It's really quite simple to open up a Hubbard squash or any other big tough squashes.
Put the squash in a paper bag, lift it up high, and let it drop onto a hard concrete floor. I went down to the basement and dropped it from the ceiling. Once the squash has been cracked open, it generally can be cut into further smaller pieces without much ado.
The various suggestions to hit the thing with an axe, a mallet, or other sharp or blunt instrument, or even to use a knife to start the process are quite inefficient compared to the wonderful force of gravity that can be at your command in this process.
ANN ARBOR, Saturday February 23, 2013, 7:00 p.m. - News monitored via Twitter is chaotic at the moment, with a variety of sources all confirming that there was a horrific crash on the last lap of the NASCAR race at Daytona, Florida today, injuring spectators. The various sources monitored do not agree on details of who and how many people were injured, and how serious the injuries are.
7:10 p.m. A news conference held by track officials states that 14 spectators were transported "off property" and 14 others were treated at the track. The site is http://www.nascar.com/presspass .
7:20 p.m. An AP story repeats the 28 injuries number, and quotes Volusia County spokesman Dave Byron, reporting that "six people with serious injuries were taken by ambulance to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach."
7:45 p.m. The Verge is reporting on NASCAR's efforts to take down fan video of the crash. A short video of the crash scene was uploaded to Youtube immediately after the crash, and then taken down on a DMCA complaint. It is not known at this point whether that was an automated system generating the takedown notice or a deliberate decision by race day officials.
8:10 p.m.
The Verge has updated their reporting with this statement from NASCAR re the video takedown:
The fan video of the wreck on the final lap of today's NASCAR Nationwide Series race was blocked on YouTube out of respect for those injured in today's accident. Information on the status of those fans was unclear and the decision was made to err on the side of caution with this very serious incident.
8:15 p.m. CBS Sports is now reporting that more than 30 spectators were injured, based on reports directly from hospitals as to how many patients were admitted. They note that "the number of those transported given by (Speedway president Joie) Chitwood was slightly lower than that given by local officials."
8:25 p.m. Reuters reports that driver Michael Annett was injured and has been hospitalized for observation.
From a news release from Carol Sun of Eastern Accents.
Eastern Accents will be closing its doors for good at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, 2013 (end of the day). A long-simmering dispute with our landlord has finally come to a head, and we’ve decided that it is time for change.
Carol writes:
Feel free to help spread the word. We want to get the word out--especially to anyone who might have gift card values to redeem.
Thank you for the years of support (if you recall, you were in the picture that appeared in the first article on Eastern Accents!) and the networking that you do that benefits Eastern Accents.
A2B3 will continue on Thursdays until the March 14, 2013 lunch, and then we'll go into exile.
This weblog has accumulated a number of recipes over time. Here's an index of sorts that makes it look like I've been writing a cookbook. (To be updated over time, as well.)
Disclaimer: This is not a low-fat dish. But it is delicious.
Coconut fried rice
Leftover rice
Coconut oil
Dessicated (dried) coconut flakes or powder
Milk (I used almond milk to make this vegan)
Sugar
Heat oil in pan. Add leftover rice and dried coconut flakes. Mix and stir and cook. When the mixture is hot, add some milk. Sprinkle sugar on top to taste. Stir until hot; you'll know when it's done when the dried coconut doesn't taste dry. Serve hot.
I didn't measure quantities, but I suspect that this recipe is tolerant of a lot of variety.
The biggest down side is that the pan ends up sticky. My usual treatment for this in a savory dish is to deglaze the pan with red wine, but that's obviously a non-starter here. I suspect that a small amount of white wine added to the pan at the end of cooking would be worthwhile.
What follows will be links, because I don't know any more about this than what I find out from the media.
Nuclear Test Facility, Google Plus. This pinpoints the test facility, and gives its address as Nuclear Test Rd, North Hamgyong, North Korea.
New York Times/AP: Earthquake Detected in North Korea. "There is a high possibility that North Korea has conducted a nuclear test," said Chi Heoncheol, an earthquake specialist at the government-funded Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources. Chi said a magnitude 3.9 magnitude earthquake and a magnitude 4.5 earthquake were detected in the North's 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests."
NHK World Radio Japan news in English, monitored online at 11:39 p.m. EST, February 11, 2013, has no news. The news of the earthquake and testing is top story in the 12:00 a.m. EST, February 12, 2013 edition.
BBC News. "We believe that there is a possibility that North Korea carried out a nuclear test, looking at past cases," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga - an opinion echoed by South Korea's defence ministry.
NK News is live blogging. Update 1142EST: Steve Herman at Voice of America reports that a source in Yanji, China, reported that a swaying motion was felt for 10 seconds around the time of the blast. Yonhap add that 163 nationals residing in the Kaesong Industrial Complex are reported to be safe.
Originally from Kate and Lynne, this recipe depends on red lentils (not green lentils) and generally can be made with ingredients already in stock in our house. Serve with pita and labneh (if you can manage to not eat all of the pita and labneh before dinner), and with a chopped green salad with a sumac vinagrette.
Middle Eastern Red Lentil Soup
1 medium yellow onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 T olive oil
1 and 1/2 C red lentils (NOT brown)
8 C water
1 t salt
fresh ground pepper
1 T ground cumin
lemon juice, to taste
In a big pot, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until the onion is soft. Add the lentils, water, salt, pepper and cumin and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for at least 40 minutes (more is fine--if you are going to simmer for a LONG time then put a lid on the pot so all the water doesn't evaporate). Just before serving add half the lemon juice (at least one lemon's worth) and then taste to see if you want any more lemon juice, salt or pepper.
**If you don't have any fresh lemons in the house, bottled lemon juice will suffice.
3. Note with (dismay? amazement?) that 14 bills are found, 4 on the Senate side, 10 on the House side. Realize that this includes legislation that refers to FOIA laws but does not change them.
4. Realize that there's no time at this particular instant to read through all the bills, but that needs to be done; save this post as a draft.
5. Realize that even a draft should be published, and publish it, hoping that I can come back later and zero in on a speedier approach.
