savior of the gluten-free

i’m a foodie. i’m half italian. i love to cook. i love to eat. i think my spice cabinet is just about as exciting as my box of paints. because of this love affair with food, this diet i’m on has been a little tricky, but i wanted to share something that’s gotten me through, just in case there are any other gluten-avoiders out there.

presenting wasa rye crispbread! these crackers don’t really taste good, but they don’t taste bad, either. they’re crispbread–no frills. made with just grain, water & yeast and a bit of salt. the main thing is that they’re a vehicle for tasty things. i just had a few tonight with lox, cream cheese & capers. i’ve had them with olive oil and parmesan cheese. they’re good with cheese melted, or just with olive oil and a little cracked pepper.

also, they’re made of whole grain and are only 35 calories per cracker.

have you found any other gluten-free foods that taste good?

myers briggs mental muscle diagram

are you a big fan of personality tests? me too. if you’ve never taken this one, i’d encourage you to do so here. then, find your type on this page and go through the slide show (which desperately needs anti-aliasing) to figure out what your “mental muscle” is. it’s fun!

edit:  this link is from Julie

health and diets

wow, this article is fantastic. it is mainly about health and traditional diets of indigenous people all over the world; however, it addresses the myth of progress, our perceptions of health, view of history, and cultural and economic priorities. it’s really a big picture article and it’s well-written. it addresses the following:
– was a vegetarian low-fat diet really the norm?
– have people throughout time died of degenerative diseases?
– has technology and progress really made us more healthy?
– what is important to eat?
written by sally falon, a family hero, this article on traditional diets is a bit lengthy but very compelling, from a heath as well as a historical perspective. read it and let me know what you think.

the most important ingredients

i really love to cook. i’m living with a host family for this chapter of my life, so i don’t have full control over a kitchen, but i’m using one afternoon a week to make a few dishes to last me for the few meals i eat here.

i’m more of a savory than sweet cook. i prefer a real meal over a dessert, therefore, this is my opinion about the most important ingredients:

– fresh garlic. do you know how awesome fresh garlic is? it is packed with antioxidants and it is antibacterial and antifungal. on top of that, it tastes amazing. most of the things i make start with garlic

– good olive oil. i’m of the persuasion that not all fats are created equal.  i believe that fat from real foods is always better than fake hydrogenated junk which is so pervasive. i cook with olive oil (the stuff in the dark bottle) and i use organic first cold pressed olive oil on my crackers and in my dressing. there are few things more tasty than great olive oil and a little salt

– fresh cracked assorted pepper. i really like when you can twist the grinder and flecks of different color and size come out. it’s an aesthetic experience

– cage free organic eggs. yeah, i know they’re expensive, but it’s worth it. do you know what the lives of commercially farmed egg-laying chickens are like? they’re nasty, brutish and short. seriously, though, they live in tiny cages under flourescent lights to increase egg production, then they die of exhaustion. it’s really sad and unhealthy. look for eggs that are free range and have bright orange yokes from the beta carotene.

– crunchy mustard. i used to hate mustard, but then i went to ireland and had wholegrain mustard on my sandwich. i highly recommend the brownish kind with texture. plus, you can be encouraged by how little faith you need to move a mountain every time you take a bite of your sandwich.

– lemon juice. the real stuf, squeezed from a lemon. it takes longer, but it tastes so much better than the stuff from the plastic lemon. microwaving a lemon for 10 seconds and using a spoon makes the task a lot easier. lemon juice is great in marinades, lentil soups, and fresh hummus.

there are more. pink lady apples. fresh avocados, organic grape tomatoes, good cheese, real chicken broth, olives, etc. i love food. when i was a little kid and eating tuna salad with my mom in the sunshine, she said to me, “you know, God could have given us little pills to eat 3 times a day to stay alive, but instead he gave us all this different delicious food!” it’s so true. taste and see that the Lord is good.

finally figured it out

all day i’ve been searching for the right music. i started it out with a worship mix that was heavy on the waterdeep…then to waterdeep’s newest album, heart attack time machine. mountain goats? no, still not it. so then i decided to rip a cross movement cd. hip hop wasn’t the right fit, either.

tonight, i came home after a grueling 🙂 day and saw a friend’s away message which had lyrics from the transfiguration. ahh, yes, live sufjan. perfect. i just finished majesty snowbird and i really love this guy! i know everybody else does, too. and i can’t claim that i knew him before you, because i found out about the same time or a little later. oh well. sufjan hits the spot.

i really think that some music just doesn’t work right because of the frequencies our bodies have. like, even on a cellular level. i don’t have anything to back that up, it’s just what i think.

intelligence

this article about the dumbing down of American culture is really interesting. I found it, of course, on the web, not reading print literature.  oh, the irony. you should check it out.

i love being a girl

really, i do.  i am currently wearing pink and i have my long highlighted hair pulled into a ponytail.  when i go out tonight, i’m going to wear enormous earrings because i can.

my soul is feminine, too, but i’m just going to limit this post to the shallow things 🙂

i love being a designer

It’s the best job. Everyone wishes they could be more creative. I get paid to be creative. I spent this morning at a local nonprofit/ministry teaching a small team of people how to use InDesign. This afternoon, I came to work and finished a student handbook, tweaked a few logos, created an emailable flier and am now creating a collage of portraits for a brochure.

Also, I’m using CS3 and it ROCKS. When it came out, I refused to look at the demos of what it could do because I knew I couldn’t afford it and I didn’t need to lust after more software. So my boss bought me CS3 because CS2 is eerily missing from every retailer on the web. Holy crap. New curves is amazing. The quick selection tool?! What about the way the palettes tuck in all nicely in InDesign? it’s lovely. I’m so pleased.

It’s great.

you’ll spend all day browsing this website

This is a dangerous link. Sent to me from Bridget, Arts & Letters Daily compiles hundreds of articles and essays on art, culture, books, and politics. It’s the place to go to think deep thoughts, wonder about the state of western civilization, and gather scholarly names to drop at cocktail parties. You know me and cocktail parties. Anyway, it’s also well-designed and pleasant to scroll through. Enjoy!

everything’s fake OR graphic designers have superpowers

think the women on the front of magazine covers are real? hmm, think again. it’s all a big fat lie.