It's Bambi- Run!!

I was so excited to be invited to my friends BBQ last night. We all look forward to the time of year when the venison hits the grill. I should mention, he is an avid hunter and his venison is like no other- moist, tender, flavorful. What better way to live my new principles than with grass fed, locally raised and butchered deer meat. What I didn't consider, was that my body would not react in the same way it has previously.

Long story short, I can no longer put away a pound of meat. I should have stopped at the hamburger. Instead, I went back for sausage and steak. It was so good, but so bad and I paid for it dearly this morning. If you're going to reduce or cut out anything from your routine, it's important to remember that you can't eat it like you used to. I just wish I had remembered that last night.

Which seems like the perfect segue into Meatless Monday and my new foodie blog. Recently, I feel as if I've spent too much time talking about food and food issues which was not the original intention of The Art of Throwing Stones. So, I decided to move my usual rants to a more appropriate place, Veggie Sometimes. It will be full of recipes, news, rants, politics, etc. I hope that those of you who enjoyed my food blogs will follow me there. This is not to say that I will never talk about food on these pages; Chez Gris your amateur cooking knowledge will still be here, as well as any recipes that are not appropriate for the other site. I look forward to seeing you all there!

Random Random Olympics Random Random Saturday

* Once again, I forgot Monday was Monday and had to do Meatless Monday on Tuesday. Ugh. I don't know if I'll ever get the hang of this. Monday is just too close to the weekend and I forget about it. Also, I do most of my grocery shopping on weekdays so on Monday I have nothing to eat save a frozen steak- the veg and fruit is all gone. I'm sure it doesn't matter that I'm always a day off. What, is the veggie police going to give me a citation?

Anywho, I had Fruit Loops for breakfast (ick, but it's all I had), La Madeleine for lunch (salad, soup, potato galette), and... I cannot even remember what dinner was. I think there were eggs involved. Crud.

* According to The Restaurant Refugee , Friday was International Crush Day (mind you, he made it up, but holidays have to start somewhere!). In honor, I am posting my crushes. I think the point is to tell someone you actually know but whatever. I prefer to stick with what works and share my love for strangers. Not real strangers mind you (I have a serious case of Stranger Danger), just celebrities. Today's crushes are:

(Boreanez only in "Bones"- I never got him before then. And, I basically just want to be Chelsea Handler for a day)

* I made a mix tape for my friend with my favorite songs/artists on it. After I had collected all the tracks on iTunes, I realized I had enough for 2 or 3 discs. A little ambitious to say the least! I tried to make it as eclectic as I was without completely alienating him (yep, him; so nothing too girly or lovey dovey which thankfully I don't have a lot of). Featured on my mix was: Lily Allen "Fuck You" (his request), Neko Case "Knock Loud", April March "Chick Magnet", Nina Simone "Ne me quitte pas", Belly "#1 Hot Burrito", Atmosphere "Woman with the Tattooed Hands", Bouncing Souls "Wish Me Well", Swingin' Utters "As You Start Leaving", Gogol Bordello "Alcohol", and a bunch more I can't remember. The final product ended up with 23 songs on it! I love mix tapes, the art of them, choosing just the right songs for the right person. Editing together what you finally chose into something that makes sense. I challenge everyone to pick a buddy and exchange CD's. It's a lot of fun and you should learn some new bands; not to mention a lot about your friend. His CD for me was uncommonly mellow (though he did warn me as such). For the most part I liked it- he had me at Connie Francis!; but I could have done with less Aria and chanting. I almost fell asleep at the wheel driving to work that morning (which I'm sure was the point of the song, but inappropriate for sleepy morning driving)! Hopefully we will get to exchange more music in the future!!

* Jennie's Word of the Day: streusel

* I am officially addicted to curling. However, why's it have to be so expensive? I understand it's a winter sport (i.e. rich, white, American), but I don't have $185 for shoes I would wear everyday let alone a couple times a month. I need someone in the DFW area to get on this immediately! We should have curling allies like there are bowling allies. We would rent shoes and equipment, sell beer, make millions! Well, maybe we'd only make thousands but still. I need the scientists to get on that immediately.

[side note: there is nothing funnier than a group of 20-30 somethings sitting at the bar captivated by curling]

Meat Free Tuesday- Success! And, Why TV and Movies Are Pissing Me Off.

So, Monday I failed at my first ever Meatless Monday, but I redeemed myself with a Meatfree Tuesday. A big shout out to genius pending for the best comment I think I've ever received on a post. Not only did it include profanity, but I felt it was a big high five to Texas. Or, at least that's what I'm telling myself.

Tuesday I planned the whole thing out, kinda, and more importantly remembered what I was supposed to do that day. Breakfast was whole grain toast with honey. Lunch was a salad with my "world-famous" shallot dressing. Dinner was a lot more fun to come up with as I didn't know I was going to do this when I went to the grocery last week, so my choices were a bit slim. I knew I as going to saute the last of my fresh green beans in a little olive oil and garlic, but other than that- no clue.


My favorite dish when I go out for tapas, Spanish tapas that is, is potatoes in a piquant sauce. Basically, potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce, often served with crème fraiche, sour cream, or an herb aioli on top. Delish! So, I decided to make my version of this dish. It was Delicious and spicy and satisfying. So good!!

This just came on my radar and I wanted to share it with you. I promise to never become too crunchy (I am not a hippie), but if you are like minded I thought you should know. The USDA is deliberating over whether or not to allow GMO (a genetically modified organism) in certified organic produce (the current case is specific to alfalfa). Their stance is that consumers don't care if produce is genetically altered, even those certified organic. I'm pretty sure altered organic produce is an oxymoron as organic products is supposed to be free from pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, or genetically altered. If it has any of these traits, it's not organic. Period. To allow them to alter one foodstuff would open the door to genetic tampering in all organic produce. If you like to eat organic, to ensure that what you are eating is the closest to growing it in your own backyard, then join me in sending a letter to the USDA saying we DO have a voice and it should be heard. You can find more information, as well as a virtual letter to send, at True Food Now . The Center for Food Safety works to "protect human health and the environment by curbing the proliferation of harmful food production technologies and by promoting organic and other forms of sustainable agriculture". Basically, they want you to have a choice in what you buy and give ways to support local and organic production, end factory farming, and support the environment in the US.

Okay, I'm going to get off my soap box. And now for something completely different:

An Open Letter to Writer's of TV and Film: Hey guys, just want to let you know I appreciate all you do. However, I've got a bone to pick with you- research. I know you have researchers looking into the history, reality of locations, time periods, etc; yet you seem to throw caution to the wind on a regular basis. Example Case #1: Have you ever been to New York in winter? I have, several times. Never have I seen someone walking down the street in a lightweight jacket, open, with no scarf. It's quite the opposite- heavy parkas, scarves, hats, gloves, boots. The craziest thing I saw was a woman without a hat in 20 degree weather. I'm sure there are "crazies" out there who dress likes it's perpetually 75 (I know we have them in Texas), but they are few and far between. Would it really ruin your shot if your actor zipped up their coat? Wore a kicky hat? Gloves? I highly doubt it.

I'd also like to address your feelings about recorded history and artifacts. What the French? Would "Public Enemies" be any less effective if you showed that Dillinger was outlived by the majority of his gang instead of them all dying before him? No, and on a positive note the movie probably would have been shorter and viewers would learn something (which I thought was the point of a biopic). Furthermore, you were a stickler to detail and historical accuracy in the actual death of John Dillenger, so now I'm even more confused.

Last night I was watching disc 2 of "Hex", a BBC drama about a young witch who's best friend's a ghost and is impregnated by a fallen angel (aka Awesome). I understand you're already stretching belief with the fantasy theme, but did you need to misrepresent Egyptian hieroglyphics as well? They're read top to bottom, left to right. Not side to side. Clearly someone must have done some research to find the symbols used (don't get me started there); did they not also discover how they were written? And, in what universe is an Egyptian named Hera? Probably not this one. You made me sad BBC. So very sad.

In closing, reality is more interesting than fantasy. If you're going to change the past, have the courtesy of doing it in a big bold way a la "Inglourious Basterds". Don't do it half-assed.

We wonder why the youth of today are ignorant of history and truth- Just look to TV and movies, the main source of their education. I know that John Stewart is a comedian with hilarious views purposefully skewed to the right for laughs. I also know "The Daily Show" is not a source for real news anymore than "The Onion" or "Weekend Update" on "SNL" is. They're entertainment shows. Hopefully, they cause the viewer to research it's topics more. I don't even care if you're using wikipedia as long as you're trying to better yourself and your education. Come on writers- why so lazy?

Moooo-ve Over Monday!

So I've started writing this post much earlier than usual in an attempt to actually get it out (especially since I promised it to you yesterday). The original plan was to write something rough last night and polish it out today, but let's just say I got distracted (and by distracted I mean I drank a bottle of wine at my friend's house while watching Project Runway and helping her write her performance review- super fun but unproductive).

Work has been really slow lately, so I've been cruising the interwebs (not in a dirty way!) and wasting as much time as possible; another reason there is no excuse to not post something and on time! I was reading my mail and got excited to see I had a message from GOOP. I'm relatively certain I've expounded on the evil joy that is Gwenyth Paltrow's weekly lifestyle newsletter but couldn't find the tag for it (don't worry, there will still be plenty of links in this post). Long story short/in summary: She publishes GOOP weekly and topics range from travel to wellness to food to whatever. The food ones are my favorite (big surprise), though she's had great gift ideas for any (ANY) budget and fun tidbits about foreign locals I have yet to visit.

This weeks newsletter was all about vegetarian dishes.

[side note: While Paltrow has previously dabbled in vegetarian and macrobiotic eating, she now eats meat. Check out her amazing and simple roast chicken recipe here .]

Immediately I forwarded a copy to my favorite Veggie, then went back to read what I had actually sent. Ms. Paltrow has joined the McCarthy's (that would be Stella and father/Beatle Paul) in their vegetarian mission: Meat Free Monday. From their mission statement:

"Meat Free Monday is an environmental campaign to raise awareness of the climate-changing impact of meat production and consumption. Many people are unaware that livestock production is responsible for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions – that’s more than the entire transport sector..."

Basically, by standing up and pledging to "go meatless" at least once a week, they hope to reduce the need for more grazing land, reduce greenhouse emissions, and promote healthy living. As many of you know, eating organic and as locally as possible (depending on my level of laziness) is very important to me. It seems as if this topic comes up every time I talk to my sister. As a future veterinarian (and current pescatarian), she has an insight into the production and health of meat in this country that I find invaluable and educational. The illogical system behind the slaughter of animals (don't even get me started) coupled with the "waste" of much of the worlds grain to feed animals but not people got me excited about participating in this mission.

Without planning it, or even really noticing, I tend to have at least one vegetarian meal a week. It couldn't be simpler to expand that thought to the whole day. Of course, I couldn't give up eating meat all together- I'm a firm believer in the food chain and the delicious power of BBQ; not to mention my hatred of many of the world's vegetables- but I do want to eat better and smarter. The resources available to us with delicious and nutritious vegetarian dishes is better than ever before. I hope you will check out the websites to learn more and pledge to do your part.

Meat Free Monday (UK)

Meatless Monday (USA)

Food Network- Conscious Cooking

I made this amazing macaroni and cheese dish the other day that I was going to share with you, but I forgot to download the pictures (and I'm pretty sure they didn't come out well either). So, that will have to wait. Instead, I'm giving you a recipe I saw recently that made my mouth water and begin the countdown to payday when I can make them. A big thanks to Giada De Laurentiis for bringing easy yet elegant food to my table. I can't wait to make these savory Goat Cheese w/Sun-dried Tomato Profiteroles . (Plus, I just like saying "profiterole"- pre-fit-e-rol)