There is a glut of courgettes in the fridge; we normally do a sort of pasta bake with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella, or stir fry them, but I caught a glimpse of some cookery programme the other day where somebody was making a moussaka with courgettes instead of aubergine, and so I thought I'd give it a try.

There was a tub of lamb/lentil moussaka lentil mix in the freezer, which was nice - we've just done three days on the trot working till seven, and the last thing I want to do at that hour of the night is to construct moussaka from scratch! Padding out moussaka or spag bol - or any other mince based dish - with lentils makes it go a lot further, thus aiding the budget, and we like the texture too.

I sliced up three courgettes - this isn't helpful, really, as they were all different sizes, but do some. I cut them in rounds, about 1cm thick. Then I tossed them in a bowl with plenty of olive oil, put them on a baking tray, and cooked them at 210˚ for about 20 minutes. While that was going on, I made a white sauce with some nutmeg in it.

Then I heated up the lentil/lamb mix in the microwave for a couple of minutes, to get everything kick started. Layered a dish with moussaka / courgettes/white sauce / moussaka / courgettes / white sauce, topping with grated mozzarella. We have a thriving basil plant on the kitchen window sill right now, so I scattered a load of basil leaves after the first layer of white sauce.

Baked at 180˚ for about 25 minutes. It worked really well, and I'll be doing that again.

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/07/how-to-play-with-your-food.html

I'm in Chicago right now, for ALA: the annual meeting of the American Library Association. I've been to a couple of them before and have always had a marvellous time -- once, with people like Art Spiegelman and Scott McCloud and Colleen Doran explaining to curious librarians what graphic novels were and why they should have them in their libraries, another time getting to visit New Orleans for the first time Post-Katrina, when I went to two dinners with Poppy Z Brite, and one of them was the first time Poppy's husband, chef Chris DeBarr, ever cooked for me*.

When I was in Melbourne, five years ago, Poppy was a guest of honour with me, and somewhere back then it was decided that we would be going to Alinea, a Chicago restaurant of remarkable coolness. The years went by and I was never in Chicago for long, and Katrina happened, and once Poppy went back to New Orleans she did not want to leave, but we knew one day it would happen.

And tonight it did. Poppy flew up from Chicago and took me to dinner. It was expensive, and, I only discovered at the end of the meal, Poppy was paying. (This is a big public thank you.)

The service and friendliness and sense of enjoyment from the Alinea staff was remarkable. I've had, on rare occasions, food that was as good, and, rarely, I've had food that was better, but I do not ever recall any meal that was as much fun to eat. 23 Courses (hmm, very illuminati) of things that melted or popped or squrunched in your mouth in astounding ways.

I think my favourite not-actually-putting-something-in-my-mouth moment was when the table was covered with bubbling belching dry-ice smoke, and I asked Poppy very nicely if she wouldn't mind saying, "Tonight, my creature, I shall give you Life!" for me, and, bless her, she did.

If anyone reading this is at ALA, I'm doing two signings at the HarperCollins booth 2011, one at 1.00pm on Saturday, the other on 9.00am on Monday (which should have some amusement value). Also a panel on Monday at 1:30pm on the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. The rest of the time is filled with interviews, receptions, speeches and such.

I'm actually here to receive the Newbery Medal for The Graveyard Book. Which will be presented on Sunday night, and for which I have written (and already recorded) a speech. (Which will be played if I forget how to talk on Sunday night. It's possible.)

And I want to thank Harper Collins for indulging me, and keeping up the free version of The Graveyard Book on the mousecircus website all that time. You can still listen to (or watch) me read The Graveyard Book, chapter by chapter, across America, at http://www.mousecircus.com/videotour.aspx. You can also buy it.

(And to answer a sharp-eyed questioner, yes, there are a couple of changes in the latest printing of The Graveyard Book; I fixed an error in astronomy I'd made, and a misspelled foreign word, and fixed some paragraphs in the acknowledgments that were truncated in the original US edition.)


(And that reminds me: yes, I will be at San Diego Comic Con briefly on Friday July 24th, to do a panel with Henry Selick about Coraline, and a one hour signing afterwards. I'll be at the Eisner Awards for a bit that night, then will zoom across town to the Benefit concert that Amanda Palmer and Vermillion Lies are doing for the CBLDF.)




*Chris says people have been asking for "The Mezze of Destruction", the code-phrase that tells him they were sent from this blog, at the Green Goddess, and getting special extras -- restaurant Easter Eggs, as it were, and I have been getting happy messages from people who have eaten there who tried it. And, almost needless to say, lived.


Right. Bed.

I cannot recall any tv show that I have watched generating as much polarisation as this week's Torchwood. (Of course, I am slow at these things, and watched the later Buffy and mid-period West Wing only a couple of years after first broadcast.)

To generalise brutally, my impression is that a majority of the fanfic side of fandom was appalled, while the more literary sf side was generally fascinated, with plenty of exceptions on both sides. To summarise reaction from my f-list (a number of these posts are locked, so you'll have to take my word for it):

( links )

( What I thought )

( Is that the end? )

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090710.html

What lights up this

This is a virtual season that takes place after Season Four of Dr. Who...spoilers to that point...
Season 4.5:Unfinished Symphony
Title: Devil Inside
Author: usmc75
Rating: PG
Summary: This the second episode of season 4.5 of Doctor Who....all episodes can be found here



Prelude//Part One//Part Two//Part Three//Part Four//Part Five//Part Six//Part Seven

 I was watching this episode today and I thought these screen shots were really cute xD but I still say Rose and Nine forever

 

~Emilie

I was going through Not always right.com today and look at what I found...

Shopping, Time Travel…It’s Going To Be A Busy Day

Current Mood: calm

A thought about Torchwood...

( SPOILERS for Day Four and Day Five )

Perfectly work and child safe pictures here at my LJ for some fabulous stories:

Sing Morning Out Of Night, Torchwood, New Who, Sarah Jane Adventures | PG-13 | gen with canon pairings by copperbadge/sam_storyteller

The Lovers, Nine/Rose/Jack, NC-17 by canaana

Second Chances, Alt!Nine/Rose, Mature by honorh

Feedback is loved and appreciated :) Enjoy!

( Includes Waters of Mars promo image and UK culture, of a sort, reference )

I got a call from Aim today to say they had flights to leave on Wednesday! I am SO relieved and happy for her :) She will be back August 3rd, with my blessing.

Yay!Yay!Yay!

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers :)

Current Mood: relieved

I HATE driving. Too many idiots on the roads for my liking and I have no sense of direction.

So why do I keep looking at cars and trying to work out how I could afford to run one?

Stupid tempting internets!

Fuck me.

( spoilers throughout )

Current Mood: shocked

A Wimbledon (football club) Womble on the forth plinth in Trafalgar Square (6pm-7pm today) as part of the One and Other event.

( mild spoiler for Torchwood )

[1-40] Doctor Who - Blink
1-4 - The Doctor
5-7 - Kathy Nightingale
8-14 - The Angels
12, 15, 33 - Billy Shipton
11, 16-35 - Sally Sparrow
13, 34-40 - Larry Nightingale

Here at ccxvii

What a long, strange week it's been. Tell us what you think here.

I've always assumed that pantyhose was USian for tights, but this article about thier history includes the line

The industry witnessed a decline in pantyhose sales, and an increase in other products, such as tights and—with the rise of pants in the workplace—trouser socks.

So, could someone tell me the difference between pantyhose and tights? What *is* the English for pantyhose, if it's not tights?

Title: ‘A Thousand Years’
Author: QKellie
Rating: PG
Genre: Drabble/romance/angst
Summary: Set between Torchwood 4x4 and 4x5. Spoilers for 'Children of Earth' parts 1-4. Written prior to the airing of 4x5. Vague spoilers for Doctor Who up through ‘Journey’s End.’
Word Count: ~1900

( Gwen had to look away... )

Current Mood: optimistic

If Ireland's new Blasphemy leglislation was any good I could get those terrible "you must conform" Gilette Venus ads banned and the makers fined within an inch of their lives.