WIMB: A cautious proclamation of victory

[Part 4 of Worms in my Basement]

It's been about a month and a half since the inception of my assault on the fruit flies and I am very happy to report that I can count on my own digits the number of fruit flies I have seen in the past week.

I am amazed at the effectiveness of the various components of the Operation particularly because I found so few success stories in my searches for advice on the situation. I am extremely relieved that I have (hopefully) avoided the eviction of the worms from the basement. I have started bringing the worms food scraps again and there seems to be no resulting increase in the fruit fly population. I am careful to bury the food scraps well and am remaining vigilant for the time being.

Another exciting development is that there is some really nice-looking compost in the bin. It is now mixed in with the unprocessed scraps but I was able to separate out some of the finished product to give to a friend. Hopefully it proves healthy and full of nutrients in its first application!

Penn Music Mentoring Bake Sale

What: Penn Music Mentoring Bake Sale
Where: Locust Walk (rain location: Houston Hall)

When: Monday 10:00 - 2:00

Price: $1 biscotti and 3/$2 holiday cookies


Support local music education while enjoying delicious baked goods and live holiday music!

Funnel Cake

You can now make funnel cake yourself. In your dorm. That’s right – funnel cake is no longer reserved for boardwalks and theme parks.

I first came to this realization when shopping with my mom at Bed Bath and Beyond when I saw a make-your-own funnel cake mix. I had always loved professionally made funnel cakes, so naturally this possibility intrigued me. I waited for the opportunity for which I could make the whole batter: my hall’s Thanksgiving dinner.

I quickly finished dinner to prepare the much anticipated dessert #4. As always, I ran into a few minor glitches which hopefully you can avoid:

Problems

1. Smoke alarm

2. Lots of little burnt pieces

3. Inability to flip

4. Look like blobs

Solutions

1. Put the fan on and make sure nothing is under the burners.

2. Try to take the little pieces out after each funnel cake and pour the batter close to the oil.

3. Use tongs to flip

4. Who cares? It looks homemade...

Otherwise these were extremely easy to make. I just added 2 ¼ cups of water and poured the mix into vegetable oil. Once the bottom got brown I flipped the funnel cake, placed it on a plate, put powdered sugar on it, and served!

Caprese Salad

Photo by Christianna Hay

Saturday Blog Lovin' - Apples to applesauce

Blog: honey & jam

Check out this blog for a delicious recipe for homemade applesauce--perfect for Thanksgiving!


Note: Click here to see the original post.

Fun Food Fact!

Truffles are some of the worlds most expensive foods. Ironically, the latin origin of the word truffle comes from the latin word tuber, which means "lump." Well, these lumps of deliciousness can go from anywhere between $130 to $2,000 a pound and come in four main varieties: white truffle, black Truffle, Chinese truffle and black summer truffle.

Food Event

Coffee Smart

I've been drinking coffee now for about two years, but it wasn't until I got to Penn that I really became "addicted."  I need my cup to start my day and to keep me up through those long nights of studying.  I love living in Hill for the social aspect and the dining hall, but also because Starbucks is right across the street.  I drink my coffee black sometimes with Splenda, but the stronger the coffee the better. As my cups became more frequent, I began experimenting with cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. A hall-mate of mine discovered, and I agree, that cinnamon and nutmeg are definitely the best combination. I also tried and enjoyed Cafe Americano.

After a month at Penn I thought I was a coffee expert. Another of my hall-mates proved me wrong by simply asking if I prefer medium or dark roast. I had no clue. He taught me about the different roasts and blends, about the processing of the coffee beans, and about an amazing little shop (also conveniently across the street) where you can get the smoothest and richest blends for cheaper than your cup at Starbucks. Avril 50 is located on Sansom (look for the yellow awning) next to Bubble Tea and has a "hole-in-the-wall" sort of feel. The owner brews different blends daily, including his special "Avril 50 blend" as well as a Dark Sumatra and Dark Chocolate Almond blend. Now I ditch the liquor flavored coffees from Starbucks for my cup of Avril 50 or Dark Sumatra. I'm amazed at the intricacies of what is to many people just their morning caffeine fix and I'm excited to learn and explore more!

Top Chef Season 6: Episode 12 Recap

Last night, the top five "Cheftestants" had their hands full with an episode inspired by the legendary culinary competition, the Bocuse d'Or. The quickfire involved creating a dish that featured a "protein inside of a protein inside of a protein," drawing inspiration from guest Gavin Kaysen's dish from the 2007 Bocuse d'Or. Jennifer emerged from her recent slump (yay!) with a calamari steak stuffed with scallop and salmon and won the challenge and thirty extra minutes to cook during the elimination challenge, and boy did she need it.

The elimination challenge was also in line with the Bocuse d'Or, as the chefs had to choose either Atlantic salmon or lamb and prepare it with two garnishes for a panel of esteemed guest diners, including Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud. Each presentation had its own problems, but Kevin's impeccable preparation overcame the judges' qualms that it was too simple, and he took home victory, along with a $30,000 bonus prize and an opportunity to vie for a spot on the US team for the next installment of the Bocuse d'Or. Eli's lamb sausage experiment was not nearly as successful, though, and he had to pack his knives just short of the finale trip to Napa. Next week, the production relocates to Napa Valley, and one more chef will go home before the grand finale.

Let's get as many Shabbat dinners as possible going on in the Radian at the same time!

Sign up below to host your friends for Shabbat dinner on Friday, November 20 in your Radian apartment.

Plan to celebrate Shabbat however you want (cook dinner with your friends, order in, organize a potluck, etc.!) and we'll help you plan AND pay for it!

All hosts and their guests are invited to free Capogiro and discussion led by Rabbi Joel. If you haven't met him yet, this is your lucky day! We'll meet in the Club Lounge on the 11th floor at 9 PM.

Rabbi Joel's discussion topic:
Bringin' Sexy Back: Jewish perspectives on sex and relationships -

Come and explore various understandings of the most intimate of relationships. Study the Talmud's position on positions, the rabbis' view on foreplay, and discuss what it takes to be in a committed relationship.

Questions? Contact Arielle Salomon