Monday, October 25, 2004

It really wasn't something that I was planning/expecting to hear, but then Michele said "I told Amy (the bride) that you make some mean enchiladas and that you might be able to help on the rehearsal dinner". Yes, I have made enchiladas in the past (following recipes from both my mother and Michele), but that was for a few people and I had only a vague memory of the ingredients and portions. How do you pull this off for 50? I don't really know, but this is how I did it. Recipe per dozen: Cheese & Sour Cream 1 dozen fresh corn tortillas (if not fresh, cook them slightly in oil to make them limber) 1 tub (16 oz) of light sour cream 1 empty sour cream tub filled with grated cheddar cheese 1 small can (~8 oz) diced green chilies 1 bunch green onions sliced well up into the greens 1 large (12-16oz) can green enchilada sauce Combine sour cream, cheese, chilies and onions to make filling. Heat enchilada sauce in a wide shallow frying pan until a quiet boil then cut back heat. Dip fresh tortillas in sauce to fully coat them, then lay them into a baking dish. Add filling and then roll to form enchilada. Once the baking dish is full, add remaining cheese and enchilada sauce over the top (focus on areas where the tortillas appear dry or lacking sauce). Bake for 30 minutes at 350°. Spinach and Cheese 1 dozen fresh corn tortillas (if not fresh, cook them slightly in oil to make them limber) 12 oz fresh spinach 1 can (4 oz) sliced black olives 16 oz grated cheddar cheese 1.5 cup diced yellow onion 1 large (12-16oz) can red enchilada sauce Partially steam the spinach (microwave for 2 minutes on high, then evaluate). Heat enchilada sauce in a wide shallow frying pan until a quiet boil then cut back heat. Dip fresh tortillas in sauce to fully coat them, then lay them into a baking dish. Fill tortillas with spinach, cheese, onions and olives then roll to form enchilada. Once the baking dish is full, add remaining ingredients and enchilada sauce over the top (focus on areas where the tortillas appear dry or lacking sauce). Bake for 30 minutes at 350°. For 5 dozen, multiply quantities by 5. I found that 13x11x4 aluminum baking pans were perfect for a large job, since you can easily fit 10 per pan. Anyway the enchilada's were a hit. I was getting rave reviews all day Saturday. While I never imagined having to cook for 50, I now know that I can pull it off. I think that my mother, who can do it in her sleep, would be proud. 11:07:01 AM     Comment []

Michele and I got back to San Jose last night after spending 4 days in Santa Barbara for Michele's brother's wedding. The cats survived the 4 days by themselves and didn't trash the place, which was nice. Shasta, who is old hat to the routine, gave us the old "oh your back, about time" routine. For Yolo, however, it was her first time locked in a house, so she wasn't quite certain that we weren't just the feeding crew. She spent a few hours avoiding us until she realized that we actually belonged here. Now she is laying between my keyboard and monitor and seems content. Next time, she will have free run of the house along with Shasta, which should help. I need to thank Ken (my neighbor, not my brother) for coming over and feeding both of them. I wonder if he saw either of the cats this time around. 5:54:36 AM     Comment []

Opinion: Smart growth's misunderstood message. Published Saturday, October 16, 2004, in the Washington Post Smart Growth's Misunderstood Message [BATN at Yahoo! Groups] While I understand and appreciate the goals of smart growth policies, I think that there are times and places where have to realize that any growth is dumb. Another way to put this is that sometimes the only smart growth is no growth. The San Francisco Bay Area is rapidly approaching that point, if it isn't already there. There is no room for further road expansion. The costs for new or expanded transit systems (ie BART) are so high, they essentially kill off all other transit improvements. And finally, topography and geology limit further outward growth. Further growth degrades the quality of life for everyone. Further growth in the Bay Area, dictates sprawl in outlying areas of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Stanislaus, Merced, and other counties. And while we may envision a "smart growth" community in the Coyote Valley, the reality in the outlying counties is suburban sprawl, plain and simple. If you want see it in action, go to Patterson, or Newman, or Los Banos. These towns are following the classic sprawl concepts of turning farmlands in to suburbs. Unfortunately, the nearest urban areas are 20 miles away, while jobs in the Bay Area are at least 60 to 90 miles away. How is this smart? And how smart is the "community" in Coyote Valley when there are only two transit options (Caltrain and VTA busses), two roads, and one freeway connecting a projected 50,000 residents with jobs in San Jose and the Peninsula. While developers and planners see opportunities, I see see gridlock. The growth projections for California and the Bay Area are absurd. To sustain the growth, we need to convert farmland to housing. With the loss of farmland, we become more reliant on food imports. What happens if the import supply chain is disrupted? Also, I have yet to see a plan to supply water to the population that doesn't further degrade the environment by flooding rivers (new dams) or creating local hypersaline environments (desalinification of ocean water). Growth beyond a region's ability to support it is dumb. Pushing growth beyond that is even dumber. 5:30:03 AM     Comment []