The Seed and the Sea

Upon the high seas of despair and doubt
there floats a mustard seed amongst the waves.
The soil it seeks but finds not to sprout.
For shelter it finds not in rocks or caves
Yonder shores seem to only be a dream
As the tempest winds blow against its will,
the storm yields not to bleak hopes and esteem
Adrift in darkness its soul filled with chill
But every squall in time must subside
and through the current its path be bound
Gently swayed, the seed driven by the tide
The sway of the trees are a joyous sound
    And upon the gentle beaches finds land
    Its roots become buried within the sand.

Authors' note:

I do apologize if this one is a little rough, I might go back and explore this concept later.  This was my hand at attempting to write a sonnet which admittedly, structured poetry really isn't my forté, however I am working on changing that.  I will probably revisit this concept again sometime.

Avocado Cucumber Raita

This is a great side dish that goes with almost anything and is an analogue to the traditional avocado salad using mayonnaise. This variation has a bolder flavor with more tang. Overall I feel the yoghurt provides a far superior taste and dimension to the dish and gives it a more authentic character.

This dish goes great with almost any meal and can be made vegan by substituting with vegan yoghurt. I really recommend this as a side for tacos, chilies, and bean soups.

Ingredients:

1 cucumber

1 avocado

1 diced red chili, seeded

1/2 large onion or 3 - 5 sprouts of green onion

1 tbsp diced cilantro or parsley

3 tbsp Greek yoghurt

3 tbsp lime juice

fresh ground pepper

kosher salt

Preparations:

1: Chop up avocado and cucumbers into small cubes and place them in a large serving bowl.

2: Finely dice chili, onions, and cilantro and toss in serving bowl.

3: Add the yoghurt, lime juice, salt, and pepper into the bowl. You will want to use about half as much salt as pepper.

4: Mix all ingredients thoroughly in bowl and place in the refrigerator for 3 - 8 hours before serving to chill and allow flavors to meld.

Serves: 4 - 6.

crandpass V5 released!

Just completed the crandpass script.  I am considering this feature complete and have also not only releasing a tarball with this version but an RPM as well.  Repositories for the package can now be found on the OpenBuild service and hopefully I can get it in the mail OpenSUSE repositories for 13.1 since it is such a simple, elegant script.

From changelog:
VERSION 5: 20130803
  * ADDED spec file for rpm package creation.
  * CHANGED file structure of project folder.
  * CHANGED README file is now up to date.
VERSION 4: 20130802
  * ADDED hexadecimal password creation options (-H)
VERSION 3: 20130802
  * CHANGED default passwords created to 1. This is to make the program script friendly so that it can be re-used.
  * ADDED support for controling case
  * ADDED support for character control: letters, numbers, and symbols can now be includued or excluded.
  * ADDED symbol support.

Usage: crandpass -c 1 -l 32 -s random
  -h   print this help message
  -A   alphabetic characters options:
      0  x  exlude       exclude letters
      1  l  lower        use only lowercase
      2  u  upper        use only uppercase
      3  m  mix          use mixed case (default)
  -c   number of passwords to create (default: 1)
  -H   create hexadecimal passwords
      1  l  lower        use lowercase
      2  u  upper        use uppercase
  -l   length of passwords (default: 32)
  -N   numerical character options:
      0  x  exclude      exclude numbers
      1  i  include      include numbers (default)
  -s   source of the passwords (default: random)
      r  random          use /dev/random
      u  urandom         use /dev/urandom
  -S   symbol character options:
      0  x  exclude      exclude symbols (default)
      1  i  include      include symbols
  -v   print version number

As you can see, this new version as added options to create passwords of varying complexity using a very simple command structure.

Version 5 - MD5 sum: 3119dce71b76943e57c626b0d31eac6c
OpenBuild Service: http://software.opensuse.org/package/crandpass

Packages exist for: CentOS, Fedora, OpenSUSE, Mandriva, and Red Hat RHEL.

crandpass - A random password generator for Linux.

I had an itch to scratch the other day and wanted to create my own random password generator using BASH just so I could wrap my brain around this whole programming thing.  The end result was actually something usable, quite decent, and something I will be expanding on to allow for more features asap.

Right now, the script is on Version 2, and will produce as many passwords of a given length as one requests from it.  It can use either /dev/random or /dev/urandom as generators.  What it doesn't do now is give the user control over symbols (not yet supported) or case control.  It also will produce results with numbers.  The next few versions of the script will include more fine grain control over these types of options.

The code and the install script can be obtained from the Google Code repository here.  If you would like to package my script for a distro, just let me know.

For the tarball of the script:
Version 2  - MD5 sum: 7185e725fa079576053f0e20726501ea

Zucchini and Squash Curried Soup

Here is a great summer dish that is sure to please almost everyone. This dish is a perfect melding of Italian and Indian cuisine, bringing out the best of both. To call this dish a soup is a bit of a stretch since it is very hardy and thick, more of a chunky sauce.  It pairs perfectly over rice, couscous, or pasta.

Ingredients:
1 pablano pepper, roasted and chopped
3 cloves garlic,  roasted and minced
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp paprika
3 green onions, chopped fine
3 medium zucchini, sliced
3 medium yellow squash, sliced
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/8 tsp sage
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 12 ounce cans diced tomatoes with Italian seasons

Directions:
1: Roast the pablano and garlic in the oven to release their flavors, let then cool and chop then up.  Set aside together.
2: Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large skillet over medium high heat then add the curry, cayenne pepper, paprika, and bay leaves. Toast spices for 1 minute to release their essence and then add the pablano and garlic and stir fry then for another minute.  The oil should now carry the flavors of all the base spices.
3: Dump in the zucchini, squash, and green onions. Stir-fry them for 5 minutes and then add in the oregano, basil, rosemary, sage, salt, and pepper.  Continue to stir-fry the vegetables for another 5 minutes or so until they begin to turn soft.
4: Add the canned tomatoes and do not drain.  Simmer for 15 minutes covered and then 15 minutes uncovered. Let stand for five minutes before serving.

Garnish:
Top off with a few leaves of fresh basil.

This dish is great when served topped with parmasean or other shredded cheese.

Variations:
For a spicier dish, double the amount of fried spices and/or use a couple red jalapeno chilis.

For a soupier dish, add a can of water and a tbsp of tomato paste or 1/4 tomato sauce.

Orange-Pineapple Sunset

Summer is officially here, and we are definitely feeling it here in Oregon this year!  And with the heat of summer comes those great, cooling summer drinks with their citrusy notes and their savory overtones.  This drink is one I created the other day and is bound to be an instant favorite at any lunch, dinner, or party.  It is also non-alcoholic, like all my recipes here, so it can be enjoyed by everyone.

Orange-Pineapple Sunset

Ingredients
1 12 ounce can frozen orange-pineapple juice concentrate
72 ounces hot water
3 sprigs of basil
6 bags of Stash brand mojito mint green tea

Directions:
1: Defrost the frozen concentrate in the microwave for about two minutes and empty into pitcher with the basil.  Add half of the hot water (36 ounces, or three fillings of the now empty frozen concentrate container) into the pitcher.

2: Place the rest of the water into a small pot and heat up to the point of nearly boiling.  Toss in the bags of tea and let seep for 3 1/2 minutes.  Pour into the pitcher.

3: Put the pitcher in the refrigerator and let cool and sit at least 24 hours before serving.

Variations:
1: If you are not able to find this particular brand and stock of tea in your area, then you can make the following alterations: use green tea and add in a slices lime and two or three sprigs of mint.

2: This could also easily be made fresh using cut oranges and pineapples for those that prefer whole fruit infusions to juices very easily and will be just as enjoyable.

3: For a less intense drink use 4 bags of tea and 2 sprigs of basil.

Chipotle Roasted Butternut and Apple Soup

Another instant classic. I can't fully claim this as my own since I got the idea from a recipe on About.com and by reading the comments I was able to reconstruct and improve upon the original recipe. Every time I made this recipe I have made more and more refinements with each iteration and this is the latest that has yielded the best results. This soup is an instant hit no matter where I serve it and a great fall recipe that will liven up any occasion. It is a little bit time because it involved roasting, but it is well worth the effort and really brings out the aromas of all the spices. This dish can also be made vegan with a few adjustments.

Ingredients:
  1 1/2 tbsp butter (omit if vegan)
  3 tbsp olive oil, (divided, 4 tbsp if vegan)
  1 tsp of chipotle chili powder (divided)
  1/8 tsp of ground cloves
  1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
  1/4 tsp of coriander
  1/2 tsp of cumin
  1/2 tsp of cinnamon
  1 tbsp ginger, grated
  1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
  1 1/2 large onions
  4 cups of butternut squash, pithed, peeled, chopped
  4 cups of chopped apples
  1 1/4 cup of vegetable broth
  1 1/4 cup of unfiltered apple juice
  Greek yoghurt or sour cream (optional)
  a few sprigs of fresh parsley (optional)
  a few warm flat breads such as pita (optional) 

Preparation:
1: Preheat oven to 400 °F.

2: Place chopped butternut squash and apples into a bowl and dump in 2 tbsp of olive oil, 3/4 tsp of chili powder, cayenne pepper, coriander, cloves, cumin, and cinnamon. Mix the spices and oil to coat the squash and apples well and pour onto a baking sheet. Place in oven and allow to roast for 40 ~ 45 minutes at 400 °F.

3: In a large pot or dutch oven, place 1 tbsp of olive oil and butter (if vegan 2 tbsp olive oil) in pot on medium high heat. Be careful not to brown the butter. When mixture is hot place onions, garlic, ginger, and 1/4 tsp of chili powder to the pot. Allow to cook for ten minutes stirring frequently, taking care not to brown the onions. Turn heat down to medium if necessary.

4: Pour in vegetable broth, apple juice, and the roasted squash and apples. Bring mixture to a boil, cover, and cook for 30 minutes on low heat. The squash and apples should be very soft and this is crucial for the next step.

5: Pour the soup into blender or food processor carefully and puree until the texture is thick and creamy. This step can be done in batches. Pour the pureed soup into the pot or storage dish making sure consistency is even.

Can be served with a dollop of Greek yoghurt or sour cream and a few sprigs of finely chopped fresh parsley. Goes great served with a warm flat-bread.

Vegan Adjustments:
To make this vegan make the following adjustment: replace 1 tbsp butter with 1 tbsp olive oil or margarine and forgo the Greek yoghurt or sour cream.

Notes:
This will yield a reasonable amount of about 7 or 8 cups, but will leave you with some extra squash most of the time. This dish has an excellent assortment of flavors, encompassing all of the various palettes. It has an almost Indian feel to it in many manners, but also a very Meso-American quality as well. It's a sophisticated spin on a very simple autumn dish and has a lot great side dish parings.