Giraffe Lab

Andy and I have been very amused by December in our chocolate lab calendar (yes, we have a chocolate lab calendar...well...actually two).

Good Pumpkins and Bad Pumpkins

In honor of Halloween which features one of my favorite seasonal foods/decorations, today's post is my two recent experiences with pumpkins.

We'll start with the bad side. Andy and I carved our pumpkin last night, and in case you have delusions about our artistic abilities, we equal about a 1st grader if you add our talents together. It didn't help that I couldn't find our pumpkin carving knife (it must have been a victim of the move...though I don't know what we did last year (the historic election has clouded my memory of Halloween 2008). The result was this wonky and sad jack-o-lantern, (perhaps) made worse overnight by nibbling squirrels.

Now for the good news. A friend from work passed along what just might be the perfect fall cookie, and I'm spreading the word.

Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose baking flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. With mixer, beat butter in a large mixing bowl on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg, canned pumpkin, and vanilla. Beat well. Add dry ingredients and beat until well blended. Drop from teaspoon onto cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes.

These cookies are fast and easy and result in perfect little bites of pumpkin bread-like cookies. This recipe actually calls for 1 cup raisins and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, but neither my friend nor I ever add those (the horror of ruining these cookies with raisins!). She likes to make them into football cookies, so she makes them in an oval shape and then adds white icing to look like the laces. The icing is a simple confectioner sugar/milk icing. Last time I made these, I just sprinkled cinnamon sugar on top before baking. Next time, I think I am going to mix up the spices a bit to make it more of a pumpkin pie seasoning with ginger, but I love the combo of vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon in the original recipe.

Giant Corp or Indie Organic?

In my weekly update from the home of the best chocolate milkshake in the world, Traders Point Creamery, there were links to a couple websites that provide info on who owns different organic labels. I thought I'd share for anyone else who is trying to make their money and their mouth more organic. I admit some are obvious (Prego Organic for instance), but I actually didn't know that Kashi was owned by Kelloggs.

Nutrition Wonderland (!) provides a list of orgos owned by big folks like Heinz and Pepsico as well as a list of independent ones. The Cornucopia Institute has this chart:

Fever in the Finals

In case you hadn't heard, Indianapolis's WNBA team, the Fever, is in the finals! They are tied with Phoenix 1-1 in the best of 5 series. If you live in Indy, I highly recommend you go root on Tameka, Katie, Tully, and the rest of the gang at one of the home games, either Sunday at 4 pm or Wednesday at 7:30 pm. They are incredibly fun. They were in danger of leaving the city, but it sounds like their trip to the finals has saved them for the moment. They really are an asset to the city. Unlike many NBA teams, they play the game as a team because they really like it not because they are getting paid lots of $$$. C'mon Hoosiers, support your Fever!!

Sydney

We got some sad news this week. Sydney was diagnosed with lymphoma. We are still figuring out treatment options, but it looks like we are measuring our time left in months. The good news is that she's home (she was at the vet for 3 days this week) and is as feisty as ever. Plus, she can eat whatever she wants, so she is pretty stoked about that! She is less happy about the pills we have to give her...so far, we've done one. Let me tell you...not fun! I am really sad (Andy is too of course) b/c she's such a kickass kitty cat. And because she's been a part of my life since I was 16! Seriously, she's been my cat longer than I've been an adult.

Mitch Daniels is "Preposterous"

Below is an e-mail I sent to Mitch Daniels. This is the first time I've written to Mitch. I was motivated to do so by his decision to call a decision by the Indiana Court of Appeals "preposterous."

Governor Daniels,

I have been very impressed with many of the things you have done as Governor of our great state. There have been many times when I have disagreed with you, but reasonable people can disagree about policy issues and still feel that the best interests of the state are being watched over.

However, your comments last week about the Indiana Court of Appeals' rejection of the voter I.D. law crossed the line. Disagreeing with the decision is one thing, but the state's highest public official referring to a decision by our second highest court as "preposterous" is the most irresponsible statement I've ever heard from the Indiana Governor's office. Undermining our state's judicial system is at the very least unbecoming of the office you hold, and at worst a violation of our constitution. You have lost the respect and trust of many Hoosiers with this irresponsible remark, and I only hope that you have not done permanent damage to the image of our judicial system.

I hope in the future you will be more reasonable with your comments and remember the weight your words hold thanks to the power of your office.

Andrew Stuckey

Indianapolis, IN

Labor Day in Pittsburgh

Following Joe Biden's lead, we headed to Pittsburgh for Labor Day weekend. This marked our second annual Labor Day Pittsburgh trip, and once again, Pittsburgh impressed. We visited several of our favorite haunts including the Strip District and PNC Park (MLB's most beautiful ballpark for its worst team). We also checked out some of what else Pittsburgh (and the surrounding area) had to offer.

After enjoying coffee at our favorite goat-themed coffee shop, Crazy Mocha, we headed to the National Aviary, which is nestled in West Park on the north side. We visited with penguins and a variety of tropical birds and decided that Stellar's Sea Eagles are cooler than Bald Eagles. All in all, the National Aviary was a nice find and a recommended visitor spot. On Sunday, we headed a little over an hour southeast of Pittsburgh to see one of the most famous private house in America: Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water. It's pretty much badass. Check it out. We also stopped by Ohiopyle State Park, which was crowded and poorly marked but scenic and highly entertaining. We hiked a ways and then sat and watched rafters get stuck on the rocks. Last neither chronologically or in our hearts was a trip to Primanti's Brothers, where as food network viewers may know, all sandwiches include slaw and fries.
Of note as well were the two conventions converging on the Pittsburgh Hilton during our stay: The North American Festival of Wales and the National Football Leage (for the kickoff celebration in Pittsburgh). We heard Welsh spoken on the elevator and watched the NFL folks set up a stage on the Point. Up next for Pittsburgh: the G20 Summit! Pittsburgh's got it all!