friday link love

Happy Friday, folks. Another week gone by quickly; not exactly as I envisioned it, but I suppose it could be worse. I think I ran myself a little into the ground by Wednesday night, and so Wednesday night recipe testing schedule got thrown off a bit, and last night, I was so tired that testing was put on hold, and Andrew and I went to a nearby new-to-us French bistro for oysters and steak – it was marvelous and everything we wanted in a meal and ambiance. We hope to be back there soon again for more of the same!

This morning I was up before sunrise testing recipes again. My one consolation is that I get to have a sweet treat early in the morning; I suppose that’s motivation enough, right? And I finish up this post, ready to share with you some links from this week, I’m realizing, sadly, this is our last official weekend of summer. A long weekend it might be, but once it’s done, it feels like a back-to-school kind of a new year. Rosh Hashanah is early this year (and so are, of course, the other Jewish holidays), so I’ll be making brisket (not this recipe though; I’ve one I have yet to post), challah (also this one!), and apple cake, and there’s this soup I’m dying to dry for Rosh dinner – I’ll let you know how it turns out.

In the meantime, happy long weekend to all of you, and to those celebrating Rosh Hashanah, Shana Tova and Chag Sameach.

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The problem that has two names. Or better put, what happens when you legally change your last name to your husband’s but continue to use your old name as your professional name. (Not like I know anyone in this situation.)

Obesity and the toxic sugar wars. Some urging of the moderation on the all-out war on sugar. Also, some great links to other stuff discussing the issue.

Companies (like UPS) may make healthcare tougher for a lot of married people next year.

Reviving an heirloom corn that packs more flavor and nutrition. Yes, please. While I love my sweet corn, I also know it’s pretty empty on nutritional value. Incidentally, I had Barber’s polenta at Blue Hill over my birthday dinner a few months ago, and I can tell you, it was a transformative experience.

This pretty much sums up why I was really annoyed/disgusted by Miley’s MTV performance a few days ago. For the record, I wasn’t offended by her vague attempts at “twerking” or outfit.

Also, this.

Don’t ask what I’m writing. A resounding yes. I’d like to extend this to writing anything long: cookbooks for instance. Whenever family or friends ask me how it’s going, I really don’t know how to respond. The first few months, in particular, are sucky, stressful, and uncertain. You’re dealing with a lump of shapeless clay and haven’t the faintest idea where it’ll go and what shape it’ll take.

Describing experiences in Afghanistan in 6 words. Powerful.

This is where I scratch my head: measles outbreak traced to church critical of vaccines.

Not surprisingly, study finds poverty strains cognitive abilities, opening door for bad decision-making. Also an excellent article here.

I want to make these preserved lemons.

RIP, Seamus Heaney. Your work changed me in wonderful and profound ways, and I’ll always be grateful for your gift to us all.