Thursday, February 28, 2008

art for everyone


good art is in the eye of the beholder and if the beholder happens to be a little light in the pocketbook, well shame on them! or wait, maybe expensive does not necessarily mean good art. i believe art should be affordable and so does jen bekman who started 20x200. it's a website where you can purchase limited editions of art at $20 for a smaller piece. their motto is large editions + low prices x the internet = art for everyone. i learned about jen bekman from a ny times article.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

seared tuna ahi with wasabi-butter sauce


INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 10 fluid ounces white wine
  • 1/4 cup minced shallots
  • 1 tablespoon wasabi paste, or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, cubed
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
  • 1 cup chopped cilantro leaves
  • 6 (6 ounce) fresh tuna steaks, 1 inch thick

DIRECTIONS

  1. Combine the white wine vinegar, white wine and shallots in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Strain out shallot and discard, return liquid to the pan.
  2. Stir the wasabi and soy sauce into the reduction in the pan. Over low heat, gradually whisk in butter one cube at a time allowing the mixture to emulsify. Be careful not to let the mixture boil. When all of the butter has been incorporated, stir in cilantro, and remove from heat. Pour into a small bowl, and set aside.
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush tuna steaks with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place in the hot skillet, and sear for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Be careful not to overcook, this fish should be served still a little pink in the center. Serve with sauce.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes

we made this wonderful sauce last night for our tuna steak (that i bought at my favorite grocery store, sunflower market), yummy! my new husband is a wizard in the kitchen as we had to substitute a few ingredients. the recipe is from All Recipes and there were only glowing reviews.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

please can colorado caucus

i believe in doing my civic duty and voting. it is my honor and responsibility to vote because i live free in a great country that setup a checks and balance system, so the least i can do is make my voice heard with a vote. but yesterday was super tuesday where a few dozen states went to make their voice heard within their respective parties and i gave up on the colorado caucus. i had every intention to vote, i researched my precinct number and then the location of my precinct, got in the car with the new husband and drove to the precinct at 6:30pm. my precinct was at the auraria auditorium which is on auraria campus which is in downtown denver. auraria campus took this opportunity to charge all who were to vote $10 to park in their lot. well i turned my little car right around and left because why should i have to pay to vote because i live in a big city? other precinct were at schools with free parking lots. so we turned on the news at 9pm and it turns out nothing had started yet at the auraria site because there were still people trying to park and get in the building.