H.A. Larson's Blog, page 57

Libations, Spirits, and other Potables

Good morning, and Happy Saturday! Ahh, I love the weekend, and mine's off to a great start. I had a pleasant Friday evening watching a television show (I know, right? Me? Watching television shows? Eh, I wanted a music break.), hanging out with my little family, and drinking some beers.

Beer is one of those things, people either love it or hate it. When I was a teenager and we found someone's older sister to buy us some booze, somehow I ended up with an Old Milwaukee one night. I decided right then and there that beer was gross and I hated it.

Fast forward about eight years later when I was in my early twenties, and began hitting the bars almost nightly with my friends. When you have a limited income, drinking whatever beer is on tap is usually your cheapest option. So, after awhile, I grew to enjoy the taste of beer. As the years went by, beer became one of my favorite drinks. Now, I enjoy beer on a whole different level, and I like to try new kinds and visit breweries whenever I get a chance.

A local grocery store chain has a "Mix a Six" deal where you mix and match a six-pack from a variety of beer singles. My husband and I love doing this as we can experiment and try new flavors. Here, then, are a few of the beers I've tried out recently.



Lucky Bucket's Certified Evil Imperial Oatmeal Stout
This is a proper dark beer. It's deep, rich, and creamy, leaving you with a pleasant aftertaste and a sense of great satisfaction. I love the gothy vibe of the bottle as well, "Dark and Brooding" indeed.


Ballast Point's Grapefruit Sculpin
This is an IPA, something my husband is fond of but I don't particularly care for. This particular IPA though is infused with natural grapefruit flavor, which my husband is fond of, and so he convinced me to give this one a try. I have to say, it's about the only IPA I'd purposely drink. It's not overpowering with the hops flavor that is standard with IPAs, and it's got a subtle grapefruit flavor that gives it a lighter finish and kind of balances out the hops.


Woodchuck's Gumption Hard Cider
I was never much of a hard cider fan, especially after consuming a few too many Reds, but that all changed after my trip to Ireland. Over there, they have Bulmer's Hard Cider, and it's fantastic. I've had good luck finding quality hard ciders, and this is one of those. I was skeptical at first because I'm not a huge fan of Woodchuck Cider, but this is different. Woodchuck's Gumption Hard Cider is absolutely delicious. It's darker than a standard cider, giving it some body, and the apple flavor is reminiscent of fresh squeezed cider. 


Stiegl's Grapefruit Radler
Radlers are also coming into vogue, and since this one is a grapefruit one, my husband brought it home one day. Radlers are beer mixed with soda, and this one, of course, is grapefruit soda. I love it. I think Radlers are fantastic, but be careful, they go down quick and easy.


Warsteiner's Dunkel
What can I say that hasn't already been said about Warsteiner. Warsteiner is one of the most recognizable beer brands in the world, and this is their Dunkel. I prefer dunkels whenever I hit up an Oktoberfest, and Warsteiner has a corner on the market. Still.


Ciderboy's Pineapple Cider
This was another hard cider I decided to try on a whim. It's very sweet and reminds me more of a pineapple soda rather than an alcoholic beverage. I won't get these again, but I'd drink one if someone handed it to me.


There you have it, some of the beers I've enjoyed recently. What kinds of drinks to you enjoy? Are you a beer connoisseur like myself? What kinds have you been drinking lately? Leave me a comment!

Recipe of the Week: Savory Oats

Recently, when I was looking for inspiration on the internet, I came across a recipe for savory oatmeal. I was like, "What?!" but thoroughly intrigued at the same time. We're so used to thinking of oats as strictly a breakfast meal that we sweeten up, that the idea of savory oats had completely escaped our realm of thinking. That is, until some creative person thought differently.
I love grains, and so I thought, "This is going to just be like eating another grain, or maybe polenta!" I decided then, to make my own version of a savory oatmeal recipe, and, boy, was it good. Here's what I made.

Savory Oats with Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Tofu

Looks good, huh? Okay, so here's how it's made. This is, of course, another versatile recipe that I encourage you to put your personal touches on.

Savory Oats with Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Tofu

Ingredients:
2 or 3 c. cleaned and halved (or quartered if extra-large) brussel sprouts1 block of tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces4 T. olive oil2 T. miso pastebalsamic glaze1 c. oats2 c. vegetable soup base or stock (I use Better than Bouillon)salt and peppergarlic powder

Instrustions:
1. Coat tofu in 2 T. of oil and spread out on a cookie sheet. Put in the oven on the bottom shelf and bake at 375 until brown and crispy, turning once.
2. Coat the sprouts in the other 2 T. of oil, miso paste, pepper, salt, and garlic powder. Put in the oven on the top shelf and bake until just tender. Yes, these can bake with the tofu at the same time! Keep an eye on both though, the tofu will be done first.
3. Bring the soup base/stock to a boil on the stove. Add the oats and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook until done, approx. 15 minutes.
4. When everything is done, lay a base of oats on a plate, then add your tofu and sprouts. Drizzle the whole thing with glaze, or whatever floats your boat.

5. I actually felt ambitious this day, and carmelized an onion by slicing it, and sauteeing it in a frying pan with some olive oil until they were brown and soft. They were great added to the top of the dish.

And there you have it, another easy recipe for a busy weeknight or a weekend night as well. This recipe is really tasty and healthy as well. Oats keep you nice and full longer, and the combination is quite delicious.

Poetry for a Wintry Day

Good morning. We finally decorated for Christmas last night. We still have some things to find in the attic to put up around the house, but we got the tree up and that's the most important part. While the kids were putting decorations on the tree, my husband and I went ahead and wrapped presents. Yes, I shopped right before Thanksgiving, so I'm already (mostly) done! 
A few years back, I started doing my shopping on Amazon and, let me tell you, that was one of my smartest ideas ever. The reason for this is because I really hate shopping. I'm just not the kind of person that spends any significant time wandering around stores. Even grocery shopping makes my agent orange act up! Shopping on Amazon means I can order online and it gets delivered to my home. Easy peasy.
The temperature here has definitely taken a downturn this week, and yesterday I finally had to bundle up in my big winter coat when I left for work. Between the decor and temperature, it really feels like Winter. So, in honor of Winter (which always gets a bad rap but really isn't so bad), I'm posting some poetry that I've written. Enjoy!







Cemetery Gate
I halt here at the cemetery gate,standing and watching I wait.The wind blows bitter cold around,making a twisted and awful sound.Is that a shape, a form I see?If it is, will it come to me?I put one foot in front of the other,My lips are cold, they flutter.The sun has left the sky,the moon twinkles in my eye.I enter the forgotten place.


_____________________________







She Waits

She watches and she waits,while he plays a dangerous game.She waits for her time to come,while his already came.He doesn't think she knows,he believes she's in the dark.He's a fool because she always knows,as she watches silently from afar.So, she watches and she waits,while he plays a dangerous game.Waiting for her time to come.

Warren Comics and The Creeps

Good morning! I hope you had a good weekend. It snowed here and the temperature is definitely dropping. Today, let's talk about something offbeat!







My dad was a big fan of Warren Comics, Creepy and Eerie to be exact, when he was growing up. He was such a fan, in fact, that he saved almost all of his personal copies. When I developed my own love of the macabre after reading Stephen King's Pet Semetary, he gave me his stack of Creepy and Eeries, and I was quickly a fan myself after that.
I remember one day--sometime back in the 1980s--my dad and I decided to see if we could still purchase new Creepy & Eerie magazines, so we headed to the closet bookstore. We did find a Creepy magazine but it was too high-priced for my dad's taste, and after that, we never saw any more.
As I got older, I would occasionally spot a special edition vintage one on ebay but could never find the time nor the money to outbid the people who purchased them. However, I did manage to get a couple of the standard vintage ones (not the special yearly ones that would come out).
Not too long ago, it came to my attention that there is a company putting out new horror comics in the style of Warren Publishing, and it's called The Creeps. Just look at how awesome this cover is!




It looks just like the ones of yesteryear, and I think I'm going to have to purchase a few of these.

Portrait of Omaha: Black and White

I love taking pictures. In fact, I'm planning on taking the plunge over the holidays and finally getting myself a really nice camera. I've got a small, digital Panasonic right now, but, while it takes decent enough photographs, doesn't take the more 'professional' photographs that I'm looking for. That's not to say that I haven't taken any good pictures, because I sure have. I use photographs that I've taken with my phone and with my camera, with mixed results. 
Last year, I really wanted a break from all the nature photographs I take, and invested a few days into driving around the old downtown, abandoned, and industrial parts of town. I ended up with some gritty black and white photographs during the coldest time of year. This helped lend to the dark, cold, and abandoned feel of the photographs. Enjoy.

Down along the Missouri River run train tracks. This particular train just happened to be going by as I was in the area, so I stopped to take a photo or two.


This is the one of the local power plants.



This photograph was taken down the road from the power plant. It's next to some more train tracks and doesn't appear to used much, if at all.



The train tracks as they head in towards downtown.



An old abandoned auto parts store just north of downtown Omaha.



A water tower looms in the sky, more than likely a retired one linked to an industrial plant of some kind.



Another old abandoned building. The left side of the taller building has collapsed, leaving exposed bricks, giving the appearance of having been ripped.



Another old abandoned auto business.



A row of abandonded businesses in a former downtown area. It's always interesting to wonder what life must have been like back when it was a thriving area.



An old abandoned body shop along the same street as above.



An old smoke stack rises high above the air as downtown looms in the distance.



Omaha's skyline in the background, with it's sleek, vibrant aliveness is a stark contrast to the ruin and decay in the forefront.

Coffee Talk: Taking time to Relax

Good morning! I hope your day is off to a good start, I know mine seems to be going that way. I enjoy my early mornings, as it's the only time I'm truly alone. Everyone else is asleep, and I have a little while to myself in a serene house.
Anyway, I mentioned in the last Coffee Talk about how I took a much-needed day of laziness and relaxtion. I told you I'd talk more about it in another post, so grab a cup of coffee and read on.


Image courtesy of noanxiety.com. 

Ahh, relaxation. There's nothing quite like it, is there? So why is it then, that we never really get enough of it. I know I don't. My weekdays begin when I wake up at 5 a.m., get ready for work, leave the house at 7:15 a.m., and arrive back home in the evening at 6:15 p.m. This means that I now have time to relax, right? Wrong. This is when it's time to do some household chores, make a meal, then help children with homework when applicable (which is most nights). To make a long story short, my weekdays, and hence my week, are long and leave little time for relaxation.
Then, the weekend arrives, and, finally, I have time to relax, right? Wrong again. There are chores, cleaning, laundry, and various errands that need to get taken care of. This is also the time to get out and do some kind of activity, spend time with family, and maybe throw in a get-together with friends. For me, weekends also mean doing a podcast and working on The Write Life. 
Rarely, then, comes a day when I can just kick back and do nothing...well, at least not without feeling guilty. That's why a nice, long weekend like Thanksgiving weekend was wonderful for me. After the food and festivities of Thursday, everyone pitched in to clean up, and I set out paper plates, cups, bowls, napkins, and plastic dishware. Friday then, everyone helped themselves to leftovers, and, besides taking a shower, I did nothing all day. It was fantastic. 
It was really great just to relax in my jammies, listen to music, drink some wine, take a nap, and watch movies. Now, I wouldn't want to do this for days on end, but in the fast-paced world that most of us live in, we need days like this.

You ever notice how time seems to move by faster and faster? I know I sure do. I'm sure much of this has to do with routine. We do the same thing, day in and day out. Our weekdays go along pretty much the same until the weekend comes. What we do on the weekends might vary some, but we still do some things that are the same (cleaning, chores, and errands). All this routine feels like the we're just moving in sync with the hands of the clock, speeding up our sense of time. This is why vacations are important. They help us slow down time for awhile, by doing things off our routine. We're either somewhere different, or involved in different kinds of activities out of the norm.

So what do you do when you don't take vacations often, or even rarely? I think that when you have a long weekend you need to vary out of your routine and take time to slow down...relax...enjoy the moment. This is what helps us slow down time, even if it's just for a day, and helps us reset. It's an important reminder of why down-time is so important for our health and well-being. So, take some time soon, maybe one Saturday a month for example, and just relax.

In other coffee talk:

It's already December! Back away slowly Christmas...we're not ready for you just yet.

I did not finish my short story in time for the deadline. I knew I would be pushing it since the contest only ran one month, and I heard about it two weeks in. That's all right, because I'll finish it, polish it up, and hold on to it. There are other contests to enter!

In big news, I'm starting a weekly email! It will be a way for me to connect on a personal level with people and give exclusive content, information, and other fun tidbits. You can find the link to sign up on my front page of my website, on the top of the right-hand column. If you view it on mobile, if you go down to the bottom of the page, you can choose to look at the web version of my site, then you will find the link. Sign up! You won't regret it. *wink wink*

It's Friday, and I hope you're looking at a fun weekend. I have a fun get-together planned, and I'm looking forward to it. Have a great one whatever you do.

-H.A.

Recipe of the Week: Tacos

This taco is all dressed up, and ready to go!

Who doesn't love tacos? I'm sure there are a few people who don't, but we're not mentioning them in this post! Anyway, tacos are awesome in many ways. You can fill a taco with just about anything you want, they are easy & quick to prepare, they're inexpensive to make, and they're filling. Tacos are one of my go-to meals to make, especially on a busy weekend night when time is not my friend. I always, as a rule, have a large stack of small flour tortillas on hand. Breakfast tacos are your friend, too.
As a vegan, my main fillers for tacos are numerous. I can use beans, refried beans, seasoned rice, lentils, chickpeas, bulgur wheat, crumbled & seasoned tofu, etc. etc. As for myself, I typically fall back on that bastion of cheap versatility: TVP. Now, if you don't know what that is, it's short for textured vegetable protein. If you ever purchased the bright red, fake bacon bits in the grocery store, they are made out of seasoned bits of TVP. I cook with TVP fairly regularly, as it's a super-quick way to make a variety of "meat" crumbles. 
This won't be your standard recipe, as the ingredients are too diverse to list. Instead, I'll give you basic, easy, vegan taco recipe instructions. Let's get started.
1. Prepare your TVP for your filling. I have an entire post on how to cook with TVP, including recipes for TVP Taco Crumbles. Just click here.
2. While your TVP is soaking up all that flavorful goodness, start prepping the other ingredients.
3. Wrap a pile of soft tortillas (corn or flour are both fine, and a mix of the two is even better) in some damp paper towels, put them in a oven-proof container, and let warm in the oven on the lowest temperature.
4. Chop up your favorite greens and put in a bowl. I make a taco bar where everyone can put on whatever toppings they want! Repeat with any peppers, beans, or veggies you'd like. I'll often put out a bunch of greens, julienned jalapenos (jarred ones are awesome as well), southwestern-style corn, rice, onions, avocado, and some black beans.
5. Next to your bowls of delicious fillers, set out some condiments. In my house, that's typically vegan sour cream, salsa, hot sauce (I love Valentina's or Tapatio), vegan shredded cheese, nooch, and maybe a salad dressing or two.
6. After the TVP is soft, and has soaked up all the good flavors, heat up some oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the TVP and fry, stirring constantly, until warmed all the way through. Turn off heat and remove TVP from burner. Put on your taco bar on a hot pad.
7. Take your warm, soft tortilla shells out of the oven, and set them on your taco bar as well on a hot pad.
8. Assemble your tacos, grab some napkins, and chow down!


See, it's as easy as that! You can mix and match your personal favorites, or use whatever you have on hand. I can remember one time having nothing but rice, chickpeas, lettuce, green chiles in a can, and a jar of spicy, pickled carrots. They came together and made some yummy, quick tacos. Whatever you have, make it into a taco tonight. 

Portrait of Omaha: The Dodge Street Subway

Good morning! It's Monday, and time to go back to work after the long weekend. I got myself back into the groove yesterday, so I think I'm ready enough. Saturday, we got out and did a little sight-seeing around town, an activity we partake in whenever we're not feeling overly ambitious, but would still like to get out and about. You're probably wondering, "You sight-see in your own town?" and the answer to that is, "Yes." I've lived in Omaha for nearly fourteen years, and I still haven't seen all the interesting things here. For instance, on Saturday, my husband reminded me of his desire to see the subway that still runs under Dodge Street. 
Now, subway means "subterranean way", and includes more than just an underground train. Subways are also areas for pedestrians to safely cross super-busy roads that aren't made for walking across. This is what the Dodge Street Subway is. Intrigued myself, we went to check it out--as well as some other sites, but we'll concentrate on this one today--and found out that there used to be several of these subways throughout Old Omaha, but that this is the only one still in use. This particular one was updated and reopened a little over a year ago.
I took several pictures, so I'm putting up my best here today, and it's part of another new series I'm doing called "Protrait of Omaha". I'll take pictures of landmarks, and other sites of interest, and then show them to you. Here then, is the Dodge Street Subway. 



A plaque on the entrance wall explains the origins of the subway in Omaha.




Signs and lamps above the entrance to the subway tunnel.




A view of the tunnel from the entrance. You can tell that it's well-maintained.




The walls are decorated. This side said "Dundee" and then something else that I forgot to pay attention to. Ha! I was too busy admiring how interesting it was.




On the other side is a set of murals painted to look like windows, showing the viewer a glimpse out the window onto Omaha.




A shot up into the sky after exiting the subway.

It's Teaser Time!

Cover for my book The Box.


Good morning! I hope you are well-fed and well-rested after the holiday festivities. I know I sure am. I really had the two most fabulous days, and I needed them (I'll talk more about that in another post). 
Not long ago, I talked about how my creative pull has been going this year. Now that I've had more time to reflect on it, I know exactly what was going on. I talked about how I felt that I might have had too much creative pull or that I'd been distracted by other things too often. Neither one of those things are true. Not that I was lying, but I think I was unable to admit what was really going on because sometimes you fear the worst and don't want to voice it. I was afraid that my desire to create had died, and I wasn't sure if I would ever get it back. I guess it can be called Writer's Block, but it was more than that. I noticed this Spring that I just wasn't feeling the urge to write, not one bit. I spent months, then, not writing anything. While I have to admit that I enjoyed a break from the writing blitz I had been on for two years, I was nervous that it was going to be a permanent state of mind.
Thankfully, it wasn't. After the fateful weekend of hiking five miles on both a Saturday and a Sunday, I got my drive back. I was very relieved and happy to have come out of the slump that had been affecting, not just the Write Life but, my whole life. Since then, I've been back in the saddle, just like I never left, and the past six months are now firmly behind me.
I'd been so prolific in the Write Life before, so having all this time this year without much writing was tough. I did, admittedly, publish Deep, Dark, and Lovely, but it wasn't really ready, I just needed to get something out there. I've been hard at work on The Box though, and I'm really digging the way it's coming together. I'm plugging away at a good clip on the meat of the story, and it won't be long before I'm on the downhill climb. So, to that end, it's time for a teaser! As always, feel free to leave me comments, kudos, or your criticisms in the comments.

-- Feeling a nervous knot in the pit of his stomach, he carefully watched the forest. As he concentrated all his senses on the woods, he started to become aware of movements in his peripheral vision. Remembering the shadows from earlier, his concentration moved from the woods to that which was just out of sight. He could sense the shadows around him, but he could not see them by turning his head. They were always just out of full sight, and it was maddening. He remembered seeing them clearly in the reflections of Heidi’s eyes, and he wondered what they wanted.             As he pondered, a feeling of dread washed over him, and he glanced back to the trees. The sensation of being watched was overwhelming, and he hurriedly stood up. He decided right then and there that he needed to leave Gran’s farm, and he needed to do so right away. He practically bolted through the house as he ran upstairs to grab his bag. It was sitting right where he left it: on the bed in the guest room, unpacked.             The sense of dread intensified as he walked out into the upstairs hallway. Hearing all the commotion, Heidi came out from her room with a baffled look on her face. “What…what’s going on?” she asked as she watched him walk down the stairs. Noticing his bag in his hand, her eyes grew wide as she quickly followed him.             “Where are you going?” she asked.             “I’m leaving,” Sam said curtly.             “But why?”             “I can’t stay here another minute, Heidi. That’s why.”             “You can’t leave now!” Heidi exclaimed. “We need you here!”             “Maybe you should leave too,” Sam retorted with a sneer.             Heidi grabbed his arm and pulled hard, stopping him at the bottom of the stairs. “What’s gotten into you?” she demanded, “You can’t just leave Gran and I here to deal with the box alone!”             Sam could, once again, see the reflection of shadows in her eyes. They were swirling next to him and behind him, and it took all he had not to shout in frustration and fear. He yanked his arm out of her hand. “Gran’s just fine! Did you ever think that maybe you’re the one with the problems!” he yelled.             He bolted out to his rental car, threw the bag inside, and climbed in as fast as he could. The car had barely started before he put it into gear, peeled out of the driveway, and sped down the gravel road. It was now completely dark, and he could barely see the security light of Gran’s farmhouse in the rearview mirror through the haze of dust. His eyes moved back to the road. --

Coffee Talk: Thanksgiving

It's time for Coffee Talk. Have you got your coffee ready? I know I do! I figured since the holiday was just yesterday, that I should take some time to talk about it.

Several years ago, my husband and I got tired of traveling and dealing with family drama on Thanksgiving (as well as Christmas), so we decided that we would just do our own. Ever since then, I wake up early, make a filling breakfast for everyone, then begin preparing a feast. Last year was the first Thanksgiving that I was a vegan, so it was my first Thanksgiving meal that I veganized. While it was good, it wasn't as good as my previous omnivore Thanksgiving Day meals. It definitely had some room for improvement, then, and this year, I did just that.

I made all my standards, just in a vegan way, and they all came out delicious. I also invested the time and energy into making my own seitan roast. Seitan is a meat substitute that is made using vital wheat gluten, and it's quite delicious. Companies like Field Roast, Tofurky, and Gardein make scrumptious seitan roasts that vegans buy for holidays such as this, but they are pretty pricey. I've gotten good at making seitan--as well as other meaty items using vital wheat gluten--that I thought I'd try making my own. I turned to my Vegan Fairy Godmother, Isa Moskowitz, for inspiration and found this: Seitan Roast stuffed with Shiitakes and Leeks. I doubled the recipe, because I need lots of a good thing, and used garbanzo beans instead of pintos because that was what I had on hand. The roast was heavy since I made one large roast instead of two smaller roasts, so the slices are rectangular in shape as opposed to a circle. It didn't affect the texture or flavor, however, and it came out amazingly delicious. I'll never buy another seitan roast again!

Of course, I had to make desserts, so pies were done first. I made a vegan pumpkin pie with cocowhip, and then I made a new and easy favorite: blueberry pie. For this pie I simply buy a cookie crumb crust (as opposed to graham cracker crust), fill it with a can of blueberry pie filling, and top it with an entire container of cocowhip. I then chill it in the fridge until ready to serve. Secret: I already ate a piece of it for breakfast this morning. 




My pretty set table.



A nice shot of my plate. From left to right, going clockwise: seitan roast, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, green bean casserole, buttered corn, and scalloped corn.



Pies! Blueberry and Pumpkin.

I see many people have been giving their thanks all month, and many people gave thanks yesterday. I stayed off social media for the most part as I was busy cooking, and, instead, really invested my time and energy into the day. It's the one time of the year where I have a nice set of days off in a row, and I can enjoy my favorite meal with my three favorite people. After a day of alternately cooking and doing dishes, I'm going to relish in a day of laziness. We'll eat leftovers today on disposable dishware so I don't have to worry about dishes building up, and I can enjoy a relaxing day.
I'm thankful, not just on the holiday, but every day of the year for what I have. I never forget how fortunate I am, even when things get bleak or seem formidable. I have a family that I adore, great friends, good health, a job that I enjoy, and all my parts are intact and working. I have money put aside, I always have food & other basic necessities, and I have a fulfilling personal life. 
I also have this: The Write Life, and you, my dear fan, follower, and reader. What can I say but "Thank you!" Thank you for joining me on my journey. You're appreciated.
I hope your holiday was everything you wanted it to be, and that you have cause to be thankful.
From me to you, many warm regards,
-H.A.