numa numa

This is just kind of silly, but I thought you EphHampton types might enjoy this interview!

recipes

So, uh, I have to start cooking dinners for myself now.  Does anyone have some great recipes lying around, at the ‘grad student’ bugetary, time, and skill levels?

hey uh

If you’re into Drew and Natalie’s web offerings, your interest might be piqued by the pictures in a blog my friend Ben and I have started; the blog is called Taste No Evil and it is the phoenix rising four years later out of the ashes of our high school humor column of the same name and similar logo. I already have drawn a total of six toons (not all released as of this writing) in two days and am quite pleased by them. For reading, check out (1) the pics’ alt text and (2) the articles (written by Ben and another friend Mark and edited by me).

happy happy happy…

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

I wish you all were here to celebrate in the nation’s capital, but I hope you are having a wonderful time celebrating and I miss you all very much.

Pink Pasta Recipe

This is the recipe for the pasta that I made in the Hamptons. Enjoy!

Penne with vodka and spicy-tomato cream sauce
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

This is Patricia Wells' version of a recipe that comes from La Vecchia
Betolla, a trattoria in Florence. Traditionally cheese is not served
with this dish.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 fresh garlic cloves, peeled, minced
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
Sea salt to taste
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree or 1 can (28 ounces)
peeled Italian plum tomatoes in juice
1 pound penne (dried tubular pasta)
2 teaspoons vodka
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, snipped with scissors

1. Put oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt into an
unheated skillet large enough to hold the pasta later on; stir to coat
with the oil. Cook over medium heat just until the garlic turns
golden but does not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes
directly from the can; if using whole canned tomatoes, puree in a food
processor and add to the pan. Stir to blend, and simmer, uncovered,
until the sauce begins to thicken, about 15 minutes. Taste for
seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if you wish.

2. Meanwhile, heat 6 quarts of water in a large kettle to a rolling
boil. Add 3 tablespoons and the penne, stirring to prevent the pasta
from sticking. When it returns to a rolling boil let cook until
tender but firm to the bite. Then drain immediately and thoroughly.

3. Add the drained pasta directly to the skillet with the tomato
sauce. Toss to coat. Add the vodka, toss again, then add the cream
and toss some more. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and let rest 1 to
2 minutes to absorb the sauce. Off the heat, add the parsley and toss
again. Transfer to warm shallow bowls and serve immediately.

Madison, WI, and roadtrips!

So, I'm going to be in Madison June 24-June 27. Anyone else going to be in the area? Didn't think so.

Now, moving on to more relevant matters: who wants to join me on a road trip to Boston, Leah's house in Vemont, Williamstown (WTF is putting on some good stuff this summer!  and I'm sure I'm not the only one who has '07 friends who will be on campus?) DC, and/or Maine? Boston will be around the 4th of July weekend, VT will probably be shortly thereafter, but the other trips will depend on when people (particularly those that I'm trying to visit!) are available. Drop me a line (e-mail, IM, leave a comment here, whatever) if you're interested…tell me where you want to go, and when, and we'll try to work something out. :)

Road trip to Ithaca/Williamstown!

I'm gonna go ahead and exercise EphHampton for its originally conceived purpose…letting us coordinate and get together!

The last week in June, I need to go visit my old lab (sniff) so that I can help get my successors up to speed.  That will be Tuesday-Thursday, 27-29 June.  Right before that, on undetermined dates probably amounting to Sunday and Monday, I'm gonna blow right through Billsville on my way to Ithaca where I'll be looking at apartments for next year.  If anyone wants to link up, drop me a line.  Summarized itinerary:

• ~25 June: Lancaster, MA to Ithaca, NY
• 26 June: Ithaca, NY to Williamstown, MA (arrive Monday evening)
• 29 June or early 30 June: Williamstown, MA to Lancaster, MA

blogroll appearance?

I’ve been trying to get my blogroll to appear in the sidebar of Jono’s Retarded Dream Journal but apparently I’m a little too retarded to figure this out. How does yall do it?

JRDJ

I hadn’t yet started my own WP blog, but just this evening I got a great idea for a good use of one: a dream journal. Alors voilà: Jono’s Retarded Dream Journal.

some how-to’s

I have put up some brief explanations of how you can make a post on the front page of this group blog, make your own personal page a la Jono and myself, and edit that page to keep it up-to-date, just in case a reference guide would be handy for those who haven't used WordPress before. They are located on the "About EphHampton" page to the right.

Something I am still trying to figure out is whether or not we can make it so that EphHampton can only be accessed by specified users–i.e., us–so that we can put personal information up freely.  Right now, we're the only ones who can edit things, but anyone at all could read this.