hello, my new friend

Out with the old...

...in with the new.

in the kitchen: vegetable soup with beans

I’d been craving soup. With Kassie and CJ coming over for dinner, I decided to make a vegetable soup. After consulting several cookbooks I came up with a game plan.

Vegetable soup with white beans:

Ingredients:

• 2 zucchini
  
• 4 carrots
  
• 1 onion
  
• 4 red potatoes
  
• 1 15 oz can chopped tomatoes
  
• 1 10 oz can corn
  
• 2 leeks
  
• 1 head broccoli
  
• 1/2 c dry white beans, soaked*
  
• 3 cloves garlic
  
• 4 c chicken stock
  
• 2 c vegetable sock
  
• 1 tsp thyme
  
• 1 tsp rosemary, crushed
  
• 2 tsp frozen basil

*I soaked the beans according to the quick soak method on the package, boiling them in about 4 c of water for two minutes and then letting them sit for an hour off the heat.

Directions:

Peel and dice two carrots. Dice the onion and slice the leeks. Dice 1/2 of a zucchini.

Add olive oil to the pot and add the chopped aromatics and zucchini.

Add salt and herbs and sweat over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 additional minutes.
Drain beans and add, along with tomatoes and stock.

Bring to a simmer, cover with lid askew, and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Meanwhile, chop remaining carrots and zucchini as well as the potatoes into bite size pieces.

Cut the broccoli florets away from the stalk and separate into small pieces. After 1 hour, add the potatoes and carrots. Add water as needed to cover vegetables. Return soup to a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. Add zucchini and cook 30 additional minutes. 10 minutes before serving, add broccoli and canned corn.

Prepare soup bowls by adding arugula to the bottom of the bowls.

Ladle soup into bowls and serve with bread. Serves eight.

technical difficulties

We'll be experiencing outages througout the evening.
Update: All is well.

the bathroom nears completion

Much progress has been made on the downstairs basement, despite (or perhaps because of) my lack of involvement. The window has been reframed, the shower wall replaced, and the new fixtures, including a new pedestal sink, vanity and light should be installed soon. The project should be complete soon, after which I can clean and paint before seeking renters.

Upstairs, despite having made the requisite purchases, I’ve yet to begin painting the living room. The room is so big, and will likely need four total coats, that it seems an overwhelming endeavor. Instead I’ve finished painting the accent wall in my bedroom, and hope to paint the other three this week. Good thing I don’t have a real job.

triple rock social club: asobi seksu

Thursday, three days after my first visit to the Triple Rock, I returned to see Asobi Seksu, Brooklyn indie-rock band fronted by a Japanese woman, Yuki Chikudate.

Singing in a near falsetto, Chikudate's voice provides more of a melodic backing to their songs. It’s difficult to decipher the lyrics to many of their songs, even more so when she sings in Japanese. So while the band sounds nice, and Chikudate has a pretty voice, I find it difficult to delve too deeply into their music.

Unintelligibility aside, the band puts on a nice show. Full of energy, guitarists drove the show, with Chikudate swaying around the microphone as she sang.
Openers for emo favorites The Appleseed Cast, Asobi Seksu played for about 40 minutes. The crowd was more engaged than for many opening acts, though I don’t think most were heartbroken to see them depart the stage.

triple rock social club: rock for roe

Monday night was the 32nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Pro-Choice Resources held a concert: Rock for Roe to celebrate.

Pictured above, the concert was headlines by Tina Schlieske, formerly of Tina and the B-Sides. She was fine, though I was less interested in the music and more in catching up with people.

Thursday I'll be back at the Triple Rock for an artist about whom I'm excited: Asobi Seksu

my fruity dining room

Dying flowers grace my newly painted dining room. I adore the color, which is somewhere between mango and pumpkin. Up next is my bedroom, one coat having been applied to the accent wall. It'll need at least two more coats but hopefully it will absorb some of the daylight that pours into my room well before I deign to rise.

America not caring about poor people?

Though I loathe football, I was happy to see the New Orleans Saints lose their bid to GO TO THE SUPER BOWL in Chicago against the bears. I find the idiotic coverage of the Saints success as "lifting the spirits of New Orleaneans" counterproductive to repairing a broken city. Anyone who believes the success of a football team could be a panacea for the ills of New Orleans and its residence grossly misunderstands the situation.

But I wonder, does the Bears' success mean America will now show its concern for the 200,000 Chicago children living below the poverty line?

(Photo from Deadspin).

fine line: jolie holland

Saturday night I paid my first visit to the Fine Line to see Jolie Holland. I listened to her album a few days ago, but otherwise knew very little.

Battling a cold and some sound problems she put on an above average show, satisfying my craving for live music.

At her best, her rich voice overcame the din in a venue that filled gradually during the opening act. Holland’s music strikes me as a synthesis of Neko Case’s heavy, seductive songwriting and a drawling, thicker voice akin to Lucinda Williams.

She’s certainly competent enough. Alternating between a guitar and a keyboard, she handled multiple instruments with ease and experience. The same could not be said of the Fine Line. Holland was accompanied by a violinist for several songs, but the violin’s microphone drifted in and out throughout the evening.

An enjoyable show, but Holland isn’t doing anything new here. She’s good, not great in a genre of music of which I’m not the biggest fan. I’d see her again, but wouldn’t go out of my way to do so.

in the (new) kitchen: beef bragiole and gnocchi

I hadn't been cooking in my new place, both because of the mice (who are either gone or hiding) and my laziness. My furniture having arrived, it was time to put my dining room table and stove to use for the first time. On the menu (after a bit of wandering around Trader Joes): Beef Bragiole, gnocchi and salad.

The bragiole starts with a piece of flank steak, pounded thin.

Meanwhile, I sautéed 1/2 an onion (though I would have used a whole onion, one of the two I bought was inedible), some garlic and shallots in some olive oil and lightly toasted some walnuts in another pan.

With the beef flattened I layered (from left to right, top to bottom) prosciutto, the onion mixture, shredded parmesan cheese and the walnuts, ground onto the meat.

I rolled the meat up, and seared it over high heat with a bit more oil. Had I some twine or toothpicks, I would have secured the meat, but my kitchen is not yet well outfitted, so I made due.

Removing the seared beef, I added the other half of the onion, more shallots and garlic to the pan, cooked them briefly and then deglazed with about a cup of red wine (Two Buck Chuck Merlot in this case).

It was at this point that I realized I lacked a can opener. It is very difficult to removed tomatoes from a can, but with guests arriving in a bit, I sacrificed my knife for the cause and very crudely opened two 28 ounce cans of tomatoes.

Adding the tomatoes, a bit of coarsely chopped prosciutto, about a cup of water, a couple bay leaves and some oregano, I returned the beef to the pan. Bringing the mixture to a simmer, I covered (with a cookie pan) and cooked over medium-low heat for about 90 minutes, turning a few times.

Quickly boiling the pre-made gnocchi, I removed the beef, sliced it, sauced both beef and pasta with the sauce and served with some bread and a salad (not pictured).

The result was terrific, and the remaining sauce went into the blender for future use.

best spam ever

The subject of a spam I got:

Subject: Take Your Award - Mr. Smallest one-eyed monster 2006

I don't care why your ramrod is so small, but 74% of women do. They are pretty sure that bigger sausage will make their desire stronger. You have the chance to change your life.

delivery day

Today all the furniture for which I’ve been waiting arrived. Pictured above is my dining room table (sans leaf) and one of the chairs I bought from Room and Board.

Delivery was not without incident, as one of the deliverymen badly sprained his ankle while trying to bring the chair pictured up my stairs. Despite the injury, he and his partner persevered and got both chairs and the couch into my place. Though the furniture isn’t set up as it ultimately will be, just having it all makes the place feel a lot more like home. And my worries about fitting it through my door were unwarranted, largely thanks to the cleverness of the deliverymen.

After all the furniture arrive, the US Postal Service delivered the baking sheets, drying racks and frying pans I bought from Amazon as well as the photo postcards I'm using to inform the world of my new address. The mailman also brought me my first gas bill, the only downside of the day, but I suppose it's unreasonable to complain about the cost of heat in Minnesota.

From Sen. John Edwards’ speech at Riverside Church in New York yesterday:

It is time, brothers and sisters, for America to be patriotic about something other than war.

stovelust

This is my stove. Made in 1842 by JcPenney, it is dirty and six inches wider than stoves made post-WWII. While I was initially excited about having a five-burner stove, that excitement was quickly dashed when I discovered the pilot on the middle burner no longer works.

Despite its gargantuan proportions, the oven is grossly undersized. I might be able to roast a chicken in there, but there's no way a turkey would fit, and baking two dishes simultaneously is out of the question. To the left of the oven is a large pot storage cabinet both impractical and wasteful. I would never store my cookware inside my oven even if it were clean. Perhaps this design seemed clever at one point, but I find it worthless.

While it wouldn't be prohibitively expensive to replace the stove, I also need more counter space in the kitchen and am debating between replacing the stove and replacing the counter beside it with an L-shaped counter that provides more space and better utilizes my kitchen's layout. To do both would probably be financially irresponsible until I get another deployment. But I want it now.

Sigh. At least my furniture is arriving on Tuesday.

how quickly I forget

Three years having passed since I last lived here, four since my last winter in Minnesota, I had forgotten what five degrees feels like. I had forgotten how the cold turns a four block walk into an odyssey and a nearby diner into an oasis of warmth.

No longer do I forget. And now as a homeowner, I cringe a bit ever time my furnace clicks on, sensing the dollars fleeing my wallet for the gas company’s coffers.

2006 by the numbers

For me, 2006 was a year of travel. To conclude the 2006 wrap up, I've got a bit of data to describe my nomadic 2006:

• Approximately 30,000 air miles flown. The approximate route taken was:
  CPH-BER-CPH-IAD-BTR-MSY-PIT-BTR-IAD-AMS-MAD-POR-IAD-BTR-DCA-LAS-MSP-SFO-DCA-MSP-MDT-DCA-MSP-DCA-MSP-DCA-PIT-DCA-MSP
  
• Seven countries visited.
  
• Overnights in 20 cities, 12 in the U.S. in nine states, as well as two nights in transit, one flying from Las Vegas to Minneapolis, the other on a train from Madrid to Lisbon.
  
• Approximately 200 nights in hotels.

Now, only two weeks after moving into my house, I'm iching for a trip. Perhaps soon another disaster will strike.

Norm Coleman can read a poll

Flipping on C-SPAN 2 this afternoon, I'm watching my senior senator taking the controversial position opposing an increase in forces in Iraq, a surge, or more accurately, escalation. Somebody must have told Senator Coleman that he's up for re-election in a couple years and he hasn't been running away from the President and the war fast enough.

overheard at ikea

Woman 1: Oh, look at that. There's a round bed.
Woman 2: What would you ever need a round bed for?
W1: I don't know. Round people?
W2: how would you even get sheets for that?

one more night

My dining room table and bed arrive tomorrow. I’m very excited for the arrival of my new bed. When I think about it my body relaxes, as it knows it will tomorrow night. My back aches from a week of sleeping on an old futon mattress on the floor and from all the work I’ve been doing. But now it need only lie down once more on the futon of suffering before nights of blissful slumber ensue.

Also of note:

• The broken blinds are down and the curtains are up in the living room.
  
• Three windows have insulation film on them.
  
• I build a small desk and two small shelves. The shelves were $3.50 on clearance at Kmart. They are being sold as a tall bathroom shelf, but it seemed much more useful (and stable) as a pair of three foot shelves. One is my printer stand:
  
  

a furniture conundrum

I bought most of the furniture I need today including a bed, sofa, two chairs and a dining room table. After looking at the dimensions of the sofa and chairs, I am concerned they won't fit through my door. The seating won't be delivered until the 16th, so I've got some time to work on this problem, but short of removing my door frame, I'm not sure there is a good solution to this problem. Hmmmm....

three down

Another day, another mouse caught. What's the over/under on total mice caught? I'd guess around eight, though I may hire an exterminator before we get to that point.

ikea is evil

I think I may have gone a little overboard on candles and candle-related materials. And buying unassembled furniture does not really advance the livability of my home. Oh well.

2006 in music

Not a great year for music, 2006 nonetheless had several standout albums, and a few more worth a listen:

• The Thermals: The Body, the Blood, the Machine
  
• Neko Case: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
  
• Broken Family Band: Balls
  
• The Octopus Project + Black Moth Super Rainbow: The House of Apples and Eyeballs
  
• The Killers: Sam's Town

Though less compelling, I also enjoyed:

• In-Flight Safety: The Coast Is Clear
  
• The Rest: Atlantis, Oh Our Saviour
  
• Snow Patrol: Eyes Open

Look for more year in review (as well as the ever-popular houseblogging) in the coming days. I've also posted a couple new Six Pictures in the past few days.

the opposite of progress

After days of improving the habitability of my new home, with some assistance, today I took a giant leap back. The first floor bathroom is mostly gutted, though we still need to remove the floor. The disgusting shower walls have been removed, as has the old sink and its shoddily constructed cabinet.

Elsewhere in the house, I installed two door knobs where once there were only holes, and put shiny new numbers on my door. Finally, my washer and dryer are hooked up and ready for use.

two down, ? to go

After chasing it around off and on for most of the evening, I caught the second mouse. My strategic glue-trap placement was no match for its feeble brain. And once again, I donned rubber gloves and employed both the dustpan and the bucket to dispose of my victim.

I also put the cleaned shelves back in the kitchen cabinets and unpacked my pots and pans. Tomorrow morning demolition in the downstairs bathroom begins.

progress

After two nights of scraping and peeling, I have removed all the contact paper from all the shelves and drawers in my kitchen. The contact paper was covered with filth and a several sticky substances of varying viscosity. I’ve given the underlying wood a good cleaning and I can begin unpacking my kitchen.

Unfortunately, I cannot begin buying food, as I have seen yet another mouse. I figure it will be easier to rid myself of them now if I keep the house bereft of food. I caught one last night, let’s see if I snare another tonight.

Simon: 1, Mouse: 0

My second night in my new home I learned I was not alone. At least one mouse was bouncing around the big empty duplex wth me. Yesterday I purchased glue mouse traps. Last night, with the rest of the kitchen bereft of food, I baited the traps with a little leftover rice from Quang. This morning, I had caught a mouse.

To be fair, if baiting a Simon trap, Quang would be great bait.