-Whitney Barton

Of the people who watch the Super Bowl, most seem to fall into one of two categories; those who care about the game and those who are in it for the commercials.  Personally I think it’s most fun to watch with a mix of both types, and with plenty of food (food that preferably does not require the use of utensils.)  Regardless of your personal interests, or those of your company, this meal is sure to please.

The Spread:

• Chicken Wings two ways:  classic buffalo & soy ginger glaze, with blue cheese dip
• Phyllo asparagus wraps
• Veggies and Green Goddess Dip
• Guinness fudge brownies

Tips:

Prep. Most of the time I like to believe I can handle cooking on the fly.  With this though, I recommend making all the dips and marinades/sauces before beginning to actually cook (maybe even slice all the veggies too.)  This is a piece of advice I wish I had followed before I began this delicious project.

The wing recipes are accompanied by a buttermilk blue cheese dip.  However, it required more time, energy and resources than I was in the mood to invest.  I used this recipe instead, adding ¼ tsp. cayenne and a pinch of lemon zest.

For the wraps:  once the phyllo sheet is buttered, I sprinkle grated Parmesan, freshly ground pepper AND dried basil.  Also, I prefer just one asparagus spear per wrap.  These adjustments change the heat and cook time required to 425°, for 5-7 minutes.  Lastly I quartered each wrap once cooked.

The veggies:  I chose smaller portions of all my favorites, as opposed to heaping piles of one or two kinds.  I selected red and yellow peppers, cucumbers, radishes, carrots (the kind that come with greens) and the traditional pairing for wings– celery.

I love this dressing recipe for a veggie dip (or any kind of dip really), but I chop the herbs instead of pureeing in a food processor.  I also added the zest of half a lemon, and about ¼ tsp. of cayenne for a little heat. These last additions are optional.

The brownie recipe includes a chocolate glaze.  With my wonderful mother’s help, I decided on our family’s brownie topping recipe instead-  One-Minute Fudge Frosting*.  I added a tablespoon of the Guinness reduction for good measure, though.

*One-Minute Fudge Frosting

• 1 square (1 oz.) unsweetened chocolate cute into pieces
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients, except vanilla, in saucepan.  Let come to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.  Boil 1 minute and remove from heat.  Beat with spatula until it thickens (about 3-5 minutes).  Add vanilla (and Guinness if you like) and continue beating until of spreading consistency.

Bon apétite!

-Mike Munoz

It’s that magical time of the year, when the Sasquatch! Music Festival line-up is revealed, giving us music junkies approximately 112 days to obsessively research each and every one of the 114 bands and comedians who will be there. But hey, who’s counting?

In past years Sasquatch has had some great line-ups, but has missed out on some of the bigger artists that play festivals such as Coachella and Bonnaroo. And this is mainly because Sasquatch tries really hard to maintain its indie/ alternative rock roots. But this year festival organizers have proven they can stick to their roots and still compete with the big boys.

Two of the biggest acts revealed last night were Jack White and Beck. White recently announced that his debut solo album, Blunderbuss, will drop in April, so it makes sense that he would be touring in the spring. But I would never in a million years imagine him playing at the Gorge.  I was also very excited to see Beck in the line-up, but surprised considering he hasn’t released anything since his 2008 album, Modern Guilt. Regardless, both of these artists were huge gets for Sasquatch, and last I checked neither is playing Coachella.

The line-up will also feature big names such as Bon Iver, who is fresh off a few Grammy nominations for their self-titled sophomore album. Sasquatch has also grabbed a couple of DJs and techno artists to satisfy the needs of those who love to dance and rave into the night. Both Pretty Lights and Girl Talk have played Sasquatch recently; however this will be their first times playing on the main stage.

Sasquatch also picked up some great comedic acts. Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein will bring a little slice of Portlandia to the Gorge, performing songs and sketches from their show. Brownstein will have a busy weekend as she will also perform with her punk band, Wild Flag. I was also very surprised to see Tenacious D on the line-up, but got excited thinking of the possibility of a Jack White and Jack Black duet. Sasquatch will also feature comedian Nick Kroll, whom some of you may know as Ruxin from the popular TV show The League.

While I was very happy with the Sasquatch line-up, there were a couple of names I was surprised to see left of the list. For the second year in a row, Sasquatch has missed out on booking The Black Keys. But if you really have to see the blues rock duo from Ohio, their tour hits Portland and Seattle in early May. I was also surprised by the absence of Florence + the Machine considering the duo is confirmed for Coachella and will be touring to promote their latest album, Ceremonials. That being said, the line-up seems to be just fine without them.

The bottom line is that Sasquatch has a stacked line-up that even festivals like Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo will have a hard time competing with. It has a great set of headliners in Jack White, Beck, Bon Iver and Pretty Lights, and I didn’t even mention The Shins, The Roots, Feist, Metric and Explosions in the Sky are also booked to perform. According to the Chinese calendar, 2012 is the year of the Dragon. But after seeing the line-up for Memorial Day Weekend, 2012 may be remembered as the year of the Sasquatch.

Follow Mike at @MikeMunoz12

-Tamara Feingold

Pastel tutus, oversized embroidered sweaters, animal hats, and long feather earrings. The racks of Kitsch vintage store are stuffed with things you need but never knew where to find.  The store, located in downtown Eugene, sells both consigned clothes and locally made goods for men and women. The small shop is basically a rainbow of young party clothes with a unique touch, and you can rest assured you won’t find these items anywhere else in town.

“A lot of people come here looking for outfits for the Oregon Country Fair or Burning Man and I love getting to help pick them out,” said Allison Ditson, the store’s manager. “My favorite time of year is Halloween; We get a ton of costumes in.”

But Kitsch doesn’t only sell costume-wear; Many of the clothes are the same things you would find at the mall for a fraction of the cost. “Buying clothes here is a more conscious way to spend your money because it’s a local business,” Ditson said. “The owners find a way to give back to the community by organizing local fashion shows with money from their own pockets. They have good priorities.”

The store is packed with original graphic T-shirts, plaid button-ups, and extravagant dresses for just about any occasion. A lot of the clothes are inspired by the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, but casual sweaters, pants, and everyday wear are also available.

Ditson sells her own clothing line called ALLIHALLA at Kitsch as well. A self-proclaimed “seamstress extraordinaire,” Ditson makes the clothes herself and the line is featured in local fashion shows. “You can do anything to pay the bills, but it’s nice to work somewhere I actually support while expanding my own brand.”

Five times each week, Kitsch has a Scavenger Sale featured on the store’s Facebook page. A small picture will show one piece of clothing from the store, and when a customer comes in to find the garment a 50-percent-off coupon will be tagged inside. To pick up some one-of-a-kind pieces at a low price, become a fan of Kitch’s on Facebook.

It’s nice to know that some stores are still looking to make an honest dollar, and it seems Kitsch’s management has the best interest of the customer in mind while acting locally responsible. “It’s not promoted much in the media that you should think about what you’re spending your money on,” said Ditson. “You should be conscious about where it’s going.”

Follow Tamara at @tamfeingold

-Whitney Barton

Cold, rainy weather brings out my homebody/ schmaltzy side.  After a long stormy day, a little something special makes the evening that much more enjoyable.  These cookies are easy and delicious, and based on my Grandmother’s “Sparkling Gingersnap” recipe, with a twist.  I call mine “Spicy Sparkling Gingersnaps.”

You’ll need:

• ¾ cup softened butter- I typically add an extra tablespoon or so.
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup white sugar
• ¼ light or mild molasses
• 2 cups flour-  I use slightly less than 2 full cups because I don’t like cookies to be too cakey
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. each:  salt, ginger, all spice
• Optional:  ¼ – ½ tsp. cayenne pepper, depending on how spicy you’d like them

Instructions

The butter must be softened, which usually means left to sit at room temperature of several hours, or overnight.  That said, when I bake it’s often a spur of the moment thing.  With most cookies, this is no problem.  Microwave the butter for 20-30 seconds.  For purist reasons, this kind of makes me makes me cringe to admit, but when the cookies turn out as thin and delicate as they do with this technique, my mind is instantly at ease.

Beat together butter, sugar, egg and molasses.  Add all dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix well (I usually use a whisk for this).

Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until just combined.  I usually add about a quarter of the flour mixture at a time.   For plumper, cake-like cookies, beat for an extra minute or two.  This adds air to the dough, making it fluffier.  I prefer thin, chewy cookies, so I mix until ingredients are just combined.

Fill a bowl halfway with white sugar (I use a cereal bowl).  Using a spoon, measure out a scoop of dough, approximately a tablespoon-sized.  Drop dough ball into sugar bowl and coat completely.  Place dough balls on cookies a sheet (usually 12 per batch).

Bake in a 350* oven for 10-12 minutes.  (After the first batch, my oven usually gets hot enough to take the cookies out after 8-10 minutes).

Raspberry Royales

I recently tried this recipe for the first time and really enjoyed it.  It’s fruity, light and refreshing.  For me a lot of cocktails are too sweet, but these are just right.

You’ll need:

• 1 bottle of Champagne/ sparkling wine (I use brut, which is the least sweet)
• Raspberry framboise liqueur
• Fresh raspberries

Place a few raspberries in champagne flutes (or whatever glasses you have available).  Add about a teaspoon of framboise; if you like sweeter drinks add more.  Fill glass with sparking wine.

Bon apétite!

-Sam Bouchat

The University of Oregon Labor Education and Research Center, in conjunction with the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics, hosted two nationally renowned community/labor organizers Kris Rondeau and Saket Soni on January 18 for the event “Hope in Hard Times.”

The LERC provides resources and education toward the advancement of unions, workers, and the Oregon community. Rondeau, the director of AFSCME New England Organizing Project, and Soni, the director of the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice, shared their thoughts on turning the current economic crisis into movement-building opportunities.

“One of the best things about organizing is being able to make communities that have values,” said Rondeau during the hour-long talk on Jan. 18. “People organize people. We try to not only find common ground, but to create relationships that allow us to solve problems in a way that is not winner-take-all.”

Rondeau works to organize and aid unions in the workforce, as well as facilitating collective bargaining agreements and partaking in guiding dispute resolution. In one instance, Rondeau mentioned how she and her group didn’t use any organizing literature. Instead, the members spoke to one another to relay information. This was so the employer, who was actively trying to disband the unions, would be unable to stall the organizing process.

She also warned against employees organizing around anger toward employers. “We ended up deciding that we were going to try to create the culture that we wanted to live in and work in. We had to find ways of transforming our anger into just organizing.”

Rondeau has brought approximately 30,000 workers into unions during her career.

Soni has worked in New Orleans since 2005, aiding workers and immigrants in reconstruction since Hurricane Katrina. Soni’s focus is on minority workers. He led campaigns that brought together diverse communities after Hurricane Katrina and more recently at the Hershey Chocolate Factory.

On the role of a lawyer in a social movement, Soni said, “Everybody wants their hands on the letters of power. The question is not ‘Can this happen for me?’ The statement is ‘Make this happen for me.’ That’s the kind of cultural and power shift that a true and meaningful collaboration among a lawyer, an organizer and a community member can power. That is the most important thing that a lawyer can do in the 21^st century.”

Soni’s presentation focused on the relationship between the lawyer and the organizer, and how both could utilize the other to create better working environments.

“We write a rough draft of history,” said Soni. “When people remember this era, they don’t simply remember it as a series of legislative and judicial victories that created change, but a process of organizing that created change.”

The question and answer session among Rondeau, Soni and law students helped illuminate the processes of current and past social changes.

Follow Sam at @sambouchat

It’s week 4 of the term, which means it’s time to double check all of your syllabi and make sure you don’t have any midterms this week. But before we dive into all of the tests and assignment deadlines that will soon dictate our lives, we here at the Flux blog thought we would put together a playlist to remind us of a simpler time. A time when leg warmers and fingerless gloves were in style. A time when a singer named Madonna was just breaking onto the scene. A time when hair metal bands roamed the earth. So sit back, relax, and enjoy our 80′s edition playlist.

Mike

• Blister in the Sun -Violent Femmes
• Under Pressure -Queen ft. David Bowie
• 99 Luftballons -Nena

Sam

• Beat it -Michael Jackson
• Take on Me -A-Ha
• Somebody’s Watching Me -Rockwell ft. Michael Jackson

Diana

• 867-5309/Jenny -Tommy Tutone
• Waiting on a Friend -The Rolling Stones
• Train in Vain -The Clash

Jessica

• The Safety Dance -Men Without Hats
• Land Down Under -Men at Work

Tamara

• Pour Some Sugar on Me -Def Leppard
• Sweet Child O’ Mine -Guns N’ Roses
• Billie Jean -Michael Jackson

Whitney

• The Message -Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
• Paul Revere -The Beastie Boys
• Computer Love -Zapp & Roger

Some jobs require you remove yourself from your normal, everyday life, and relocate to a place that leaves you with little to no human contact for extended periods of time. “Finding Companionship with Mother Nature” explores Kevin Silagi’s experience in Sumpter, Oregon, and why a profession steeped in solitude is perfect for him.

image courtesy of Don Hankins

-Diana Roure

Think about these three words: college and fine wine.  They do not actually belong together, right?

Wrong. And not just because of Franzia, Carlo Rossi, or the clearance aisle at Safeway.

Here at the University of Oregon, situated at the southern end of the beautiful Willamette Valley, we are surrounded by one of the best wine regions in America, giving Napa and Sonoma wines a run for their money.  With its moderate weather – chilly and damp in the winter, hot and dry in the summer – the valley we call home is an excellent place for growing wine grapes.

With so many wineries near us, most within a half hour, you should take advantage of this opportunity and familiarize yourself with the Willamette Valley wine experience at least once during your college career in Eugene.  Most wineries offer tasting, beautiful scenery, and wine for sale, obviously.

Now I know as college students we do not have a disposable income lying around and we are not too interested in becoming “wine snobs.”  I certainly am no exception.  Growing up just an hour from Napa Valley with my wine-loving mother, I couldn’t have cared less what good wine was, what it tasted like, or smelled like.  I had no idea what a bouquet meant or what exactly a decanter was for.  I’ve even been known to partake in a little slap bag action myself.

But at some point during these past seven months as a legal drinker, I have grown to appreciate how perfect a nice glass of wine can be at the end of a long day or over dinner with friends.  I have been more willing to occasionally splurge on finer alcohols.  The increase in price is almost always accompanied by a better taste and perhaps a more desirable effect.  I still have no idea what a bouquet is or why it is important to let wine breathe. But hey, we are all hardworking college students.  Why not treat yourself every now and then?

My favorite Willamette Valley winery is King Estate, just a thirty-minute scenic drive past the moss-covered trees of Spencer’s Butte.  As you make your way up the long winding driveway, acres of grape vines, fresh lavender, a variety of wildlife, and stunning views await you.  Park your car in the expansive parking lot overlooking the valley and head into the charming European-style main building.

Wine tasting at King Estate is actually only $5 (!!!), which is virtually unheard of.  King Estate has a wide variety of red and white wines – Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and dessert wines – to name a few.  There is absolutely something for everyone.  Walk right up to the bar and an extremely knowledgeable associate will gladly assist you in trying some of the best wines in Oregon.

Visitors not only come for the wine but for the exceptional food, as well.  I have only had the Roasted Smoked Chicken ($14) all three times that I have been there, but it is hands down the best chicken I have ever had.  Yes, it is more expensive than Panda Express or Caspian, but it’s 100% worth it.

Do yourself a favor.  Put that jug-o-wine down, gather some great friends, and make your way to King Estate for a wine and dine experience you will not soon forget!

Follow Diana at @dianaroure

-Callie Gisler

Oregon winters are infamous for rain, wind, and those few sunny – but freezing – days thrown in for good measure. It’s that type of schizophrenic weather that can make staying warm, dry, and comfortable a challenge – especially for a college student running from one class to another. So how do you dress to beat the cold and rain? Here are a few ideas to consider before you leave the house tomorrow morning…

Layers, layers, layers!

Dressing in layers is one of the easiest ways to cope with unreliable weather. Guys, add a sweatshirt or sweater over your shirt before you pull on your jacket. Layers make it easy to take clothes off or put them on depending on the temperature and weather. Ladies, layer a cardigan and sweater over your top before putting on your coat. Add a pair of cotton leggings under your jeans, or wear a second pair of tights if you’ve decided on a dress or skirt for the day.

Pick the right outerwear.

In a torrential downpour, your favorite yellow and green hoodie isn’t going to do anything to keep you dry. Nor is anything else made from absorbent materials like cotton. Consider investing in a quality raincoat, one that will last you for several years. Look for garments that are marked “water repellent” or “water resistant.” Brands like the Northface and Columbia are popular here in the Pacific Northwest for their high-quality and effective outerwear.

Footwear DOES matter.

If you remember from high school biology class, you lose a large percentage of your body heat from your feet. Which is why the right pair of shoes really will help keep you warmer during the day. Look for sturdy, closed-toed shoes – boots, rain boots, sneakers. And no ladies, UGGs don’t count as significant rain boots. If you really need the extra warmth, invest in wool socks or add a second pair.

Accessorize.

This goes for the men as well. Scarves, hats, and gloves are sometimes a necessity. And don’t let anyone tell you that carrying an umbrella is “Un-Oregonian” if it keeps you dry.

Follow Callie at @calliegisler

-Tamara Feingold

Jacob O’Gara stands out in his college classes. Surrounded by typical students donning sports team sweatshirts and tennis shoes, O’Gara opts for brown leather desert boots, dark rolled jeans, a striped belt, a crisp button-up shirt, and a bow tie.

A what? A bow tie.

O’Gara started wearing bow ties when he joined his high school’s debate team during his senior year. After realizing his debate skills were less than impressive, he looked for something to make him appear more prepared. “I decided that if I was going to be tongue-tied I might as well be bow-tied,” said O’Gara.

Among thick-rimmed glasses and preppy cardigans, bow ties are back. GQ said that when men started wearing bow ties a few years ago, “instead of looking all old-school, they looked thoroughly right-now.”

O’Gara wears the ties to both formal occasions and to casual get-togethers and he knows he is one of few. “When I wear bow ties they become the center of the outfit,” said O’Gara. “Even if you only wear one once you’re forever known as the guy who wears bow ties.”

GQ said it is perfectly acceptable to wear strap-on bow ties like the ones O’Gara wears or even clip-on ones thanks to lines like Band of Outsiders. O’Gara gets his from The Tie Bar which boasts a huge selection of colors and materials. Anyone can pull off a bow tie; try dressing it down with a casual jacket or keep it simple with a plain black one.

The bow tie is more than just a fashion accessory. “Some people think bow ties are formal, but there’s also this eff-you element,” said O’Gara. “You can’t wear them in the professional world, you won’t get hired. The ultimate expression of going to the corporate world would be trading my bow ties for black ties.”

The moral of the story is that before you add one of these ties to your collar, keep in mind the message you’re sending. “The bow tie hints at intellectualism, real or feigned,” said Warren St John of The New York Times. “Wearing a bow tie is a way of broadcasting an aggressive lack of concern for what other people think.”

Follow Tamara at @tamfeingold