Log Cabin-ish Pillow

We bought as-is pillows at Ikea last year. Then half-heartedly covered them. I decided months ago that I wanted to make a Log Cabin inspired cover for the worst of them. Here is an in-progress photo. I really hope I finish it but it has already been over a year so there is no telling. All the fabric was leftover from other projects at least.

Tomato Sauce with Vinegar

Twice I have made a mushroom tomato sauce with red wine vinegar. I enjoyed it both times.

I mince garlic and saute it until fragrant. Then add sliced mushrooms. Add marjoram to taste and mix thoroughly. Once it seems that everything will stick horribly to the pan add a glug or two of red wine vinegar. Cook with lid on until mushrooms are soft and it smells delightful. Add tomatoes and any salt and pepper. Simmer while the water for the pasta boils. It makes a fairly tangy sauce so I think it is best over a filled pasta.

Peach Cobbler

I made a peach cobbler from frozen peaches. They were a little hard even after baking forever. This is one recipe that has never been as good as the first time. How can that be? I remember it as the most amazing thing I had ever made up until that point. And it has since gained nearly mythical status. I make it once or twice a year now and there is always something that rubs me the wrong way. The nutmeg was too strong. The dough never quite cooked despite nearly doubling the time in the oven. This time the peaches were hard and the dough still had issues. Maybe I should accept that the first time was the best and move on to a different version of the recipe. It was from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking Book.

One Hour

A couple weeks ago we ran for one hour straight! The last ten minutes were pure will power and pain. But, what an accomplishment. Then on Sunday we both had "PR's" in the local race for the cure. Brandon = 25:45. Me = 27:50. Hurray!

Sci-Fi Summer

This summer I am going all out and reading only science fiction/fantasy. I always claim to love the genre but haven't read enough of it to silence its many detractors. Also, I may go back to school next term and won't have time for such luxuries.

I started off with a painful, difficult book The Void Captain's Tale by Norman Spinrad.

"But despite these appearances, I sensed that the void within me, that black hole of confusion which had somehow been bored through my weltanschauung, had finally begun to fracture the phenomenological realm precisely at its point of greatest ambiguity - the sexual interface where psyche and soma could no longer be dualized."

And on and on in that vein. But I finished it and I think I understood some of the most obvious points.