tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82863306998487505322011-09-19T14:18:50.109-06:00I write about the things I find most important in life, faith, politics and food -- my magnificent obsessions.Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.comBlogger1041100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-48471066123994582792011-07-29T15:10:00.003-06:002011-07-31T18:02:01.029-06:00

I have been wanting to write about the Tea Party impact for years, but have held my peace, thinking they would go away. I was most certainly delusional! I still think they will go away, but not until they have cut the noses off all their faces and our faces to spite the black man in the White House. Yes, for all they profess they want to limit government and cut taxes, I've come to think

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-30642163130347016472011-07-29T11:56:00.015-06:002011-07-29T15:10:34.996-06:00

The wildflowers are amazing in Crested Butte! So is some of the food. It is easy to find ho hum, uninspired food and those restaurants are stuffed with tourists. It is also easy to find amazing food with great attention to detail. Some of those restaurants are full of locals and tourists, others are not so fortunate.We recently made a whirlwind trip to Crested Butte to see the wildflowers. We've

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-68446734376156877262011-07-25T17:05:00.005-06:002011-07-25T17:38:07.885-06:00

My blog is now available in a mobile version. I admit I am not quite sure how it happens, but, apparently, if you type in the URL for this blog (mymagnificentobsessions.blogspot.com), it will detect that you are on a mobile device and show the correct version. That's how it works on my SmartPhone browser and on my nook. Firefox on my SmartPhone does not display the mobile version. Please let me

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-8756047089524146842011-04-12T16:00:00.002-06:002011-04-12T16:22:59.999-06:00

Maybe it is because I have one of those birthdays coming up, maybe because I am probably facing a no health insurance life soon, maybe because I am who I am... I am keenly concerned, no I am downright worried, about what is or is not happening in Washington, D.C. these days. It started with concern and then anger about health care reform. I've traveled a bit in Europe and have friends there, the

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-85985257705512619992011-04-11T16:11:00.002-06:002011-04-11T16:58:11.942-06:00

I've been neglecting this blog while I ran a program called "Bible in 90 Days." I was drug, kicking and screaming, to the program. The material was a bit more literal in interpretation of the Bible than I am comfortable with and there were bits of lectures and even promotional materials that were inconsistent with my understanding of the Bible, but... I had just followed my husband through two

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-53745338914519246542010-12-21T11:50:00.005-07:002010-12-21T15:54:58.526-07:00

One of the best field trips we took on our Cancun vacation was to Tulum, a Mayan archeological site. We had an amazing tour guide, Alberto, who gave us a lot of great information. Tulum is unique among Mayan ruins in that, while other sites show evidence of human sacrifice, Tulum does not. Tulum was noted for its astronomical significance. The ruin pictured above has a rather small hole in it

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-42593339220069292612010-12-20T13:17:00.002-07:002010-12-20T13:24:45.469-07:00

I am always the one who wants to know sources and, as my aunt described it, scold people for willy-nilly forwarding information when they don't know where it came from. I am, however, posting this for pure fun. I do not know where it started, but I think it is fun and it embodies a philosophy I am following this holiday season. I will, however, be selectively eating fruitcake as there is nothing

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-532310508223134252010-11-04T16:17:00.003-06:002010-11-04T16:24:47.996-06:00

I know it is late notice, but there are still tickets available for the Colorado Cheese Festival this coming Saturday and Sunday, November 6 and 7 at the Embassy Suites on Costilla in Centennial.There will be hundreds, maybe thousands, of cheeses to taste, demonstrations and the real highlight, the Grilled Cheese Competition in which top local chefs compete for best grilled cheese. Look out,

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-7497783533897953532010-11-03T21:16:00.003-06:002010-11-04T16:28:28.176-06:00

I'm a political junkie. Generally, I live, eat and breathe politics, particularly in an election year. So why have I been conspicuously silent on the 2010 election? Maybe I'm losing my taste for it all. I used to accept the conventional wisdom that you go negative because negative works. Somehow, in this first year after the Supremes granted corporations superlative "equality" (companies are

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-34057031233649362452010-11-03T20:57:00.005-06:002010-11-03T21:16:48.861-06:00

We went to a new menu tasting at T.G.I.Fridays tonight and I was excited to see a number of new vegetarian options on the menu. I'd gotten pretty tired of Fried Green Beans and the ubiquitous spinach artichoke dip. Now there are actually menu items that are designed to be vegetarian.The menu is almost completely new, but only in Denver where we are the beta testers for the new selections.We did

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-2953936099779167742010-10-19T12:04:00.003-06:002010-10-19T12:16:22.747-06:00

Representatives from the Multicultural Mosaic Foundation visited Good Shepherd Episcopal Church on Sunday. Immediately, I knew it was a good thing I passed up the Greek baklava the night before, because they brought the Turkish version to share with the attendees at adult education. FYI, Greek baklava is made with honey, Turkish baklava does not use honey. It was delicious!More important than the

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-15538577519045181552010-10-19T11:26:00.010-06:002010-10-19T12:26:30.910-06:00

Rachel Ray is just too energetic for me. Try as I might, I cannot make one of her "30 Minute Meals" in less than 60 minutes and I when I am finished, I am too tired to eat the meal. However, I picked up a good tip from her on one of her travel shows, "Ask a local for a restaurant recommendation."Saturday, Robert and I decided to take advantage of one of our few free days this fall to wander

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-51335926053981097222010-10-19T11:20:00.002-06:002010-10-19T11:26:33.791-06:00

After spending almost $200 and a hectic week trying to get my laptop so it could limp along for a couple more years, it lived just one more week before the motherboard died. I really did not want to buy a new computer, but I've become addicted to my laptop. I replaced it with the closest I could come to my old laptop, a couple steps down on the power scale and a couple steps up on the price

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-10218669087131199412010-08-31T17:53:00.004-06:002010-08-31T18:42:49.197-06:00

My laptop is on the fritz and I was drug, kicking and screaming to Windows 7. Before I subjected my trusty laptop, repository of all knowledge of my life to repair people and an OS upgrade, I decided to backup my data to a DVD "just to be safe." In my day, this was a simple process -- "Backup C: A:" A bit frightening the first time, but... Now it took endless searching and numerous "You are not

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-26650763665829626012010-08-23T15:05:00.004-06:002010-08-23T16:08:59.650-06:00

We're not trendsetters. We are decidedly not trendsetters. Normally, no matter how appealing the press, we wait a year or so for the crowd to thin out before we visit a restaurant. There are restaurants at the local mall that have been appealing to us since they first opened and I think that was more than a year ago. So what, pray tell, led us to a brand-new, just opened the day before restaurant

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-26006231819613009772010-08-07T19:17:00.002-06:002010-08-07T19:41:22.058-06:00

I just watched the You Tube video of Wendell Potter discussing his new book, out this fall, Deadly Spin. This former insurance industry spokesperson outlines in great details the techniques the industry uses to appear to be supporting reform while underwriting "grassroots" or "business people" shadow groups to undermine the same reforms. While I probably knew, deep inside, from my own years in

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-55503069005261466532010-06-05T14:58:00.003-06:002010-06-05T15:08:29.063-06:00

Okay, this post has nothing to do with food, religion or politics -- unless you count slurping the pages of a book as food. I have one other obsession that I don't talk about much -- I am a voracious, indiscriminate reader. Much of my reading is non-fiction -- theology for my adult education work, organizational development for paid and unpaid work, books for cook club and so on. Recently though,

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-15744735522385348272010-04-21T14:07:00.005-06:002010-04-21T15:47:50.402-06:00

My instructions to Robert regarding a restaurant to celebrate my birthday: Here is 5280's list of top restaurants in Denver. Start with Fruition and call. When you reach someone at the restaurant, say, "I need to make a reservation for my wife's birthday. She's a vegetarian who cannot eat tomatoes, citrus or chocolate. Is that a problem?" When you reach a restaurant where they say "No problem,"

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-47943356486824819162010-02-21T10:59:00.002-07:002010-02-21T11:45:44.343-07:00

There is a reason I don't blog about sports -- I'm hopeless. I wore bifocals starting in kindergarten, so I was the last kid chosen for any athletic team. Yet, I love the Olympics! I am in awe of the talent collected in one place. For the most part, the Olympics we see as spectators is the epitome of sportsmanship. Yeah, the Russian figure skater bad-mouthed the US win, but, hey, that's left over

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-6796766960536199072010-02-17T08:34:00.010-07:002010-02-21T11:53:11.741-07:00

When the Sampsons and the Eichenwalds do anything together, one of the major components of the planning process involves food. Our excursion to The Lion King was no exception. The discussion began almost as soon as we got the tickets. Now, where shall we eat? Because the show was at the Mandalay Bay, it made sense to eat in that facility. We read reviews, we asked people, we tried to look at

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-65737671729197690202010-02-16T08:15:00.007-07:002010-02-16T09:11:24.268-07:00

One of the amazing things in Las Vegas is that, no matter when you want to eat, the restaurants are packed. Our best choice at the Forum was Spago. We were too hungry to wait for one of the choice tables that project into the mall and allow one to see the storm come in and the statues move. the large back room was farther from the crowd and a pleasant break from the noise and crowds that are a

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-53305456175940367002010-01-02T14:57:00.005-07:002010-01-04T09:26:19.637-07:00

Here is a picture of what is left of the pie my husband made for last night's celebration. My first picture post from my Droid! Many more to come, I promise!

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-31739216042480481622010-01-01T21:12:00.002-07:002010-01-01T21:30:07.373-07:00

We have friends with whom we have come to a tradition of sharing Christmas. This year they were in Detroit on Christmas, so we postponed our celebration to New Year's Day. I had the best of intentions to try out my new Droid to take pictures and post to this site, but I just plain forgot to take pictures. Some meals are hectic that way. Seems like everything is done at the last possible moment

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-3025582891600685742009-12-25T09:37:00.008-07:002009-12-25T11:16:51.841-07:00

I wish a blessed and joyous Christmas to each and every one of you!For thousands of years, God reached out to touch God's people. He brought the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and tried to teach them His ways. He spoke to Moses. He gave us law and prophets. He sent floods and other catastrophes to try to get our attention. God has always been faithful to us, his often faithless people.And

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-39140767137785775762009-11-13T16:38:00.007-07:002009-11-13T16:49:43.356-07:00

At long last, the cookbook is now available! I was mistaken when I said it would be available from Amazon.com. Instead, it is available from a subsidiary of Amazon, Create Space. The cost is $30 per copy and it would make a GREAT holiday gift!As I have said in the past, the recipes represent a very wide range of cultures and countries and all the proceeds from sale of the cookbook will go to the

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-77519421086184441552009-10-09T10:00:00.003-06:002009-10-09T10:21:05.639-06:00

I'm just too excited for words. The BloggerAid Changing the Face of Famine cookbook with my Spinach-Mushroom Lasagna recipe (hint, hint) is in the final stages of development. Right now, we are deciding on a cover and the designs are wonderful. Even though we are donating all the proceeds from the cookbook to the WFP School Lunch Program, that doesn't eliminate printing costs. We can donate the

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-14774222486323179052009-10-07T17:45:00.002-06:002009-10-07T17:57:46.964-06:00

I've been neglecting this blog lately. I apologize and promise that there is at least one great restaurant review coming and a cookbook to review as soon as I get back in the kitchen for real.There is no small amount of personal irony that, while our elected representatives are deliberating over or obstructing health care reform, my husband and I have been learning just how many issues there are

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-88212591104214818572009-09-14T09:12:00.003-06:002009-09-14T14:57:15.181-06:00

One of the many marvelous things that came from our summer comparative religions series was a new friend, actually a family of new friends. Andrea Mikulin of the Mosaic Foundation was our hostess when we visited the mosque and her husband, Hasan, and their friend Ihsen, shepherded the guys through worship downstairs. Andrea and Hasan have turned into marvelous friends. Andrea faithfully prayed

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-34298424428463537042009-09-12T14:58:00.013-06:002009-09-12T16:57:16.373-06:00

We've been going to Mount Crested Butte for the week starting Labor Day weekend for more than ten years. While the stated purpose of our trip is the annual Consultants' Camp, the reality is the peace of Crested Butte. Even the year they raised the beams on what is now the Grand Lodge, even the year they demolished the old, old, old motel, even the year the World Music Fest folks were everywhere,

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-18516646926606549312009-08-28T14:28:00.003-06:002009-08-28T14:46:09.347-06:00

It is all so new that we do not yet know how it will all sort out, but my husband and I are perilously close to becoming poster children for health care reform.We are both closer to retirement age than we are to the beginnings of our careers and we have worked very hard to overcome the vagueries of the financial market to build what we hope is an adequate retirement fund. We hope for a few more

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-73654995581211040082009-08-28T13:33:00.003-06:002009-08-28T13:46:25.557-06:00

One of the new perks of belonging to BloggerAid: Changing the Face of Famine (hereafter BACFF) is the new View and Review program where we get to review cookbooks and products. I just received my copy of Sweet Freedom: Desserts You'll Love without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar by Ricki Heller. Ricki has a Toronto bakery specializing in offering sweet treats to people who have to avoid

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-14723877596867601802009-08-27T21:04:00.003-06:002009-08-27T21:22:39.227-06:00

As I watch the procession of Teddy Kennedy's body to the Kennedy Library and listen to the media folks discuss his heritage, I can't help but hear a bit of my mother's voice. My mother was scared, very scared of the Kennedy family. I remember her uncontrollable sobs the night John F. Kennedy was elected. She was convinced that the Pope would be taking over the United States with JFK as his

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-20814916711340112402009-08-26T13:27:00.004-06:002009-08-26T13:32:19.569-06:00

Here is the latest information on the food blogger cookbook I have been telling about. I've been very involved in editing and proofreading lately and I assure you the recipes (about 50 of them) are spectacular. It is killing me not to make some of the recipes, but I am honor-bound to wait until you can make them too. It sounds like we may make it for November on amazon. com -- think holiday gifts

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-33874941227170807172009-08-19T21:03:00.000-06:002009-08-19T21:04:29.980-06:00

Ali Baba's on that tiny strip of Colorado Blvd. in Highlands Ranch has been a favorite middle eastern restaurant of mine almost from the time they opened. I was floored by their Baba Ganouj, which I think might be one of the best I've ever tasted. I made many meals off the appetizer page, but I sometimes wandered to the other pages of the menu to enjoy a vegetarian platter and a falafel

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-74542113903168608482009-08-16T12:32:00.002-06:002009-08-16T12:59:01.907-06:00

As I was talking about the summer adult education program at my church, someone told me they thought I needed to remember Jesus' words "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Lord except by Me." The implication was that none of the people we met in our summer explorations are going to Heaven.My mother had that sort of view, bless her heart. Somehow, she was convinced that

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-23096136883349225212009-08-14T17:16:00.007-06:002009-08-14T17:56:08.743-06:00

This has been a most interesting summer for participants in our adult education program. We've been studying what one of our number calls "Pillars of Faith." That is actually the title of a good DVD about Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and some other faith traditions which we watched at the beginning of the summer, but I don't want to violate copyright.At any rate, today was a

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-64706787245254260982009-08-14T17:00:00.006-06:002009-08-14T17:16:23.578-06:00

As I said recently, a dear and wise woman was recently installed at her new parish. A hearty bunch of us from her old parish made the trek to support her. After the service, we gathered for a picture. Organizing Episcopalians often resembles herding cats and our post-service picture clearly shows that!Among those not facing the camera is a dark haired woman in a white robe -- that is our friend

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-35612123682536607032009-08-14T15:52:00.006-06:002009-08-14T17:00:29.588-06:00

Some folks have been pointedly asking when I planned to write about our visit to Shabbat services. The simple answer is that I forgot I had not written about the excursion until I downloaded pictures today. The hard core 6 of us who went to the Hindu Temple and the Zen Center also went to Shabbat service. Shabbat is the service that spoke most directly to my heart. I'm an adopted kid whose

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-56591870635110528702009-08-05T09:10:00.002-06:002009-08-05T09:36:13.529-06:00

I'm going to watch an old friend be installed as Rector of a nearby parish this evening. Her past five years have mirrored the past five years in the Episcopal Church. She was a wonderful, wise leader at the church I attend. When she fell in love, she and her partner were most discreet, but they, like many people in love, wanted to make a public commitment to each other. They did so and things

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-9310367837471587872009-08-03T13:30:00.003-06:002009-08-03T14:18:26.580-06:00

I went to another of those cheese pairing events done by Fromage to Yours a couple of weeks ago. Jackie and Paul Bonacquisti of Bonacquisti Wines paired Colorado cheeses (with one gorgonzola exception) with Colorado wines (specifically, Bonacquisti wines. In the course of the descriptions, Jackie mentioned that there were 6 major cheesemakers in Colorado, but she neglected to specify them. Next

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-47335766261059180412009-08-03T09:24:00.002-06:002009-08-03T11:12:36.979-06:00

I've written about it before -- the scare tactics of misinformation. I guess I didn't quite understand how it came to be and why it was so successful. Recently a friend sent me an email that was really a forward of something she got from her gynecologist. It detailed, by line and section for extra authority, horrible things in the health care reform bill.I wandered around on the Internet until I

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-16108827864589352072009-07-28T16:26:00.004-06:002009-07-29T10:12:21.961-06:00

This has nothing to do with food. It may have to do with the politics of computer software companies and it may require theology to resolve. It is more a rant about what happens to the innocent end user when no tech support wants to accept responsibility.I get my Internet service through Comcast. At the time I signed up, I transferred all my email to Comcast. I also have a gmail account because I

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-30784082214994886392009-07-21T16:37:00.004-06:002009-07-23T12:09:20.353-06:00

Here's the message I send my Congressman. Pity I started it the way I did, but I do doubt that anything I say will make a difference to my Congressman.I realize you are a Republican and this email is probably a waste of my time. However, I am one of your constituents and I have definite opinions about health care. I'm a baby boomer and my husband is just a couple of years older than a baby boomer

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-72144686159544761392009-07-18T15:23:00.008-06:002009-07-18T15:38:57.604-06:00

When she heard I was headed for an open house at a bartending school, Dianne Draper asked me to learn to make the perfect mojito. Here, Dianne, is the answer from Tom Lucas at Estrela.Four good size lime wedges go into the mixing glass before you tear four or five leaves of mint. Tom says tearing the leaves is crucial. One visitor at the Estrela open house said she did not like mojitos, but was

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-38093089015549333472009-07-18T14:58:00.005-06:002009-07-18T15:23:01.864-06:00

I like a good mixed drink every now and then. I used to be a G&T kinda girl. I had a daiquiri flirtation for a while, but I just couldn't stop worrying about the calories. Robert's something of a margarita connoisseur, so I've shared quite a few of those in his quest for the best margarita in Colorado. My current mixed drink of choice is the gin martini and it is a hard thing to find. That said,

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-80658236320436479352009-07-18T14:43:00.006-06:002009-07-18T14:58:05.054-06:00

Some of us in the Adult Ed program have developed a delightful ritual of dining together before our experiences of various faith traditions. Before our visit to the Zen Center of Denver, we couldn't resist a restaurant in the wonderful Highlands neighborhood of Denver that is rapidly developing a reputation as a foodie mecca. We settled on Highland Pacific and we were not disappointed. I wish I

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-88308112656396958832009-07-18T14:28:00.006-06:002009-07-18T14:58:37.797-06:00

After all the bell ringing and chanting of the Hindu Temple which so intrigued us a few days earlier, the Zen Center of Denver was, well, Zen. Lorraine Heth was a dream to work with as we prepared for the experience. She gave us valuable basics like what clothing to wear. Sensei Ken Morgareige embodies all the calm and tranquility one might expect of a Zen teacher. He gave us many insights about

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-85476814794494586172009-07-17T22:15:00.004-06:002009-07-17T22:37:42.908-06:00

America's Most Trusted Man told the news of my life -- JFK's assassination, Martin Luther King Junior's assassination, Bobby's murder, the space program, the Vietnam War. All the major stories of my youth were covered by Walter Cronkite who was a find journalist/anchor. Nothing ever happened until Walter Cronkite told us about it. We didn't always have a TV, but, even when we didn't have a TV, I

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-10186156357331239462009-07-17T10:49:00.004-06:002009-07-17T11:01:26.435-06:00

Robert and I are heading off this evening for an open house at a new bartending school, Estrela. I admit I never considered how folks learned mixology, but now I have a chance to learn! I'll share my new knowledge soon!Also, my friend, Jackie, has another one of her great cheese events coming up. Keepin' it Local (A Colorado Wine & Colorado Cheese Event) is scheduled for Tuesday, July 21st 5:30 –

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-88066704280347310112009-07-14T09:06:00.002-06:002009-07-14T10:03:30.336-06:00

Running a church is incredibly complex, particularly when the church does not march in lock-step. And no one ever described the Episcopal Church as marching in lock-step! I think the more common phrase has something to do with herding cats! That's always the risk when individual members are encouraged to consider Bible, tradition and reason. What might seem simple -- considering the Bible -- is

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-67685292465965770112009-07-13T12:54:00.002-06:002009-07-13T13:43:27.631-06:00

I'm listening to Judge Sonia Sotomayor as she addresses the Senate Judicial Committee. I didn't hear every word of every Senator's speech leading up to her speech, but I did hear much of the speechifying. I heard more than a few references to activist judges and "making law from the bench." Ever the cynic, I could not help but think of the times the Supreme Court has chosen to rule on situations

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-62727082076334540602009-07-11T11:37:00.006-06:002009-07-11T12:08:44.862-06:00

In stereotypical Episcopal fashion, half the group was at Lagarto's early, hoping to hit the happy hour before dinner. We were quite the crowd with long-timers, newbies and everything in between. Some of us knew each other very well and others of us were just meeting for the first time. We settled in with our drinks, waited for a few stragglers, turned in our orders and... covered our ears! The

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-51504179168880472042009-07-10T08:45:00.002-06:002009-07-10T09:36:25.731-06:00

Visiting a Hindu Temple, exploring zazen, experiencing Friday noon prayer in a mosque... It is an interesting summer. As I have worked to put together an experiential program on the world's religions, I've been struck more by the commonalities than by the differences. We're talking Hindu, Zen Buddhism, Judaism, Orthodoxy and Islam. At first glance, there is not much in common there. The Hindus

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-59303752449513013962009-07-03T10:36:00.011-06:002009-07-03T15:24:56.462-06:00

Can there be any better evening than sharing a good meal with friends? Our dear friends, the Eichenwalds, were through Denver Wednesday on their way to Vail. We used to get together often when we lived in Lawrence and Kansas City was just a couple of miles down the road. Now our meals out are longer because they are more rare. Howard and Sonia once despaired ever having grandchildren, but they

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-9336440399229624632009-06-25T07:41:00.002-06:002009-06-25T08:46:38.523-06:00

What an odd world we live in. A world where Al Roker can give away millions of dollars in donations to charities and we hear about it in brief spurts in the Today Show and we all move on. A marriage hits the skids and we hear about it on every "news" show on every channel incessantly!Even people who have never watched the TLC program "Jon and Kate Plus 8" know that the Gosselins are divorcing.

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-12075912117599552722009-06-17T19:58:00.004-06:002009-06-25T07:40:53.976-06:00

A Stifel Nicolaus analyst recently said that the casual dining sector is still too overcrowded and estimated that as many as 12,000 locations may need to close for the supply of restaurants to match consumer demand."After years of too much growth in casual dining, compounded since 2006 due to a weak consumer, the supply and demand of units is extremely out of equilibrium, and will take years to

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-85325948669961229882009-06-16T17:55:00.004-06:002009-06-16T18:21:49.028-06:00

I have to say I am rather ignorant of Iranian politics. I had good friends from Iran when I worked at the Kansas Geological Survey during my grad student days. I tried to avoid political discussions with them. It seems to me they were in the US, in part, to avoid the "unpleasantness" associated with the overthrow of the Shah. I'm not even sure I know if they supported the Shah or not. Today, I

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-22960500337108456262009-06-10T15:41:00.004-06:002009-06-11T07:15:03.109-06:00

Just 9 days ago, I lamented the death of Dr. Tiller in Wichita. Today, I mourn the death of Stephen Tyrone Johns, a guard at the US Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C, and a man I never met. Johns' murderer, whom I will not dignify by the use of his name, was a virulent hate monger who hated Jews, blacks and pretty much anyone who did not look like him and share his views. I've heard any number

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-85544364276590193182009-06-01T17:40:00.001-06:002009-06-01T18:02:04.245-06:00

It saddened me to hear about George Tiller. It did not surprise me however. I met Dr. Tiller once a few years ago when he visited the church I belonged to in Lawrence, Kansas. He did not wear a sign saying "I perform late term abortions." He was a visitor like any other in our little church. At that point, his clinic had been bombed. A short time later, we all talked about his visit when we heard

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-16412086836794452982009-05-28T21:46:00.003-06:002009-05-28T21:56:27.870-06:00

I must call upon the ubiquitous phrase, "I am not a lawyer." But, with all this talk going on about justices making policy rather than interpreting law, I had to check out how the SCOTUS has been doing with this lately. Because I am not trained in the law, it is tough slogging through the court decisions of the year. One case was easier because the minority report clearly said the majority was

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-28483506854277644882009-05-27T12:47:00.005-06:002009-05-28T21:45:22.844-06:00

This has nothing to do with politics, religion or food, but I can't resist this video. This might get PETA riled up!

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-43933340692057988922009-05-22T13:22:00.003-06:002009-05-22T13:53:01.242-06:00

Dad didn't talk much about the war. When we did press him to talk about those days, about the worst he would tell was the story of his first day as a medic in the European theater. Apparently one of the guys trapped a bee as he took a swig out of his canteen. Dad's first patient died, killed not by a bullet, but a bee. Dad was at the Battle of the Bulge, but he never talked about it. My general

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-10112596737751053112009-05-21T16:08:00.003-06:002009-05-21T17:12:07.984-06:00

I am fed up with fear mongering. I am sick and tired of people passing along rumor, half-truth and flat-out lies as truth. We heard a lot of it during the election, we always hear it during campaign season. When I used to work on political campaigns, we came up with all kinds of crazy ideas to exaggerate the foibles of our opponents. Most of it had some basis in fact, but we pushed the truth

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-75421548822473447402009-05-11T14:58:00.003-06:002009-05-12T09:39:41.772-06:00

I had dismissed Sandia as a restaurant for me because I have so many dietary restrictions. Then my bud, Dave Hill, blogged about a marvelous dinner he had with his family there. I was at Park Meadows around lunch time, so I thought I'd try it. It was one of those experiences with so many mistakes, you just have to leave chuckling.I sat just inside the restaurant, enjoying the view of the patios,

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-70192574031005268772009-05-08T09:49:00.002-06:002009-05-08T11:16:07.929-06:00

Chris Black from Falling Rock Tap House explained to the crowd of 75, "Beer is like scrubbing bubbles for your mouth. It picks up all the fats and flavors from the cheese and moves them to your taste buds." A lot of flavor was scrubbed around in mouths last night at Embassy Suites in Englewood, Colorado.Black and Beer Meister Bryan Baltzell paired Great Divide beers with cheeses from Grafton

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-58985983358144769202009-05-06T09:47:00.003-06:002009-05-06T10:00:51.938-06:00

It is exciting times around here as editing begins for the BloggerAid cookbook. All proceeds from the sale of the cookbook will benefit World Food Programme School Lunch. I'm serving as a first editor, one of many, to make a first pass at editing. We look at quantities to see if they make sense and we come up with a consistent measurement system. Because the recipes come from all over the world (

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-47615669972720506432009-05-04T09:35:00.004-06:002009-05-04T09:58:15.532-06:00

The numbers out of Mexico were, at first, alarming. Thousands of healthy young and youngish people were dying from a new strain of flu. This new strain, never seen before, had origins in bird, swine and human flu strains. It spread through the air and there was no preventative. Thousands, maybe millions of Mexicans were wearing masks as protection from the virulent life-threatening disease! Some

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-20347059363970606262009-05-02T12:13:00.003-06:002009-05-04T07:20:21.768-06:00

From time to time friends and neighbors will ask me if I teach cooking, specifically if I can teach their kids to cook. I've toss around the idea of doing small groups in my home, because I think it would be a lot of fun for me and for the kids, but I've always decided against it for legal reasons. Today I got a email from one of the local make-and-take places promoting their summer camps for

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-35886909168306691822009-05-01T10:45:00.004-06:002009-05-01T12:08:44.416-06:00

It's a baby site right now, but the new food2 website has definite potential. It has a young vibe, but the basics are there, so it is suitable for anyone. In fact, there has been a dearth of food basics on the net. Each site seems determined to be more intellectual and superior than the previous one. Because I like basic food made with superior ingredients, I applaud food2 for the How-to section

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-31466920812190672592009-04-30T11:48:00.004-06:002009-05-04T09:32:41.482-06:00

A few years ago, I just happened on a food demo by Tony and Cathy Mantuano of Spiaggia in Chicago at the Italian Festival at Belmar. The recipe was ravioletti di crescenza con salsa di Parmigiano-Reggiano e burro al tartufo, better known around our house as cheese ravioli in browned butter and truffle oil. What was most helpful about the demonstration was watching Cathy make the ravioli dough. I

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-59360548377333392202009-04-30T10:55:00.004-06:002009-04-30T11:33:42.171-06:00

Jackie at Fromage to Yours has another cheese pairing event planned for Thursday, May 7th at the Embassy Suites Denver Tech Center. These events are always fun and very educational. Admission is $10 and $5 of that goes to the Food Bank of the Rockies. As an active volunteer at Covenant Cupboard Food Bank, I am keenly aware of how many new clients we see each week and how much we need food. In my

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-76088950420584514832009-04-29T09:31:00.002-06:002009-04-29T09:50:46.486-06:00

Okay, moderate Senator Arlen Spector is no longer R-Pennsylvania, but D-Pennsylvania. Again. We've seen the headlines and the news clips, President Obama endorse him and Vice-President Biden court him. What difference does this make? The answer, none. The all important 60 in the Senate refers to 60 votes, not 60 people with a D after their name. While Republicans have historically been a voting

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-17866029114080830002009-04-23T18:11:00.002-06:002009-04-23T18:28:24.971-06:00

As soon as we checked into our hotel in Honolulu, I called our old friend and pastor, Jeff Lilley. Jeff is now pastor of Lutheran Church of Honolulu. Jeff gave us a great, if somewhat speedy, tour of Honolulu, including his favorite beaches, their boat, great parks and such. His tips on things to do could have kept us busy for a good month if not longer! Even back in our Kansas days, Jeff was

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-58705742138668996902009-04-22T09:49:00.002-06:002009-04-22T09:54:05.306-06:00

No chronicle of Kauai is complete without some mention of the ubiquitous wild chickens. We heard numerous stories about the chickens ranging from a humorous statement that "there is only one KFC on Kauai" to the impact of hurricanes freeing fighting cocks that mated with the wild chickens to create wild chickens that are not just common, but more aggressive.From Taro Fields North ShoreFrom Taro

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-55794792126446999642009-04-22T09:44:00.003-06:002009-04-22T09:54:46.883-06:00

My friend Dianne Draper used to live in Hawaii. She said Spouting Horn was the best place to buy the unique Ni'hau leis made of shells found only on that island west of Kauai. I couldn't afford the lovely leis, but we did get some typical pictures of the spouting horn area. As was so common on our vacation, the rain grays out the pictures a bit. From Spouting HornFrom Spouting Horn

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-33306252177869616612009-04-22T09:34:00.004-06:002009-04-22T10:02:32.413-06:00

The first time we tried to visit this gorgeous lighthouse, it rained so hard we could barely see the lighthouse. We went on to Ke'e Beach and came back to take some pictures of this lovely place. We even had actual sunshine!From Kilauea PointFrom Kilauea PointThe birds were incredible and it was interesting to look down at the variety of colors in the water. From Kilauea PointOf course, I

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-82838394266893687272009-04-20T09:24:00.004-06:002009-04-20T09:37:58.770-06:00

I found myself totally absorbed in watching the ocean and listening to the surf. It was my first trip to Hawaii and, truth be told, the first time I'd really spend much time at all near the shore. Bright and early our first morning in Kauai, I slipped out on the lanai to check out the water I had more sensed than seen the night before when we checked in. Imagine my surprise to find a cruise ship

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-67773541218137347262009-04-20T09:17:00.002-06:002009-04-20T09:22:38.895-06:00

At the Marriott complex on Kalapaki beach and Anchor cove, there is a lovely pond that meanders through the property. At 9 each morning is feeding time at the pond and it is quite an amazing display.From Kalapaki Marriott Those fish are really cutthroat about the whole thing, pushing and shoving and even "leaping" out of the water entirely and onto the edge of the pool! From Kalapaki Marriott

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-84132880409855118612009-04-20T08:42:00.003-06:002009-04-20T09:14:37.181-06:00

I think I can get to some of the pictures from Hawaii, finally! Our first nice lunch was at Kilohana Plantation just outside Lihue on Kauai. I cannot find the pictures, but the Ahi sandwich has become my new standard for tuna. Pickled ginger rally added a great touch and the sandwich was topped with crisp veggies and sprouts. I now make it without the bread for a super quick main dish.The food

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-53699254656100873472009-04-16T10:48:00.004-06:002009-04-20T14:57:16.386-06:00

I'm certainly not the first to observe that we have become a nation of name-callers. If I disagree with you, you are a (pick one or more):FascistCommieTerroristSocialistnose pickerSusan Roesgen of CNN interviewed a tea party participant who could only describe our President as a fascist:Her best course might have been to ask the fellow how he defined fascist. I suspect he doesn't have any idea of

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-11117579536471803322009-04-16T10:41:00.005-06:002009-04-16T11:04:28.800-06:00

Yes, I was hard on Neil Cavuto. I do not regret it because I believe it was well deserved. I am equally hard on anyone who goes "beyond the bounds of impartiality" as a "journalist."Thus I must highlight that CNN's Susan Roesgen was equally out of bounds when she argued with a protester in her interview:That is not to say that her source is correct in his interpretation of Lincoln, but it is to

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-24626439034011961892009-04-15T14:48:00.003-06:002009-04-15T17:55:36.880-06:00

Can we talk about responsible reporting? The role of a reporter is to report news, not create it. I was not going to say anything about these "Tea Party" events, but I've been watching Fox News and what I see offends me as one who attended the William Allen White School of Journalism (what some of its cynical students call the William Allen White School of Yellow Journalism and Muckraking).For

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-1513596251175376902009-04-13T17:43:00.004-06:002009-04-15T17:54:51.122-06:00

The choir loft is an amazing place from which to worship because it provides a panoramic perspective. Christmas and Easter offer particularly good opportunities to observe because a choir member is part of multiple iterations of the same basic service. Our attentions can wander because we've already heard the sermon, the songs, the prayers.Those are also the services when there are extra chairs

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-37433409454085103612009-04-13T17:29:00.003-06:002009-04-13T17:42:39.198-06:00

I know, I know, I promised Hawaii pictures weeks ago. The whole process has been layered with minor and relatively major disasters. The relatively major disaster was my own doing. I did not back up my computer before trying to move all my pictures to my data drive.I've been creating directories and moving directories for more years than I care to admit (hint, my first such activities involved

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-43742379035041935012009-03-15T19:12:00.002-06:002009-03-15T19:16:11.131-06:00

I know, I know -- I haven't posted anything for almost two weeks. My excuse? A vacation in Hawaii! I'm knee-deep in SD cards of pix to sort! I didn't have a lot of spectacular meals, but there were a few and I even have pictures of some of them. So, keep checking -- I have a few great experiences to share very soon.

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-59153008418748027842009-03-03T08:28:00.005-07:002009-03-03T13:58:59.650-07:00

Every so often something happens that grabs my attention and changes my perception. I call them cosmic 2x4s, as in "I got hit over the head by a cosmic 2X4." I've been working pretty hard on our church's Lenten programs. I'd been recruiting speakers from other faith traditions to talk about how their faith influences their choices at the difficult times of life. I delegated the first week of the

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-89139889727315504472009-02-25T11:57:00.002-07:002009-02-25T12:26:38.280-07:00

I've had it! I'm tired of the half-truths, the lies and the people who promulgate them! I flat out refuse to discuss last night's speeches with you until you've heard them or read them. I'll even give you a heads up -- the text of Gov. Jindal's speech is here and the text of President Obama's speech is here.If you think you can convince me that the economic stimulus bill includes $5 million, $50

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-67087326598092576422009-02-20T17:28:00.003-07:002009-02-20T17:48:46.819-07:00

I've been doing a lot of thinking about abundance and scarcity. I attended a superlative institute at Temple Emanuel today that brought me back to these terms. The general topic of the institute was the chosen people and looked at Hebrew, New Testament and Qua'ran texts about God's chosen people. At the panel discussion and Q & A over lunch, there was much discussion of who does the choosing --

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-91048960162855033512009-02-19T11:47:00.004-07:002009-02-20T20:23:16.031-07:00

I stopped by my favorite cheese store, Fromage to Yours, yesterday and Jackie tells me she has a great event planned for March 11 with Leopold Bros. Distillery. I love to cook with Leopold Bros. products -- blackberry whiskey makes a great marinade for bison. We gave a neighbor a bottle of their Cherry Liqueur for Christmas and we've discovered it makes a superlative topping for ice cream.So

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-52780231540148437462009-02-19T10:48:00.003-07:002009-02-19T11:59:40.576-07:00

I've been hung up on the idea of transformative events lately. It may have been that article in Christian Century. That article, you might remember, led me to think about the crucifixion as transformative rather than redemptive. Our Beyond EfM group was talking about mystical experiences and I was struck by how easy we all found it to judge each other's mystical experiences and find them wanting.

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-40194941868026130262009-02-17T16:39:00.003-07:002009-02-19T12:01:37.519-07:00

There's an old adage "insanity is repeating something that didn't work in the past and expecting a different result."I still do not think the stimulus bill the President signed here today is everything it should be. It is probably a case of too little spread too thin. I was even willing to cut Republicans some slack for their "Did Not Participate" tactic, but that is over now. As I examine the

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-64809270757202526472009-02-14T15:07:00.004-07:002009-02-19T12:02:27.568-07:00

I've been reading an interesting article in Christian Century magazine about blood vengeance, blood sacrifice, etc. and the Christian faith. There's a long history of requiring that blood be shed for faith. Sacrifice a lamb and spread the blood on the doorpost to indicate the house belongs to God's chosen. Temple sacrifice. Sacrifice to appease angry gods. Baal. The Old Testament, particularly,

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-21609253683405561862009-02-09T17:47:00.003-07:002009-02-19T12:02:54.337-07:00

The former Lutheran in me cringed reading in the NY Times today that the Catholic church is returning to the old concept of indulgences. I thought they did away with that in 1587 after Martin Luther started such an uproar, partially about this very subject. Actually, they did not give up indulgences, they just quit selling them and made people work for them instead. I actually remember my best

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-4871951835334591452009-02-08T20:15:00.005-07:002009-02-19T12:03:24.401-07:00

I'm forbidden to post the recipe, but I can post a picture of my Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna. Proceeds from the Blogger Aid cookbook (trust me, I'll let you know the minute I find out it is at Amazon) will go to world hunger programs.

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-5775534638142632192009-02-07T16:43:00.004-07:002009-02-19T12:03:54.285-07:00

I wish the boys and girls in Washington would remember who elected them, not who funded their campaigns, but who turned out for the caucuses, the primaries, and the election. It feels like everyone, regardless of party, has been firmly entrenched in their partisanship. While I like our President, I want him to be above the partisan shenanigans. I think he has tried very hard to do so, but his

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-31503770194878585002009-02-02T09:49:00.007-07:002009-02-02T10:09:15.558-07:00

I love brunch -- a delightful combination of breakfast and lunch that speaks of leisure and good food. On weekdays, one must break the fast quickly to get to work or on to the chores of the day. Weekends are times to sleep in, sometimes so late that breakfast mixes with lunch. Nowhere in that idyllic picture is there room for the stuff yourself, all-you-can-eat buffet that some now consider the

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-55955333990063388512009-02-02T09:17:00.002-07:002009-02-02T10:13:41.944-07:00

My Sunday mornings can be more chaotic than any weekday morning, with a rush off to church, leading adult education or singing in the choir or whatever churchly duty may be asked of me. Brunch after church gives me a calm I relish. So after a messy week of early mornings for medical procedures and airport runs, I decided to treat myself to a nice relaxing brunch at Pesce Fresco. The owners (

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-19156927745414866932009-01-26T11:03:00.003-07:002009-01-26T11:09:36.832-07:00

It's not food, politics or religion, but I went to a good concert yesterday. It was part of Bethany Lutheran Church's Faith and Arts series. The concert was billed as a tribute to Robert Shaw. The numbers with a large ensemble and organ were a bit muddy which would have troubled Shaw, but there were some lovely pieces. I liked two pieces from Durufle's Requiem in particular.What I didn't like was

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-14403435972070200282009-01-23T17:45:00.003-07:002009-01-23T20:24:15.822-07:00

I am dreading a couple of medical procedures on Tuesday morning, but I'm really looking forward to an event Tuesday evening, January 27th. Jackie Rebideau at Fromage to Yours has pulled together a group of cheesemakers to discuss their cheesemaking processes. Not to be undone, several local vintners and brewers have come on board to pair their beers and wines with cheeses. It should be a real

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286330699848750532.post-26312627160944799392009-01-23T09:54:00.005-07:002009-01-23T11:04:41.634-07:00

Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money. Jules Renard (1864 - 1910)I'm watching live coverage of people waiting for the New York Governor to announce the state's new U.S.Senator. What a mess! A couple of weeks ago, Illinois was the center of the world of insane politics with the governor allegedly taking bids for the Senate seat

Deborah Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411442986892672163noreply@blogger.com0