April 2011

I just love old recipes those written before the microwave, before the food processor, before the electric mixer, maybe even before the refrigerator!

Old recipes rely on fresh ingredients, often simply prepared, to let the flavor and beauty of the food shine through. They are from a time when people grew most of what they ate, or knew the person who did.

There is something especially satisfying in making an old family recipe. Cooking from scratch can be a healthy way to get back to your roots. Many recipes handed down in families are also a lot lower in salt than similar foods you might buy packaged or ready-made.

Our parents ate about half the salt in their day than we do. Our grandparents ate a third of that. They may have eaten more saturated fat, but they exercised hard each day. Sugar and sweets were a special treat. Desserts were simple, like bread pudding or fruit, and gingerbread was a treat reserved for holidays.

Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants is appreciative for Christy Wolyniak’s article “In Close Quarters”. The exchange between Woodland Park Zoo’s curator, Bruce Upchurch and me brought this Upton Sinclair quote to mind: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it."

Elephants are far-ranging animals—their physical and psychological health depends upon moving great distances. At Woodland Park Zoo, Bamboo, Chai and Watoto get only a pen or two within a one acre yard. There is no question about this.

For seven months each year these highly intelligent elephants are locked up in a barren stall for 16-17 hours a day. The tiny stall is the human equivalent of a square cell 4 feet on each side. The elephants can barely pace a couple of steps.

The city has approved the Olympic Athletic Club's application requesting to build a hotel.

OAC wants to change the one-story garage into a four-story, 29 unit lodging space with 12,800 square feet of fitness space, and 2,650 square feet of retail space. Parking for 63 vehicles will be located at and below grade.

The plan is to expand OAC on the second and third floors of the proposed building, retail on the bottom and a hotel on the top floor.

A $14 million redevelopment plan was first filed in 2006 by owner Jim Riggle but was put on hold while the owners looked for funding.

In February, the owners re-filed their application.

According to the Land Use Application update the review board has approved the demolition permit for the existing structure, a one-story garage, and the building of the four-story building.

No environmental impact statement required and the commenting period for this project has ended unless the project gets appealed.

Please visit our past coverage for more information.

The Furry Faces Foundation (F3) Catsino event was held for the third time on Sunday April, 3 at the Beveridge Place Pub and was a complete sell out. The mock casino event is an animal benefit fundraiser that this year raised via silent auction and direct donation $4,313.

Twelve games hosted by local businesses (including the West Seattle Herald) and animal rescue groups ranged from roulette to a variety of card games and and craps tables.

According to Foundation founder and President Teri Ensley, "Frances Hinson purchased the very first ticket --ticket #1 . She was also the only guest to visit all 13 tables!!!! "

The Elvis Twins (Manny and Matt ), of Georgetown Brewing Company, were rockin 'n' rollin' at the Brewery Craps Table. Their curly black wigs and red capes were ...well....their own Las Vegas Act.

Purrfect Pals, AARF and F3 all benefited from the silent auction.

CLICK ON PHOTO FOR SLIDESHOW

A forum of forensic and scientific experts, and authors gathered at the James C. Pigott Pavilion on the Seattle University campus Monday afternoon, April 4 and spoke to an audience of about 120 about the innocence, in their view, of West Seattle-raised Amanda Knox, convicted of killing her roommate Meredith Kercher in Italy.

Edwin Weihe, PhD., the S.U. Director of Film Studies, sponsored the forum. Tom Wright, a film producer who helped establish Friends of Amanda, assembled and moderated the forum,They included Paul Ciolino, Candace Dempsey, Mark Waterbury, author of The Monster of Perugia, Steve Moore, and Michael Heavey. In the audience were Amanda's father, Curt, her step-mother Cassandra, her aunt and uncle, Janet and Mick Huff, aunt Christina Hagge, and her grandmother, Liz Huff. Students also attended.

"Verdicts were reached," said Weihe. "The court has published the articles in evidence, what is the case for innocence that the defense can and must take."

Highline High's Robotics team will be holding another garage sale on Friday, April 8, and Saturday, April 9. The sale will be from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. at 15819 12th Pl. S.W. in Burien.
The Robotics team is raising money to attend the world championships in St. Louis later this month. The first-year team unexpectedly won the Rookie All-Star Award at a regional robotics competition last month in downtown Seattle. The award netted them an invitation to the world championship.
The team is scrambling to raise $1,200 per student by April 26. There are 16 students on the team.
The students are up for most any kind of odd job to earn their way.
Work requests, donations, grants and scholarships are payable to Highline High School PTSA Robotics, Attention: Darin Gee, P.O. Box 66840, Burien 98166.
Those wishing to help may also donate at the school, 225 S. 152nd. St. or e-mail mentor Darin Gee at dndgeez@msn.com.

The Seattle City Council agenda on April 4 included a vote on Madison Development’s proposed change to the apartment/flex-office building attached to the new Safeway being built in West Seattle’s Admiral Junction on California Ave.

The developer proposed an amendment to the property use and development agreement originally accepted by the council in June 2010, asking that the original plan of a mixed-use apartment/flex work space building be changed to apartments only.

The apartment add-on is being built on the east side of the Admiral Safeway complex along 42nd Ave s.w. and can be seen in the site plan at the top of the story. As noted in a previous Herald story, found here, the apartment complex is being built by Madison Development, not Safeway. Sara Corn, Safeway real estate manager, said the apartments are about two months behind the grocery store’s projected August 2011 completion date.

The papers have been full of stories lately about bullies in  schools and it might make you think  that  big guys  picking on little  guys is something  new. It is not , never has  been. Little people have  been low hanging  fruit since Goliath.

I know because even though I weighed 10 pounds at birth it seemed like I got smaller as I got older.
That was not  all bad. Of course it made me eligible  to wear hand me downs till I was 14, and I was perfect size to crawl through a 10 inch size hole in the wall in the handball sport court at the Peninsula Park swim pool. Whenever an errant shot escaped into the hole  they hunted me up  and coerced me to wiggle through the tiny spider web ridden gap to get  their ball under penalty of dangling me by the heels in the deep end until I hollered "unclezzzzzzzzzz" glub glub.

Sometimes they said  thanks.

And though I looked like a refugee I was able  to entertain my sister's  boyfriends  by putting my legs behind my head, roll my eyes and walk on my hands across the front  room linoleum. I made a  starving orphan even though my shorts were black velvet scraps Mom's sewing  basket.

Two of the three allegedly involved in the March 19 robbery of the GAME Collective marijuana dispensary on California Ave plead not guilty in court on April 4, according to King County Prosecutors.

Donshae D. Sims, 24, and Malik D. Heckard, 16, were arraigned on charges of first degree robbery, first degree burglary and second degree unlawful possession of a firearm to which they plead not guilty.

A case setting hearing for the two defendant's trail is scheduled for April 18, according to Dan Donohoe with the prosecutor’s office.

The third defendant is the robbery is 15 years old. According to the prosecutor’s office he will have a hearing in front of a judge in two weeks to determine whether he will be tried as an adult or youth in the alleged robbery.

To read more about the March 19 robbery, please check out the following Herald stories:

Charges filed in West Seattle medical marijuana dispensary robbery

West Seattle & Westwood Curves Food Drives
During April two Curves locations are having food drives to support West Seattle Food Bank and White Center Food Bank. During April we will waive our joining fee for a bag of groceries. Help feed our neighbors and friends by dropping off non-perishable food donations.
3280 California Ave. S.W., M-F 6:15 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 8-1:30 p.m., 206-932-5650.
11001 16th Ave. S.W., Suite 100, M-F 6:45 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m.-noon, 206-246-7900.

Discovery Shop
4535 California Ave. S.W.
206-937-7169
Thursday, April 7th (One Day Only): Pick an egg from the basket in the Shop and find a discount for one item. Monday, April 11th and Wednesday, April 13th: pick an egg, crack it open, and find a discount to apply to your total purchase. Blue-tagged items: 50% OFF, Friday, April 1 thru Tuesday, April 19. The Shop is open on Sundays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. All other days the Shop is open for our valued customers & donors purchasing and/or contributing goods; offering estates or financial support from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m

Seniors Making Art: Drawing Course
Delridge Community Center