web-goddess

Mark Bittman – he of the no-knead bread phenomenon – gives advice on cleaning out your pantry for New Year’s. I did something similar last week, much to the Snook’s chagrin. I threw out probably an entire grocery bag full of expired stuff: spices, pasta, bread-making supplies, semi-dried fruit, etc. Some of this stuff was YEARS out-of-date! He argued that most of it was still perfectly good to use, in the sense that it wouldn’t kill us. My response was that whatever potency and flavor they had originally was long gone, and we’d be better off getting smaller amounts of fresher supplies. I mean, if you haven’t used SOY GRITS since 2004, what are the chances you’re going to use them in 2009?

One for the Snook: Crossword Puzzle Apartment Building. There are clues located all over the city, and at night the answers are illuminated. Neat!

Substitution in Cricket. I’ve been confused by the match Australia are currently playing against South Africa, as one of the SA players got struck on the hand and had to retire injured in the first inning. I assumed that somebody would bat for him in the second innings, right? I mean, the guy got his hand BROKEN. But no! Substitutions are only allowed in the field, and the new player can’t bat or bowl or act as wicket-keeper. How odd. Seems a little unfair that a single bit of bad luck can keep a team a man down for the rest of the match.

Deep. Fried. Cupcakes. O brave new world world that has such wonders in it!

Thanks to everybody who wished me luck on my first day at the new job. It went GREAT! Everybody is really cool and friendly, and I’m excited about the stuff I’ll be working on. Staying in the same industry is a big help. It was a huge confidence boost to be able to come in, know exactly what they’re talking about, and be able to contribute right from the get-go.

Twilight versus Lost Boys
This past Friday, one of the arguments that the girls were giving me for Twilight‘s suckitude was that “Lost Boys was so much better!” Really? Because all I remember was Kiefer dangling from a bridge with his lame vampire gang, Dianne Wiest being super stupid and annoying, Corey Feldman having a ridiculous accent, that weird song with the chanting children, and that scene where Corey Haim is singing in the bathtub and his dog saves him from being eaten by a scenery-chewing Jason Patric. And those are hardly Cinematic Highlights For the Ages. Anyway, we may have to put it to the test considering that Popcorn Taxi is screening Lost Boys with a Corey Feldman Q&A on January 21st. (Good grief. Do you realize that movie is 21-YEARS-OLD??)

How to Freeze Greens (like Spinach, Collards, Kale and Swiss Chard). We got a big bundle of Swiss Chard in last night’s food box, so I’ll probably be trying out this technique tonight. I’ve also got quite a few cucumbers to use up. Anybody have a foolproof recipe for sun dills? (First link courtesy of not martha.)