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How to Make Caramelized Onions

By
Edel Alon
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0

Caramelized onions make a great side dish for any meat.  I always prepare them with a steak and I’ve even made them for a side of baked salmon.  In most cases, regular onions will work but if you want the best onion for the job, I’d pick a Maui onion

Ingredients
4 teaspoons butter
1 large Maui onion

Method
Cut the onion into quarters (half and then half again).  Slice the onion–about 5 centimeter slices.  Add the butter to a saute pan over medium low heat.  Do not let the butter burn.  In fact, once half the butter is melted, add the onions.  Periodically stir the onions every 5 minutes.  This is something you can do on one of the backburners that you’re not using.  You’ll see the onion start to darken.  At this point the sugars are coming out of the onion and are starting to caramelize.  After 25 to 30 minutes you’ll have a sweet side of caramelized onions.

Notes
If you can’t find Maui onions, use another onion and you might have to add a sprinkle of brown sugar once the onions start to brown.  You can substitute the butter with olive oil.  If you are using unsalted butter, add a dash or two.  The salt will bring out the natural flavors.

If you recently pan seared a meat, use the same pan to make the caramelized onions.  This will add more flavor.  You might want to deglaze the pan with a little vegetable stock or wine before adding the butter.

Ibanez SR505

By
Edel Alon
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1

Bought a new toy.

Ibanez

Switched from ShareThis to AddThis

By
Edel Alon
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2

I decided to switch from ShareThis to AddThis. Mainly for the look and feel of AddThis.

addthis

Stop the PTA Drama

By
Edel Alon
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0

An article came across my desk today, “Stop the PTO Drama” by Tim Sullivan.  It reminded me of drama that I used to hear about during previous years that usually stopped me from joining the PTA.  There are some good ideas in the article.  I wanted to add some of my own:

  • Setup the rules for communications and conflicts.
  • Don’t write emails when angry.
  • Agree to disagree.
  • Measure if the actions are part of the objectives.

Here’s the article from http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/821-stop-the-pto-drama:

Stop the PTO Drama

Stop PTO Drama
by Tim Sullivan

There’s too much drama in PTO land.

Yeah, I know, there’s too much drama everywhere. You can barely read the paper without hearing about road rage or a parent behaving badly at a Little League game. But sometimes it seems like drama is the norm rather than the exception for many parent groups, and there’s almost no way for involvement to grow and community to flourish in that kind of atmosphere. As a leader, one of your most basic goals has to be reducing or avoiding drama.

There are many reasons why drama seems to find its way so easily into PTO life. It starts with the passion that many of us bring to any endeavor involving our kids. Add in the fact that most schools bring together a cross section of society, with many different viewpoints on the role of a PTO and how a volunteer group should operate.

I suggest that the final contributing factor is a lack of recognized authority and leadership. Yes, we have officers, but even the president of your group isn’t the boss of a prickly parent. The president can’t simply put an end to a problem with a stern word or a punishment. In most other areas of our lives—our families, our jobs, even our days as students—there are recognized authority figures who can step in and restore order or even remove the problem entirely.

I bet you’ve wished once or twice that you could ground or suspend or perhaps fire a volunteer. But you can’t, and thus drama tends to fester. The squeaky wheel not only gets grease, she may also chase away better volunteers in the process.

But drama isn’t just about the occasional unreasonable volunteer. More often, in fact, it pops up between well-minded people. Among even excellent volunteers, the unintended slight, the change in last year’s process, the misunderstood email—they’re the kindling of acrimony. It even happens with leaders. Do you love to associate with the PTO (“us”) during successes but privately complain about the PTO (“them”) during times of struggle? All of these things, if allowed to boil, can become fuel for drama. How you handle them will determine the atmosphere of your group.

So what’s the drama-avoiding PTO leader to do? Because we do lack that my-way-or-else authority, the only real alternative is to help your group mature. How can you make your group a place where adult manners and adult habits win?

It starts with open communication. When you sense hurt feelings or a murmur of discontent, address it openly right away—not in a gossipy way, but as the adult. “I’ve heard some questions about this issue, and I wanted to clarify my thoughts and get your feedback” is a disarming approach whether it’s used in a one-on-one email or in front of your whole group or committee.

We hear stories about perceived and real misdeeds all the time on our message boards at ptotoday.com. “What should we do?” is the plea. My first response is almost always the same: “Have you tried sitting down and having a calm, adult conversation about your concerns?” That simple first step, which is an excellent way to defuse drama, is often skipped.

I also find that self-deprecating humor can go a long way before, during, and after conflicts. You’re not in this to win arguments and you’re certainly not perfect; don’t be afraid to mention both of these early on. The latter will become clear eventually, so you might as well get ahead of it.

I also can’t emphasize enough the value of distributing credit and taking blame. If you’re the adult (and therefore don’t need every bit of glory for yourself) and you see the value of reducing drama, this is the magic formula. Thank and praise widely and publicly. When feelings are hurt, apologize rather than explain why feelings shouldn’t have been hurt. That keeps others from turning away. Defensiveness begets drama.

I hear all the time that being part of the PTO feels like being back in the high school cafeteria with its cliques and its social stress, but I find that to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. It doesn’t have to be that way. Your group can do better.

In high school, it was hard to be above the fray because we couldn’t see the fray; we weren’t adults. Now we are. Or at least you can be—and that can make all the difference.

Electricity From the Sea

By
Edel Alon
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2

U.S. Navy Plans Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Plants
By william matthews
Published: 1 June 2009

Heat from the tropical sun warms the ocean surface off Guam to an inviting 80 degrees Fahrenheit. But 3,000 feet below, the ocean remains a bone-chilling 40 degrees.

That temperature difference promises to provide the U.S. Navy with a limitless supply of electricity.

Good thing, too – the U.S. military plans to move 8,000 Marines and 17,000 family members to Guam from Okinawa, Japan, by 2014. But these new residents and the expanded military installations are likely to overwhelm Guam’s power grid, which today generates all of its electricity from imported oil.

The Navy thinks “ocean thermal energy conversion” may be the answer to Guam’s future electricity needs – and Diego Garcia’s, Kwajalein’s and Hawaii’s, too.

Continue

Defensive Indifference

By
Edel Alon
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0

I heard this story today and I thought it would apply to the other parts of my life. Yes, please take second base. Sometimes we think too much on the now and don’t allow for actions made the other players.

Defensive Indifference: When the defense allows a base runner to advance one or more bases. The runner then does not get credit for a stolen base because the base was “given” not “stolen.” The defense may allow this in the ninth inning with two outs, where the focus is on inducing the batter make the final out.

 

Could Have Been Guam’s Reef

By
Edel Alon
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0

The USS Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg’s job is not over.  This 523-foot ship was built in 1944 (originally the USS General Harry Taylor) and then later converted into a Missile Range Instrumentation Ship.  The ship was decomissioned in 1993.  After serving many duties in the Pacific and Atlantic, this ship has been selected to be used to build an artificial reef in the Florida Keys.

Personally, I think it’s a great honor to be placed in the reef especially when we have a lot of environmentalists against throwing things in the ocean.  One of the reasons why it was selected was for the really cool instruments, radar equipment, and other cool looking things on the top of the ship.

I’m wondering if Guam could do the same.  Then we can throw in some dive tours for the tourists.  One of the things that caught my eye is that this ship served some duty on Guam.

Long before a Key West dive boat captain embarked on a quest to turn the mothballed USS Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg into an artificial reef, a typhoon that ravaged Guam in the mid-1970s almost did the job.

general_hoyt_s__vandenbergFor 48 hours, the fearful crew and civilian workers rode out 25-foot waves by tying themselves to desks and chairs, hoping tons of concrete placed at the ship’s bottom would offset the top-heavy load: missile-tracking equipment for spying on the Russians during the Cold War.

From Miami Herald: After many past missions, ship taking on reef duty by Cammy Clark

Oh well, I guess we’ll have to wait for the next typhoon.

University of Hawaii and University of Guam unite

By
Edel Alon
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2

UH Hilo College of Pharmacy teams with University of Guam in pre-pharmacy agreement

University of Hawaii at Hilo
Contact: Alyson Kakugawa-Leong, (808) 974-7642

Director of Media Relations

Posted: May 11, 2009
Undergraduates at the University of Guam who want to earn a degree in pharmacy can transfer up to 70 credits to the pre-pharmacy program at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo due to a memorandum of understanding recently signed by both universities.

The agreement between the two universities seeks to clear the way for course transfer between academic programs and courses at both institutions, help UOG students fulfill the Pacific Pre-Pharmacy Program requirements and to provide advising on both campuses to help students prepare to apply to the College of Pharmacy at UH Hilo.

The completion of the pre-pharmacy course curriculum is needed for entrance into the professional program, which ultimately leads to a doctorate in pharmacy, also called a Pharm.D. UH Hilo is the only school in the Pacific region to offer a doctorate in pharmacy degree.

“Throughout the years of planning the College of Pharmacy, one of our goals has always been to extend our reach to all the islands in the Pacific,” said Dr. John Pezzuto, dean of the College of Pharmacy. “We also are building a base from which to recruit top-notch future doctoral students that will ultimately change the face of healthcare in the region. This is a very good start, and we’re excited to be working with the top-notch educators in Guam.”

UH Hilo works collaboratively with other institutions throughout Hawai?i and the Pacific. Chancellor Rose Tseng said it is through such agreements that help UH Hilo lead efforts to promote science, technology, engineering and math.

“It’s especially gratifying to see the College of Pharmacy show it is part of our ‘ohana and work side-by-side with our partners in the Pacific islands,” Tseng said. “This is really a continuation of our long history of extending our reach beyond Hilo.

“Another example of our commitment to pull the islands together is by leading a National Science Foundation consortium that includes the University of Guam, called The Islands of Opportunity Alliance, or LSAMP. I commend Dean Pezzuto and his exemplary faculty for the hard work and personal dedication it took to develop this collaboration.”

“This agreement provides an affordable pathway for students from Guam who want to pursue a degree in pharmacy,” said Robert A. Underwood, president of the University of Guam.

“Students can complete their first two years of study at the University of Guam, and then transfer those credits to UH Hilo’s pre-pharmacy program. This agreement will help our island fill critical positions in the healthcare field with highly educated professionals. This partnership is a win-win situation for students, parents, the island of Guam, the region, and both institutions of higher education.”

UH Hilo’s Dr. Susan Jarvi, director of the Pre-Pharmacy Program in the College of Pharmacy, visited Guam in October during a tour of the Western Pacific that included Saipan, Guam, Palau and American Samoa. Along with co-investigator Dr. Anthony Wright, chair of pharmaceutical sciences, she helped create a list of UOG courses that can transfer to UH Hilo’s pre-pharmacy program.

“We did not have an online course transfer table that defines equivalent courses between institutions that would be available for students to use to develop their academic plans prior to this,” Jarvi said. “This MOU is significant in that it provides a guideline for the cooperative promotion of successful educational experiences for students from both institutions. It also provides pre-pharmacy mentoring and advising from faculty and staff on both campuses, including tutoring and counseling.”

Jarvi, who will act as primary advisor to students coming to UH Hilo, said the pre-pharmacy program gives students in this region a level of training never before available.

For more information, call (808) 933-2909 or email [email protected].

http://www.hawaii.edu/cgi-bin/uhnews?20090511102312

I think I have a friend who just enrolled into this program.  Sounds like fun.  Pharmacy is a great job and Hawaii sounds like the best place to study it.

Mass Production Lumpia Shanghai Recipe

By
Edel Alon
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4

I’ve been asked on several occasions to help wrap lumpia for various clubs, organizations, and parties. I decided to try to make these “lumpia wrapping parties” a little more effective. The main problem when wrapping lumpia is the time spent gossiping and less time wrapping. So even after 3 hours and 10 people the total number of wrapped lumpia is under 100.

The other problem is food contamination with the number of hands. Germs scare me and if you ever see me in the kitchen I’m washing my hands after I touch anything.

In order to increase wrapping speed and decrease contamination came up with the idea to use an pastry bag to squeeze the meat onto the lumpia wrapper. (I feel like this is the same way mass production companies do it for their lumpia, if not, maybe I’ll sell my idea).

Using an pastry bag also squeezes the correct amount of filling at the right size and shape to create more uniformed looking lumpia. Please note that this only works with the “shanghai” style of lumpia.

Instructions:

1. Make your best batch of filling (usually take all the veggies and put it through a food processor)
2. Fill your piping bag with the filling
3. Cut a hole at the tip about .5 inches wide
4. Squeeze filling onto lumpia wrappers

Edel’s Lumpia Recipe

* 1 pound ground pork
* 1 pound ground beef
* 1 medium onion, minced
* 1/2 cup water chestnuts, minced
* 1 carrot, minced
* 5 cloves of garlic, minced
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 2 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
* 1 teaspoons salt

IGA Opens First Guam Location

By
Edel Alon
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1

IGA has opened its first grocery store on the island of Guam in Chalan Pago. Owned by Cost U Less, a division of Winnipeg, Manitoba-based The North West Co. Inc., the new Island Fresh IGA is company’s first IGA supermarket and is serviced by IGA Licensed Distribution Center Supervalu’s Tacoma, Wash., facility.

The store, formerly known as Hita Supermarket, was purchased by The North West Co. in late 2007, during which time the company has invested $3 million to upgrade the 25,000-square-foot facility that features 13,000-square-feet of retail space.

Offering a complete shopping experience with full-service deli, bakery, meat and produce departments and a full line of IGA Private Brand products and consumer package goods, Island Fresh IGA also features an international aisle with an expanded assortment of Asian and local Island foods.

“We are so pleased to join together with The North West Company to bring the IGA Brand to Guam,” said IGA Global CEO Tom Haggai.

Ben Piatt, VP/procurement and marketing for The North West Co. concurs that the new relationship with IGA is a great fit. “Together we share a long tradition of working to enrich the everyday lives of our customers and enhance the communities in which they live,” said Piatt. “Island Fresh IGA will live up to the IGA name and be the leading shopping destination in its market by consistently providing the helpful, friendly service and unwavering Hometown Proud community support that is the hallmark of the IGA Brand.”

In addition to its newest IGA store, The North West Co. operates 223 stores under the trading names Northern, NorthMart, Giant Tiger, AC Value Center, Cost-U-Less in rural communities and urban neighborhoods in Canada, Alaska, the South Pacific and the Caribbean.

http://www.progressivegrocer.com/progressivegrocer/content_display/features/center-store/e3if6edc43bfbecc72af27912f98517c566

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Welcome to the curated chaos of curiosity and creativity—brought to you by Edel Alon: maker, thinker, and hands-on problem-solver. This blog is part journal, part resource hub, and entirely dedicated to the art of doing. From culinary experiments and car tinkering to tech deep dives and DIY builds, you'll find stories, guides, reviews, and reflections designed to inspire, inform, and occasionally make you laugh (or at least raise an eyebrow). It's a celebration of learning by doing—with a few detours along the way.

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