grated cheddar, Greek Stifado; recipe for cauliflower stifado-ish; charcoal-grilling chicken takes a LONG time;

Tuesday, 4 August 2009
Guavas? Here?!
summary: in search of apricots; buying guavas and plums instead; does all fruit have to be picked green and ripened off the tree?!

etherwork.net - YET AGAIN

2009-08-10T09:58:00.001-04:00

Big Sigh. The etherwork.net server (where my real blog is) is unavailable YET AGAIN. No idea when it will be back.

As always, the way to know whether etherwork is back online is to refresh this page. If you see a leafy image at the top of the page, then you can access the real blog.

edit: I'm happy to report that etherwork is once again back online.

etherwork.net - AGAIN

2009-08-06T08:36:00.003-04:00

Sigh. The etherwork.net server (where my real blog is) is unavailable AGAIN. No idea when it will be back.

As always, the way to know whether etherwork is back online is to refresh this page. If you see a leafy image at the top of the page, then you can access the real blog.

edit approximately one hour later: I'm happy to report that etherwork is back online.

July 2009 blog entries

2009-07-30T11:31:00.000-04:00

Thursday, 30 July 2009
Augh!!!
summary: Richard Bertinet's "slap and fold" kneading method; no pre-heating on oven; how not to bake bread;

Wednesday, 29 July 2009
when mandolining... always use the guard!
summary: using the mandolin to julienne the radish for radish butter; lime juice isn't always the best substitute for lemon juice;

Saturday, 25 July 2009
apple rosemary pie
summary: apple rosemary pie recipe, includes pastry made with lard; superpeel is great for lifting pastry;

Saturday, 18 July 2009
Herbed Radish Butter (WHB#192: mint)
summary: recipe for radish butter with mint, chives and parsley; information about mint and Weekend Herb Blogging;

Monday, 13 July 2009
The SuperPeel is super!
summary: making baguettes; SuperPeel works fabulously; what happens when oven is too hot;

Saturday, 11 July 2009
Whoohoo!!! Look what I got!
summary: I got a present - a fabulous present!!

Friday, 10 July 2009
radish leaves are great on pizza
summary: rave about radish leaves, including that they are not just great in omelettes, palak paneer and bubbly squeak but terrific on pizza as well

Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Stir-fried Asparagus (WHB#191: black beans and ginger)
summary: stir-fried asparagus with black bean peanut chili sauce; links to information about black beans (Glycine max) and ginger (Zingiber officinale), Weekend Herb Blogging and more ways to prepare asparagus;

June 2009 blog entries

2009-06-28T19:14:00.000-04:00

Sunday, 28 June 2009
Radish Leaf Omelette
summary: radish leaf omelette made with onions, goat's cheese and havarti; how to "cook" greens using salt; cast-iron pan rave;

Friday, 26 June 2009
And we have oven spring!
summary: recipe for baguettes and boule; the need for better fridge management; using an inverted roasting pan to create steam and oven spring;

Wednesday, 24 June 2009
yeast + summer temperatures = oh oh!!
summary: summer temperatures make yeast very active and dill collapse;

Monday, 22 June 2009
fettucine Alfredo (PPN#119)
summary: recipe for fettucine Alfredo based on an article and recipe by Todd Coleman in SAVEUR magazine; information about Presto Pasta Nights (PPN);

Friday, 19 June 2009
wine poached pears with goat's cheese and pecans (WHB#188: thyme)
summary: recipes for wine poached pears with goat's cheese, toasted pecans & thyme, oven-dried pear slices; information on thyme and Weekend Herb Blogging; information about Lisa Orgler's Lunch Box Project

Thursday, 18 June 2009
importance of tamping when making espresso
summary: coffee made in a Vesuviana Coffee Maker; finding the right tamper; who uses all the spoons?

Monday, 15 June 2009
Lawn Sale Find: Vesuviana Coffee Maker
summary: Cafe Latte made in a Vesuviana Coffee Maker; Kona coffee from Hawaii;

Wednesday, 10 June 2009
grilled shrimps in Pernod (PPN#117)
summary: recipe for grilled shrimps in Pernod on spaghettini; information about Presto Pasta Nights

Tuesday, 9 June 2009
eggs fauxrentine revisited - asparagus rules! (WHB#187: chives)
summary: "Eggs Fauxrentine" (hard boiled or poached eggs with ham, asparagus and Hollandaise on toasted multi-grain bread); information on chives and Weekend Herb Blogging

Saturday, 6 June 2009
asparagus omelette
summary: asparagus omelette made with chili flakes, goat's cheese and chives; ode to EoMEoTE

Friday, 5 June 2009
oh great. now it's the comments button...
summary: comments "say it" button malfunctioning; easy fix; whine about no pulp in orange/grapefruit juice

Thursday, 4 June 2009
Farinata ...or is it Socca? (bookmarked recipe)
summary: recipe for farinata/socca inspired by reading Laura Schenone's "The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken"; information about Bookmarked Recipes; information about YeastSpotting

sigh...

2009-06-21T17:44:00.004-04:00

Alas; etherwork is off line again! No idea how long it has been in this state or how long it will be. I've been outside playing in the garden on this glorious first day of summer. I hope that's where you are too.

As always, the way to know whether etherwork is back online is to refresh this page. If you see a leafy image at the top of the page, then you can access the real blog.

edit 22 June 2009 in the middle of the night: I'm very happy to report that etherwork is back online. I don't know when it returned but judging from a comment made to one of the posts, it was there by 10:00 PM. I'm hoping that it was back MUCH earlier.

etherwork.net server is unavailable again

2009-06-18T10:07:00.001-04:00

The etherwork.net server (where my real blog is) is unavailable again. This time there was a little bit of notice. The following was posted on the updates page:

June 18, 9:20 AM [EDT] - Emergency Maintenance [on etherwork.net]

[...] To keep things safe all services have been shut off while this is running.

ETA to completion is 20-30mins.

As always, the way to know whether etherwork is back online is to refresh this page. If you see a leafy image at the top of the page, then you can access the real blog.

edit 10:07 AM EDT: I'm very happy to report that etherwork is back online.

etherwork.net server problems ...again

2009-06-10T16:44:00.004-04:00

I'm not sure what's up but the connection to etherwork has been quite iffy today. Maybe it has something to do with the recent windows update for XP (I'm rolling my eyes - that's NOT it). At any rate, it's probably temporary. Still, it's a bit tiresome.

Refresh your browser; if you can see the image of the leaves at the top of the page, then etherwork is back online.

May 2009 blog entries

2009-05-29T13:17:00.001-04:00

Friday, 29 May 2009
Yay! It's asparagus season
summary: pasta with asparagus, toasted pinenuts, caramelized onion, grainy mustard and goat cheese; why there are no photos in the post

Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Tying myself in knots OR to lard or not to lard (BBBwB)
summary: recipe for Italian knot bread made with active dry yeast; fresh and active dry yeast equivalents; Italian 00 flour equivalent(ish); YeastSpotting post; information on Bread Baking Babes; information about Breadline Africa's Worldwide Blogger Bake Off Challenge

Tuesday, 26 May 2009
I think I've fixed the sidebar!
summary: sidebar error messages on etherwork.net appear to be gone

Thursday, 21 May 2009
yes, I know... the sidebar display is messed up
summary: No idea why, when or if it will be resolved.

Tuesday, 19 May 2009
imported(?!!) dandelion greens (WHB#184: dandelion)
summary: recipe for dandelion greens in anchovy sauce with optional fried egg; information about dandelion for Weekend Herb Blogging;

Wednesday, 13 May 2009
spinach and baby artichoke spread (bookmarked recipe)
summary: recipe for spinach artichoke goat cheese spread; information about Bookmarked Recipes

Monday, 4 May 2009
exercises in futility are strangely rewarding
summary: blog recipe index; spinach artichoke dip tease

internal server errors plaguing etherwork blog

2009-05-24T00:02:00.001-04:00

I have no idea why the etherwork blog (my real blog) is suddenly plagued with internal server errors. For the most part, it seems to be only affecting the sidebar display (ie: sidebar is NOT displaying correctly) but it also seems to cause the page to not display at all if there is an attempt at commenting - there is a redirect to the internal server error page. This is quite trying, to say the least.

I have asked my webhost and it looks like it has something to do with my Wordpress installation. Because I'm using the "legacy" branch of wordpress, alas, it's up to me to fix the problem. My webhost cannot be troubleshooting their or my errors. RATS!

I'm not quite certain what I'm going to do about it: whether I'll upgrade to the latest wordpress or whether I'll switch to a different blogging platform like "live journal" or "movable type". Whatever I do, it's going to take time.

Rrrrrr. I loathe change!

April 2009 blog entries

2009-04-28T08:25:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, 28 April 2009
black bean brownies (MLLA)
summary: recipe for black bean brownies; in praise of "The Brilliant Bean" by Sally and Martin Stone; information about My Legume Love Affair (MLLA) 10: Starters and Desserts

Sunday, 19 April 2009
yet another favourite: refried beans casserole
summary: refried beans casserole (quasi nachos)

Wednesday, 15 April 2009
Cardamom Bread for Easter
summary: braided loaf for Easter feast of ham, beet salad, green beans, scalloped potatoes, parsnips

Tuesday, 14 April 2009
weird internal server error
summary: I don't know why this internal server error is occurring on etherwork.net.

Monday, 13 April 2009
Goat's Milk Yoghurt
summary: goat's milk yoghurt

Sunday, 12 April 2009
Hot Cross Cardamom Buns
summary: Happy Easter!; hot cross buns; how not to dye eggs;

Tuesday, 7 April 2009
more beans please...
summary: in praise of beans; bean curry; information about My Legume Love Affair

Friday, 3 April 2009
my other favourite spaghetti sauce: skyliner chili (PPN)
summary: recipe for skyliner chili (spaghettini with Romano bean chili, cheese, onions, blackened chilis, crackers); information about Presto Pasta Nights

Wednesday, 1 April 2009
Conserving Energy with a new (for us) diet
summary: recipe for bannock cheese pinwheels; a little information about raw food diet;

March 2009 blog entries

2009-03-30T17:40:00.000-04:00

Monday, 30 March 2009
another breakfast treat: aloo chops
summary: recipe for aloo chops (fried battered potato patties - batter made with chickpea flour)

Sunday, 22 March 2009
Our recipe for the BloggerAid cookbook
summary: Our recipe for the BloggerAid cookbook; reminder about Earth Hour 2009;

Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Pulla: Finnish Cardamom Bread (bookmarked recipe)
summary: recipe for sweet cardamom bread made into 12 buns and a braided loaf; information about Bookmarked Recipes and YeastSpotting

Thursday, 12 March 2009
Do You Have an Unpublished Recipe?
summary: BloggerAid (Bloggers Uniting to Aid in the Alleviation of World Hunger) is putting together a cookbook and asking for your help; information about Earth Hour 2009 (turn off your lights for one hour on 28 March)

Monday, 9 March 2009
pierogi, perogy, pyrohy... what's in a name?
summary: recipe for pierogies stuffed with potatoes and cheese; brief rant about daylight saving

Saturday, 7 March 2009
Mango Ice Cream at last
summary: mango ice cream recipe (eggless); quality and ripeness of the mango

Sunday, 1 March 2009
We have mishti doi!!
summary: homemade mishti doi recipe

Earth Hour 2009

2009-03-23T10:31:00.002-04:00

Only a couple of days before it's time to turn out your lights for an hour on 28 March!! Too bad it isn't "Earth Hours". (Turn off your lights whenever you're not using them!)

Earth Hour: Vote Earth - The World's First Global Election

etherwork.net server problems

2009-03-04T12:17:00.005-05:00

The webhost for etherwork.net is not available right now. No idea why or how long these downtimes will be. If, after reloading this page, you see the bar of ivy at the top, it means that any links to the real "blog from OUR kitchen" at http://etherwork.net/blog/ are functioning again.

edit: I'm happy to report that etherwork.net is back online

February 2009 blog entries

2009-02-27T10:44:00.000-05:00

Friday, 27 February 2009
ISO: small unglazed clay pot(s) for yoghurt
summary: 1st attempt at making mishti doi; where to find smallish unglazed clay pots;

Tuesday, 24 February 2009
homemade yoghurt
summary: homemade yoghurt recipe; reminder to have shroves

Monday, 23 February 2009
Essential Equipment for Bread Baking
summary: re: epicurious' bread primer "essential equipment"

Sunday, 22 February 2009
Caraway Rye Bread from 'The Bread Bible'
summary: recipe for caraway rye bread based on Rose Levy Beranbaum's "Bread Bible" rye bread

Monday, 16 February 2009
whole wheat bread in a warm kitchen
summary: whole wheat bread rises fast in a warm kitchen; awards galore! (one lovely blog, lemonade stand, best friend, sisterhood)

Friday, 13 February 2009
photos of refried chura
summary: photos of rescued chura (flattened rice)

Sunday, 8 February 2009
cooking in foreign kitchens
summary: disastrous attempt at making chura (flattened rice with peas and peanuts) and how it was saved from being relegated to the compost bin

Tuesday, 3 February 2009
baked squash with cream and cheese
summary: comfort food: baked squash with cream inspired by a recipe in The River Cottage Cookbook by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

January 2009 blog entries

2009-01-27T10:06:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, 27 January 2009
chicken and ham a la king
summary: comfort food: chicken a la king with a biscuit topping with broccoli and leftover oatmeal dressing (stuffing)

Saturday, 24 January 2009
6-strand braiding video
summary: video of 6 strand braiding;

Tuesday, 20 January 2009
baguettes at last!
summary: recipe for baguettes made with active dry yeast, based on a recipe in "The Bread Bible" by Rose Levy Beranbaum;

Monday, 19 January 2009
adding insult to injury
summary: cold kitchen; power failure; 2nd attempt at making rye bread

Tuesday, 13 January 2009
Dulce de Leche Ice Cream
summary: dulce de leche ice cream recipe (eggless); instructions for making dulce de leche with sweetened condensed milk; information about mishti doi

Saturday, 3 January 2009
six strand braiding
summary: 6 strand braiding for festive bread

Happy New Year!

Thursday, 1 January 2009
festive bread (bbd#15)
summary: recipe for festive bread made with eggs, butter, milk and sugar; 2 loaves: 6 strand braid and "s" occhi di Santa Lucia; information about Bread Baking Day, information about YeastSpotting and Breadline Africa's Worldwide Blogger Bake Off Challenge;

December 2008 blog entries

2008-12-30T13:12:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, 30 December 2008
ricotta leek pie (bookmarked recipe)
summary: recipe for ricotta leek pie, including recipes for homemade ricotta and homemade puff-pastry; information about bookmarked recipes

Monday, 29 December 2008
beets with capers
summary: beets with capers recipe; eggplant and basil; perfect with ricotta leek pie

Saturday, 27 December 2008
Homemade mincemeat
summary: mincemeat recipe (vegetarian);

Advent calendar

Wednesday, 24 December 2008
peppermint icecream with chocolate chunks
summary: candy cane chocolate chunk ice cream; making mincemeat; Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, 23 December 2008
bread is so forgiving
summary: rescuing bread dough

Thursday, 18 December 2008
cauliflower au gratin (WHB#163: bay laurel)
summary: cauliflower au gratin recipe; information about bay laurel for Weekend Herb Blogging;
kitchen calendar problem solved
summary: new calendar and more at Pasquale Brothers;

Tuesday, 16 December 2008
someone "fixed" the Milk Calendar...
summary: 2009 Milk Calendar doesn't fit in the kitchen;

Wednesday, 10 December 2008
shrimps in Pernod and NON-sour bread
summary: shrimps in Pernod and rustic boules made with active dry yeast

Friday, 5 December 2008
cleaning and tidying the fridge
summary: what I did with my wild yeast starter that I have been feeding and babying since July 2007

Thursday, 4 December 2008
salad with pears and pinenuts
summary: red leaf lettuce salad with oven dried pears and toasted pinenuts;

etherwork.net undergoing service maintenance

2008-11-21T16:36:00.004-05:00

My real blog, blog from OUR kitchen is offline right now. My webhost is doing major maintenance on the servers. Apparently they sent email to alert everyone but the email must have gotten lost. (I always suspected that some of my email was not getting to me....)

If you can see images of leaves on this page, it means that etherwork.net is back online. This should happen sometime later rather than earlier on Friday 21 November 2008.

edit 22 November 2008: Alas, it's after midnight on Friday night and the entire server is still not back - just a very small portion of it that does not include the recipes section or the blog. (sigh)

not panicking yet. Going back to hide under the covers til morning. Maybe when I wake up, the sun will be out, the snow and cold will be gone - it's currently -10C (14F) - this is much colder than it usually is here in November.

If things go on like this much longer, I'm thinking of changing my motto to "The sky is falling! the sky is falling!"

November 2008 blog entries

2008-11-18T12:52:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, 18 November 2008
baking multigrain buns AND bread: a cautionary tale
summary: multigrain bread made into buns shaped like tabatières AND loaves; pyrotechnics;

Friday, 14 November 2008
cranberry cornmeal muffins
recipe: cranberry cornmeal muffins made with leftovers from feeding wild yeast

Wednesday, 12 November 2008
semi-wild bread rises for those who wait
summary: recipe for semi-wild bread; YeastSpotting post; information about Breadline Africa's Worldwide Blogger Bake Off Challenge;

Monday, 10 November 2008
Will it never rise??
summary: cold kitchen = slow rising bread dough

Saturday, 8 November 2008
salad with bacon wrapped goat's cheese
summary: recipe for salad with bacon wrapped goat's cheese

Thursday, 6 November 2008
recent commenters' meme
summary: recent commenters' meme; recipe (sort of) for pasta with beet tops and pecans

Sunday, 2 November 2008
Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie - deconstructed (WHB#156 3rd anniv: thyme)
summary: Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie recipe; information about Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) for Weekend Herb Blogging 3rd year anniversary celebration;

October 2008 blog entries

2008-10-30T10:39:00.000-04:00

Thursday, 30 October 2008
semi-wild challah: round I go again (BBBwB)
summary: recipe for challah braided into rounds; Bread Baking Babes wannaBe;

Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Breadline Africa's Worldwide Blogger Bake Off Challenge
summary: information about Breadline Africa and the Worldwide Blogger Bake Off Challenge created to raise funds to help "break the cycle of poverty in the lives of individuals and communities in Africa through sustainable, long-term solutions"

Monday, 27 October 2008
Event: WHB: 3rd Anniversary! (27 Oct - 2 Nov)
Event announcement: Weekend Herb Blogging (WHB) #156 and 3rd anniversary

Sunday, 26 October 2008
Flat wild bread isn't as terrible as I thought
summary: wild bread decorated with herbs

Saturday, 25 October 2008
Rats!!! Flat wild bread again

Friday, 24 October 2008
Chura: flattened rice with peas and peanuts (bookmarked recipe)
summary: recipe for Chura: flattened rice with peas and peanuts; submission for "Bookmarked Recipes 29"

Tuesday, 21 October 2008
100 Canadian Foods to Consume (meme)
summary: Maple Syrup & Poutine's 100 Canadian Foods: How many I've eaten

Thursday, 16 October 2008
The Staff of Life (WBD/WFD 2008)
summary: seed and grain bread recipe, made with various seeds and grains, corn flour, whole wheat and allpurpose flours; information about World Food Day and World Bread Day;

Thursday, 9 October 2008
Got 7 days? Make bacon!
recipe: smoked bacon

Saturday, 4 October 2008
Mmmmm... bacon!
summary: bacon is easy to make at home

choosing font sizes with Blogger templates

2008-09-30T19:31:00.000-04:00

*bump*
(originally posted 18 April 2005)
(reposted 31 January 2006; 31 January 2007; 31 May 2007; 31 August 2007; 31 January 2008)
****************************************

One of the biggest problems I have with Blogger is that the templates use such small fonts. I can barely see the posts on many Blogger blogs. It's a fairly simple fix though.

Look in the template area of your blogger blog and in the style section, find instances of font-size: If the font size is in pixels, chances are that it is too small.

Please use relative sizes instead of pixels for font-sizes!

eg:
Instead of font-size:11px, use font-size:small

Please google "font-size relative css" or take a look at:

September 2008 blog entries

2008-09-28T14:18:00.000-04:00

Sunday, 28 September 2008
making wildbread for Globe & Mail photoshoot
summary: my photoshoot with Deborah Baic for The Globe and Mail Life section article; mixing and kneading wild bread, serving multigrain bread made with seeds, corn, oatmeal, rye and wheat flours; the resulting wildbread;

Saturday, 27 September 2008
Banana Cinnamon Buns are delicious! (Bookmarked Recipe)
summary: recipe for banana cinnamon buns

Friday, 26 September 2008
black bottom cinnaburns... again (rrrr)
summary: banana cinnamon buns; reminder to bake sweet bread on the TOP shelf of the oven

Thursday, 25 September 2008
our pie grapes ARE "Coronation" grapes
summary: more about blue grape pie

Friday, 19 September 2008
I'm famous!
summary: I'm featured in the Globe & Mail: Life section!

Wednesday, 17 September 2008
grape pie revisited
summary: recipe for blue grape pie; includes pastry made with lard

Monday, 8 September 2008
no rise focaccia: turn it into flatbread (BBBwB)
summary: focaccia dough that failed to rise and made into flatbread that resemble pitas; Bread Baking Babes wannaBe;

Saturday, 6 September 2008
aloo gobi (WHB#148: turmeric)
summary: aloo gobi (cauliflower and potato) recipe; information about turmeric for Weekend Herb Blogging

Thursday, 4 September 2008
pita dough made into hamburger buns (BBBwB)
summary: recipe for hamburgers made with pita dough and baked in the barbecue; YeastSpotting post; Bread Baking Babes wannaBe; information on Bread Baking Babes

August 2008 blog entries

2008-08-31T10:53:00.000-04:00

Sunday, 31 August 2008
vegetarian burgers
summary: vegetarian burgers revisited

Tuesday, 26 August 2008
oh oh... where's the rye flour?
summary: difficulties in finding rye flour - AGAIN

Monday, 25 August 2008
at last - good homemade veggie burgers (HotM)
summary: recipe for vegetarian burgers made from chickpeas; information about the "Heart of the Matter - Eating for Life"

Sunday, 24 August 2008
hamburger buns topped with sesame seeds (bookmarked recipe)
summary: hamburger buns topped with sesame seeds; submission for "YeastSpotting" and "Bookmarked Recipes 19"

Saturday, 23 August 2008
The VGT Omnivore's Hundred (meme)
meme: Omnivore 100: How many have you eaten?

Friday, 22 August 2008
More Cheese Please (WTSIM... #18)
summary: cheeses, crackers and grappa for dessert; NOT a post for WTSIM...; information about WTSIM... picnic basket!

Sunday, 17 August 2008
onion rings are too good (bookmarked recipe)
summary: onion rings made with wild yeast starter leftovers

Sunday, 10 August 2008
The Cheese Stands Alone
summary: about local artisanal cheese makers

Monday, 4 August 2008
Have you ever tried gözleme?
summary: about gözleme, Turkish stuffed flatbread; click on images to many more photographs of women making gözleme

Saturday, 2 August 2008
Wild Onion Rye Bread (BBBwB)
summary: recipe for wild onion rye bread (rye bread flavoured with onion and caraway seeds and made with wild yeast); weighing the ingredients on a digital scale; YeastSpotting and BBBwB post; information on Bread Baking Babes

July 2008 blog entries

2008-07-29T18:14:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, 29 July 2008
We have a digital scale!
summary: digital scale aquisition, checking measuring cups, wild yeast feeding schedule

Friday, 25 July 2008
knife trick
summary: knife trick; DON'T try this at home

Sunday, 20 July 2008
Eggs Fauxrentine (WHB#142: radish greens)
summary: recipe for "Eggs Fauxrentine" (hard boiled eggs with bacon, radish greens and hollandaise on toasted multigrain bread); information on Radish Greens (Raphanus sativus) for weekend herb blogging #142

Sunday, 13 July 2008
breakfast treat: pakora and chole (WHB#141: green chili)
summary: recipe for pakora (fried battered vegetables - batter made with chickpea flour); information on green chillies (Capsicum annuum) for weekend herb blogging

Sunday, 6 July 2008
strawberry short cake (WTSIM...! #17)
summary: recipe for strawberry short cake (biscuits) with fresh strawberries and whipped cream; Waiter, there's something in my... berried treasure!

June 2008 blog entries

2008-06-29T09:37:00.000-04:00

Sunday, 29 June 2008
rhubarb pie revisited (Mmm...Canada!/SHF#44)
summary: recipe for rhubarb pie; includes recipe for pastry made with lard; high cost of local and/or organic ingredients; information about "Sugar High Friday: Mmm...Canada!"

Saturday, 28 June 2008
Pasta with Nettles and Cream Sauce (Mmm...Canada)
summary: recipe for nettles on fresh pasta with cream sauce, garnished with fresh herbs; information about "Mmm...Canada!"; what makes something taste Canadian?

Wednesday, 25 June 2008
cinnamon raisin oatmeal bread
summary: cinnamon raisin oatmeal bread recipe (yeasted bread made with wholewheat and all-purpose flours and rolled oats); things that went wrong and what was rescued; question about baker's percentage; submission for "YeastSpotting" and "Bookmarked Recipes"

Friday, 20 June 2008
More Halloumi please... (WHB#138: marjoram)
fried halloumi garnished with fresh marjoram and basil; rave about Monforte Dairy at the weekly farmers' market; information about marjoram and oregano for Weekend Herb Blogging

Wednesday, 18 June 2008
brown rice is good, eh?
trying brown rice again; method for cooking long grain white rice; link to "Spanish Rice" recipe

Sunday, 8 June 2008
A great read and the best cheesecake...
recipe: New York style cheese cake with sour cream topping; brief review of "Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise" by Ruth Reichl

Sunday, 1 June 2008
cassia vs cinnamon
why we had butter chicken instead of curried chicken and what happens to ground cinnamon sticks when they are cooked. Includes a thrilling video.

May 2008 blog entries

2008-05-31T17:32:00.000-04:00

Saturday, 31 May 2008
pecan brittle (brickle???) (WTSIM... #16)
Waiter, there's something in my... brittle!; recipe for pecan brittle

Friday, 30 May 2008
sole picatta with green beans (Beautiful Bones)
recipe for sole picatta (sole with browned butter and capers) with green beans; Beautiful Bones: An Osteoporosis Food Event; information about osteoporosis, calcium, vitamin D, exercise

Wednesday, 28 May 2008
Rats! sour wild bread again!
whine, whine, whine...

Monday, 26 May 2008
in praise of Rose Levy Beranbaum (1,2,3 meme)
1,2,3 meme: excerpts from "We Took to the Woods" by Louise Dickinson Rich and "The Bread Bible" by Rose Levy Beranbaum; book review of "The Bread Bible"

Saturday, 24 May 2008
Beer, Onion and Fontina Quick Bread (Taste & Create IX)
Becke's (Columbus Foodie) Onion and Fontina Beer Batter Bread; information about "Taste & Create"

Thursday, 22 May 2008
How much yeast is in a "cake of yeast"?
USA and European weights of a standard small "cake of yeast"; equivalents of active dry and instant yeast

Monday, 19 May 2008
I'll never be a BBB at this rate!
pathetic whinging about bread making techniques and recipes as well as criticism of bread baking icon Peter Reinhart; link to Poilane-Style Miche recipe; information about Bread Baking Babes/Buddies (BBB)

Sunday, 18 May 2008
in praise of black bean sauces (WHB#133: soy beans)
recipes: stir-fried broccoli with black bean sauce, black bean chili sauce, peanut chili sauce; information about Weekend Herb Blogging (WHB) and black beans (dried salted soy beans)

Tuesday, 13 May 2008
Finally! Wild bread that ISN'T sour
feeding and build-up schedule for wild yeast bread; link to recipe for bread

Friday, 9 May 2008
The Prodigal Ones
rising food costs; hunger; what we can do

Thursday, 8 May 2008
Red Pepper Spaghettini Omelette
recipe: Leftover Spaghettini Omelette; link to recipe for spaghettini with red peppers and sausage

Tuesday, 6 May 2008
palak paneer revisited (WHB#131: ginger)
Weekend Herb Blogging #131: Ginger (Zingiber officinale); how to "cook" spinach with salt, peas, link to recipe for palak paneer (spinach and cheese)

Friday, 2 May 2008
fried rice (WTSIM... #15)
recipe for fried rice with mushrooms, peas, egg and sesame oil; posted for "Waiter, there's something in my... breakfast!"

Thursday, 1 May 2008
Multigrain Bread (BBD#09)
recipe for multigrain bread made with seeds, corn, rolled oats, oat groats, oat bran, buckwheat, rye and wheat flours; information about Bread Baking Day (BBD)

April 2008 blog entries

2008-04-25T14:36:00.000-04:00

Friday, 25 April 2008
Mmmm... granola
recipe for granola made with steel cut oat groats and flattened rice; information about oat groats, rolled oats and flattened rice

Tuesday, 22 April 2008
Homemade Felafel! (Taste & Create VIII)
Taste & Create VIII; recipe for felafel made with uncooked chickpeas; some information about chickpeas; links to recipes for pita and harissa

Monday, 21 April 2008
Red Snapper and Greek Potatoes (WHB#130: oregano)
Weekend Herb Blogging #130: Oregano (Origanum vulgare); grilled red snapper; recipe for "Greek lemon oregano potatoes"
more about red snapper
It turns out red snapper is on the "avoid" section at "SeaChoice: Healthy Choices, Healthy Oceans"; post contains link to seachoice.org's 'best choice' list

Saturday, 19 April 2008
mea culpa
recipe for "chicken couscous with dried fruits" corrected; stopping at T&T supermarket

Monday, 14 April 2008
mmmm... beet tops!
recipe for beet-tops; famous subjects in photo of the day on "Bicycling Toronto"

Sunday, 13 April 2008
Preserved Lemons and Couscous
includes recipe for couscous and a link to preserved lemons recipe

Friday, 11 April 2008
palak paneer and pickled carrots
includes recipe for same-day pickled carrots and onions

Thursday, 10 April 2008
Madeira Sauce
recipe for Madeira Sauce; small amount of information about Madeira

Saturday, 5 April 2008
Nigella's Chicken (WHB#127: parsley)
Weekend Herb Blogging #127: Parsley (Petroselinum crispum crispum); fettucine with roast chicken, pinenuts, golden raisins and parsley

Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Apricot Roll and a Braid (BBD#08)
Bread Baking Day #08: Celebrate! - includes recipe for apricot roll

March 2008 blog entries

2008-03-26T09:48:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, 26 March 2008
Puy lentils with sausage (WTSIM...#14)
Waiter, there's something in my... pulses!; Puy lentils, chole

Monday, 24 March 2008
Happy Easter Monday!
Naturally, it snowed again.

Saturday, 22 March 2008
Moringa Leaf Omelette and Chapatis (WHB#125)
Weekend Herb Blogging (WHB) #125 - Moringa Leaf (Moringa oleifera); recipe for moringa leaf omelette; rescuing failed wild yeast dough

Thursday, 20 March 2008
pizza party!! (BP#32)
Blog Party #32: Pizza; recipe for tomato sauce; how to keep cooked spinach green

Friday, 14 March 2008
apple pie with olive oil pastry (Π Day)
event: Pi Day - Recipes for Homemade Pie!

Thursday, 13 March 2008
Beets and Turnips are great with Rogan Josh
beets and turnips with Indian spices; naan on the stovetop

Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Rogan Josh: the ultimate comfort food
event: Weekend Herb Blogging#124: bay laurel

Sunday, 9 March 2008
I hope we DON'T break the record
30 cm of snow fell since yesterday

Wednesday, 5 March 2008
oh the weather outside is...
yup, it's snowing again

Tuesday, 4 March 2008
Eggs Florentine (ish)
using up extra spinach that isn't quite enough for dinner

Saturday, 1 March 2008
green onion cake
event: bread baking day #07: flatbread

February 2008 blog entries

2008-02-28T13:15:00.000-05:00

Thursday, 28 February 2008
Seasonal Salad?!!
Waiter there's something in my... salad!

Saturday, 23 February 2008
butter chicken
Weekend Herb Blogging #121: coriander leaf

Friday, 22 February 2008
Swiss chard is fabulous in an omelette
ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday - Okay, okay, so it's Friday!! I was going to post about this on Tuesday but got distracted by béchamel.

Tuesday, 19 February 2008
béchamel tip
in praise of Laura Calder

Monday, 18 February 2008
cinnamon swirl(ish) bread
photographic evidence of failure at making cinnamon swirl bread

Sunday, 17 February 2008
sigh... cinnamon triangular line bread, anyone?
a brief whine

Friday, 15 February 2008
brussels sprouts a la Laura Calder
Weekend Herb Blogging #120 - Garlic (Allium sativum)

Friday, 8 February 2008
green bean casserole
Weekend Herb Blogging #119 - Button Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus)

Monday, 4 February 2008
cheese pinwheels
- using up leftovers after feeding wild yeast starter

Sunday, 3 February 2008
some things are meant to be broken II
- playing the Glad Game about broken DVD player

Friday, 1 February 2008
some things are meant to be broken
- playing the Glad Game about broken wild yeast starter jar

January 2008 blog entries

2008-01-30T10:21:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, 30 January 2008
how many "10 best foods" are we eating?

Monday, 28 January 2008
Occhi di Santa Lucia
Bread Baking Day #06

Tuesday, 22 January 2008
duck a l'orange

Saturday, 19 January 2008
ISO less sour sourdough bread

Tuesday, 15 January 2008
Faux Stowe Crackers
Weekend Herb Blogging #116 - Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

Saturday, 12 January 2008
Black Forest Cake without cherries?!

Friday, 11 January 2008
Menu for Hope IV prize winners announced - Congratulations!

Sunday, 6 January 2008
wild bagels

Wednesday, 2 January 2008
late night dining: mushroom ravioli and orange fennel salad
Weekend Herb Blogging #114 - Dill (Anethum graveolens)

Happy New Year!

December 2007 blog entries

2007-12-30T12:01:00.000-05:00

Sunday, 30 December 2007
beet salad

Monday, 24 December 2007
Merry Christmas!

Advent calendar

Monday, 24 December 2007
food for the gods
Eat Christmas Cookies: A Food Blog(ga) Event

Saturday, 22 December 2007
lasagne with rapini instead of spinach

Thursday, 20 December 2007
more cookies please!
Eat Christmas Cookies: A Food Blog(ga) Event

Monday, 17 December 2007
Menu for Hope IV apron - update

Sunday, 16 December 2007
pre-pitted prunes, eh?

Saturday, 15 December 2007
spaghettini with peppers

Wednesday, 12 December 2007
stock making (WHB #113)
Weekend Herb Blogging #113 - Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

Tuesday, 11 December 2007
Mmmmmm... shortbread
Eat Christmas Cookies: A Food Blog(ga) Event

Monday, 10 December 2007
Butcher Style Apron for Menu for Hope IV
December 10-21 2007

Friday, 7 December 2007
Coloured Cookies
Eat Christmas Cookies: A Food Blog(ga) Event

Monday, 3 December 2007
black bottom cinnaburns

November 2007 blog entries

2007-11-27T14:09:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, 27 November 2007
Va va voom!!
Waiter, there's something in my...topless tart! (#11)

Monday, 26 November 2007
It's not a pretty sight

Sunday, 25 November 2007
roasted sweet potato pasta
Weekend Herb Blogging #110 - Sage (Salvia officinalis)

Tuesday, 20 November 2007
semolina fennel seed bread with currants & pinenuts
Bread Baking Day #04 - Spice(s)

Sunday, 18 November 2007
roasted sweet potatoes
Heart of the Matter #9 - Holiday Food

Saturday, 17 November 2007
stuffed mushrooms
Weekend Herb Blogging #109: oregano (Origanum vulgare)

Wednesday, 14 November 2007
Wild Bread Revisited

Tuesday, 13 November 2007
one fact, word or tidbit: meme

Monday, 12 November 2007
Event Announcement: Bread Baking Day #04
event deadline: 1 December 2007

Saturday, 10 November 2007
Pumpkin Cake Roll

Tuesday, 6 November 2007
Rice for all

Saturday, 3 November 2007
baking a pumpkin
Weekend Herb Blogging #107: Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo)
(Yes, yes, I know. Pumpkin is NOT an herb. But the WHB rules allow vegetables too.)

The Foodie BlogRoll

2007-11-19T18:41:00.000-05:00

Even though I still have a horror of the word "foodie" and visibly cringe even when I type it, I must accept the fact that language evolves... this particular "F" word should not to be considered a disparaging term. My reluctant acceptance (almost - I'm still shuddering every time I see it) of the word is partially due to The Foodie BlogRoll (TFB), started and maintained by Jenn (The Leftover Queen). It is a handy (and growing!) list of links to food related blogs. You may have seen the TFB image on the sidebars of various blogs.

It's easy to join The Foodie BlogRoll - just fill out the form at the bottom of the linked page.

Take a look at the list of all the blogs already on the list! This community is HUGE!

Here is the javascript I have used to contract/expand the BlogRoll. Copy and paste it into a text editor (notepad) and save the file as "showhideblogroll.js" :


// thanks to http://derya-webresource.blogspot.com

var showHeader=false;
function ShowHideNav()
{
showHeader=!showHeader;
var nav=document.getElementById("blogroll");
if (showHeader)
{
nav.style.visibility="visible";
nav.style.display="block";
nav.style.border="none !important";
nav.style.overflow="auto";
nav.style.height="100%";
}
else
{
//nav.style.visibility="hidden";
//nav.style.display="none";
nav.style.visibility="visible";
nav.style.display="block";
nav.style.overflow="auto";
nav.style.border="1px inset #def";
nav.style.height="100px";
}

var nav=document.getElementById("showit");
if (showHeader)
{
document.getElementById('showit').innerHTML="Contract";  
}
else
{
document.getElementById('showit').innerHTML="Expand";
}

}

Here is the stylesheet for the BlogRoll. Copy and paste it into a text editor (notepad) and save the file as "blogrollstyle.css"


#blogroll {
border:1px inset #def;
padding-left:20px;
visibility:visible;
display:block;
overflow:auto;
height:100px;
}

#showhide {cursor:pointer;color:#006;}

#fblogroll {
 background:transparent url(http://i9.tinypic.com/6hfdsa9.gif) no-repeat top left;
 width:165px;
 padding:23px 0 2px 4px;
 display:block;
 font-family:sans-serif;
 color:#033;
 text-decoration:none;
}

Upload the blogrollstyle.css and showhidefoodblogger.js to your directory. Copy and paste the following coding somewhere above </head>


<script src="http://yourblogURL/showhidefoodblogger.js" language="javascript" type="text/javascript">
</script>

<link rel="StyleSheet" href="http://yourblogURL/blogrollstyle.css" type="text/css" />

And finally here is the coding to place the BlogRoll on the page. Copy and paste the coding into your sidebar (or wherever it is you want TFB to be displayed - somewhere below <body>)


<p><small><a href="http://www.leftoverqueen.com/the-foodie-blogroll" title="Click to Join the Foodie Blogroll (offsite link)" id="fblogroll">click here to join</a></small><br />

<span id="showhide" onclick="ShowHideNav();" title="The Foodie BlogRoll"><small><i><u><span id="showit">Expand</span></u> "The Foodie BlogRoll"</i></small><br /><br />

<div id="blogroll">
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://rpc.blogrolling.com/display.php?r=d42e337f325aa021a80d72ed0e728169"></script></div></span></p>

upgrading blogger template

2007-11-04T16:19:00.000-05:00

hmmm... have they really simplified things? I'm not so sure....

WHAT a mess!! I really dislike these WYSIWYG (sort of) programs. Oh brother. I should NEVER have made any changes!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have now put the template back to the older version that blogger doesn't care for. Do I care? No.

October 2007 blog entries

2007-10-31T17:42:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, 31 October 2007
grissini

Monday, 29 October 2007
meat pie

Sunday, 21 October 2007
Pasquale Bros: check out the bottom shelf!

Tuesday, 16 October 2007
Wild Bread with Walnuts and Raisins
World Bread Day 2007

Tuesday, 16 October 2007
Event Announcement: Apples & Thyme
event deadline: 10 November 2007

Sunday, 14 October 2007
pepper squash and sage
Weekend Herb Blogging - 2nd anniversary

Friday, 12 October 2007
Quiche!

Monday, 8 October 2007
Apples galore!!

Monday, 8 October 2007
Event Announcement: They Go Really Well Together (TGRWT) #7
event deadline: 1 November 2007

Sunday, 7 October 2007
Event Announcement: WTSIM... #10: layered cake!
event deadline: 28 October 2007

Saturday, 6 October 2007
Yes, you CAN pair peaches and garlic
Yes, Of Course You Can Pair Garlic With That!

Tuesday, 2 October 2007
Event Announcement: Think Spice... Think Saffron...
event deadline: 25 October 2007

Tuesday, 2 October 2007
Event Announcement: A SPOONFUL OF CHRISTMAS
event deadline: 1 November 2007

Tuesday, 2 October 2007
apple and lavender combination revisited

Monday, 1 October 2007
Apple Goat Cheese Lavender Tarts
They Go Really Well Together (TGRWT) #6

September 2007 blog entries

2007-09-30T10:46:00.000-04:00

sigh... etherwork.net - server down again!

2007-08-31T08:34:00.000-04:00

edit later the same day: And it's fixed again!

--------------------

I had really hoped this was a thing of the past. But my real blog is inaccessible once again.

Sigh. Is it a coincidence that it's a long weekend?

To find out if the service has been restored:
Reload this page (Press down your shift key to make sure you get a fresh version). If you see images here (background, leaves across the top banner, Canadian blogger image on sidebar), it means that service has been restored and my real blog, "blog from OUR kitchen" is available again.

August 2007 blog entries

2007-08-29T07:27:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, 29 August 2007
vegetables and buns on the barbecue Waiter there's something in my... meatless barbecue

Wednesday, 15 August 2007
adventures in ice cream making: strawberry

Sunday, 12 August 2007
Event announcement:
Event: Waiter There's Something In My... #8 Meatless Barbecue! Event Deadline: 27 August 2007

Saturday, 11 August 2007
adventures in ice cream making - lime

Friday, 10 August 2007
Event announcement:
Event: World Bread Day 2007 Event Deadline: 16 October 2007

Tuesday, 9 August 2005
Event announcement:
Event: La Festa al Fresco 2007 Event Deadline: 3 September 2007

Tuesday, 7 August 2007
No!! don't open the door!!

Saturday, 4 August 2007
Event announcement:
Event: submit your favorite homemade bread story Event Deadline: 30 August 2007

Thursday, 2 August 2007
converting recipe for wild yeast to one with domestic yeast

Wednesday, 1 August 2007
Ras el Hanout (JFI - chillies) Jihva for Ingredients: Chillies

mysterious change in settings at etherwork

2007-08-07T08:05:00.000-04:00

I'm spitting mad!!

Suddenly, yesterday morning, my real blog at etherwork.net (blog from OUR kitchen) is not being displayed correctly right now. The theme I was using suddenly showed a blank page. But the ugly and dull default themes work.

It looks like I'm going to have to COMPLETELY rewrite my customized theme.

Did I mention that I'm furious?

----------------------
edit later on 7 August: I believe I have fixed it... (still a bit ticked off that I had to do that though)

July 2007 blog entries

2007-07-31T09:46:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, 31 July 2007
Wild Bread with Olives (BBD#02) Bread Baking Day #02

Sunday, 29 July 2007
Event announcement:
Event: Jihva for Ingredients - chillies Event deadline: 1 August 2007

Saturday, 28 July 2007
not just any old tomato sauce Waiter, there's something in my... #7

Friday, 27 July 2007
wild yeast bread - success!

Thursday, 26 July 2007
The uncultured is caged!!

Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Event announcement:
Event: WTSIM... Sauce! (#7) Event deadline: Tuesday, 31 July 2007

Monday, 23 July 2007
bubbles, tiny bubbles!!

Saturday, 21 July 2007
still hunting for the elusive wild yeast...

Sunday, 15 July 2007
I'd like to show you my apron... Show Us Your Apron

Sunday, 15 July 2007
care for some flat bread, anyone?

Sunday, 15 July 2007
Rats.

Thursday, 12 July 2007
Wild yeast hunt is on again...

Tuesday, 10 July 2007
Event announcement:
Event: Bread Baking Day #02 Event deadline: 1 August 2007

Saturday, 7 July 2007
coffee... it's not just for breakfast

etherwork.net - new servers installed

2007-07-03T00:07:00.000-04:00

At last the sparkling new servers have been installed by the webhost for etherwork.net so the service interruptions to my real blog should now be ended. BIG sigh of relief!

June 2007 blog entries

2007-06-28T13:09:00.000-04:00

Thursday, 28 June 2007
Sage Focaccia Bread Baking Day #01

Tuesday, 26 June 2007
Event announcement:
Bread Baking Day #01 Event deadline: 1 July 2007

Sunday, 24 June 2007
The Miracle Cake
The Miracle Cake - addendum

Saturday, 16 June 2007
new toy!

Monday, 4 June 2007
Going Native Weekend Herb Blogging #86 - Sunchokes [Helianthus tuberosus]

service interruptions continue at etherwork

2007-06-06T06:19:00.000-04:00

Until my webhost's new servers are installed (no word on when that will be) - the service interruptions to etherwork will continue. What a drag. And again, there's bad news and good news. I'll give the bad first...

The bad news:
The most recent entry on the updates page is for 4 June (Monday) and says service has returned but by using temporary equipment because (of course...) the new servers have not yet arrived.

The good news:
Ummm....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To find out if the service has been restored:
Reload this page (Press down your shift key to make sure you get a fresh version). If you see images here (background, leaves across the top banner, Canadian blogger image on sidebar), it means that service has been restored and my real blog blog from OUR kitchen is available again.

Major service interruption at etherwork

2007-06-04T07:30:00.000-04:00

edit later the same day: service restored!

I'm happy to say that service has been restored and blog from OUR kitchen is back online.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There's bad news and good news. I'll give the bad first...

The webhost for etherwork.net had a major server crash yesterday morning.

The good news (mostly):
The updates page says they are working on restoring service using temporary equipment because (of course...) there is a delay on the new servers at the provider's end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as it is and as soon as I can get into my real blog, I will publish the post that I was just about to post about sunchokes (aka Jerusalem artichokes) for Kalyn's (Kalyn's Kitchen) Weekend Herb Blogging.