Chuck Close

For process and scale

I started to get into pointillism in High School and found this amazing artist Chuck Close, who is what I would call a modern pointillist, though most call him a photorealist. I personally was amazed and stunned by his work. Close achieves his work through a grid. He takes a photo, almost entirely large portraits, then puts a grid on that photo. He also draws a grid on his canvas and copies it cell by cell. In 1988 he suffered a spinal artery collapse which left him paralyzed from the neck down. He spent months in physical therapy, but still relies on a wheelchair. He has continued to paint by strapping a brush to his wrist and through the help of an assistant to create the grid.

I hope you enjoy him as much as I do.

Phil, Fingerprint 1978

Pastel and watercolor on washed paper mounted on paper 1978 

John, 100 color silkscreen 1997

Lucas, Oil and graphite on canvas 1986-87

Emma, woodcut 2002

Bill Clinton, Oil on canvas 2006

Almond Milk Cop Out

Things have been slightly hectic here and I haven't had a chance to do a bigger and better recipe for this week. Also, there have been many requests for this almond milk recipe and I so love sharing it with people.

Almond milk is one of the best alternative milks because of its increased protein and great healthy fats. It is also naturally more creamy than other options like rice and soy milk. Though soy milk gets a unfair bad wrap, if you are looking to avoid it, almond milk is the best choice. I found this recipe on Vegan Reader. We have tried many almond milk and rice milk recipes and this is definitely our favorite.

She has awesome, easy to follow instructions. And there is even an added dessert recipe to help use the "waste". Please enjoy and thank you for accepting my laid back Recipe of the Week.

Almond Milk Recipe from Vegan Reader

Note: If you would like your milk a little bit sweeter, as some store bought almond milks are, add about 2 Tablespoons of PURE maple syrup to the blender.

CSA

...And why you should have one this season!

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. What does that mean? Well, the way a CSA works is through investment. A consumer buys a share with a farm. The consumer pays upfront a certain amount and ensures the farmer that a specific amount of their crop is going to be purchased. The farmer can then rely on the intended consumption. They can use the money to buy seeds and pay for other upfront costs, rather than having to wait until they can sell their crops after harvest. This also gives them cash flow throughout the year, rather than receiving most of their income during just one season. The consumer then picks up their share, usually on a weekly basis, of the crop from the farm. This lasts for the entire season, usually 20-25 weeks.

Shares

Farms usually have different types of shares. Most common are half, full and advanced. The share is the amount of food you will be receiving. It can also indicate which type of food you are receiving as some farms will have a dairy share, which would include milk or cheese every week.

Cost

Though the cost upfront seems like a significant amount of money, it actually works out to be cheaper than buying produce from the grocery store. Most CSAs are between $23-26 per week, much less than if you were to buy the same products individually.

Drop-Off/Pick-Up

If you live by, or are willing to drive to the farm, you can always pick up your share from the farm. However, for those who can't, there are various city drop-offs depending on the CSA. You should factor this into which CSA you choose, you don't want one that drops off on the same night you have Chess Boxing practice.

Farm Tour Day

Almost all farms have what they call Farm Tour Days. This is a time when the CSA members are invited to the farm they have been supporting. It is a great way to get to know the farmers and see the farm. Sometimes you even learn something, on the farm tour last summer I learned that asparagus was grown one stalk at a time. It helps you see the producers of your food as real people. It helps you see the world of food production with your own eyes.

Local

This one is obvious, but you are supporting a local company. CSAs are just as good as going to your local farmer's markets to get food, most of the CSA farms even sell at farmer's markets.

Family Farms/Co-ops

All of the farms are either small family farms or farm co-ops. Pennsylvania in particular has a significant number of small family farms that are dying every year from competition. When harvests go well, things can be easy, however for a small family farm or co-op a bad crop can mean big problems. By participating in a CSA, if the harvest goes badly or doesn't have maximum production, you are ensuring that the farm doesn't go out of business and can continue. You are helping to give them "Rainy Day"(bad analogy since rain is good in the farming world) money to bring them through the bad harvests or unforeseen problems.

Decisions

When I pick up my CSA for the week, all of my decisions are made for me. I don't have to go through the produce aisle and think of what to make. Instead, I am given the fruits and vegetables that I will be using that week. This is a huge plus for me, as decision-making usually leads to frustration in my household.

This past season we had a full share from Harvest Valley Farms. Every Thursday we would go to pick up our share. A sample weeks share would be: 1/2 dozen ears of corn, pint of pickling cucumbers, head of cauliflower, three zucchinis, a bag of green beans, 4 apples and a head of lettuce. Harvest Valley sends out a weekly e-mail letting you know what is in the share and includes a recipe using one or more of the items. I absolutely loved it and we plan to continue getting CSAs every season.

If you have a CSA or decided to get one, which farm are you using and why?

If you are interested in getting a CSA this season, which you should be, Local Harvest is a great website to find one near you. Local Harvest also has information on farmer's markets and other food related things.

Natasha Wescoat

Natasha Wescoat is a Michigan-based artist that I fell in love with a few years ago. I don't remember exactly how I stumbled upon her website, but I instantly enjoyed her landscaped trees and floating birds. Since then her art has moved onto other characters, but I think I still enjoy her early stuff the most. Her art is clearly whimsical with its ability, at least for me, to move you to a lighter and more carefree mood. I like how this contrasts her usual use of dark colors. I hope you enjoy her as much as I do.

You can visit her blog. Or just browse through more of the artwork on her website.

Mac & Cheez

I really have started disliking the "clever" ways people play on words for vegetarian and vegan things. This recipe is more like Mac and Veg Sauce, but that just isn't appetizing. So I used the Cheez alternative, which really just makes me think of Cheez Whiz...Eww.

This is one of our favorite vegan dishes. It's nice and heavy, like normal Mac & Cheese, but is full of vegetable deliciousness.

This isn't a recipe that would fool someone, you can definitely tell there is something up with the sauce. (If you are interested in a good homemade vegan "cheese" sauce, this is one of my favorites. Just make sure you add extra lemon juice as it will add some nice cheesy tanginess.) The recipe below is a modification of this original recipe for 'No-Nooch, No-Tofu, Excellent Mac 'n' Cheese'. Nooch is another name for Nutritional Yeast Flakes. In my opinion of the biggest arguments against veganism is the issue of Vitamin B12. B12 is a vitamin that is important to the nervous system, and a severe deficiency can result in some pretty serious health problems including anemia and nervous system damage. Vitamin B12 is not available in any "natural" plant food form. The only way for vegans to get it is through supplements or fortified foods. Nutritional Yeast Flakes are one such fortified food. Nutritional Yeast is not like baking or brewer's yeast, but is often used to make cheese-like substitutes because of its nutty flavor. One of the changes I make to the original recipe is including "Nooch" as I like its flavor and texture.

Mac & Cheez

Prep Time 10 Min : Cook Time 15 mins : Servings 6

Special Equipment Needed
Food Processor or Blender

Ingredients
8 oz Macaroni¹
2 Medium Sweet Potatoes²
4-5 Medium Carrots
1 Medium Onion
1 Tablespoon minced Garlic (about 2-3 cloves)
1/2 Cup Raw Cashews
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons Vegan Margarine³
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Red Hot Pepper Flakes, optional

Prepping the Veggies

1. Place the cashews in a small bowl and cover with water. Allow them to soak whilst you are doing other things.
2. Chop the sweet potatoes, carrots and onions.
3. Put the sweet potatoes, carrots and onions in a large pot and cover with water. Bring water to a boil over high heat.
4. Once the water is boiling, turn down the heat and allow to boil on medium heat until the carrots and potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
5. Carefully drain the veggies, saving the liquid in a bowl.
6. Reserve 1/2 cup of the broth and place the rest back in the pot and bring to a boil. This is the liquid you will boil the pasta in, add additional water if necessary. When the broth water is boiling, cook the pasta accordingly.

my new food processor (see notes)

Food Processor: The Mother of All Small Appliances

7. As the pasta is cooking, drain the cashews and place them in the food processor.
8. Add the 1/2 cup reserved broth, garlic, lemon juice, mustard and margarine to the cashews. Process until smooth.
9. Add the veggies to the mix and process until smooth. The consistency should be like a thick sauce.
10. Taste the sauce and adjust the spices as needed, this is when you should add some salt and pepper.

Make It Spicy

Once your sauce is where you want it, assemble. Place some pasta in the bowl, followed by a healthy portion of sauce. Unlike other Mac & Cheese recipes where it's a 3/4 noodles to 1/4 sauce proportion, this dish is best when it is at least half and half. So be generous with the sauce. Sprinkle some red pepper flakes, or even your favorite hot sauce on top, and enjoy the veg!



Notes:
1 The East End Food Co-op has a great macaroni in their bulk section that is made from quinoa flour. It's awesome and has a bunch of added protein. If you don't know what quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wAH) is, it's a grain that is the only non-animal complete protein and super tasty.
2 There is always a debate over the difference between sweet potatoes and yams, but as I don't feel like getting into that here. I mean the root vegetable with the dark red/maroon-ish skin and the orange flesh.
3 I use Earth Balance when I want a vegan margarine. It is the tastiest to us, but anything would work.
4 Food processors are awesome. My old one broke a bit ago and I did a ton of research about this new one. It is agreed upon by almost all of the reviewers, consumer and professional, that this is basically the best food processor out there right now. It is the Cuisinart Prep 11 Plus DLC-2011. This was its inaugural ceremony and it preformed beautifully!

Diary of A Slogger, issue 3

...Or why you should shop at Elite Walkers and Runners.

This past Thursday was just one of those runs. I don't know if I had eaten poorly on Wednesday, or if the warm weather threw me for a loop (though I would never complain of the blessed sunshine of wonderfulness), but I wasn't having fun. I kept repeating the Jillian Michael's mantras, "Pain is fear leaving the body" and "When it starts getting uncomfortable, those are the ones that really count", and "We don't get to the finish line and stop, that's when we push even harder".

I focused all of the pain I was feeling on the fact that I needed new shoes. I am a very conscious shopper. I often do a lot of research on the products I buy, especially big purchases. I also hate consumerism in general and get very anxious when buying anything. I will have arguments with myself in the store: "Do I really need this?", "Is this going to help my life?", "Is this clubbing baby seals to make my life easier?", etc. Needless to say, I don't like buying new stuff, especially when they are things just for me. So I wasn't too excited about the idea of buying new running shoes. I mean they looked fine. There weren't any hole; the soles didn't seem terribly worn. But my knees, and even lower back, were beginning to hurt. After being horribly frustrated by a painful run, I decided it was time to finally get new shoes.

My Spiffy New Shoes

It is a rule of thumb to replace your running shoes between 350-550 miles of use. For me that is about 4-6 months, at my current running pace. That seems like an awful lot of shoes. However, I keep telling myself that it is an investment into my future. By using running shoes I am making a happier, healthier me, as corn-tastic as it is. I am preventing diseases such as diabetes, which would cost myself and my insurance significantly more than $150 a year. Also, when it comes to exercising activities, running is one of the cheapest. The only equipment you really need is shoes.

Now that you are convinced you need new running shoes, you should go to Elite Walkers and Runners. Elite is a great local shop. The staff are incredibly friendly and there to help you with whatever you need. Though they are all skilled in delivering you the perfect pair of shoes, they don't flaunt their abilities to make you feel bad. I know nothing about running and probably asked some pretty stupid questions, but Erin, the lady helping me, didn't make me feel as dumb as I sounded. She answered my questions kindly and made me feel comfortable. They are able to look at your old shoes and suggest what new ones might work. They also watch you run to see if the shoes are working properly. One of the pairs I tried on was making me push-off my big toe, which apparently is bad.

They also have an interest in the community. From their mission statement:

Our mission is to be the central hub for the Pittsburgh running community and to spread the passion that the staff has to get people out and moving. We have moved forward with this mission through our involvement in the development and sponsorship of races around the Pittsburgh Region; educating the community through wellness clinics, health fairs, good form running classes, and corporate nights. We have also encouraged our youth to get involved in Track and Cross Country through education about running, injury prevention, and through team nights held at the store.

This is exactly what I want in every business I use. This inspires me to want to support them. They even have a Soles 4 Souls donation box for your old shoes.


And that is why I have been shopping rather exclusively at Elite Walkers and Runners for all of my slogging needs.

It was somewhat serendipitous that the right shoes for me happen to be New Balance. I apparently really like their shoes as I have bought about 3 pairs in various styles from Goodwill over the years. Also, they are a pretty cool company, not amazing, but cool. Here is what they call 'Responsible Leadership'

The East End Food Co-op

...Or why you should shop at your local food co-op.

In case you don't know what a co-op is, aside from a magical, wonderful land of rainbows, it is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit. The East End Food Co-op is a grocery store in Pittsburgh that sells food, cosmetics, vitamins, toiletries and cleaning supplies that are "natural and organic".Therefore everything in the store has been carefully purchased and thought about. Co-ops are the best place to do all your regular shopping, especially in the winter months when you can't rely on farmer's markets and CSAs.

Local

While buying local is very trendy, this doesn't make it any less important.

Celtic Knots

I thought in honor of St. Patrick's Day I would feature some art from Ireland to help show that it can be known for more than just drinking. I have enjoyed the intricacies of Celtic knots for quite a while. I also like the many ways they can be interpreted or used as various symbols. One of the many reasons I knew that my husband was the person I should marry was because of the engagement ring he found for me. It was a simple ring with 3 small diamonds and a beautiful Celtic knot pattern. I posted a few of my favorites below.

Eggs Pomodoro

...Or 10 steps to the culinary mastery of poaching an egg.

I had never poached an egg before, at least not in water. I use to call eggs that I microwaved a certain way poached, but after poaching eggs and eating them, those were definitely just microwaved eggs. So I decided it was time to change this and level up in my culinary skills. I am not sure how many of you have watched Julie & Julia, a movie I was very surprised that I highly enjoyed, but there is a scene where one of the main characters attempts to poach eggs. I had heard it was difficult to poach eggs and this scene reinforced that fear. From an episode of Secrets of a Restaurant Chef with Anne Burrell, I learned that you need to add a bit of vinegar to the water. Julia Child from Julie & Julia says you need very fresh eggs. Finally, Whitney Miller, the winner of Masterchef US, used a technique on the show where you swirl the water before you drop the egg in to be poached. With all of these tips, I set to work poaching eggs for the first time.

I originally wanted to do an Eggs Benedict,

The Climbing Wall, Inc.

...or why your hands should be callused and your forearms beefy.

Before we left for China I had been going to the Climbing Wall on a weekly basis. I had built up some nice calluses and was starting to feel like I was actually excelling. Then we went to China for six weeks and all of the skills I had picked up vanished. I was willing to give it another go, knowing how much fun I had the last time around. I arrived at the Climbing Wall with some friends and set to work. For the next two hours, it was nothing more than pain and suffering. Everything I tried seemed to kick my butt, my hands hurt, and I just wasn't having a good time.

This past week I debated whether or not to try again. My usual climbing buddy was out-of-town and I could easily use that as an excuse to skip it.

The Prosperity Problem

...Or how meat is killing the Chinese.

I am not sure how many of you have heard of the book The China Study, it is a book about the rise of certain illnesses in China and their correlation to the rise in animal product consumption over the last 20 years. I personally have not read the book, though I have it on my requests at the library, but I have talked to some people in China about this issue.

While in Shenyang, I had the privileged to meet some medical students studying at the local university. One day when a group of us were out to lunch, one of the girls brought up this very topic. She explained how she saw a huge problem with how Chinese people are eating now. Before people were unable to afford meat and, therefore, it was not a huge part of their diet. And when meat was eaten, it was usually fish, pork or poultry. Now, however, because people are making more money and meat prices are cheaper, the general public is able to consume more meat, especially new meats like beef and mutton. My friend expressed that she didn't think this was a good thing. She felt that Chinese people were eating too much meat and were going to have more health problems than past generations.

ArThursday - Artist Showcase, Launch!

To feed my love for art in all forms, I have decided to add a weekly art day to my blog. Much like the "Recipe of the Week" these are going to be posts from friends, famous artists, random things I found, or sometimes me. They are also going to take all forms, photos, songs, crafts or, like today, poems.

If you would like to be featured, send me a message or leave a comment. Or if you just have awesome art that you've found or that you were reminded of, please share!

Today's ArThursday comes in the form of a poem. This was written by my friend Seth. If you are interested in more, check out his new blog ex cathedra.

My mind is not my own
it goes where it wishes
Overturning rocks the size of buildings
Uncovering chasm of ancient depth

And then my heart sees itself
a reflection of the shimmering of an
intangible instant; and latches itself
whole heartedly attached

Nobility in the pursuit of a
Sacred Quest do the two
seek through the firmament of the Earth
for the very thing that gives them leave to seek

I shift through the pieces of my heart,
mind, and vessels they have returned with
And seven times over can I reassemble them
to bear a resemblance to the world that holds me

First bleak and structured
Then bright and fluid
Now both, until I touch it and
it collapses into something incomprehensible

And so is my Sisyphus
To build and lose and gain
While trying to make my mind Understand
and my heart Know
What's really going on here.

Recipe of the Week, Launch!

...or Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew.

I am absolutely obsessed with food. Eating it, cooking it, learning about where it comes from and how it is made. So I decided it would be a great idea to start a regular recipe of the week post. Sometimes they will be recipes of my own creation, sometimes ones straight out of a cookbook or from online. Mostly they will probably be somewhere in between.

I thought I would start off with an easy slow cooker recipe. This week our recipe comes from Betty Crocker Easy Everyday Vegetarian.

Vegan? Not Vegan?

...or why I decided not to be vegan anymore.

I had been vegetarian and then vegan for about 3 years. When I went to China we decided that we were going to do the best we could at keeping our diet the same. However, being in a smaller city in China, not knowing the language, and eating with other people made it extremely difficult to eat vegetarian and impossible to eat vegan.

When I got back from China the first time, it was around Thanksgiving and I decided to eat the traditional food, turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy. By the time Christmas rolled around, I was so weighed down by animal products that I was fully ready to be vegan again, and consequently had a delicious vegan Christmas.

This time around, I was in Shanghai, a much larger city

Diary of a Slogger, Part 2

...Or how to tell Grandma to suck it!

As I stated yesterday, running outside means that inevitably you get passed by other people. While on the Jail Trail, there are cars that pass you, completely forgivable, they are cars on the parkway, come on! Then there are the bikers, excusable, I can bike like three times as far as run. The Bladers, oh 90s, okay they are still on wheels. The super fit He-runners, well clearly. The middle-aged joggers, okay fine they've been running their whole lives. Then it happens, the grandma passes you. And there is nothing you can say to yourself. Nothing. You have a look of disbelief on your face, even though you smiled politely at her as she passed, you are questioning everything you know. Why am I here? What am I doing? Do I even know what running means? Am I able to move my legs in an efficient motion? And you want to crawl home and cry yourself to sleep in a corner, telling yourself "Well, I bet she can't do The Shred!"

Diary of a Slogger

Let me first explain the term "slogger". So there is walking, jogging and running. But then within these categories there are various speeds or intensities, right? Clearly going for a leisurely stroll isn't as intense as a brisk walk. Therefore with jogging, there is slogging, mogging, and fogging; slow, medium and fast.

When we got to China, I decided to start running. I thought it would be a great way to have a goal to achieve, plus I have many runner friends who I figured would be nice to run with once I got home. I went online to get a schedule for how to train for an 8k and went to work. I have been enjoying it quite a bit. It is nice to see your progress and to have a tangible goal. I am not yet a "runner" per se, but I am okay with being a slogger for now.

While in China, our hotel had a fitness center. I used the treadmill there, which was nice since you shouldn't run outside in most cities in China because of the pollution. Now that we are home, and since I don't have a gym membership, I went for a jog outside. As I was jogging, my mind was thinking of the comparisons between using a treadmill and using nature. These opinions are listed below.

Treadmills vs. Outdoor Running

The "Outside" opinions pertain to one experience using the Eliza Furnace Trail, or the "Jail Trail". The "Treadmill" opinions are of a treadmill inside a gym, not necessarily one in the comfort of your own home.

Speed Regulation Winner: Treadmill

Treadmill - You can set your speed and know exactly how fast you are going.

Outside - Much more difficult to judge, though this is dependent on the next factor.

Distance Winner: Treadmill

Treadmill - You are able to set exactly how fast or slow you would like to go.

Outside - I went online to look up how long the trail was, all the sources stated 2.5 miles. However once I got on the trail there were conflicting signs, and I wasn't exactly sure where the trail started and ended. Also, there is currently construction on the trail, and I wasn't sure how the detour factored into the distance.

Incline Winner: Both

Treadmill - You can set how steep you want to go (note: when using a treadmill you should always set the incline at least on 1% as anything less is akin to running slightly downhill)

Outside - Though you can't set exactly what the incline is, there are "surprise" downhill sections. Also, I was running on a rails-to-trails trail, so there weren't any steep areas. This would not be true for the entire rest of Pittsburgh.

Temperature Winner: Both

Treadmill - Usually in gyms the temperature is constantly set on a nice temperature that makes it pleasant to exercise in. (note: the gym in Shanghai was extremely warm, because the heater was always on, or really cold, when the windows were open to combat the heater)

Outside - While in the summer or winter it can make exercising outside sometimes unpleasant, the fall and spring offer nice breezes and good sun intensity.

Pollution Winner: In this case neither, but it should be both

Treadmill - Non-existent, except when the windows have to be open and you are in China.

Outside - I usually use this trail quite often for biking. I never thought of it until yesterday, but since the trail runs right between the parkway and 2nd Avenue, two major and busy roads, the air quality is far from pure.

Fellow Health Enthusiasts Winner: Treadmill

Treadmill - Though you can tell when others are going faster or slower than you, they still never physically pass you. Also, while I do go at a slower pace, I usually end up going for a longer period of time than my other zealous runners.

Outside - You get passed by other runners, this doesn't feel good. Unlike with the treadmill, I don't know how long they have been running at this speed and therefore assume that it has been for days and I suck at life. (More to come on this in my next post)

Scenery Winner: Outside

Treadmill - Running on a treadmill gets really boring. I mean really boring. Even with a television or music.

Outside - There is so much to look at! I was amazed by how much more pleasurable it was to actually feel like I was going somewhere and seeing something. Also, you're outside!

By votes, treadmill wins. However, most of those were dependent on the specific experience I had on the Jail Trail and not an overall running outside experience. I also want to give outside extra points for scenery, because, in case you couldn't tell, it was really great. I guess that makes it more of a tie. Though, since I am not getting a gym membership and it is only going to get nicer out, all of my future slogging will be outside. That is at least until we leave the country again and even then it will depend on the city.

Yay Nature!

For those joggers/runners out there, which do you prefer? Are there other factors I haven't considered?

Photos?

In keeping with trying to take more photographs, I thought I would share some from our recent trips around Shanghai.

Hope you enjoy!