Ice: La Glace

After the past two weeks, I have determined that Southern Indiana doesn't get snow and that Colorado doesn't get ice. This will strike many as odd, "Of course Colorado gets ice!" However, I answer them, "No, it doesn't." You see, ice in Colorado is the result of melting snow. In Indiana, ice comes straight from the heavens. Some might tell me that that is hail, not ice. However, they are still wrong. If it was hail, you wouldn't be slipping and sliding all over the place fifteen minutes after it starts icing. It makes for some gorgeous scenery, but it's a pain in the butt.

I came to this conclusion about a week and four days ago. February 11th. The day had begun fairly pleasantly, although pretty darn cold. But by noon, it was snowing. It was actually pretty neat 'cause they were really big fat flakes. Well, in any case, it snowed for several hours, and then the snow turned to ice balls. Not hail. This were ice/snow pellets raining from the sky (which was the usual February gray). By 7:00 PM we had a good four inches of snow (why S. Indiana doesn't get snow) plus another three inches of solid ice and it was still snowing. So, evening classes had been cancelled and all classes the next day were cancelled as well. The stuff stuck around until Sunday when most of it melted. Then, yesterday, it iced again. Afternoon and evening classes were cancelled, and so were 8:00 classes today.

Hence, Colorado doesn't have ice.

Moore Kitchen Hours

Twice a month, my friend Jenn and I cook dinner down in the basement of Moore. Normally, it's just for us two and a couple more. However, tonight we cooked dinner for a whole slew of people. We made a double batch of the Asian Beef Noodles, the andagi, and some chocolate cake-like cookies. We invited all of our Asian buddies, and of course we didn't exclude our American (and English) friends either. The results were wonderful.

We ate all of the noodles, and the andagi turned out wonderfully. The last bit were a little bit oily, but it's pretty good for my first time making them!

Overall, a great time and a meal that was way better than the food in Dunnigan!

Asian Beef Noodles

This is a receipe for Asian Beef Noodles, a simple dish that is often cooked in Moore Hall basement by Jenn and I.

Ingredients:
2 pkg oriental flavored ramen noodles
1 pkg frozen vegetable stir-fry (szechwan seasonings are good, but so are other oriental style stir-frys)
1 lb beef
2 C water

Instrutions:

1. In a wok or large skillet, brown the meat. Don't make the bits too small if you want to be able to pick them up with chopsticks.
2. Crunch up the noodles, and add the stirfry, the noodles, the flavoring packets, and the water to the beef.
3. Cook until the noodles and vegetables are cooked, about 12 to 15 minutes.

あんだぎ (Andagi)

Here follows a receipe for Andagi, or Okinawan Doughnuts.

Ingredients:
4 C flour
.5 tsp salt
1.75 C sugar
4 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 C milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 C vegetable oil

Instructions:

1. Sift together the dry ingredients.


2. Mix with sugar.


3. Beat eggs and mix with milk and vanilla


4. Add egg mixure to dry ingredients


5. Heat oil in deep pan to 350 degrees**


6. Use small ice-cream scoop and drop batter into the hot oil (use caution). Andagi should be golden brown when cooked, about 6 to 8 minutes.

**If the oil is too hot, the andagi will burn on the outside and not cook on the inside. If the oil isn't hot enough, the andagi will cook, but it will take longer and the andagi will come out oily.

February in Indiana

Apparently, Indiana has been dubbed a "female" state. Especially during February. To give an example of "her" moodswings, I will describe the weather of the past few days. The first few days in February were cold, as is to be expected for winter. And then, the weather took a sharp turn. The day before yesterday it rained a lot in the late evening so that by morning it was 53 degrees with a humidity of close to 100%. Today it rained (and by rained I mean poured) most of the day. In fact, I was woken up at 4:30 AM because of the thunder clashing right outside my dormroom window. I also had to walk to my 8:00 AM class in the pouring rain and thunder, as well as through several very deep muddy puddles. Good thing I was going to do laundry today anyway. There was also 94% humidity. Goregeous, no? And tomorrow the winds come in and the tempurature drops to the low forties (but is back in the fifties on Friday), with mid-forties forcasted for the weekend as well as sparse showers. I guess I should get used to this rainy weather; I'm stuck with it for four more years, and even when I study abroad I'm going to places where it rains.