Monday, August 12, 2013
Friday, August 9, 2013
A Public Service
Okay, so A LOT of loyal Vanilla Gorilla readers are currently looking for work in the tertiary education sector in the Kansas City metropolitan area. As a service to those readers, we offer the following links to the human resources departments of a collection of local colleges and universities. Enjoy!
- Universityof Missouri–Kansas City.
- Johnson County Community College.
- Metropolitan Community College.
- Avila University.
- Baker University.
- Graceland University.
- GranthamUniversity.
- KansasCity Kansas Community College.
- Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.
- Park University.
- Rasmussen College.
- RockhurstUniversity.
- WilliamJewell College.
- KansasCity Art Institute.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Banana-Cardamom Coffee Cake
OK, everyone and their cousin knows that I love the banana bread recipe in the Miette book, but I've been making that one all the time recently. So when I saw we had a bunch of overripe bananas today, I figured I'd try something a little different. I took the cardamom coffee cake recipe from the Moosewood book, added mashed-up banana to the nut mixture and substituted mashed-up banana for the sour cream as well, and--HOLD ON--did you read that right? Can you DO that? Can you substitute banana for sour cream?!? Am I serious???? Friends, I have never been more serious. I substituted mashed-up banana for sour cream. It was a frankly rash and capricious gambit, one that may lead us into disaster, shake this precious little world of ours to its foundations.
We'll know when it comes out of the oven in a half-hour or so. Pray for us.
*** UPDATE ***
Just took it out of the over. Too hot to eat, but I had some anyway. I don't think the substitution had any negative effects. It's very light and moist, not gooey like I was worried it might be.
HOWEVER. I think I put in too much cardamom. The recipe called for 1 tablespoon of ground cardamom, which is what I used, but my cardamom was freshly ground in a mortar and pestle, more flavorful than the store-bought pre-ground stuff, I think. In retrospect, I should have thought of that and put in a bit less. Not a disaster, but a little disappointing.
We'll know when it comes out of the oven in a half-hour or so. Pray for us.
*** UPDATE ***
Just took it out of the over. Too hot to eat, but I had some anyway. I don't think the substitution had any negative effects. It's very light and moist, not gooey like I was worried it might be.
HOWEVER. I think I put in too much cardamom. The recipe called for 1 tablespoon of ground cardamom, which is what I used, but my cardamom was freshly ground in a mortar and pestle, more flavorful than the store-bought pre-ground stuff, I think. In retrospect, I should have thought of that and put in a bit less. Not a disaster, but a little disappointing.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Doctor Who Cake
This was for Tilo's 8th birthday. He wanted a Doctor Who-themed cake. The concept is that the Tardis has crashed into a frilly birthday cake that is being attacked by daleks. Like so:
If you aren't familiar with Doctor Who, he travels through time and space in his tardis, which looks like a blue police box, fighting stupid robot-things called daleks:
It's a three-layer chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream between the layers, with a thin covering of dark chocolate ganache, and pale yellow buttercream on top. The tardis is chocolate cake with the thin ganache covering and then rolled fondant. The daleks are fondant as well. I like the way the fondant contrasts with the buttercream, so the tardis and the daleks look as if they're an alien imposition on the cake. In retrospect, I wish I had done the piping in pink, to make it look even girlier.
If you aren't familiar with Doctor Who, he travels through time and space in his tardis, which looks like a blue police box, fighting stupid robot-things called daleks:
It's a three-layer chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream between the layers, with a thin covering of dark chocolate ganache, and pale yellow buttercream on top. The tardis is chocolate cake with the thin ganache covering and then rolled fondant. The daleks are fondant as well. I like the way the fondant contrasts with the buttercream, so the tardis and the daleks look as if they're an alien imposition on the cake. In retrospect, I wish I had done the piping in pink, to make it look even girlier.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
More Trouble for Jonah Lehrer:
Lehrer, 2012:
I want to apologize to everyone I have let down, especially the people I worked with. I hurt my editors. I hurt my family. I hurt my friends. I hurt my readers.
What I did hurt the people I worked with. It hurt my editors. It hurt my family. It hurt my friends. It hurt the readers.
Lehrer, 2012:
The quotes in question either did not exist, were unintentional misquotations, or represented improper combinations of previously existing quotes.
About those quotes: some of them didn't exist, some were unintentional misquotations, and some represented improper combinations of previously existing quotes.
Lehrer, 2012:
I am a journalist. With the exception of being a wife and mother, it is who I am. And there is nothing I take more seriously.
I am a historian. with the exception of being a wife and mother, it is who I am. And there is nothing I take more seriously.
Honestly, it's like that guy's not even trying anymore.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Rice vs. Walt on the Future of Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen has to be inspired to lead again. He needs to be reminded that Van Halen is not just any other hard rock band: they are exceptional in the clarity of their conviction that free markets and free peoples hold the key to the future, and in their willingness to act on those beliefs. Failure to do so would leave a vacuum, likely filled by bands that will not champion a balance of power chords that favours freedom. That would be a tragedy for Van Halen's interests and values and those who share them.
Harvard's Stephan Walt, writing on his Foreign Policy blog, counters:
To achieve these (and other) goals, she says, "Eddie Van Halen has to be inspired to lead again." What exactly does this phrase mean? What specific "leadership" tasks require a renewed commitment from Eddie Van Halen? Does she mean Eddie Van Halen has to be convinced to forgo investments here at home so he can continue to meddle (oops, I mean "lead") abroad?...
In fact, Rice isn't really talking about convincing Eddie Van Halen to lead; she's really saying he needs to be "inspired" to follow whatever missions foreign policy mandarins like Rice dream up. And the usual way the mandarins do this is by hyping threats, exaggerating their own omniscience, and insisting that other hard rock bands are incapable of taking effective action if Van Halen isn't there in the cockpit telling them what to do.
Dogs Playing Poker
When you think about it, this would be totally impractical. I mean, as long as their tails are visible, there's no way they can bluff, right?
Thursday, July 26, 2012
So I was thinking...
If you get a voodoo doll made of somebody, that's generally considered hostile. But then if you take that voodoo doll to an acupuncturist, it'd actually be a pretty nice thing to do.
He'd be, like, walking down the street and then he'd be all "Hey, suddenly my back feels great! What the hell?"
Huh?
He'd be, like, walking down the street and then he'd be all "Hey, suddenly my back feels great! What the hell?"
Huh?
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Ultimate Breakfast
These days I'm totally into the fresh green drinking coconut--it is the original ideal breakfast.
Phase One: Just got up, feeling sick and grouchy, last thing I want to think about is food. No problem! Grab a drinking coconut from the fridge, slice the top off, and pop in a straw. It's subtle, nourishing, refreshing, like breast milk for grown-ups.
Phase Two: Feeling better, got my strength up, but still upset to be awake: ready to beat someone's head open with a hammer, which is exactly what comes next. Take that, coconut!
Phase Three: What with all that smashing I've worked up a real appetite, and what could be more satisfying than a delicious fresh coconut?
See? It's the perfect breakfast experience.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Dirty Dancing
So Christine's watching Dirty Dancing on TV. Well, if you've always wondered what the deal is with all that "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" stuff but you've never actually watched the movie or bothered looking it up or anything, it turns out her name is Baby.
Not sure why it is nobody puts her in a corner, though. It's not a very good movie.
*** UPDATE: 2 March 2012 ***
Okay, according to Christine, it's Patrick Swayze who's all like "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." Apparently Baby and her family are sitting at a table in the corner, and Patrick Swayze comes over and he goes "Nobody puts Baby in a corner," and he pulls her out and they do their dance and that's it. So actually, it's all a dispute over the seating arrangement.
See, I had always assumed that "putting Baby in a corner" was some kind of really filthy dance move and that it was Baby's father who was objecting to it. Like, e.g.:
[Patrick Swayze and Baby are dancing together. It's completely dirty, like, dirtier than you could possibly imagine. Think of the dirtiest dancing you've ever seen and then multiply it by fifty. It's that dirty.]
PATRICK SWAYZE: Baby, I totally sweat you, you're so burning up the dance floor right now.
BABY: Oh, Patrick Swayze, this dirty dance we're doing right now illustrates my undying love for you.
PATRICK SWAYZE: I...I think it's time now, Baby. I've been waiting so long, but it's finally time for me to put you in a corner.
BABY: Yes! Yes, Patrick Swayze. Put me in a corner! Do it now!
BABY'S FATHER: [coming in the door horrified] Hey, NOBODY puts Baby in a corner!
PATRICK SWAYZE: Wait, why are you calling me "Patrick Swayze"? Shouldn't you be using the name of my character?
BABY: Either I can't remember what your character's name is or I never heard it, not sure. Also, I don't know the name of the actress who played me, though I'm pretty sure she also played Ferris' sister in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
PATRICK SWAYZE: Now that was a good movie.
BABY: I don't know. In retrospect it kind of reeks suburban white male privilege. I mean, why should kids like Ferris just cruise through life on charisma and affluence? Should we really be celebrating that?
BABY'S FATHER: I concede the force of your objection, Baby, but it was still a pretty sweet movie anyway, not like this piece of shit.
Not sure why it is nobody puts her in a corner, though. It's not a very good movie.
*** UPDATE: 2 March 2012 ***
Okay, according to Christine, it's Patrick Swayze who's all like "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." Apparently Baby and her family are sitting at a table in the corner, and Patrick Swayze comes over and he goes "Nobody puts Baby in a corner," and he pulls her out and they do their dance and that's it. So actually, it's all a dispute over the seating arrangement.
See, I had always assumed that "putting Baby in a corner" was some kind of really filthy dance move and that it was Baby's father who was objecting to it. Like, e.g.:
[Patrick Swayze and Baby are dancing together. It's completely dirty, like, dirtier than you could possibly imagine. Think of the dirtiest dancing you've ever seen and then multiply it by fifty. It's that dirty.]
PATRICK SWAYZE: Baby, I totally sweat you, you're so burning up the dance floor right now.
BABY: Oh, Patrick Swayze, this dirty dance we're doing right now illustrates my undying love for you.
PATRICK SWAYZE: I...I think it's time now, Baby. I've been waiting so long, but it's finally time for me to put you in a corner.
BABY: Yes! Yes, Patrick Swayze. Put me in a corner! Do it now!
BABY'S FATHER: [coming in the door horrified] Hey, NOBODY puts Baby in a corner!
PATRICK SWAYZE: Wait, why are you calling me "Patrick Swayze"? Shouldn't you be using the name of my character?
BABY: Either I can't remember what your character's name is or I never heard it, not sure. Also, I don't know the name of the actress who played me, though I'm pretty sure she also played Ferris' sister in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
PATRICK SWAYZE: Now that was a good movie.
BABY: I don't know. In retrospect it kind of reeks suburban white male privilege. I mean, why should kids like Ferris just cruise through life on charisma and affluence? Should we really be celebrating that?
BABY'S FATHER: I concede the force of your objection, Baby, but it was still a pretty sweet movie anyway, not like this piece of shit.
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