Cymon's Place

Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp Time

2009-04-13T17:12:00.001-07:00

It's spring and rhubarb should be available at your local produce market. A couple days ago we made Blueberry Rhubarb crisp using the recipe http://cymonsplace.blogspot.com/2008/03/blueberry-rhurbarb-crisp.html . It was so-good. Try it.

The Financial Crisis

2008-10-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

On Friday October 3rd, 2008, president Bush signed the $700B bailout law that will hopefully fix the crisis we find ourselves in now. But will it work, no one knows for sure. NPR's (National Public Radio's) program This American Life presented a program this weekend with the scarey title "Another Frightening Show About the Economy." The program was indeed scarey. The program was played on air

Build Your Own Nuclear Fusion Reactor

2008-08-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

It turns out that for several years amateur scientists and engineers have been building their nuclear fusion reactors in their attics and basements. Check out this Wall Street Journal video. The United States and many other countries have been spending billions and billions of dollars for the last 60 years in order to achieve controlled nuclear fusion. The ultimate goal has been to have power

Tell No One

2008-08-12T16:39:00.000-07:00

Tell No One is an exciting French movie now playing in many areas. This is an exciting mystery with a chase scene to rival Bullit, but different, on foot. It starts with a violent murder where protaganist's wife is killed. But then 8 years later he gets messages that his wife may not be dead afterall. Check out the New York Times review. The movie was first released 2 years ago in Europe and was

Palo Alto Seismometer Reading, Last 24 Hours

2008-08-12T16:27:00.000-07:00

East-West Horizonal SeismometerNorth-South Horizonal SeismometerVery Sensitive Vertical SeismometerThe seismometer data is updated every 10 minutes, refresh screen to get latest display. A sharp short spike is probably us checking the seismometer vault (wine cellar). Send an e-mail if you have any questions. Click image for larger view.

First Pesto of the Season

2008-06-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

Last week we enjoyed our first Pesto dinner of the season. Spring, summer, and early fall is the season for delightful Pesto when fresh basil is available. Here is our recipe. It serves 2 and then a little left over for the next day or extra portions. Serve with fettuccine and a nice chardonnnay wine.Wash the basil and pull the leaves from the stems. Throw a clove of garlic into the pot cooking

FCC Hearing on Network Neutrality

2008-04-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

On April 17, 2008, the Federal Communications Commission held an en banc hearing at Stanford University. The subject of hearing was "Broadband Network Management Practices." A month earlier, the FCC held a similar meeeting at Harvard University. Comcast got embarassed at that meeting when it turned out that they paid people just to fill a seat in order to keep others from finding a seat. Not to

DTV is Coming

2008-04-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

The United States federal government is going to shut off your television viewing after February 17, 2009 if you have an analog television and receive the signal over the air with an antenna ( rabbit ears or roof style). That's the date that the federal government has mandated that all high power TV stations must turn off their analog signal and broadcast only DTV (Digital Television). And if you

Fingerling Potatoes are Here

2008-03-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago as I was strolling through the produce area at my local Costco looking for blueberries I saw out of the corner of my eye, bags of fingerling potatoes. I just found my blueberries and left. However after thinking about what my eye had seen, I went back and picked up a bag of MountainKing fingerling potatoes and what a find. The price was $4.99 for a 5 pound bag. So far we have

Ordered Your TV Converter Box Coupons Yet?

2008-03-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

We received our 2 coupons last week. For those people that still get their TV signal from an antenna (Over the Air) and still have the old style analog TVs such as us, will need a converter box to convert the digital signal to an analog one after Feb. 17, 2009. The federal government has a web site where you can order 2 coupons that are worth $40 each to offset the cost of the converter that you

Michael Clayton

2008-03-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

We just finished watching the movie Michael Clayton on DVD. Oh what a thriller it is. Michael Clayton is an attorney working for a law firm, but he hasn't really moved up ladder very much. He is not a trial attorney, but his specialty is cleaning up for clients after they get in trouble. He call himself a janitor. I don't want to say any more, but this a real thriller and never a dull moment.

Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp

2008-03-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

Spring is almost here and fresh rhubarb has been available for the last few weeks and with blueberries from Chile, this is the perfect time to combine the 2. Yesterday we put together a recipe for Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp. It is sooo good and better than any strawberry rhubarb combination.1. Combine the filling in a large bowl.3 cups chopped (3/8 -1/2in. long) rhubarb1 1/2 cups washed fresh

The Wire...Season 4

2008-03-04T11:53:00.000-08:00

Now we have to wait a year or more in order to get our own The Wire fix again. We just finished watching the last episode of Season 4 of The Wire. Season 4 has the secondary thread of the education system. Dukie, Randy, Namond, and Michael are 8th grade middle school kids and are followed from the waining days of summer vacation to the Christmas season over 13 episode. There is also a mayor's

Blu-ray is the Winner

2008-02-19T15:29:00.000-08:00

Today Toshiba Corporation announced that it was pulling the plug on it's HD DVD format for high-definition DVDs. In the early 80's, Sony lost the battle between their Betamax and VHS. But this time Sony won with their Blu-ray format. Blu-ray DVDs have more storage capacity and may have more features. So if you are the market for a DVD player for your HDTV, don't purchase a HD DVD player. They are

A Walk in the Woods

2008-02-14T19:46:00.000-08:00

For Valentines Day, my folks decided to do something different. They took a noon walk in the woods.I stayed home.Mushrooms popping up on the trail. A Tree on the Trail. Lunch for two.What a perfect valentines day. The noon sun was warm, birds chirping across the way and nobody around.

The Wire...Season 3

2008-02-12T11:23:00.000-08:00

We just finished watching Season 3 of The Wire. I must say that Season 3 was best so far, but haven't seen season 4 or 5. Local politics play the new thread for Season 3. As usual the acting, writing, and directing are excellent. The faces, the eyes, and the characters are exceptional. It's like Masterpiece Theatre, really! There are night scenes that you would say are right out of Dickens. When

Preparing a Fresh Pomegranate-a Video

2008-02-11T16:12:00.000-08:00

Check out this video on the step by step method to get to the succulent seeds of the pomegranate. All done without water, rubber gloves, or staining your hands.

Fresh Blueberries are Here

2008-02-06T15:16:00.000-08:00

Fresh blueberries are here now. They are from Chile and are sweet and full of flavor. Costco has them in a large container for $6.99. They are perfect for blueberry pie, blueberry crisp, how about on your breakfast cereal or just eating out of hand. Try them.

Black Beans and Rice

2008-02-05T16:01:00.000-08:00

It was still cold and rainy last week and Molly of Orangette reminded me of Brazilian Black Bean soup from Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook. Here is a modification of that recipe.Brazilian Black Bean Soup3 15 oz. cans of good quality black beans, drain liquid.1 14 oz. can chicken stock.Bring to a boil and then cover and lower heat to minimum.Cook 1 1/2 to 2 hours. As above is cooking, sauté

Winter Vegetables-Brussels Sprouts

2008-01-25T17:40:00.000-08:00

Brussels sprouts are a winter vegetable and seem to be at their peak now in flavor and quality. Last Monday they looked so good at the market, my guy had to get them. Brussels sprouts is a vegetable that doesn't that much respect. Maybe it's the way they are prepared. Typically they cooked in water for a long time and then they stink and just not very interesting. A few days before last

Winter Fruit

2008-01-21T17:02:00.000-08:00

Today it was cold and rainy at the local produce market. Now is the time to taste the Best of the Winter Fruit. Texas grapefruit, navel oranges, tangeloes, and pomegranates are at their peak of flavor. Pomegranates have that exotic flavor just right for salads or just snacking out of hand. When selecting pomegranates look for a fruit free of soft spots. But how do you prepare and use the fruit?

The Fabric of America, by Andro Linklater

2008-01-16T14:19:00.000-08:00

The Fabric of America, by Andro Linklater.He tells the interesting story of how some of the early state borders were formed. Much of the story is about the work of Andrew Ellicott. He was very good with math and knew spherical geometry. With the simple tools he had in the late 1700s, he was able to achieve extraordinary accuracy. Ellicott established the SW corner of Pennsylvania in 1784. For

Mexican Coke

2008-01-15T16:21:00.000-08:00

Mexican Coke is made from cane sugar and not corn syrup as Coke made in the US. The Mexican Coke has a better flavor, it seems ‘sharper.’ Whatever that means. We can purchase this locally from Costco in a 24 bottle case. It is about 3 time the cost USA Coke. Try it if can find it. Let us know how you like it.

The Wire

2008-01-13T16:21:00.000-08:00

The HBO television series The Wire has some critics declaring this is the best TV series of all times. We starting watching Season 1 a few weeks ago. It has excellent script, directing, and acting. Sometimes the good guys screwup and sometimes the bad guys do good things. I seems very realistic. The first season covers the drug trade in Baltimore, second season details the problems on the

Thursday Night Special (ground turkey sauté)

2008-01-12T16:20:00.000-08:00

This recipe is an alternative to 'Sloppy Joes'.Serves 4 and preparation time is about 1 hour.1 lb. ground turkey thigh (dark meat)1 medium onion (chopped)2-3 stalks celery (chopped)2 TBS olive oil4-5 Shiitaki mushrooms (sliced)1 14-ounce can chicken stock1/4 cup dry white wineStart the sauté by browning the ground turkey with the olive oil. Next add the chopped onions, celery, and sliced