A Soul in Diaspora

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Ingredients:

• About 650g lean ground beef
• 1 can (16 oz) brown refried beans (Old El Paso works well)
• 1 packet Old El Paso Taco Seasoning, low salt
• 1-3 fresh hot green chilis, minced
• 1 can/bottle red enchilada sauce, warmed to at least room temperature. (Good brands: La Victoria (supermarket), Casa Corona (Chili Chilis))
• 1 heaping bowl of fresh shredded cheese: extra-old yellow cheddar, or a mix of cheddar and jack
• 1 medium Spanish onion, diced into small squares
• 4 chopped tomatoes
• 1 bowl shredded lettuce
• 10 large flour tortillas
• Butter
• Vegetable oil

Have ready:

• 2 large skillets
• 1 medium saucepan
• Several baking pans, non-stick or lined with tinfoil
• Tinfoil
• 2 plates for preparing tortillas

Note regarding the seasoning: You could whip up your own Mexican spice mix, but the Old El Paso mix is just about perfect, IMHO, and is findable in most supermarkets. However, check the ingredients. Some time in the past year they snuck MSG (yeast extract, specifically) into their non-low-salt taco seasoning. They may eventually adulterate this one too. The MSG messes up the flavor, gives it a cloying quality.

On to the recipe:

Saute the minced chilis for a few minutes in a small amount of oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and brown and separate it. Drain fat if desired. Pour into a medium saucepan, add the refried beans and seasoning and mix thoroughly. Leave to simmer on low heat (2-3), stirring occasionally.

Start oven preheating to 350F.

In another skillet, melt and spread a pat of butter over medium heat. Soften a tortilla in the butter for 5-10 seconds on each side. Repeat process for each tortilla (adding more butter each time), and stack softened tortillas on a plate. (After the first few, turn heat down to 4.)

For each burrito: place a softened tortilla on plate and coat with a thin layer of enchilada sauce (about one tablespoonful). Spoon a generous amount of beef&bean mixture into the middle of the tortilla, leaving enough space around the edges to fold and roll it afterwards. Sprinkle with diced onions, wrap up (folding ends in) and place in a non-stick (or foil-lined) baking pan. The beef&beans should be enough to fill up to 10 large tortillas.

Coat with more enchilada sauce (at least another tablespoonful per burrito), then sprinkle generously with shredded cheese. Cover pan(s) with tinfoil and bake for 10 minutes.

Serve with chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, salsas and hot sauces. (I like mine topped with Herdez green sauce). Fresh guacamole and/or sour cream optional. Serves 5-7. Reheats well (~1 minute in microwave.)

Nope. Still horse food.

Jasmine rice: A smashing success.

Basmati rice: A really smashing success. The crème de la crème. The pièce de résistance. Comes out completely dry (unlike my stovetop basmati, which, while not actually coming out soggy, always has a sort of subtle residual wateriness to it that I don't like), yet so tender I could just eat it all day. Better than most Indian restaurants'. Plus, it fills my kitchen with a heavenly smell while it cooks.

The Zojirushi does a soak cycle before it starts cooking, and I wonder if that could be the trick. Whatever it is, this thing is definitely going to increase the amount of carbs in my diet. Which I consider a good thing.

Remaining to be tried:

• Supermarket brown rice. (I have high hopes for this. I think it's a little more processed than the Black Japonica. I had brown rice at a friend's place once and loved it, but my own always comes out horse food.)

• Regular (Chinese-style) white rice

• Thai-style sticky rice

Without snow tires.

I'm still in one piece, as is the car, so I count the milestone passed! I took it nice and slow (like everyone else), gave myself lots of extra stopping distance. Anti-lock brakes kicked in at one point (not sure why--I was going very slowly when I braked). Had a few mild skids, including at the turn from Riverside onto Bank, which ironphoenix had warned me about. Made a few very-last-minute lane changes because I was too busy paying attention to not spinning out to pay attention to, um, where I was going, and was surprised to not get honked at over them. I guess people expect you to drive stoopid in this weather.

At Mazda they put the snow tires on for us. I can't say as I noticed much difference. If anything matters seemed worse (but then again, the roads were probably worse by then.) ironphoenix: please check and make sure all is well.

I could very much use advice on keeping windows clear, something driving school didn't really cover. I thought I did a decent job wiping them clean before I started, but still ended up with some smeared slush in the lower part of the driver's side windshield that I couldn't get rid of. It was bad enough that I had to crane my neck to see out. (Fortunately I was almost home by that point.) The rear windshield got iced up so badly that the rear window defroster couldn't handle it all; I finally had to pull into a gas station, get out, and wipe it off. Passenger windows got frosted/slushed up too. 4-way fail.

I kept it plenty warm inside the car. What did I do wrong? Or is it just inevitable that with that much snow blowing around your windows are going to get covered in crud?

Nevertheless: I'm in one piece. Car's in one piece. Pass.

To make it easier for people to create prints of my work (yes, you can do this without asking me), I've changed the way I upload. I now usually upload the largest possible bitmap, even if I don't think the photo is sharp enough to work, onscreen, at that resolution. Click "full view" (or just click on the thumbnail) on DA to see the picture at the resolution I think it works at. But if you want to make a print, click "download" to get the maximum possible resolution. As a general rule, you will need to print at at least 100dpi to get something that looks good. For instance, a print 10 inches wide should be from an image at least 1000 pixels wide.

With wallpapers I still follow the custom of releasing a fullview of 1280x800, and a download of 1680x1050. In that case the download version is explicitly mentioned, since I'm happy with it.

If you're interested in a poster-sized print, ask me. I do not usually upload anything bigger than 1680x1050, but I may be willing to email you a bitmap up to 3008x2000. (Only a fraction of my works are available at that kind of res, though--generally they're the ones I release as wallpapers.) For this, I will probably request a small payment, or that you treat me to dinner ;-)

Male House Finch

The House Finch is a common and year-round resident here, and throughout much of North America. They were originally a species of the southwest. They were imported to the east as pets, and, when attempts to sell them failed, they were turned loose on Long Island, New York. The released birds spread and established a thriving wild population. They've displaced our closely-related native Purple Finches, shunting them northward into the boreal forest.

House Finches favor human-disturbed areas and are common at seed feeders in winter (this one was at Fletcher Wildlife Garden's backyard feeder). They have a lovely song--a cheerful, rambling, up-and-down warble--but aren't particularly photogenic. This is the first success of many attempts on my part to produce a worthwhile House Finch portrait.

Male Slate-Colored Junco

Slate-Colored Juncos winter in the states, and some of them are already there. But our mild weather has encouraged many to linger in Ottawa. That should be ending right about...oh, now.

European Starling flock (see fullscreen for more detail)

European Starling (winter plumage)

European Starlings were introduced into North America by, believe it or not, Shakespeare enthusiasts. A group of them got it into their heads to populate our continent with every type of bird mentioned in the works of Shakespeare. With some species, the attempt was a failure. With starlings it was a rousing success--so much of a success, in fact, that some people hate starlings. They blanket lawns, plunder fruiting trees (my mom tells the story of the time a flock of starlings stripped her ornamental holly bare in a matter of hours), and out-compete native species.

Me, I love starlings. I can't help but love them. They're beautiful. They're iridescent in summer, iridescent with stars in the winter, and whirl overhead in great, undulating flocks. I love them because we should have a bird like that in North America: a bird so numerous that they darken the sky as they pass. We did once. It was called the Passenger Pigeon. There were billions of them. But we cut down the old-growth forests and hunted them mercilessly, and they all died. Since I can't have passenger pigeons back, I'll take starlings and call it a deal.

Cooper's Hawk

Cooper's Hawks migrate, but a small number of them stay in Ottawa throughout the winter. As long as there are house finches and starlings to dine on, why not? ;-)

"Wife! I am home! And I have a feeling you don't have a steak for me.

"Heck, I have a feeling you don't even have frickin' tater tots!"

ETA: in case it wasn't clear, this was a "I love my husband because he makes snarky Bloom County references" :-)

"Yonder puny fellow however, whom everyone can beat suffers no chagrin about it, for he has long ago abandoned the attempt to 'carry that line,' as the merchants say, of Self at all. With no attempt there can be no failure; with no failure no humiliation. So our self-feeling in this world depends entirely on what we back ourselves to be and do. It is determined by the ratio of our actualities to our supposed potentialities; a fraction of which our pretentions are the denominator and the numerator our success: thus, Self-esteem = Success/Pretensions. Such a fraction may be increased as well by diminishing the denominator as by increasing the numerator. To give up pretensions is as blessed a relief as to get them gratified."

- William James

Current Mood: annoyed

...or would, except Dreamwidth doesnt' have any image hosting last I checked.

If the aforeposted White-Throated Sparrow (or any other of my pictures) does not show up on your screen, just try again later. Or see it on DeviantArt.

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Photographed in a front yard in Deerfield (my parents' neighborhood) around 3:30. Sometimes the late-afternoon light is just perfect.

*dance* *cavort* *bounce*

My mother, aunt and I found a few precipitation-free hours this morning and went out to Dutch Gap, a conservation area on the James River. The wintering Ring-Necked Ducks were in their usual place, milling around on the marsh along with Canada Geese. In the same area was one of the coolest things I've seen in three years of this hobby. Two Bald Eagles were perched on a bare tree. Then one of them flew over to the other, hovered, landed on top, and started mating! Noisily and enthusiastically, I might add. I was fortunate enough to find a break in the trees and get four good photos before they separated. We were practically jumping up and down (actually Alice was literally jumping up and down) for excitement.

It's been sparse birding around here after the first day, with very few opportunities for pictures. But that was an acceptable consolation prize.

Okay, first things first: I love Canada. I especially love Ottawa. I love the people, the restaurants, the woods, the parks and the birding. Politically and socially, I fit in well there. I've put down roots there. But each time I visit Virginia, I'm reminded of the things I love about it too, and feel an urge to sing the south's praises.

The land is vigorous here. The woods behind my parents' backyard, cut down for timber two summers ago, are rapidly regenerating. The bare brushpiles I saw last year have been overgrown by bushes, saplings, and mega-weeds. And of course, there are still some fall colors around. Close to ground, there's even still a fair bit of green.

Romping through the woods, the smell of moist weeds, the sight of brick-red clay soil and fallen sycamore leaves, sticky brambles, and the echoing songs of Tufted Titmice all tug at me in little ways, reminding me of my childhood.

People are polite here. It sometimes takes me by surprise. The server at the restaurant calling me "ma'am", for example, with a real attitude of deference--not a fancy restaurant, a chain restaurant. Or, in the line in front of me at Chipotle, a teenager blessing me after I sneeze. I never thought I cared much about manners, but when that flight attendant in Chicago addressed us as "you guys", it grated somehow. Maybe I'm just getting old.

The Mexican. Oh, the Mexican. In all its culinary wonders, Mexican is the one thing Ottawa just doesn't do very well. Yes, I've been to Ahora. Meh. Yes, I've been to Feleena's and Pancho Villa, they're not bad. The best Mexican restaurant in Ottawa--and one of the very few run by actual Hispanics--folded, because people didn't appreciate it. (Okay, so there were other reasons it folded. But that was one.)

My mom and I went to Chipotle for lunch. I would dearly love for Chipotle to invade Ottawa. (So far the closest it's gotten is Toronto.) It's basically Mexican fast food, but really, really good. You get a tortilla big enough to wrap around a house, filled with whatever you want as you walk down the assembly line of ingredients. Me: "barbacoa" (shredded spiced braised beef), pinto beans (cooked with bacon, hoo yeah), cilantro-lime rice, shredded cheese, guacamole (fresh-made thrice daily), pico de gallo, and hot red tomatillo and de arbol salsa.

The chain is big on sustainability, environmentalism, etc. I haven't researched much to confirm how legit it is, but it looks legit. Wikipedia, at least, confirms. What makes me particularly happy is the words "humanely raised." A lot of restaurants and meat shops, while throwing around phrases like organic, sustainable, hormone-free, etc., fail to mention whether the animals have actually been raised in conditions that aren't miserable. And for me that is the number-one concern. Those other things are important too, but they come second to not purposefully making other creatures' lives a living hell--thereby not only hurting them, but crushing empathy in the people who handle them. Fortunately, "sustainable" and "humane" often go hand in hand, but it bugs me that the "humane" side of things is so seldom talked about. I think Chipotle may be the only restaurant I've been to that has that word right on the menu.

And...the birds. (You knew it was coming!) I love the birdiness of the south.

Thanks to heavy rains, the swamp behind the dirt road has swelled into an honest-to-goodness pond, and seven Hooded Mergansers were taking advantage of it. Back home I'd say migrants, but here, they could just as well be winterers. They were ultra-skittish. And this brings me back to favoring Ottawa. It's clear those ducks were accustomed to hunters. More than a hundred feet away, and they flushed when they saw me. A far cry from the Hoodies I saw on the Rideau a few weeks ago. They swam right next to shore, and I could hear the soft, croaking "boww bowwww" sound as the male threw back his head and uttered a mating call. (In fairness, Richmond's birds can be a little less skittish when you see them in protected parks. Also, I don't object to responsible and respectful hunting, I'm just saying the relative tameness of Ottawa birds is awfully nice for us nature-lovers.)

Besides that, I saw seventeen species of songbirds in one leisurely one-hour walk behind the house, plus five more later that evening. No Carolina Wrens yet, though.

Current Mood: honored

I knew my mom was on a redecorating craze. She'd been talking about it for awhile. Totally new kitchen, hardwood floor in my old bedroom, new entertainment center, etc. What I didn't know is that she'd been busily adorning my old bedroom with framed prints of my photos (home printed, and surprisingly good given that, and given the size of some of the bitmaps she was working with). There are...*count count count*...thirty of them in here, in all?

Whoa.

If there's such a thing as a "Thanksgiving gift" I think I just got one.

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It's awesome. Add rice, add water, and it takes care of everything. You don't even have to tell it how long, it decides. Result: restaurant-quality rice, which I've never been able to produce on the stovetop. (I can produce perfectly respectable rice, mind you. It's just not as tender or as aromatic as, say, the stuff you get at a good Thai restaurant. This is.)

I also heart my new source for Thai curry pastes. I used to like the Thai Kitchen pastes that you can get in supermarkets, but as of the last few years those have been drastically neutered. They are now so mild that I can put a teaspoonful of the stuff in my mouth and not feel a thing. This is totally missing the point of Thai curry. My new source is Fairway Trading down in the market (next to the Sausage Kitchen), which has a whole line of curry pastes in little sardine-tin-sized cans, and they have a respectable heat. (Still not as hot as Thai Kitchen used to be, though.) They're also tastier. You can't take out the chilis without taking out flavor, too!

Next experiment: brown rice. I've never managed to cook brown rice on the stove and enjoy eating it. It felt like horse food. I have high hopes that my shiny new Zojirushi will change that.