Good is Not Best
I have here a headings exercise for NA1 students. You have to read the text and match those paragraphs that are numbered with one of the headings in the box below, as in the example (0). There are three headings you will not need.
Bay Rum Cologne
Was this what they used as aftershave in westerns? I wonder.
2 ½ ounces crushed bay leaves;
1 ½ teaspoon ground cardamom;
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon;
½ teaspoon ground cloves;
1 pint Jamaican rum.
Add bay leaves and spices to the rum and shake well. Strain and bottle. This cologne will stay true for months if kept at room temperature.
Of Those Bonfires, Only the Ashes Remain
She was a great twentieth-century beauty. What she lacked in acting skills, she made up in personality, which she had in formidable excess. She didn’t have a powerful voice, but she did have a style all her own, which is more than one can say of many, much more talented, singers. Her films weren’t anything special, they were all pretty much the same, but, because she had star quality, they were entertaining and highly watchable. Like Norma Desmond said, ‘They don’t make faces like that anymore.’ Here she is in La Bella Lola (1962), singing Puerta Cerrada. The angels must be having a ball in Heaven tonight.
We All Fall Down
Ring-a-ring-a-roses,
A pocket full of posies;
Ashes! Ashes!
We all fall down.
Shoot! They’re dropping dead so quickly, one after another, those icons of my youth, it’s scary and ever so depressing. In loving memory of Japanese filmmaker Nagisa Oshima, here goes a Cloze for NA2 students.
Old Dogs, New Tricks
I know it’s awfully kitsch and lowbrow, but it’s also kind of a classic in a cheesy, tastless way, this painting by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge from the 1900s, very aptly titled A Friend in Need. A Headings exercise for Advanced students.
Vegan Stuffing
Let me see. It’s 1 cup lentils and 4 cups water which you bring to a boil and let simmer for 1 hour. Then it’s 1 cup rice and 1½ cups water in the rice cooker. Goodness gracious! There are so many instructions to remember. Here’s a vegan stuffing which serves 4 from the November issue of Hour Detroit Magazine, which was meant for Thanksgiving, but which could have been done for Christmas, as well, and there’s still Epiphany coming, at least in Spain, right? My favourite holiday ever. Though soon enough no one will be able to afford turkey or have a holiday, for that matter. In Spain or elsewhere.
Ingredients
Olive oil for sautéing
1 cup shitake mushrooms, finely chopped/diced
1 small poblano pepper, finely chopped/diced
1 sweet potato, cut in small cubes (almost diced)
1 onion, finely chopped/diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, finely chopped/diced
6 slices bread with veganically grown grains (no animal-derived fertilizers used)
Water, enough to moisten the bread (about ½ cup)
¼ cup smoked almonds, chopped
Pink Himalayan sea salt
Soy sauce, to taste
Splash of truffle oil
1 handful spicy baby greens mix
Cooking Instructions
Sauté vegetables (except greens) in olive oil. Fold in the bread cubes. Add water. Add nuts, salt, soy, and oil. Fold in greens. Place mixture in a pre-oiled vessel and cover with foil. Bake at 350 for at least 40 minutes. If possible, make stuffing early in the day on the same day as the dinner. Uncover when done and cover again for reheating.
Now, a simple question: is there anything such as ‘vegan turkey,’ a contradiction in itself? I really wonder. A vegan consumes no animal food or dairy products. But then, vegan burgers do exist, which leads me to assume there is such a thing—or should be. The picture, from Clare Barnes, Jr’s Sleeping Under Blankets, and the level is NI1.
Domestic Violence
This cloze test is meant for Intermediate students. I found the original text on my first visit to the Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. What you have here is an adaptation of it. The painting that illustrates this post is The Camden Town Murder, by Walter Richard Sickert (1860-1942). If you are interested in seeing more of Sickert’s artwork, I strongly recommend visiting the link at the end of this post.
domestic_violence_takes_many_forms
domestic_violence_takes_many_forms_answer_key
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/walter-richard-sickert
Day(s) Off Form
Sometimes we have duties to perform which are absolutely unavoidable. Here’s a composition topic where NI2 students are required to complete a day-off form. You will find attached a file with an example of what you are supposed to do and a day-off form which you must complete. You may want to take this exercise one step further and submit the form to your partner for his/her disapproval. He/She will have to provide as good a reason as you have. Write 100 to 120 words. The photograph belongs to Clare Barnes, Jr.
4-Bean Chili
Ingredients
24 oz Bean Appétit Chili Mix
8 cups water for cooking
1 lb ground beef, turkey or chicken
1 ½ cups onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup green, sweet pepper
4 cups canned tomatoes
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
2 tbsp chili powder or to taste
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp sugar
Instructions
Sort and rinse bean mix. Soak beans overnight in refrigerator. Or, quick soak by bringing beans to boil in water. Immediately remove from heat and leave covered for 30 minutes prior to use. Drain. Cook beans. Brown ground meat. Sauté onions, garlic, and green pepper. Combine all ingredients. Cover and simmer on low approximately ½ hour. Makes 12 1-cup servings.
The Bean Appétit Chili Mix is a mixture of kidney beans, navy beans, cranberry beans and black beans, packaged by Carlson-Arbogast Farm, in Howard City, Michigan. I added, as I usually do, 1 tbsp of baking soda to the beans and let them soak in water overnight. I didn’t brown the ground meat, I used leftover roast chicken instead.
The painting that illustrates this post is by Caroline Magert and its title is Kitchen Floor. Those of us who enjoy the company of cats know how true to life this picture is. I love it.
Trail Mix Cookies
Ingredients
½ cup (organic) salted butter at room temperature
6 tbsp. peanut butter
½ cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 large (organic) egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. wheat germ
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granola
½ cup lightly toasted pecans
½ cup raisins
½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375⁰ F (190.556⁰ C). Cream butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and wheat germ. Reduce speed and add baking soda, salt and flour. Stir in granola, pecans and raisins, and chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving room for cookies to spread. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until nicely browned.
Yield
36 cookies
