
All In on Asparagus
Happy Asparagus Month — known sometimes, to people who aren't me, as 'May.'
The month officially kicked off this past weekend, when I laid eyes on the first purple-tipped local bunches at the farmers' market. Despite the fact that currently I'm dining out for all my dinners (and many of my lunches) as an interim restaurant critic, I still carried home a wheelbarrow's worth of the grassy green stalks. I've been enjoying them for breakfast, seared in butter and topped with fried eggs, which is also how I like to have them for dinner. Sometimes I can fit a few in as a midmorning snack. I take my work-asparagus balance very seriously.
Asparagus with eggs is one classic pairing, and asparagus and pasta is another that I can't get enough of. Ali Slagle's lemony orzo with asparagus and garlic bread crumbs has legions of fans devoted to its tangy, crunchy, savory goodness, and it takes only 20 minutes to make. Does it live up to its hype? With five stars and over 11,000 ratings, signs point to yes. It's just science, people.
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Grilled asparagus with burrata and furikake: More asparagus sorcery from Ali, this time paired with scallions and grilled until charred. Serve it as a show-stealing side dish (maybe with grilled chicken or fish), or with lentils or grains for a satisfying meal.
Miso-honey chicken and asparagus: You knew there'd be sheet pans in this asparagus party somewhere. In this easy meal from Yossy Arefi, asparagus and marinated chicken thighs are broiled until speckly brown, and then topped with a miso-honey sauce liberally seasoned with garlic, chile and ginger.
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Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
She became a ‘hotshot' wilderness firefighter to write about being on the front lines
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It was $16.33 an hour when I was in the crew. And most firefighters that I worked with didn't have other jobs. They would take unemployment until the next fire season rolled around. You would just scrape by. During the first month of the season, everyone would be flat broke, eating cans of tuna. The joke is that you get paid in sunsets. But we all love being out there. The camaraderie is so intense and so beautiful. Hamilton Cain reviews National Book Award winner Susan Choi's new novel, 'Flashlight,' a mystery wrapped inside a fraught family drama. 'With Franzen-esque fastidiousness,' Cain writes, 'Choi unpacks each character's backstory, exposing vanities and delusions in a cool, caustic voice, a 21st century Emile Zola.' Jessica Ferri chats with Melissa Febos about her new memoir, 'The Dry Season,' about the year she went celibate and discovered herself anew. 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New York Times
4 days ago
- New York Times
Dressing Up for a Day of Black Joy
Early last Saturday morning, about 15 festively dressed Black New Yorkers gathered outside the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum on 204th Street in Upper Manhattan. Women were wearing colorful prints and head wraps, and men had on loosely fitting white shirts and white or khaki pants. Accompanied by the beat of a drum and the clang of a cowbell, they began chanting to the tune of 'Frère Jacques': 'Pinkster Stroll, Pinkster Stroll, here we go, here we go, ancestors smiling, ancestors smiling, we answered the call, we answered the call.' Then the group set off on a seven-mile walk south, which ended at the New York Historical museum along 77th Street on the Upper West Side. The march was reminiscent of a sight New Yorkers might have witnessed some 200 years ago as people celebrated Pinkster, considered to be the oldest African American holiday. Cheyney McKnight, who organized the recent Pinkster Stroll, likened historical celebrations of Pinkster to family reunions. They typically involved participants traveling together on foot or by boat to a location where, for several days, they would eat, dance, sing and crown a Pinkster King. 'It was very joyful,' she said. 'Very exciting.' Pinkster, a Christian holiday celebrating the Pentecost, was originally brought to New York by the Dutch people who colonized the area. Its name, derived from a Dutch word, is also associated with that of the pink pinxter flower, which blooms in New York and across North America every spring. Many of the Africans that were enslaved and brought to New York were also Christian (most came from Congo or Angola). Over time, they began celebrating Pinkster in their own way and, by the late 1700s, it had largely become an African American holiday. It was also the rare occasion when both enslaved and free Black people living in and outside New York City, Albany and other places could gather together. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
US judge dismisses DNC election commission lawsuit, in a victory for Trump
A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) claiming President Donald Trump's executive orders had threatened the independence of the Federal Election Committee (FEC), a significant – albeit rare – court victory for the president. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali, a Biden appointee, said the DNC failed to demonstrate "concrete and imminent injury" – or the burden needed to justify their request for a preliminary injunction. He said that the concerns raised by the party about the FEC's independence as a result of Trump's executive order were far too speculative to satisfy the court's higher bar for emergency relief. At issue in the case was the executive order Trump signed on Feb. 18, titled, "Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies." Judges V Trump: Here Are The Key Court Battles Halting The White House Agenda Democrats filed the lawsuit just 10 days after the order was signed, arguing that the order threatened to encroach on the independence of the FEC and risked subjecting it to the whims of the executive branch. The lawsuit focused largely on the claim that the FEC is an independent regulatory agency and argued that the credibility of the entire regulatory enterprise would be "fatally undermined if the party controlling the White House can unilaterally structure campaign rules and adjudicate disputes to disadvantage its electoral competitors." Read On The Fox News App Who Is Judge Amir Ali? The Biden-appointed Federal Judge At The Center Of Trump's Usaid Battle Notably, Ali said Tuesday that he had not found any evidence to date that the White House or the Trump administration had taken steps to change or undermine how the FEC interprets federal election law, or target its independent role. The "possibility that the president and attorney general would take the extraordinary step of issuing a directive to the FEC or its Commissioners purporting to bind their interpretation of FECA is not sufficiently concrete and imminent to create Article III injury," Ali said Tuesday. Should that change, however, Ali said the DNC was welcome to submit an amended filing to the court to reconsider the case. "This Court's doors are open to the parties if changed circumstances show concrete action or impact on the FEC's or its Commissioners' independence," Ali article source: US judge dismisses DNC election commission lawsuit, in a victory for Trump