发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/23/2009 0 评论    

We all like to save a buck when we travel. But at what point does cost-cutting cross the line?

That’s the question Carlo Alcos posed over at Brave New Traveler recently, in his look at some questionable (but common) money-saving tactics on the road. A few of the tricks listed: posing as a student or a local for admission-fee purposes, fare-dodging on public transit and inventing complaints—and then demanding compensation. After the run-down, he concludes: “I would say there is a line to be drawn. Not a black and white Sharpie fine line, but a blurry, wavy, grey line that is dependent on the circumstance.”

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/23/2009 0 评论    

Photo by dawnzy58 via Flickr (Creative Commons)

For so many, the first true travel excitement comes compliments of Mickey Mouse and co.

A few years ago, I talked to my nieces on the phone just before their first trip to Disney World. The little one, just shy of four, didn’t usually have much patience for phone conversations. That day, she just kept talking and talking, offering excited (and rather detailed) explanations of all the things she wanted to see. Both girls were delighted when I told them about my own visits to Disney World as a kid. We all got kind of giddy thinking that, just maybe, there was some slight chance they would end up riding in the same It’s a Small World boat I sat in 30+ years ago.

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/23/2009 0 评论    

Most of us who fly are curious: we want to know how the system that is transporting us from our homes to a new destination works, and there may be no system more opaque than air travel. For those of us who want to not only understand the system, but also figure out how to get the best deals, I highly recommend Scott McCartney’s latest book, The Wall Street Journal Guide to Power Travel. (You can read my interview with McCartney, the Journal’s Middle Seat columnist, here.)

At first glance, a book advertising “power travel” may seem not to appeal to someone who, in the spirit of World Hum, is probably less interested in “powering” through a travel experience than trying to enjoy every moment of the journey. But we all have a desire to get through the air travel segment as efficiently and cheaply as possible, and I love the way this book explains the complicated world of air travel.

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/23/2009 0 评论    

• Happy Memorial Day weekend! Forbes Traveler looks at America’s most visited memorials for the occasion.



• The next Improv Everywhere stunt is taking place on New York City’s Roosevelt Island this weekend, and you’re invited.



• In the U.K., British Airways saw its worst-ever losses this year, with a pre-tax deficit of £401 million. The good news for us? There will be no price increases to compensate going forward, as the airline struggles to retain its remaining customers.



• A friendly reminder for U.S. travelers heading overland to Canada or Mexico: the new border rules come into effect on June 1.



• In the latest Madison Magazine, World Hum contributor Frank Bures takes a “vocation vacation,” working as a swordsmith for a day.



• The World Beard and Moustache Championships are set to take place in Anchorage this weekend; the Los Angeles Times has a slideshow.



• The Globe and Mail’s Tyler Stiem visits some of Istanbul’s lesser-known mosques.



• Americans are planning shorter, closer-to-home vacations this summer, USA Today reports. Let’s hope this doesn’t prompt a resurgence of the S-word.

Got a suggestion? your link.

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/23/2009 0 评论    

Photo by Alexander Basek

Swinging through the positively quaint town of Berea, Kentucky, last week, I had the chance to stay at the refurbished Boone Tavern. The hotel, which is owned by Berea College, just across the street, celebrated its 100th anniversary this year with some renovations that are now more or less complete; they were laying a snazzy brick design in the parking lot turnaround when I was there.

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/23/2009 0 评论    

Photo by brainware3000 via Flickr (Creative Commons)

With Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian set to open this weekend, I’ve been thinking a lot about museums and the movies. The first Night at the Museum, released in 2006 and set at a fictionalized version of the American Museum of Natural History, raked in money at the box office and is credited with increasing attendance at the real-life Upper West Side museum by as much as 20 percent. According to USA Today, the Smithsonian is hoping to see similar benefits from its featured role in the sequel.

The two Ben Stiller vehicles may be remarkable for the amount of traffic they’re driving to museums, but they’re not unusual in their choice of setting. Museums and galleries have played prominent roles in any number of films and television shows over the years. Here, with apologies for my clear bias towards New York City and romance, are three of my favorite museum movie moments.

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/23/2009 0 评论    

Visitors check out the rare books displayed in the Alexandria Library, home to more than 3000 rare manuscripts, books and maps

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/23/2009 0 评论    

Lonely Planet author Sally O'Brien has worn out shoes walking through Copenhagen, the bridge between Europe and Scandanavia. By the way, in case you're trying to learn Danish, they all speak English better than you do. Produced by Lonely Planet TV

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/23/2009 0 评论    

beatles interview and song

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/23/2009 0 评论    

Noosa is a one street town which is blessed with great natural beauty. A sheltered north facing bay ideal for swimming, great point break surf and a National Park, all in walking distance. Leave the car at home and relax Noosa style.I've organised an interview with Noosa legend, Sean the Magician

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/23/2009 0 评论    

Video for the Whitesnake cover version for Day Tripper, one of the most classic The Beatles song (written by John Lennon and Paul Macartney). This song came from Whitesnake "Trouble" album, 1978. David Coverdale - Vocals Neil Murray - Bass John Lord - Keyboards Bernie Marsden - Guitar Micky Moody - Guitar Duck Dowle - Drums I think many people never seen this video before. Whitesnake was a great band not only in the 80s, but in 70s as well! I Hope you Enjoy it! Stay Hard (True as Steel)!...

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/23/2009 0 评论    

Need I say more? Life as I know it will cease to exist tomorrow. So it is good-bye for a couple of weeks until I get all set up in Seattle, not that I have been posting with any regularity lately. It is going to be a challenging couple of weeks. I hope to report on it if I make it..... Pray for us. We will need it.

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/22/2009 0 评论    

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/22/2009 0 评论    

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/22/2009 0 评论    

I've been on a rib kick lately. I usually like my ribs simple—seasoned with nothing but a salt, cayenne and black pepper rub, smoked low and slow over post-oak wood. But when I'm trying to make outdoor fare inside, I tend to change my tune. Take my Dr Pepper ribs. These are sticky, spicy and sweet, which is the exact opposite of how I like my barbecue. And yet, I love my Dr Pepper ribs so much that I could eat a whole rack by myself.

Now if you know me well, you are aware that I'm a staunch opponent of sauce on barbecue. And yes, these ribs are wet and messy, so much in fact that if you don't have a stack of napkins nearby you should probably wear a bib. So what changed my mind and why did I decide to make saucy ribs?

We Texans love to cook with Dr Pepper. I love to use Dr Pepper in my peanut brittle and a Dr Pepper chocolate cake is wonderful as well as it always turns out so moist. But I'd never tried using Dr Pepper with meat and I was curious if it would make that much of a difference.


I've tried making meat with my stove-top smoker in the style that I like it, but save for fish and vegetables, the results haven't been great. So when it comes to oven-baked ribs, I decided to eschew outside authenticity and instead shoot for lots of flavor. Enter the Dr Pepper.

At first I tried making my ribs savory, using the Dr Pepper as only a tenderizer. This was wrong as the ribs were soggy with a strange flavor. It wasn't, however the Dr Pepper's fault—it was mine for pretending that the drink was something it wasn't. So I decided that I would embrace the Dr Pepper's inherent sweetness and try to compliment that with flavors that balanced it instead of fought it.

I coated the ribs in a smoky, sweet dry rub made with chipotle powder and brown sugar and let them rest for a few hours. I then made a glaze with my chipotle ketchup, Dr Pepper, mustard, vinegar, molasses and allspice. I baked the ribs in a low oven for a little over an hour and then started applying my Dr Pepper glaze. After another hour and a stint under the broiler, the meat was tender and each bite was coated in a sticky glaze both fiery and sweet.

Now because these ribs are messy, you may be tempted to eat these with a knife and a fork. Don't. A year ago, the family was gathered for Thanksgiving at my grandmother's farm and her neighbor brought over some ribs. Because we were having a sit-down dinner, I started to eat my ribs with a knife and a fork. "What are you doing?" said my uncle. "You don't eat ribs with silverware! Use your hands like a Texan."


You won't find wet, sticky ribs at a Hill Country barbecue joint, so you could argue ribs such as these aren't authentically Texan. But that's just silly. Why? Because there's nothing more Texan than Dr Pepper, chipotle peppers and eating meat with your hands!

What do you like to make with Dr Pepper?

Dr Pepper ribs
Ingredients:

For the rub:
1/4 cup of salt
1/4 cup of black pepper
1/4 cup of brown sugar
4 teaspoons of mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
2 teaspoons of chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon of allspice

For the glaze:
2 cups of Dr Pepper
1 cup of ketchup
1/2 cup of mustard
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of molasses
4 teaspoons of chipotle powder

Two racks of St Louis ribs
1/4 cup of Dr Pepper

Coat the ribs with the rub, wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for at least four hours.

Heat the oven to 300 degrees and bring the ribs to room temperature.

In a foil-lined large baking or roasting pan, arrange the ribs with the meat side up, pour in 1/4 cup of Dr Pepper, cover pan tightly with foil and place in the oven.

Meanwhile, place all the glaze ingredients in a pan, bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes until thick and syrupy.

After an hour and a half, take the ribs out of the oven and spread some of the glaze on each side of the racks. Place back in the oven, meat side up and cook uncovered for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, take out the ribs and spread more glaze over them and cook for 30 more minutes or until ribs are desired tenderness.

At this point, take the ribs out of the oven, spread more glaze on them and then cook each side under the broiler for four minutes.

Divide and serve!
Notes: You can use my chipotle ketchup instead of regular ketchup for the glaze and I used Dublin Dr Pepper, but you can use regular Dr Pepper, just don't use diet!

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/20/2009 0 评论    

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/20/2009 0 评论    

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/20/2009 0 评论    

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/20/2009 0 评论    

Clutter--The Definations Vary

I know some people whose lives are the epitomy of simplicity, mainly because anything but clean and "uncluttered" goes against their natural grain. Even their flower gardens are a perfect design in uni-colored and well organized simplicity.
Their homes are minimalist in design, as are their wardrobes. In some ways, I admire this.

Unfortunately, I am too much a lover of variety, color, "things," to live that way. To some, my flower garden would a mess of clashing colors, but as an artist and an individual, I know what looks good to my eye. I do, however, hate being disorganized. I don't like unnecessary things that take up too much space and collect too much dust. I like a casual orderliness about my home and life.

Still others prefer to have all their collections on display all the time. I have a sister-in-law whose house is clean, but every wall is covered with things she loves. Every corner holds something dear to her. To me, it is clutter. To her, it is beautiful, homey, appealing in every way.

Hence, clutter IS in the eye of the beholder.

What is unique about your home and lifestyle? Would many consider it cluttered? Or the design of simplicity?

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/19/2009 0 评论    

YMO "day tripper" at new york '79. kb:ryuichi sakamoto. bs:haruomi hosono. dr:yukihiro takahashi. add gt:kazumi watanabe. add kb:akiko yano. & prog:hideki matsutake.

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/19/2009 0 评论    

blog.delta.com

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/19/2009 0 评论    

I have tried, but I am not at my best game when it comes to the Tooth Fairy. Blake lost his first tooth one week ago. It only took two days for the Tooth fairy to get her stuff together. Blake was happy with the four quarters in the end. Yes, a dollar, I mean really it doesn't take much to make a six year old happy and he was thrilled!

We have been battling a series of colds at our house for the past two months. Last night I was up pretty much all night moving humidifiers, giving honey, and generally playing nurse. I was pretty wiped out.

At 3:30 AM Blake started crying "Mom, Mom.." So I dragged my tired body into his room to see what was the problem. It is dark in the room, I just stepped on some random Lego that had been left on the floor and I was a little short with him.... he is holding something up in the air and I can't see..... I say, " What is it? What is wrong?" He says," My tooth it was on my tongue and it woke me up. Hurry Mom, get a bag so I can put it under my pillow." I turn to go like a dutiful puppy, then I realize it is 3:30 in the AM . I think the Tooth Fairy needs at least a twenty four Hour Notice...please people. really is this to much to ask?

I take the tooth, assure him I will keep it safe, walk him to the bathroom and then tuck in my grinning, toothless, little guy into bed. He says, with a slight lisp," You are the best Mom in the whole world. " I melt. {maybe I should get the bag, I think...no stick to your guns.}

Tonight, as we put the tooth under his pillow, I ask if he wants another pillow to prop him up, so he won't hack to death all night. He says," Mom, I think two pillows confuses the Tooth Fairy and she can't find my tooth. I mean that is what happened last time." {This is funny to me because ever since last Sunday Blake has been against two pillows, but could give me no reason. Just, I don't want them. He always wanted two before. I think this is classic male behavior and it starts so young.}

Will the tooth Fairy come tonight? I can only wonder.

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/19/2009 0 评论    

Have you ever had a cemita? It's a sandwich found in the Mexican state of Puebla. At first glance, you may think it looks like a hamburger as it's housed on a round, sesame-seed bun. But after you take a bite you'll realize this isn't a hamburger at all—instead it's a festival of flavors and textures nestled between a pillow-soft bun.

The bun, which is also called a cemita, is where the sandwich gets its name. It's an egg-rich bread topped with sesame seeds that is sort of a cross between challah and brioche. (And it's not to be confused with the cemita or semita found in Northern Mexico, which is a Mexican sweet bread spiced with star anise).

The other distinguishing characteristic of a cemita is the liberal use of the minty herb papalo. When I had my first cemita, it was that bright note cutting through all the other flavors that made this sandwich sing.


Papalo isn't always in season, however, so you may sometimes have a cemita made without it. But without the sesame-seed roll, you no longer have a cemita, you just have a sandwich.

Recently I was at a Jackson Heights taco truck that I'd never been to before, but the line was long and the condiments were fresh and plentiful—two signs the food should be delicious. To work on my Spanish I struck up a conversation with one of the other customers and asked him what to order. He said everything was good as the food tasted like what you would make at home.

We don't often think about street food as home food, but ever since that conversation I'd been obsessed with making a cemita at home. And since the cemita is nothing without the roll I knew that I'd have to figure out how to bake that particular bread in my own kitchen.

I speak just enough Spanish to get into trouble when I visit forums on Mexican food sites, so until I learned that there were two cemitas, I was wondering why there were no sesame seeds and so much sugar in the recipes I found. And yet I still couldn't find a proper recipe for the bread that I wanted.

After much delicious research out in the field, however, I decided to combine several recipes to create the tender roll. Eggs and buttermilk make the crumb soft and dense, oil and sugar make it sweet and moist and the sesame seeds add crunch and contrast. Sure it's a bit decadent, but lean times sometimes call for affordable pleasures.

This roll is intended for a cemita sandwich, though I find that it's also darn good as a bun for hamburgers, as a home for barbecue or simply on its own, warm from the oven and slathered with cool butter.

Cemita roll
Ingredients:
2 cups (9 oz.) flour
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of yeast
2 eggs at room temperature
½ cup of buttermilk
¼ cup of canola oil
1 tablespoon of milk
1 tablespoon of water
¼ cup of sesame seeds

Method:
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Whisk the eggs together with the oil.Heat the buttermilk on low until it's warm (110 degrees if you want to use a thermometer). Do not let it come to a boil!

Stir into the dry ingredients the warm buttermilk, eggs and oil. Mix until the liquid is incorporated and then let it rest for 15 minutes.

After it's rested, knead the dough on a floured-surface until it's smooth, though note that it will still be a bit sticky. That's OK.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it and let it rise until it's doubled in size, about an hour and a half.

Depending on how large you want your rolls to be, divide the dough into eight or four balls and let them rest, covered for 15 minutes.

To shape the rolls, take each ball and then flatten it so it looks like a disc.

Place each roll a few inches apart on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet and let the rolls rise for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

When rolls have risen, mix the milk and water and brush the top of each roll with the wash. then sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake the rolls for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Note: Bread only lasts a day, but freezes well.

And now that you have the rolls, you can make a cemita sandwich!

Cemita sandwich
Ingredients:
A few papalo leaves (can be found at most Mexican markets)
Chipotles in adobo
A ripe avocado cut in slices
Savory Mexican meat such as carnitas or tinga
Mexican Oaxacan cheese (can substitute mozzarella if you can't find it), shredded

Method:
Take a roll and slice it in half.
Lay the avocado quarters on each half of bread.
Pile high the meat, cheese, chipotles and papalo on one half of bread, place the other half on top and enjoy!

Other people's thoughts on cemitas:
Anita shares more background, while Matt professes true love.

发贴者 healthlifeblog 时间： 5/19/2009 0 评论