Supper: Baked Pasta with Roasted Peach Salad

Monday's supper was one of my first experimentations with going gluten-free. After doing some research, we've decided that going gluten-free could provide some worthwhile benefits for Nate's health. And supper turned out delicious (and healthy)!

I used this recipe for Baked Rigatoni with Brussel Sprouts, Figs, and Bleu Cheese, while making my own modifications.

Baked Fusili with Brussel Sprouts, Dates, and Gorgonzola
Ingredients
2 Tbs. olive oil or butter
8 ounces brown rice fusili (found at Trader Joe's)
1 pound Brussels sprouts, roughly chopped
4 ounces Gorgonzola or other bleu cheese, crumbled
1 cup medjool dates, chopped (I had some trouble finding figs, but dates are tasty!)
Salt
Black pepper
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts, for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 400°.  Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
2. Add the pasta and cook it according to the directions (about 6-7 minutes)- be careful! Rice pasta is very easy to overcook. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water.
3. While the pasta is cooking, saute Brussel sprouts in medium skillet with a little bit of oil or butter. Add some garlic or onion powder if desired.   
4. Return pasta to pot and add the Brussel sprouts. Stir in the bleu cheese, figs, the 2 Tbs. oil, and a splash of the cooking water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss, and taste and adjust the seasoning. Turn the pasta mixture into the prepared pan.
5. Bake, checking once or twice and adding a bit more of the cooking water if the pasta looks too dry, until the mixture is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped walnuts and serve.

Recipe originally adapted from Mark Bittman's Food Matters Cookbook.
 

Roasted Peach Salad with Sweet Balsamic Dressing
(entirely my own creation)

Ingredients:

1 Peach
1 Tbs brown sugar

Several handfuls of Spinach

1 oz. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2 Tbs chopped toasted walnuts

Slice peach into about 12 slices and toss with brown sugar. Roast in oven safe pan at 400 for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Arrange spinach on each plate. Top with peach slices and crumbled Gorgonzola. Drizzles with dressing and serve.

Dressing:

2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar

2 tsp Agave syrup or honey

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine in small dish and mix well.

Hope you enjoy!


All photos by Kara Haberstock, all rights reserved

Finally Home

Thirteen hours of driving across the southwest corner of the country gives one a distinct appreciation for home. A bed, a pillow, the ability to stretch one's legs-- these are the simple comforts. The flurry of family and friends is always nice, the necessary grocery runs and dropping-by at the nearest Walgreen's a bit of a hassle, but a warmly familiar one at that. One never gets accustomed to the summer heat, true, but the always-stunning sunsets and thundering monsoons are well-worth the discomfort. The well-worn road from Tucson to Phoenix and back seems much simpler after one's cross-country treks. Home-cooked food is never to be complained about.

But the most telling signs of home are the simple looks, the smiling faces, the arms outstretched at the door. The familiar embrace, the shared laughs, the first night spent up a bit too late-- now I am home. Waking up to the sunlight in the bed from the southern window, breakfast on the burner that always smells a little hot, fresh-roasted coffee at the table in the corner-- now I am home. The scuffed floor, tangled sheets, water just-a-bit-too-hot--now I am home. 

I missed you Tucson.


Photo by Kara Haberstock (my room- yay!), all rights reserved

A Song for Sunday: Greg Laswell

I might just be a little bit obsessed with this song. Piano + Sara Bareilles + Fantastic Video + Some Wonderful Artist Who's Been Around For A While But I Somehow Missed (a.k.a. Greg Laswell) = a very very happy discovery. You're welcome in advance. (Or maybe you are ahead of me and already found this amazing-ness...)



Greg's new album, 'Landline' is out now!
Get it here: http://goo.gl/YksMr
Directed by Sylvia Sether

Also...this promo video is highly amusing:

Ingrid Michaelson is my favorite...

Film: Baseball in the Time of Cholera

I post this film with mixed feelings. It's a well-crafted documentary about an important topic. I don't think Haiti should fade from memory just because two years have passed since the earthquake. 

At the same time, I don't completely agree with the filmmakers' message. I'm not sure that signing a petition to the UN is the proper response here. Something about their choice of subjects rubs me a bit the wrong way-- I'm not always sure how I feel about the use of children in these sorts of projects. But do watch the film. If you want to get involved, from my own knowledge of the Haitian situation I can recommend Partners in Health, Compassion International, Samaritan's Purse, the International Commission of the Red Cross, and the Haitian Red Cross as reputable organizations with a history of work in Haiti. 

BASEBALL IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA from RYOT on Vimeo.
Baseball in The Time of Cholera is a powerful insight into the tragedy and scandal of Haiti's Cholera epidemic through the eyes of a young baseball player. Watch the film, share it with your network and visit http://undeny.org to sign the petition. Together we can end this crisis!

*Note: Sharing this on Twitter or Facebook is nice, but it doesn't really change much. Awareness is only half the story. Again, I encourage you to check out the organizations above that I know are actively working in Haiti.

The Nature of Trees

What is it of the natures of trees that we find them so wondrous?

For what reason do we fashion them into metaphors and myths?

The tree of life. The tree of knowledge. Wood nymphs and dryads. Ents and sylvans. 

Why do we find them so majestic? For what purpose do we imagine they speak? From where do we assume their strength and wisdom?

Is it their sheer breadth? The awe-inspiring grandeur of the massive oak or towering sequoia, and the thought that even the smallest of these we find could one day become so tremendous?

Is it the bark which clothes them, finely spun, in ever undulating patterns that rub roughly against well-worn fingertips?

Or is it their lines and curves-- the stark perpendicularity of a proud pine against the gentle arc of a spreading willow?

Perhaps it is the voice of the wind as it plays through the gentle leaves overhead and the glimmers of gold amidst the quaking leaves.

Do we envy the stability of their roots, that strong anchor against whatever storm may come? Is this why an uprooted giant is mourned as such a tragedy?

Is it the cool shade they provide, their abode for birds and other small creatures, their gift of aesthetic beauty? Do we see in them humble generosity?

Perhaps we sense in them a timelessness, their slowly unfolding growth a contrast to our fleeting journeys across these spaces, and we take comfort in knowing their steadfast presence at this very moment in their place no matter where our feet may take us.

Or, perchance, they simply remind us to stop, stand still and be.



All photos by Kara Haberstock, all rights reserved

Inspired: Zen Pencils

I've been greatly enjoying the illustrated quotes on Zen Pencils. Illustrator Gavin Aung Than brings quotes to life in a really amazing way. Check out more on Zen Pencils!

Neil Gaiman: Make Good Art; Illustrated by Gavin Aung Than

All artwork belongs to Gavin Aung Than

Why the 28th of June was a good day

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images via Slate

I'm always a bit hesitant to bring up my own political views on this blog, but they are an important part of my personal experience. Thus I will write about them from time to time. I acknowledge that these are merely my opinions, and I respect your right to disagree with me. All I request is that any discussion this sparks be thoughtful and respectful.

On the 28th of June, the United States Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), commonly known as "Obamacare," sparking a flurry of responses from commentators, politicians, and other citizens of social media and Internet spheres ranging from despair and anger to joy and elation. I was quietly pleased, but I know many others weren't. Perhaps your views on politics and the role of government diverge from me. Perhaps you already have a job that provides wonderful health insurance. Perhaps you have a major that will guarantee one of those jobs.  Perhaps you are older than twenty-six and health insurance falls at the very bottom of your financial priorities. Perhaps you have no pre-existing health conditions. Perhaps you just honestly despise every piece of legislation proposed by or endorsed by Obama. Really, the reasons for not sharing my reaction are nearly endless, and most of them are fully justifiable.

However, as the events of the last few weeks have unfolded in my life, I have gone from pleased to extraordinarily grateful for the ruling to uphold PPACA. Honestly, this legislation has changed my life for the better in many ways, and without it the events of the last week would have been potentially crippling for the future Nate and I are planning to share. And this is why I felt the need to write this piece. 

But before I delve into my personal experience, I'd like to take a moment to look at what PPACA does. This series of articles by the Christian Science Monitor does an excellent job of explaining what PPACA means for the ordinary citizen in plain English. I'll try my best to hit some of the major points here. Basically, PPACA requires that all citizens must hold some form of health insurance. If someone does not have employer-provided health insurance, they must purchase health insurance from a newly-created health exchange that sells policies to individuals. Those who choose not purchase health insurance must pay a penalty (deemed a tax by the SC). However, in order to prevent undue hardship on those with low incomes (a large portion of the uninsured), federal subsidies will be available to those with incomes that are less than four times the federal poverty level. These subsidies will cap the cost of health insurance for these individuals at a certain percentage of their income (for example, individuals making less than $44,000 per year will not pay more than ten percent of their income towards health insurance).

Simultaneously, PPACA is reshaping the healthcare industry in several other key ways. Young adults may remain on their parents insurance until the age of 26. Insurers may no longer charge women more for health insurance than men. Insurers may not refuse to provide insurance to individuals with pre-existing medical conditions. This last provision is part of the reason why the insurance mandate is necessary- the influx of new healthy customers buying health insurance will offset the risk brought by the influx of new customers with pre-existing conditions.

Back to my life. As most of you know, Nate had a nasty Crohn's flare-up last week, a flare-up severe enough to cause some complications and land him the ER three times and finally in the hospital for a couple days. And suddenly, the benefits of PPACA became extremely clear in my personal life. Nate, being younger than 26, is still on his parents' health insurance plan as allowed by PPACA. The hospital bills, while still expensive, are much more manageable, and we should be able to pay them without falling deeply into debt. His medications are covered by the insurance plans he is currently on, which also means that we can afford them.

Without PPACA, Nate would not currently be allowed to be on his parent's healthcare plan. Fortunately, he does have a job with medical benefits. However, Crohn's disease is considered a pre-existing condition. As such, without PPACA, Nate could easily be denied affordable health insurance or health insurance coverage at all. And without health insurance, the hospital bills from this last week would be astronomically expensive and extremely difficult for us to repay. Compounding this, without health insurance, Nate's current treatment regimen for Crohn's would also be out of our financial reach (with insurance it still costs nearly as much as current rent expenses). And without this treatment, his medical situation would be much worse-- likely leading to more hospital bills-- leading to more debt....I think you can see where this cycle goes.

PPACA also provides benefits for my the rest of my family and I. As a female, before PPACA, I would be charged more for my health insurance than a male in my same situation would be because the state of Arizona is one of 37 states that has not banned gender rating by health insurance plan. (This does not include maternity benefits or costs associated with pregnancy-- this is only for the same basic coverage.) My sister, who is moving to California, would escape this if she stayed in that state (California has banned gender rating). My mother has a rare genetic disorder that, like Crohn's disease, could be considered a pre-existing medical condition. Without PPACA, if my father ever lost his job, she might not be able to find new health insurance.

At this point I must apologize to all healthy males over the age of 26 who now must buy health insurance or pay a penalty-- I am benefitting from the mandate which has imposed this cost on you. So are all the women in this country. And everyone who had a pre-existing medical condition. And everyone under the age of 26. For young people like Nate and I, this legislation makes the difference between lives that are sometimes marked by significant medical expenses to lives beneath a crushing amount of continually accruing debt. It means we can afford the treatment and medications he needs. It means that we don't have to think twice when he needs to receive medical attention. It means that we don't become a drain on the medical system when we can't pay the hospital bills like so many other uninsured people with serious medical conditions.

I suppose this might be selfish of me, but I like living in a country that has passed this sort of legislation. I like living in a country that is moving just a little bit closer to following the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. I like living in a country that is beginning to end discrimination based on health and gender. Given my experience with loved ones with serious medical conditions and with medical problems in my own life and in the lives of those around me, I see the very real need for health insurance. You never really know what's going to happen (as someone who's been hit by a car more times that she would like to recount, I can fully attest to this). Good health is a blessing that is not guaranteed. I am immensely glad that in this country there is now a way for health insurance to be affordable for everyone and that the Supreme Court has upheld this legislation. So at least from my view, the 28th of June was a good day. 

A Song for Sunday: The Barr Brothers

Another recent find, The Barr Brothers' debut album is a lovely soundtrack for a lazy Sunday. I think this song ("Old Mythologies") is one of my favorites:

 

Official music video for "Old Mythologies" by The Barr Brothers, from the self-titled debut album (2011, Secret City Records).
Buy the album on Amazon: ‪http://www.amazon.com/The-Barr-Brothers/dp/B005H1SFKO/‬
Buy the album on iTunes: ‪http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-barr-brothers/id461570567‬
Director: Kaveh Nabatian
Producer: Josh Usheroff
Production company: Black Box Productions Ltd.
Cinematographer: Christophe Collette
Art director: Anette Belley
Stylist: Sydney Krause
Hair & make up: Sara Mulder 
Editor: Ben Goloff
Colorist: Jonathan Tremblay

The Final Stretch

I apologize if I am a bit absent in the next few days. My program is drawing to a close on Wednesday, and I have a paper to finish before then! So that's what I will be up to this weekend, though I will hopefully be back a bit next week. In the meantime, enjoy reading the beautiful summer issue of Wayfare Magazine, and check out their blog for more lovely things.

Open publication - More summer

            All creative content belongs to Wayfare Magazine (go check out their website!)

Film: The First 70

State parks are closing around the U.S., especially out West. I know of a few great spots in Arizona that have shut their gates over the past few months due to budget cuts. The First 70 visits 70 closing California state parks to document the beauty of what may soon be lost. The trailer itself is absolutely stunning- I can't wait to see the final product.


The First 70 Trailer from Heath Hen Films on Vimeo.
A journey through California to document the closure of 70 state parks. www.thefirst70.com
Read more about the film at http://kck.st/sMWsKY
Follow us at facebook.com/caparktrip
Shot on a Canon 7d, 5d, and t2i.

To learn more or to get involved, check out their website

A Campus Walk

I took my camera out with me on a walk through campus one evening around sunset. I like how it helps me to stop and see the beauty in small things.



All photos by Kara Haberstock, Summer 2012, all rights reserved

Inspired: Louis de Bernieres

Have you ever read a book by Louis de Bernieres? After reading this quote, I might just have to add Captain Corelli's Mandolin to my reading list.

“Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion, it is not the desire to mate every second minute of the day, it is not lying awake at night imagining that he is kissing every cranny of your body. No, don't blush, I am telling you some truths. That is just being "in love", which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.” - Louis de Bernieres Captain Corelli's Mandolin

Love is a choice, a commitment, a decision; it is that which remains.

Monkeypod Trees, Moanalua Gardens, Oahu

Photos by Kara Haberstock, all rights reserved

Happy Birthday Hannah!

source

It is my amazingly beautiful, talented, vivacious best friend's birthday today. And I can't begin to enumerate all the ways that she makes my life better and blesses me. We have been "married" for two years now (an she frequently reminds Nate that she claimed me first). We have shared many crazy and wonderful moments-- I'll always remember the night we ran through the sprinklers at midnight and walked home in soaked clothes to the sound of a solo violinist practicing on the balcony of Old Main. She is a voice of reason, a constant encouragement, an instant friend-maker, a great hostess, and an amazing friend. And she loves huskies (hence the picture). So, Happy Birthday, Hannah! 

Mumford and Sons' New Album is coming soon!

It's official! Mumford and Sons new album, Babel, will be released on September 24th. More details are on their website.

So excited!!!