Sunday Dahl

One of my favorite things to make on Sunday nights is a big pot of Dahl.  Dahl is a lentil stew made as a side dish in India.  It's basically just lentils (which are an excellent source of protein) and spices.  It's usually a side dish in India as a way of getting protein into a vegetarian diet.  However, I find it so filling and satisfying that I make it a dinner staple throughout the week.

Dahl

¾ lb dry red lentils

20 oz Chicken Broth (you'll need more)

1 chopped garlic clove

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

1 bay leaf

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground fennel

1 tbsp hot paprika

1 tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp crushed red pepper

Salt to taste

Garnish:

Fried onions

Toasted almonds

Raisins

1.       Soak lentils in cold water for 1 hour

2.       Drain and place in heavy saucepan with enough chicken broth to cover

3.       Simmer slowly, stirring occasionally

4.       Heat oil in heavy frying pan

5.       Sautee onion and garlic until golden

6.       Add bay leaf and spices and stir over medium heat for 3-4 minutes

7.       Add onion mixture to lentils and stir

8.       Add water or broth if liquid has been observed

9.       Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour over low heat, adding liquid as needed

Migliori Amici

I am selfishly extremely thankful for the downpours yesterday which caused my nearest and dearest friends to cut their camping trip short and come home for the weekend.  I opted out of the camping trip because my parents are celebrating my brilliant little brother's graduation in Chicago (top of his class, phi beta kappa) and I am a single mother of three (dogs) for the weekend.  The thought of being stuck in a tent on a beach with them was not my idea of fun.  Erika made delicious pizza dough, we each did our own toppings, and the gang was back together again (minus Jillian, who we miss(ed) very much).  Apologies for the cell phone-quality.

Erika's beautiful homemade pizza dough

Lauren analyzing the anchovies

How many smart girls does it take to get the pizza onto the cutting board?

Christina and Lauren showing off their masterpiece

Lia and Kristen's (winning) pizza on the left

Aditi and Erika's deep dish

Digesting

Love

They are going to kill me.

Best friends

Boom! Bang! Bake! Bathroom!

If you live in the Northeast, you enjoyed/endured/survived (insert verb, mad libs style) some big house-rattling thunderstorms this evening.  If you live elsewhere, your facebook newsfeed undoubtedly provided you with a suspenseful, edge of your seat, witty and insightful blow-by-blow of the house-rattling thunderstorms.  Either way, we have established that there were, in fact, thunderstorms.  In case you require a visual:

Here is documented proof of the blowing trees and swirling skies

 My helpers and I took advantage of the "indoor weather" and baked oatmeal raisin cookies:

Pauly sticks real close, but no, no he's certainly not afraid.  Just protecting the women-folk.

During the most severe thunder, Pauly excused himself to leave the girls to finish baking.  Apparently the bathroom rug is suddenly the most comfortable bed in the whole house.  No, no, he's not at all afraid.  Not even a little.  The bathroom is just so comfortable... when it's storming.

Speaking of bathrooms, I finished Tina Fey's hilarious, hysterical, totally awesome book today (seriously, I liked it.  Go, read! Not in public, though, because people will think you're crazy laughing to yourself in the corner of Starbucks.  Good way to scare them out of the comfy chairs, though.).  One of my favorite quotes is: "That's the kind of trouble you get when diverse groups of people actually cross paths with one another.  That's why many of the worst things in the world happen in and around Starbucks bathrooms."

It's funny cause it's true, at least when you live in Manhattan.

Congratulations Class of 2011

Health is a human right.  The public health community exists to safeguard that right.  I believe it is a defining element of a civil society.  Public health represents the collective actions necessary to protect the health of all people.  Through prevention science and practice we can accomplish this goal.  As a public health professional, guided by these principles, I declare the following:

I will work to ensure that people have the chance to live full and productive lives, free from avoidable disease and disability and supported in their pursuit of physical, mental, and social well-being. I will hold myself to the highest ethics, standards, values, and responsibilities as I move forward the science and practice of public health. I will respect the rights, values, beliefs, and cultures of those individuals and communities with whom I work. I will rely on evidence to support my decisions and actions, and translate that evidence into policies and programs that improve health for all. I will add to the body of research and knowledge and share my discoveries freely. I will continuously seek new information and be open to ideas that can better protect and promote the health of populations. I will advance health literacy for all and seek equity and justice for vulnerable populations.   With this oath, I commit to the ideals and mission of public health.  THIS IS PUBLIC HEALTH: Thank you to the brilliant, wonderful, talented, beautiful colleagues I have had the privilege of learning with for the past two years.  We will be friends forever.  Congratulations! xoxo Lia T Schwartz, MPH

Dirt Girls

A wonderful weekend of getting our hands (and faces, and feet, and everything else dirty) digging in the dirt, planting vegetables, eating sushi, playing with doggies, and snuggling with good books, all in the fabulous company of my darling, dearest Nora the Explora.  I built and prepped the whole garden during Spring Break and was thankful to have help with the planting stage.  Can't wait to indulge in the fruits of our labor.

Fred's and Free Loot!

Doggies, mom, dad, and I headed down to Riverside Park this morning and caught the tail end (punny) of the Bark for Life American Cancer Society walk.  Thanks to a tip from Hannah, we scored tons of free loot because they were closing up shop and trying to get rid of extra stuff.  Pauly showed off his "tricks" for people and earned about a hundred cookies and was very proud of himself.  Soph got treats just for being cute.  Pauly wasn't so sure this was fair.

P & S's loot, though guess who carried it around all day?

Then we went to brunch at Fred's, also known as the most awesome brunch spot on the Upper West Side.  The restaurant is named after a released dog from Guiding Eyes for the Blind and they are hands down the most dog-friendly food establishment in NYC (for non-locals, NYC Dept of Health is so strict that you cannot even eat in outside seating with your dog.  It is miserable and absurd and results in very un-dog-friendly living).  I cannot get over how totally, completely awesome they are.  Not the mention some seriously tasty food.  We LOVE Fred's!

We LOVE Fred's!

Whirlwind Week

First things first in case you get bored and don't read past the first paragraph: Please visit my friend Erin's blog and fill out her research questionnaire about your dog.  I know her hypothesis and I'm curious to see her findings, which will only be valid if enough people complete the questionnaire. 

This has been a totally whirlwind week.  On Sunday, I went to a neighborhood in Queens called Jackson Heights, which is a predominantly Indian neighborhood.  Thanks to my Queens-native classmate, Hannah, we went to the most delicious and inexpensive Indian lunch buffet ever.  For $10, we gorged ourselves on hot, fresh, authentic Indian food that was better than any I've ever had (other than homemade by Jay's grandma and aunt).  After our feast, we perused the shops filled with jewelery and saris with gorgeous beading and colors.  A severe food coma ensued and I believe I sat on my couch for the remainder of the afternoon. 

Also this week:

• All-day job interview at Yale: went well but I don't think it is the job for me.  Beggars can't be choosers, but I'm looking for a career, not just a job.  Great job, not great career. 
• Pet therapy at the hospital: Pauly was so popular and it was a shame that we could only stay an hour before sprinting off to Connecticut.  For the first time, we even got people out of bed to help me walk him down the hospital corridors.  One lady in a full-leg cast even hobbled with us all the way to the elevators when it was time to go.

How could this not cheer you up?

• In Connecticut, I spent the night with my mom's best friend, Kate, and her granddaughter, Zarah.  It was cozy and fun and I loved spending time with them.  I'm not a big fan of kids, but I really love Zarah.  Seeing them more often would be a major perk of a job in CT. 

Pauly, Lia, and Zarah (May 2010)

• For my Urban Space and Health class final project, we need to create a poster/movie/podcast about "participating in the city".  After meeting with my professor, I decided to do a movie about being the Area Coordinator for the GDF and film puppies participating in the city.  I think it will be fun and, as my professor says, how can you not win with puppies?
• The Daily Show: I must say, Jon, you disappointed me.  After seeing Colbert, I had my hopes up for Jon Stewart.  I like his show better, I think he's smarter, and I think he's kinder.  I was so psyched to see him live.  Major letdown.  Everything from the interns who greet you and psych you up, to the warm-up comedian, to the q&a, to the show was so much worse than Colbert.  At Jon Stewart, I felt like I was just watching the show, with an audience about 3 times the size of the Report, and it didn't seem like Jon was enjoying it or enjoying our presence.  At Colbert, I felt like I was chilling with Stephen and that he was feeding off our energy and vice versa.  I still like the Daily Show better, but if you are going to see one live, I give Colbert 5 stars and Jon 3 for the fun-factor and the entertainment factor.  
• Haircut: I had the greatest haircut yesterday.  Julie, the best stylist ever, always does such a good job and I find the salon really relaxing.  For the first time, she blew it out straight yesterday after the cut and I got to feel pretty all day.  Unfortunately, this April showers thing cut the prettiness short, but it was fun while it lasted.  I have yet to see it curly, but I think it's really short!

Paulywog isn't feeling well, so we have been doing lots of snuggling and taking it easy.  I woke up at 2am and at 7am to take him outside because I didn't want any accidents and both times he just looked at me like "Leave me alone, mom, I'm trying to sleep".  He was right, I packed him so full of rice he didn't need to go.  We both went back to sleep and snoozed until 12:30.  He's still snoozing.

Sweet, sick Paulywog

Let Us Recap

According the the little countdown on Sophie's page, she just turned 9 months old!  I can't believe it for two reasons.  1) She is so small!  At 45 pounds, she is currently nestled comfortably in my lap.  Shouldn't she have turned into that gigantic bruiser dog we all expected when she was a baby?  2) She is so immature!  She doesn't know nearly as much as most dogs her age, something we worked really hard on for the past 2 weeks.  Socially, she thinks she's a little puppy and had no problem taking on a mastiff AND a husky (at the same time!) at the dog park this week.  Only a crazy puppy with delusions of grandeur would engage 6 times her body weight in a wrestling match. 

For the past two weeks, my dog focus has been all Sophie all the time.  Poor Pauly has been entrusted to my parents and brother, and I haven't even seen him in a whole week!  I miss that easy-going, lazy old man.  I have enjoyed my 2 straight weeks with Sophie because I usually share responsibility for her with my parents.  She is in NYC with me and Pauly on Mondays and Tuesdays, and then on Long Island with my parents for the rest of the week.  I think it is confusing for her to live in two different homes and to answer to three different people.  She has really responded well to consistency and having one handler.  It has also given me an opportunity to bond with her, something I never really did because there was always her Pauly or competing humans around.  She learned a lot in the past 2 weeks.  She's walking with a looser leash, not jumping on people when they pet her, not running up to every single dog on the street, and trusting me more in "scary" situations like stairs or heights.  I'm proud of her, but there's still a lot more work to be done before she's ready to go in for formal training in 3 months. 

In other news, I believe my birthday festivities have finally come to an end.  Mind you, my actual birthday was almost 3 months ago.  My best friend, Erika, seriously prolonged the festivities.  2 months after my birthday, she made me this amazing chocolate raspberry (my fave) cake.

Yes, this tasted as good as it looks.

For my birthday present, she got me tickets to see the Propeller all male Shakespeare troop perform A Comedy of Errors at BAM.  Let me just say, the show was phenomenal.  It was the perfect combination of staying true to Shakespeare and the language while being accessible to a broad audience.  Complete with a sombrero and soccer jersey clad chorus, a naked man running across stage with a sparkler in his arse, and Shakespeare's witty and crass humor.  It was SO.MUCH.FUN.  And before the theatre, she made Aditi, Jay, and I a feast!

Salad, baguette, and fresh tricolor fettucine from Little Italy with sundried tomato and mushroom cream sauce

Slaving away in my kitchen

Jay visited for a few hours and fell asleep on the kitchen floor with Sophie

Yum!

I know this post is super long, but it's probably the only one you're getting for awhile.  Between now and Thursday, Pauly and I have pet therapy scheduled at the hospital, I have to go to Connecticut for an all day job interview, I am going to see the Daily Show, and I need to stay on top of my classes.  I also think I'm getting sick.

"What?  You were writing a super long blog post and I am bored with all my toys and missing my brother.  I see no problem with flipping the water bowl and running around the apartment with it."

I need to go clean up.

To Meat or Not to Meat

A vegan friend recently told me that I am “the most ethical non-vegetarian” she knows.  Of course, this was a backhanded compliment as she was implying that I will never truly reach the ethical and moral mountaintop while continuing to consume a meaty morsel every now and then.  I will admit that it is difficult for me to reconcile my absolute love and respect for animals as sentient, smart beings and then eat them.  Just for the record, I would estimate that I eat a vegetarian diet 4 or 5 days a week because I simply prefer most dishes without meat.  But, I devoured a cheeseburger last night and it was delicious.

 

For those of you who know my dream of someday having a pet miniature potbelly pig, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I took the bacon off my cheeseburger and tossed it onto my mother’s plate.  My argument for avoiding pork, though, is a weak one (something Jay’s parents, Jay, and my mother did not hesitate to point out while I claimed my pork-free moral high-ground at the Chinese restaurant on Saturday night).  I think pigs are wonderful.  They are smarter and more socially aware than dogs and I would never eat dog meat (shockingly my apparently moral-less mother claims that she would).  Where do I draw the line, though?  Cows are beautiful, but I’ll eat them.  Chickens are, well, chickens.  I’m not a bird person and don’t like them in either their living or food form.  But what about spinach?  Eggplant?  Don’t these species also fight for survival and deserve my sympathy?  

Get me out of NYC so I can snuggle one of these cuties

 

An article (and it’s a good one, so go ahead and click on that link) in yesterday’s NYT suggests that I am not the only person suffering from this omnivore’s dilemma (I know, this isn't actually what the "Omnivore's Dilemma" was about).  About a year and a half ago, after reading a simultaneously disturbing and fascinating book, I found my solution.  Remember, this is MY solution – one that works for me, not you, or you, or you.  So don’t start with the nasty criticisms, though not-too-nasty criticisms are welcome.  The reasons I have for not eating meat largely revolve around the suffering, fear, and pain experienced by the animals grown for human consumption during slaughter and during their short lives before they are slaughtered.  Ok, so I don’t want any part in inflicting these horrible feelings on bright-eyed cows or sweet, snorting piggies.  Anybody who has read a Temple Grandin book (I’ve read them all and you should too), or witnessed a veterinarian euthanize a beloved pet, knows that animals can be killed peacefully.  There need not be the horrible squealing and torture that is common in slaughterhouses.  The good news is, enough people feel the same way and are willing to pay top-dollar in order to ensure their future food has a relatively comfortable life and death.  The solution for me is to choose only Certified Humane food, in combination with eating less meat and thinking about where all my food, including the eggplant and spinach, comes from.  Certified Humane is a non-profit that inspects every aspect of farm animal treatment and requires that farms meet standards of welfare in order to be certified.  This non-profit is managed independently and is informed by leading scientists, such as Temple Grandin, as well as animal activists (ASPCA), and politicians.  Certified Humane items are easy to find in your local meat and dairy aisle and, for me, the minimal added expense is worth enjoying my food without a side of guilt.  

Look for this logo next time you buy eggs or meat

 

I know my vegetarian and vegan friends will not approve of this sorry excuse for chowing down at the next summer BBQ.  Realistically speaking, though, I think Certified Humane is a huge step for a country whose culture is literally based on consumption of meat (think of the most American of holidays and what's the first thing that comes to mind - gobble gobble).  Sometimes getting a base-hit is better for the game than swinging for a homer and striking out.  Please constructively comment your disagreements, thoughts, support, etc.        

In other news - SOMEBODY ELSE PUBLISHED MY THESIS TOPIC AND I'M MAD! (unless they want to hire me)