Live Long and Prosper

And the Internet is blowing up again today with the passing of another famous person. In case you haven’t heard, Leonard Nimoy passed away today. He had COPD as a result of smoking many years ago. (Insert anti-smoking message here.) 
He first became a Big Name by being cast in the role of Mr. Spock in the sci-fi series Star Trek. I remember being very young and being scared by one of the episodes so I watched it from behind my daddy’s recliner, peeking out from time to time to see what I was listening to. I think the episode was Triskelion. 
When I was in High School, the episodes were in syndication and ran 30 minutes after I got home from school. Mama and I watched them every day and got to know them by episode name. I still remember some of the names. In my Senior year, we had 30 minutes of idle time in first period so my friend Greg and I would create quizzes for each other where we would ask questions about plot lines and stories, and the other would have to answer correctly with the episode name. I think most of my favorite episodes were where Spock played a major role. Of course, you never got attached to anyone wearing a red shirt because they would be gone by the end of the episode, except for Scotty, he was immune to personal disaster, he just stressed about his beloved engines. 
There was a long dry spell and then Star Trek movies started being made. I think my favorite was The Voyage Home which Nimoy directed and involved whales.
I didn’t really keep up with his directing career or his other ventures. Somewhere in there was a stage play I think it was, called “Dear Theo” where he played the brother of Vincent Van Gogh, talking to the audience in the character, reading Vincent’s letters and talking about his brother, the artist. 
He also wrote poetry. I assume at least some of them were published, but I haven’t found them. 

In recent years, he made a couple of appearances on Big Bang Theory, my favorite current TV show. There is a short video on Vimeo about his inspiration as a photographer.https://vimeo.com/81955199

He was so much more than Spock but that character followed him the rest of his life, a fact which annoyed him at first but he came to embrace later. 
Mr. Nimoy, you have passed the final frontier, death, that we all must pass through. You are exploring strange new worlds, and seeking out connections to family and friends who have gone before us. You have gone where every man must go and I hope you find peace and love on the other side. 

Tasty Tuesday, February 24

Despite the ice and winter storms this week, Spring will be coming soon. Asparagus has been looking fresher and fatter in the stores and prices are going to be dropping soon. It’s time for Asparagus Frittata.
A frittata is one of those things that’s a lot less trouble than an omelette, no folding or flipping, but you can add a lot of things to eggs and make them more interesting.
This is for a small frittata but can be expanded as needed, it will just need more cooking time.

8-10 stalks asparagus, trimmed into 1 inch or so lengths. Separate the tips and stems.
2 Tbl unsalted butter
1 shallot, thinly sliced
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbl grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375.
Melt the butter in a 7-inch ovenproof skillet and add the asparagus stems and cook a minute or so, add the tips and shallots and cook until softened.
Pour the eggs over the asparagus. Stir until the asparagus is evenly mixed, and then do not stir again.
Cook over medium heat until the bottom is set but the top is still runny. Sprinkle with Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. (Remember Parmesan is salty and don’t add too much salt)
Place the skillet in the oven until the top is set and lightly browned.
Loosen with a spatula and slide onto a plate, cut into wedges and serve hot or let cool and serve later.
Serves 2

This makes a very nice brunch item served at room temperature.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Rule of Thirds 2

I very rarely shoot anything dead center, here the horizon is a third down from the top, and that row going straight in is on the left third.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Rule of Thirds

This was just such an interesting arrangement of lines I had to take it. You have thirds vertical and thirds horizontal.
Just one of those found compositions I could not walk past.

Tasty Tuesday, February 17

This is in memory of a friend who had gotten it from one of the many restaraunts she had worked at.

Cass’ Squash Casserole

1 lb yellow squash, sliced into 1/3 inch slices
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 Tbl. Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup butter

Cook squash with onions until tender, drain.
In casserole dish, add cheeses and sour cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Add squash, onions and wine.
Melt butter and combine with bread crumbs until mixed, evenly top the squash mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly, 15-20 minutes.