May | 2010 | knitting a life

Archive for May, 2010

Making almond milk at home

Posted in Breakfast, drink, food on May 7, 2010| 8 Comments »

Some time ago, my sister-in-law, K, posted a recipe for Almond Milk on her blog. The first few times I made it myself I flipped back to her recipe, but after a few batches I found that I was able to remember the simple and delicious recipe without peeking. Now I keep homemade almond milk in my refrigerator almost all the time.

What makes this recipe so wonderful is the simple list of ingredients and the ease with which they can be combined to make a flavorful and healthy drink. Almonds, water, a bit of sweetener (I use agave nectar or maple syrup) and vanilla, and a pinch of salt, whirled in the blender and strained through cheesecloth,

and there you are — creamy, smooth, slightly sweet and nutty — the perfect glass of almond milk.

For me, nothing tastes better on homemade (or any other kind) granola.

Here are the details:

Almond Milk

1 cup whole almonds (I use organic)
4 cups water
2 tablespoons agave nectar or maple syrup (you can add more or less sweetener to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend at the highest speed for about 2 minutes, until all of the almonds are pulverized.

Pour through a strainer lined with cheesecloth. Gather the cheesecloth and squeeze until all of the liquid is extracted.

Pour into a jar and refrigerate. Almond milk keeps, refrigerated, for about 3 days.

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Denver

Posted in food, teaching, travel on May 4, 2010| 2 Comments »

This past weekend S and I were in Denver

for the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). This is one of the largest conferences I attend; AERA has something like 10,000 members, many of whom make presentations and attend sessions where they can talk about current issues in educational research and policy (among other things).

This year the meeting was particularly interesting (for people in the field of education, that is) because of upcoming changes in federal legislation related to education and because of the considerable national attention focused on the preparation and evaluation of teacher performance and student learning. These are topics that I spend a lot of my professional life thinking about and the meeting provided me with a chance to hear from educational leaders who are hoping to influence those policies.

The trip also gave me a chance to reconnect with old friends and colleagues, visit the newly renovated Denver Art Museum

and eat out (too often and too much I am afraid!). All of the food we had was great, especially the meals prepared by the friends we stayed with, of course. Of the meals we had out, three stand out — both for the company and for the food. First, we had a lovely dinner with our friends P, J, M and N at Duo, a neighborhood bistro in the rapidly developing and chic Highland neighborhood. The Sweet Pea Fritters and the Halibut Carpaccio were particularly tasty.

We also had a great lunch at Bistro Vendrome on Larimer with P, K and T. I loved my chicken salad sandwich (I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it was very good) and the wine, a 2007 Champalou Vouvray imported by Kermit Lynch, was exceptional. Finally, we met our friends J & M for brunch at Rioja, another place on Larimer that really lived up to it’s reputation as one of the best restaurants in Denver.

All in all, it was a good trip. As usual, though, I am glad to be home.

*Note: none of the photos in this entry are my own.