paste-eaters anonymous

Caramelized Onions

I'm on this kick to cook new things. I figured this was a good start.

Step 1: Put two pounds of thinly sliced onions in a large, covered skillet (this one's non-stick), on medium (I've got an electric stove) for about twenty minutes, stirring once or twice.

Step Two: After twenty minutes, add 2T olive oil and a pinch of salt. Turn heat down to medium-low and cover again, stirring once or twice for another twenty minutes.

Ta-da! While it doesn't look much different than the picture in step two, this is the final result after a full hour of cooking. I'm sure if I had a gas stove I might have had darker, more caramelly-looking onions. 

But these were damn sweet! Thanks to Mark Bittman, How To Cook Everything Vegetarian pg. 329

Everyone can use a break...

So I spent the entire weekend in a classroom writing about ways to get in touch with my feelings. Which might be good, but I really had to force myself to stay awake, pay attention and avoid logging on to Facebook. My feelings are boring. Should I be worried?

Perhaps I only need a break.

Another missing birthday

 

Elizabeth Robles April 4, 1973-March 1,2005

A Blue Ewe For You Redux

Yeah, I wrote this last year. So sue me.

In an effort to cut down on waste products such as dyes from being dumped into our water ways, Monsanto has been working on a way to develop sheep that grow colored wool. We all know about the color variations in sheep: whites, greys, browns and of course, black, but this is much more dramatic. 

By using specially-treated  food pellets, much like the ones zoos and aviaries use to keep flamingos pink, Monsanto hopes to produce sheep that will grow wool in all shades of the color spectrum. In the long run, this should actually save money for mills because it eliminates the cost of dying yarn. No longer needing to check for dye lots would  be an added bonus.

This research is still in its infancy, but a company spokesman says it's likely that these animals should be available as soon as 2010. Plans for printed sock sheep are also in the works, but due to the complexity of matching pattern and gauge, successful production could take longer. 

The research has also been extended to alpaca and goat farmers. Pellets for rabbits are currently in production.