Semlor

With all the talk about Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday last week, I started craving the traditional Swedish Fat Tuesday buns, called Semlor (singular 'en semla'). Since there aren't too many Swedes in Indiana, or at least none who have opened a bakery, I realized that if I wanted some, I would either have to drive 4 hours each way to Andersonville in Chicago or make them myself. With the price of gas these days, making them at home seemed the better option.

First I had to make the buns. These have 2 sticks of butter and 5 cups of flour for only 16 buns!


Next, I sliced off the tops and hollowed out the middle. The black flecks are not pepper, but cardamom seeds that I ground up.


Then,I mixed up the breadcrumbs I had removed from the buns with some almond paste and milk until it was like a thick pudding.


Filled the buns...

and topped with freshly whipped cream!

As the Swedes say, mums!

Tornado in February!

Last night there was a violent thunderstorm that rolled through our area. Usually I love thunderstorms and enjoy falling asleep to them. But this one was pretty intense, with strong winds, tons of lightening and intermittent periods of torrential rain - making me seriously wonder if our roof would be torn off. I had only just begun to fall asleep when at 1:15AM the tornado siren went off! I turned my alarm clock radio on, and just at that moment the emergency broadcast system was on telling people in our county to seek shelter immediately.

I don't know if I've mentioned these things on the blog before, but in the Midwest they've got these huge outdoor sirens that go off when a tornado has been seen in the area. They spin around so that people in all directions can hear them, so it gets louder and quieter as it turns. They actually have a sample sound on the Monroe County website about halfway down the page - we get the "steady wail".

Anyway, we had to get up and head to our most interior room (the downstairs bathroom) and huddled with the dog and a radio until the siren stopped. Binsey was jumping all around, and I thought for a moment maybe she's got that sixth sense and knows there's a tornado nearby, but really she was just excited that she got to hang out with us in the middle of the night. Thankfully, we were not hit by a tornado and got to go back to sleep (or at least get back into bed) about 15 minutes later.

Let's hope tonight is less eventful!

Valentine Cupcakes

Just tried out this recipe I found on another blog for chocolate strawberry cupcakes. Perfect for Valentine's day!




I borrowed their picture because there is no way I would get such a pretty one of the inside!

But, here's how I decorated them

And experimented with some frosting techniques (almond buttercream)...



A great way to use up some strawberry cake mix I had sitting in the pantry. With the extra volume from the brownie mix, I had to use 2 full cupcake trays and 1 tray of mini cupcakes. Something tells me the other people in Paul's work building are going to be eating some of these!

Yum!

Winter takes its toll

*UPDATE: To better illustrate just what went on, and due to popular request, I have added enhanced images.


After several snowstorms, we realized that our dear terracotta earthworm guy who lived in our lavender garden, named Señor Worm, was a casualty. He was a tough little guy, having been blinded after his painted-on eyes washed off in the rain. He stood guard day and night over our lavender, keeping it safe from harm. Since his untimely death, one of the chicks and hens plants got chopped or eaten by something. RIP, Señor, you were a great garden figurine!

What I'm reading right now

I generally don't blog about school too often because it's really not much different from one semester to the next. Reading, writing, doing dull teaching assistant stuff like putting attendance sheets into spreadsheets and trying to find ways I can supplement my income. So to give a peek into what I am up to, here's my reading list for this week:

Simmel, Georg (1964). "The Web of Group Affiliations" in Conflict and the Web of Group Affiliations. p 125-195

Durkheim, Emile (1897) 1997. Suicide: A Study in Sociology. 416 pages.

Cohen, March and Olsen (1972). A Garbage Can Model of Organizational Choice. Administrative Science Quarterly 17(1)1:25.

Kingdon, John. 1997. Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies. Chapters 4-8.

Rogers, Everett. (2003) Diffusion of Innovation. 512 pages.

And for my TA-ship
“Quetelet on the Study of Man,” in Population and Development Review

DuBois, W.E.B. 1898. “The Study of Negro Problems,” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science


Drake, St. Clair. 1987. Black Folk Here and There. Chap. 1

Graves, Jr., Joseph L. 2001. The Emperors New Clothes: Biological Theories of Race at the Millennium. Chapters 1-2.

Next week will be a new list of similar length....

I'm also working a big fellowship application that would double my stipend if I get it and would allow me to do some really cutting-edge healthcare research. Wish me luck - fingers crossed!

And I'm involved in a program at the business school's Center for the Business of Life Sciences to develop a commercialization plan for a new drug. Definitely interesting stuff, and a great opportunity to do some group work (so rare in the social sciences!).

Christmas in Phoenix 2010

We once again went to Phoenix for Christmas, only this time we went for a couple of weeks. I turned in my last final paper on a Friday morning, and in the early afternoon we were on our way to Phoenix. We spent the first week or so just relaxing - finally able to destress a bit and not think about school and work. This last semester was really intense for me, and I apologize to all my friends who I didn't see or communicate with during that time. This semester should be better.

One of the highlights was going to Rustler's Rooste, a Western steakhouse. Outside the front door is Horney the Bull, who was not the best smelling creature.


Here we all are with out tasty steaks and fixins. I should mention that this is the kind of place that has sawdust on the floor and a live country band.


At the end of the meal is cotton candy, which was enjoyed by all



And of course, with the Santa display


Paul's dad took us to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum about an hour's drive east of Phoenix. It had been built by a mining mogul who decided to build a fancy house out there and fill the yard with exotic trees and plants from all over the world. They had a particularly large Australian section with a bunch of these gigantic trees


The house is still there up on the rocks. They used to have an elevator which brought you down to the valley and the river that goes through there. The building is used for administrative offices now so it's nothing to tour. Still, it is neat to see it perched up on the hill like that with a huge retaining wall holding it up that reminded me of the old castles we saw in Southern France on our honeymoon.


While Anne and I spent some quality time shopping around Phoenix (seriously, the shopping is amazing, especially where you live in the middle of southern Indiana!), the boys took a trip out to Tucson and parts south of there. I'm not sure what all these pictures are of, but thought I'd share.

Here's a place where Paul got some sort of fried hot dogs, something on the idea of giant pigs in a blanket. Not sure I'd order them, but he sure looks excited about them!

From PHX Winter 2010

They also went to some place to look at rockets and other manly things that required the use of a hard hat.


...and went on some nice hikes

...and to a ghost town.


It was so nice to see the family and to have some time to take a break and relax. There is a rumor that next year the grandparents from Poland might be visiting for Christmas - we'll see what happens. It'd be great to see them too!

Halloween

Ok, so I realize Halloween was a long time ago, but we did throw together some pretty cool costumes. I think the best descriptions for them were "Santa's helper" and "a floozy". Of course they'd be hanging out together giving out Halloween candy!



And in our neighborhood, people apparently take golf carts to follow their kids around!