Short takes

Does no one say "try to [verb]" anymore? I keep hearing "try and [verb]", which flows, but makes less sense when thinking about it.

I went to a farmer's market for the first time this year last night. There was some gorgeous produce. I got more than I'd planned, including an apple with a lovely name: ginger gold. It turns out to be reasonably crunchy, with an ok flavor, but not an outstanding variety to me. I also got to see the new mural on the back of the Brookline galleria (near the Coolidge Corner movie theater), portraying the inside of the space, which seems like a good way to remind people it's there. It's an old-fashioned sort of space, two levels of shops, but little storefronts with old kinds of plate-glass windows. I still find it incongruous that Grand Opening is on the second floor.

Traveling beer must have hops.

This new LJ 'skin' is a bit disconcerting, trying to figure out where things are. I assume I'll end up keeping with the new schema (if I can find 'edit entries' where I think it should be, that would help). What I find a bit more strange than this newness (which emphasizes my tendency to get very used to what is) is the term 'skin'. It's a bit creepy, really, though I can see why the term arose. I don't know that I'd want to put on a new skin one day, really. It takes the idea of walking in someone else's shoes a bit farther than I'd want to go...

12:40 addendum:
Today's spam subject line of the day: Your views are worth cash
But I don't want to sell the vista from the porch, nor from the front windows...

Cooking, mostly for Shabbat

The menu for tonight's Shabbat dinner:

• challah rolls, made with flaxseed meal
  
• lentil stew with sausage and mushroom (also lots of alliums: onion, garlic, garlic scapes, and leeks)
  
• chicken thighs, some topped with mustard, baked with red cabbage, onion, and cider vinegar
  
• roasted onion, tomato, and a bit of eggplant, seasoned with oregano
  
• roasted eggplant and yukon gold potatoes
  
• fresh corn salad, with tomatoes, scallions, and black beans

I decided not to make a green salad; I can make one tomorrow if it appeals more then. I also didn't get around to making a dessert, but I've always got sorbet in the freezer, if I even want dessert; this is rather a lot of food... But it's what I was in the mood to make. If I have tons of leftovers, I'm sure I'll be able to figure out something to do with them.

I did manage one other culinary item: this morning I made a batch of cranberry-cantaloupe jam. It looks interesting in the jars, the orange and the red. If I'd thought the pieces would keep so much of their volume, I'd've cut the cantaloupe smaller. Interestingly, cooking melon smells rather similar to winter squash.