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I'm still here!  After 11 years on Drupal 7, I've upgraded.  It goes to 11 now.

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Android, Jelly Bean, the Cloud, and Google's Long Game

I've ranted before about Google's long game; see Google's Endgame.  I 2011, I predicted that Google was aiming at a unified user interface.  I was partially right.  Google is still aiming at a unified UI, but their goals are going so much deeper than that.  I just wiped my cell phone, and the experience gave me a taste of the future, Google style.

Our Strength

I was just having a conversation with Yelena last week about how other nations perceive Americans as weak.  I argued that what others perceive as our weakness, is actually our strength.

Daddy in the Kitchen

Cauliflower, Leek & Garlic Soup

This one gets a split vote: I loved it but Yelena hated it.  This is the kind of ultra-gourmet thing you'd see served at Gather (which is also a love/hate kind of place).
I actually hate cauliflower, but I loved this soup.  It's got a fantastic combination of flavors that work perfectly together.  I served it with the radicchio & goat cheese bruschetta and a chilled petite voigner.  Add some candles and mood music, and you've got an at-home date at an upscale restaurant.

Sauteed Radicchio and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

It's hard to find a recipe for radicchio that doesn't involve "put it in a salad."  This is a phenomenal exception.  It's sophisticated, gourmet, perfect for when you have company over.  I recommend pairing it with a dry wine.
As always, I left out the salt & pepper.  I also didn't have chevre, so I used Laughing Cow cheese.  It's a creamy soft-spread cow cheese from France and went perfectly on the lightly toasted bread.
I am definitely keeping this in my entertainment repertoire.

Easiest Pasta and Broccoli

This one is fast, easy, and tasty.  The trick: you cook the broccoli with the pasta.  I recommend fresh pasta; the broccoli were only in the pot for three minutes so they were blanched rather than boiled.  As usual, I left out the salt & pepper, but I added crushed red pepper flakes (the way I usually do with noodles).
The only critique I can make is that it isn't thrilling - I'd call it "good not great."  But if you're looking for a quick and easy dinner, it's a great way of making plain pasta more interesting.

Homemade Applesauce

I got this recipe from The Kosher Palette, but it's pretty much the same as every other homemade applesauce recipe out there.  Here's the gist:
Peel, core, and slice apples.  Cook 'em in a pot with a little water - just enough to keep 'em from burning.  When they're soft, mash 'em a little.  Eat.  Wonder at God's creation.