Ratatouille

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Yes, I thought it was a movie too.  That shows home much of a “not-a-cook” I really am, right?  Well here is another recipe from my class at Cook that proved to me it was first a chunky type of soup not the name of a rat.

Check out my others ones here.

Ingredients:

  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 cup onion, small diced
  • 1/2 cup yellow squash, medium diced
  • 1/2 cup zucchini, medium diced
  • 1/2 cup eggplant, medium diced
  • 1/2 cup plum tomato, medium diced
  • 1 cup chicken stock (or for my fellow vegetarians try VegeBase)
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 3 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
  • salt & pepper to taste

Heat a medium saucepan to a medium high heat.

Add the oil to the pan and then onion and garlic.

Saute for 2-3 minutes until onion becomes translucent.

Add the yellow squash and zucchini, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Saute for 2-3 minutes and then add the eggplant and tomato.

Saute another 2-3 minutes then add the stock.

Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes.

Add the basil, check seasoning and simmer for another 3-4 minutes.

Serve it warm.

Memories of 9/11

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Walking through the 9/11 memorial, I find myself thinking about what I imagine most of the people here are thinking; recalling what I was doing that morning of September 11, 2001. I was in a training class in Reston, Virginia doing my best to stay awake during one of my many computer courses for work. Our instructor was interrupted during our first session and rushed back into the room to announce that a plane had struck the World Trade Center and anyone that needed to leave would be able to reschedule the course without any penalties. Immediately my cellphone began to ring and I recognized the CallerID as my friend and fellow volunteer EMT/Firefighter. I made my way out of the classroom as I answered her call. “NOVA Task Force has been activated. I need to know if you are available,” she said very quickly and directly. I could sense the stress and urgency in her voice and quickly gathered only the necessary information to allow her phone chain to continue through the other NOVA Task Force volunteers on her list.

I have been an EMT/Firefighter for Loudoun County since 1996 right after my divorce. I was referred to Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad as the best station in Loudoun County to become an EMT and actually get to do something other than stand around the station listening to other stations get call after call. After months of training, practicals and tests I was working under the tutelage of a senior EMT until I was “released” to operate on my own. I quickly found the work tough, stressful but rewarding and began working toward my Firefighter I level certification. I overcame many of my fears with the added motivation of not letting my fellow Rescue/Fire partners down. I knew that if I was expecting one of my partners to take care of me when I needed it that I must be prepared and willing to do the same for them. So I pushed myself, I learned my boundaries and with encouragement from my peers and friends, I continued to train and learn not only to keep my certifications up but to increase the likelihood of someday making this my career.

But, as time went on and friends came and went in the volunteer system, I began to look closely at my choices both in life and in work. Helping people was definitely something I wanted to do but I realized that it might not be through EMS any longer so I pursued my Computer Science degree and slowly parted ways with Sterling Rescue. Although I have not been active with the EMS systems for many years, I still see myself as part of a family of Fire, Rescue and Police members and frequently use “we” and “us” when referring to them rather than “them” and “they.” Once you’ve placed your hands on the same patient trying to get their heart to start beating again or carried the body of a young child to the arms of you partner, there is an unspoken bond that will always be there.

Many people do not understand how we can do the work we do. I sometimes wonder how I did it too but mainly because at some level, I don’t understand the big deal. Don’t get me wrong, though. I get it. It should be hard to see someone die; to watch the last breath leave their body and to take quick action. A Firefighter, an EMT or even a Police Officer all need to find a balance between compassion, action and subjectiveness. For some, this comes fairly easy; others it is a challenge. I believe this is where a clear division exists between these heroes and the rest of the population. So, it is this very separation of emotion that we find easy to make when it’s necessary to get through a stressful situation. I also believe that sometimes it’s hard to switch off and allow the emotion to come through and experience it when it’s appropriate and even safe.

The emergency field is not a planned field. Accidents, illness and even death happen without approval or permission. So even when we appear to be casual, happy or relaxed and even believe that we are, our insides are always on the edge and waiting for the next situation where we have to stuff emotion into our back pocket and do our jobs. So after 12-48 hours of that constant “on the ready” energy, it is not easy to switch off simply because your shift is over.

So even after years of being away from the field, I find myself walking through this memorial ground a little numb to this now sacred ground of my fellow partners that I will never meet. I, like many others, am caught in this sad and emotionally confusing state of remembrance as well as a thankfulness and guilt.

As I continue to walk around the South pond, the cascading waters slowly and dramatically fall underneath the black marble borders where so many names of those that died that day are etched. For a moment, I’m consumed by sadness and my eyes well with mournful tears but I swallow and walk away. I look to the sky and imagine the towers still rising up from the ground and then close my eyes to bow my head for a moment to gain my composure and my eyes slowly rest on the only pear tree in the grove of trees. There is the Survivor Tree.

20120514-151136.jpg I wonder if this tree is also feeling the guilt that some people felt and may still may be feeling because they survived.

This pear tree was originally planted in 1970 in the World Trade Center Plaza, was rescued from the rubble of the plaza after 9/11 and even survived a tropical storm that uprooted it in 2010. It is now 30 feet tall and continues to grow through the support and care of many people that believed it was important.

So while we mourn those we lost and take our time to heal, I hope that we can also remember those that survived and give them the support and care they so need and deserve.

Is AOL going to come back or fade in the background?

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I have the luxury of working at a company that is both youthful and experienced (proven by our AIM AV testing in the photo above). We represent the top talent, creative thinkers, early adopters and sometimes trend followers. In very interrelated ways, my fellow AOLers brought the strange, complicated and even unattainable internet into the homes of the young and old without the need for a 300 page manual. We brought America online.

So where does AOL take us next? That seems to be the big question for us. We claim to be on the path to a comeback but we haven’t quite hit that sweet spot and the headlines continue to beat us down, tell us we’re failing and question whether we’re even still around. Our CEO, Tim Armstrong, is driving our business model to content driven platforms, advertising and hyper-local news.

I started at AOL back when millions of people had @aol.com accounts, everyone used AIM to chat and the stock price was over $100. We were focused on bringing products into the everyday lives of our consumers. I think we did that successfully. We had over 30 million members, beer bashes on the lawn during the week and over 14,000 employees all of the world. Ahhhhh the good ol’ days.

In 2012, we are still struggling. I won’t sugar coat it – I can’t sugar coat it. I don’t even want to know what the stock price is and most of my friends are using gmail. *Sigh* What happened to us? I’d love to be blogging about my awesome stock portfolio and the three vacation homes I travel to but that’s not the case. And, while we’re tired of hearing people ask if AOL is still around, we’re not surprised because we seem to be the largest consumers of our own products. Now, having said that, we SHOULD be our biggest fans, but we’re trying to build products that gain popularity in the community. If we are the only ones using our products, we’re failing. Or, we need to change our target audience to working technologists like ourselves.

The business of creating technology that improves people’s lives is a very tough market. Our consumers are becoming more tech savvy and the bar is progressively getting higher. The younger generations are pushing the needle and they are in the mobile space is masses. They have access to build and deploy simple apps in a very short time allowing the least amount of effort to test out theories, ideas and make relatively small bets in a very open space.

So, where ARE we going? Tim’s vision with Advertising and content is a huge swing from what AOL was in the beginning. We’re spending a larger portion of our time and attention on selling advertising space on our content sites. Yes, our content sites might be fantastic; the authors, bloggers and editors are popular and the topics are important and interesting. But I joined AOL because of the products, services and cool shit we could create, not to get people to buy more shit that don’t need. Ugh, it’s a catch 22, as they say though. We have to generate revenue so we can fund projects to build this great stuff and we don’t have a large enough, loyal enough audience to become a premium service. I’m torn on this. It’s like cable television or apps on iTunes. As a consumer you can get your content for free and be subject to disruptive but sometimes entertaining commercials to pay for the shows you watch or you pay a premium to watch your shows without disruptive commercials.

I don’t have the answers but I wish I did so I could help AOL leap forward but for now… I believe my job is to continue to do my best to support the people around me who might just have that next big hairy audacious idea that will make a difference in people’s lives.

Do your eyes light up?

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When you enter a room, notice how the people invite you. Do they smile and make eye contact? Do they avoid your glance? Remember the first time you entered your first freshman classroom. You may not have been able to make eye contact with anyone in the room or maybe you scanned the room for familiar faces. Or maybe you have a meeting that you believe is going to be difficult and your mood is already assuming it’s going to be terrible. So you enter the room without smiling at anyone, already succumbing to this bad energy. You’re already thinking about the drink you deserve after work which you are promptly going to post on Facebook.

I heard someone say recently, “Does your face light up? Do they see in your eyes that you are glad they are here?” She was speaking about how you treat your children but really, we are all children regardless of our age. It seemed to me that all of us could use this in our daily lives whether we had children or not. We all crave acceptance at some level so to be greeted with a smile, even from a stranger, gives us a moment of inclusion and acceptance.

This is what I’ve been working on for several years and I believe it has made a big difference with my work relationships and with my personal ones. Now, let’s enter that room again, but this time greeting everyone with a smile, a casual comment about something funny you watched on YouTube or a joke you remember. Giving those around you a moment to be human, to be real, to be caring and to show regard for another life trying to live through this day and do their best. The tone of the meeting feels different now and maybe the meeting will go just a little bit better this time.

Even if you are fearful or shy or anxious, remember that each time you see someone you know or meet someone for the first time, it is a gift to have the opportunity to greet someone with a smile. Maybe, just maybe, a smile offered genuinely to someone else, could make the difference in their day. And it didn’t cost you anything.

Trade Your Wasted Efforts for Tactical Plans

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Frequently I have blogs, articles or emails sitting in my box for weeks before I have time to read them but when I do, it was at the right time for me to read them.  One of those articles surfaced in my mailbox today and it was yet again, perfect timing.  The article was from Martin Yate where he explains “How to ace the world’s toughest interview question” and while it would seem perfect for someone looking for a job, I read it with a different lens.  I was looking at it from an angle of focusing on what I want to do and making sure that everything I spend time on is directly related to doing it.

“Your job exists to help your employer achieve and maintain profitability. How do your efforts support these goals?”

This is the first sentence Martin writes that caught my attention because I’ve been doing Product Planning and Roadmapping with a few different teams over the past few months and this is how I think of the relationship of stories/requirements to the Projects we plan and the Projects we plan to the Goals for the year.  I ask each Product Owner to understand their stakeholders and managers goals for the year and turn them into actionable goals of their own.

“You need to think through whether your job is chiefly concerned with generating revenue, protecting assets, improving productivity in some way, or is perhaps a combination of these imperatives. Once you have determined this you have also outlined the correct framework for your answer.”

Too many times, I see work on a backlog or even on the story board already in progress that cannot be clearly mapped to the goals we agreed upon.  Taking this approach to building your Product Roadmap and settling on a plan can help you eliminate wasteful time spent on things that are not going to get you any closer to claiming successful completion of your goals and hence, your leadership’s goals.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Baby Spinach

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Another recipe from my cooking class at COOK in Ashburn, VA

Check out the Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad recipe

Ingredients: (4 servings)

  • 1 package (20 oz) Butternut Squash, cleaned and precut
  • 1/2 of red onion – 1 whole onion, halved and quartered (onion can get overpowering, you can “eyeball it” and reduce the amount as needed)
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Wegman’s Basting Oil (can use any flavored oil or plain olive oil)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup – 1 cups Fresh Baby Spinach
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)

Preheat 450° F

Cut squash into 1 inch cubes (try to get around all the same size for even cooking).  Combine squash and onions in large pan; drizzle with basting oil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Toss lightly to coat.

Roast for 25 minutes until tender and lightly browned.

Add Spinach and cranberries; toss so spinach will wilt.

Tips:

  1. Once you add the cranberries and spinach, you can put it back in the oven for 1 minute to help the spinach wilt faster.
  2. Roasting vegetables can be done at any temperature. The lower the temperature, the longer  it will take.  Cooking them longer and at a lower temperature will allow the natural sugars in the vegetables to caramelize more which results in more color and flavor.
  3. By buying the squash precut, you save time but will probably spend more money.  If you buy a whole squash, you can save time by cutting it up the night before and putting it in an airtight container.

Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad

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ImageI used my Groupon for a cooking lesson at COOK in Ashburn, Virginia.  Since I have been Pescatarian (Vegetarian with fish and egg allowances) for about two years, I really wanted to learn a few more veggie dishes that weren’t too hard to make so I chose the “Veggie Tales” class.

No, I wasn’t lucky enough to find myself living the scene in Hereafter with Matt Damon as my cooking partner so I said yes to each glass of wine they offered throughout the night.  And, somehow, I managed to make some pretty good dishes and get home by 930p (geez – I should not be proud of that haha).

ImageOur first recipe was the Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad.  The tomatoes should be roasted for 2 hours so the chef, Lucy Ritter, pre-roasted them for us before we arrived to speed things up for us.  It was a simple and very tasty dish that I plan to make again tonight as I’m writing this blog post.  The picture doesn’t do the dish justice but one of my table partners was a bit of a bossy-knows-everything-about-cooking-and-you-must-need-me-to-tell-you-what-to-do-because-you-obviously-can’t-think-for-yourself kinda person so I was a bit distracted by her.  I only put a small amount balsamic dressing on my tomatoes before I snapped the picture.

 

Check out the Roasted Butternut Squash with Baby Spinach recipe I made next.

Ingredients:

  • 12 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seed removed
  • 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 16 ounces fresh mozzarella
  • 12 fresh basil leaves, julienned

Preheat the oven to 275 °F

Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Sprinkle with the garlic, sugar, salt and pepper.

Roast for 2 hours until the tomatoes are concentrated and begin to caramelize.

Allow the tomatoes to cool to room temperature.

Cut the mozzarella into slices slightly less than 1/2 inch thick.

If the slices of mozzarella are larger than the tomatoes, cut the mozzarella slices in half.

Layer the tomatoes alternately with the mozzarella on a platter and scatter the basil on top.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Serve at room temperature.