In the 90's fuel cells were suppose to be our savior. In ten years, "they" promised we would have a hydrogen economy where liquid hydrogen canisters would replace gas pumps and water vapor replacing toxic tailpipe exhaust. This was another great example of the incompetence of our government science divisions. The government gave a huge percentage of its research budget toward fuel cell research, but all of the reports were based on fabricated and false data. As well, they didn't realize that more energy was required to create liquid hydrogen than is released by the fuel cell, resulting in a net negative energy operation. Because of this oversight blunder, viable other research was underfunded which set us years behind (which is why Japan is master of the hybrid car) and even today fuel cells are not anywhere close to being an effective energy storage device.
Then the new millennium was the era of electric transportation. The US invented the car and the assembly line, and we lead the electronic industry so why should we not logically also be the forerunners in electric vehicles? American companies became too greedy and satisfied with putting out inferior, unoriginal products while Japan realized that oil scarcity and global warming might actually be a big deal so began developing a hybrid car in 1995. As a result, we are a decade behind in technology than Japan, who has already mastered the hybrid vehicle after 15 years of experience and research. Meanwhile, GM has spent a mere two years frantically working on the Volt that will supposedly revolutionize the american car industry by introducing the first plug-in hybrid car (PHEV is a hybrid car that has 40 miles battery power range before the motor starts). But spilling over $41,000 and without a smart grid capable of handling a huge wave of electric cars, the Volt will meet too much resistance and not shock anyone into consciousness. If people do not want to save money by simply turing off the TV while they are out, they will not plop down another ten grand on a car that they don't understand. Then there is the all-electric Tesla which is an amazing engineering feat (it beats a Porsche 911 in a quarter mile race). However, it is two years behind schedule and prohibitively expensive. As well, it can only travel up to 300 miles without changing the battery, which the US does not have the infrastructure to support. Neat idea but not working for me.
Cars are the most obvious offender to the environment but not the worst. Factories and industry emit massive levels of pollution and green house gases that are causing ice caps to melt, cute polar bears and penguins to die (if this doesn't disturb you, watch march of the penguins and then see how you feel), and temperatures to rise dramatically. Rhode Island should not be hotter than 100 several days in a row; that is not normal, I'm sorry Fox News. There is a reason that no one in NE has air conditioners. We had a chance at redemption with the recent bill to cap carbon emissions with the cap and trade bill. However, due to financial support from oil companies, republican deniers, and cowardice the bill was denied. There is a complete lack of responsibility and bravery in the leaders of our country. Even the maverick John McCain who was once a friend of the environment was swayed by reelection votes and money so voted against the bill. Case in point is the latest BP oil spill. The company seemed almost to be testing America to see how long they could let the pipe leak until we would actually force them into action. With solutions like clogging the pipe with trash and golfballs or setting a makeshift cap on top, I have to either assume it is intentional or they are utterly ignorant. I mean, who would have thought that a sophisticated 75 ton fitted cap installed by intelligent robots would be the best solution?
To improve my faith in mankind, I read this fascinating article about how to roast a pig, Hawaiian style in your own backyard. This has been something I have wanted to do for years. I had it all planned out one year but it fell through in the end. I even know exactly where to get the pig in Kansas. The pig roast sounds like the perfect day long adventure full of drinks, food, and friends. Imagine the satisfaction of buying an entire pig, digging a pit for a 1000+ degree fire, and then throwing in the hog to roast for an entire day! That is luxury if anything is. My main problem is finding enough mouths to help me eat the pork. That is a lot of meat, especially considering half my family would not eat it. Reading that article did just the trick to put me in the mood to cook dinner!
I am a die hard fan of SmittenKitchen. Her writing is very friendly, informal and inviting. Her pictures are amazing. But most importantly, her recipes are consistently fantastic and get me praise from everyone who tries the dish. Some recent successes I have had are: buttermilk ice cream which is great with berry cobbler, oatmeal cookies, and shakshuka. The most recent experiment was scalloped tomatoes with croutons. It was a lovely mix between bread pudding and spaghetti. I had a week old baguette that was almost uncuttable that I needed to use so I thought it was time to test out this recipe. To start, I cut the baguette into cubes and sauteed it in evoo for a few minutes to toast it. Then I added a can of San Marzano tomatoes, sugar, salt, and pepper. Continued to cook until thicker. Then I stirred in fresh basil and oregano. Plus I added a little sausage and topped it with Parmesan. It was a delicious, simple dish that had the perfect combination of sweet and acid, soft and chewy. The terrifically stale bread gave a great texture and absorbed the liquid like a dream. On its own the dish was great, but with poached duck eggs it was over the top extraordinary. I will definitely make it again. For protein I just did a simple roast dish of a whole trout. Good end to a long day after a 3 hour, eventful trip taking my sister to the airport.
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