The Perfect Gift: This Is Water
David Foster Wallace – the author of Infinite Jest, The Pale King, and Consider the Lobster- was not known as a dispenser of advice but in 2005 when he gave the commencement address (a speech that is most often associated with giving recent grads one last dose of advice) at Kenyon College entitled This is Water, he nailed it.
Standing in front of an audience of 22-year olds and their proud families, Wallace didn’t tell the graduates to follow their passion or dreams; instead he told the audience how important it is to live a compassionate life where we consider the people around us instead of ourselves. The words make the pursuit of happiness seem so easy (just be considerate!) but when you really think about the daily processes that define our lives, it’s not so simple because we’re not hard-wired to think of anyone but ourselves most of the time. Read more 
Dardimans California Fruit Crisps
Looking for a heathy and delicious holiday gift? Check out Dardimans California Fruit Crisp selection: dehydrated fruit with no added sugar or preservatives. Naturally sweet, delicious, and crunchy, and with 13 fruits to choose from (orange, blood orange, mandarin orange, grapefruit, pineapple, lemon, strawberry, Granny Smith apple, pear, peach, persimmon, tomato, and Hawaiian pineapple slices), Dardimans California Fruit Crisps offer something for everyone.
Enjoy the fruit crisps as is or add to your favorite cereal or granola. For a special treat dip half the fruit crisp in your favorite melted dark chocolate and allow to dry on a piece of parchment paper. Read more
Sigmund’s Pretzels
Pretzels are a part of the landscape of New York City and, yet all pretzels are not created equal. Those hard, dry and tasteless pretzels sold on virtually every street corner taste like cardboard and make people wonder what the fuss is all about. Surely New York can do better than that…and, they do but you have to know where to find them. Read more
Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Bark
One of the many traditions during the holiday season is to enjoy chocolate bark – a sheet of chocolate with nuts, dried fruits, pretzels, chips, or candy blended in. Although peppermint bark is one of the most popular treats during the holiday season, chocolate hazelnut bark or chocolate bark made with roasted hazelnuts is growing in popularity because the hazelnut (also known as a filbert) is naturally sweet with a rich, nutty, and versatile flavor that goes well with dark chocolate. Read more
Cars Helping Veterans (Others First, Inc): Donor Beware
A few days ago the postman delivered an envelope called the Money Mailer whose back cover was covered with an advertisement (pictured below) for an organization called Cars Helping Veterans (www.carshelpingveterans.org) – an organization asking for car donations “to help our veterans” along with the statement “Your car donations support purple heart recipients, wounded warriors, homeless veterans, disabled veterans, paralyzed veterans, veterans and their families.” Read more
Where Does $100 to the Alliance Defending Freedom Go?
The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) “is committed to transforming law and culture so true freedom can flourish” although there are many people who would disagree with this statement because the ADF advocates for religious freedom to uphold their idea of justice and preserve the right of certain people to freely live out their faith.
That this freedom results in the discrimination of others and infringes on the rights of women to choose what they want to do with their bodies doesn’t appear to matter to the ADF. It’s their religion, their faith and their definition of justice that trumps the rights of others. How ironic is it that ADF (a non-profit that relies on public donations) calls itself an alliance defending freedom but only defends the freedom of those who believe what they believe? Read more
“Aetna CEO in Line for $500 Million Payout”
Those were the headlines on the front page of the Business & Finance section of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) yesterday. Mark T. Bertolini – the CEO of Aetna since 2010 – stands to make a half billion dollars if Aetna successfully merges with CVS and he leaves his job. According to the WSJ, about $230 million will come from already vested stock appreciation rights while another $190 million would come from the common stock he already owns. An additional $60-$85 million is estimated to be his payout if he is terminated when the company sells itself. Read more
Salted Galapagos Turtles
Chocolate caramel turtles – the unbeatable combination of roasted nuts combined with creamy caramel enrobed in chocolate) were one of three foods (the other two being a slice of cheese on my toasted bagel with lettuce, tomato, and red onion; and bread pudding) that made me think twice about changing my diet from vegetarian to completely plant-based.
I could certainly enjoy nuts and dark chocolate on a vegan diet but caramel which is typically made with milk and butter was out of the question. After much soul searching, I made the leap anyway and went through a brief period of mourning until I discovered Lagusta’s Luscious Salted Galapagos Turtles – which turned out to be better than the chocolate turtles I gave up! Read more
Tarallini, Racioppi, and Chianchette
Agricola del Sole is an Italian company based in La Murgia, an agriculturally diverse territory in the Puglia (southeast) region of Italy (known as Apulia) that specializes in making traditional Italian foods including Tarallini, Racioppi, and Chianchette – small crackers made with durum wheat semolina, olive oil, white wine, and salt.
These crackers are typically served as appetizers with tapenade, olives, roasted red peppers, and various antipasto dishes but they are also an ideal snack as is. Read more
Apple Pecan Strudel
Every autumn the abundance of apples and pecans is overwhelming – in a very good way. When I see stacks of Honey Crisp apples and freshly harvested pecans at farmers markets, I stock up and start thinking about Apple Pecan Strudel – a delicious variation on the Austrian favorite (“apfelstrudel”).
This recipe is one of my all time favorites because it tastes like an apple pastry with a crunchy rich pecan topping and yet there are only 4 tablespoons of vegan butter used in the whole recipe that serves 8-10. The strudel relies on the sweetness of the apples with minimal added sweeteners: 1/4 cup of brown rice syrup and 2 tablespoons of sugar. The lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla extract give the strudel a depth of flavors that will have everyone begging for seconds. Read more
Paddock Post 