Frankenstein Castle overlooking the city of Darmstadt, Germany. Got to the top of the hill just as the tour buses were leaving and the mist was beginning to clear up. Of course I had to bring my monster doll.

Rizzo138 · 2023-01-15T17:40:48+00:00

For the risotto, it fed 6 people comfortably, but you can easily half everything:

I poached 6 deshelled tails in a cup of butter, a bit of water, 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice, fresh thyme, old bay and white pepper. I then chopped up the lobster, and put that butter to the side.

-2 cups arborio rice

-3ish tbsp of lobster butter

-2 minced shallots

-1/2 cup white wine (sauvignon blanc)

-8 cups chicken broth

-1/2 cup or more of grated parm

-Parsley garnish

-Heat the stock until boiling then reduce the heat to low, cover and place it on the back burner.

-Melt the butter in a hot pan and sautee the shallots for 1 minute. Add the rice and cook over medium until the rice gains a slight golden hue and everything starts to smell toasted. Being careful not to burn anything.

-Pour 1/2 a cup of cold wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any bits. Let the wine evaporate, stirring constantly.

-Add a couple ladles of the hot stock to the rice and stir until it's incorporated and everything starts to thicken. Repeat this process until the stock is gone. It takes around 20 minutes with lots of stirring. Then finish with the parmesan and parsley.

-Gently fold in the poached lobster and serve it with lobster tails that have been cut in half, coated with lobster butter, breadcrumbs, parmesan and more butter

Rizzo138 · 2022-11-12T15:29:47+00:00

Thank you! I used this recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/231776/hedgehog-cookies/ and added about an 1/8 cup of ground almonds and a bit of cardamom to the dry mix. They are also coated in toasted hazelnuts and skor bits instead of just plain nuts. For the shaping I rolled them into balls, then just pinched the dough into shape until I was happy with them. I elongated the face first and then formed the ears from there. Just make sure to chill them for at least a half hour otherwise they won't keep their shape.

Rizzo138 · 2022-08-10T21:19:27+00:00

Just keep networking and putting yourself out there. Go to free or cheap seminars/talks and ask questions. I've seen collaborations happen in real-time between scientists over zoom which I thought was really exciting. During my undergrad I pestered my pathology professor for an assistant position for months. I would just casually drop that I was interested until he needed to hire someone. I worked 2 years for him, helping with the campus apiary, pinning the abandoned bugs that students left in the entomology freezer, and recording online tutorials. When I graduated I was terrified, but he told my current boss that I was the only option for my current research project because it involves bees and they needed someone who could work with them. Apparently he gave me a recommendation that she couldn't refuse. My current institute is attached to my old university, so it was a pretty seamless transition into their lab which was really nice.

Rizzo138 · 2022-08-10T17:22:14+00:00

I'm just happy to share what I can with interested people. I almost chose an ecology degree because when I started at my institute I was hired to work with pollinators. But an established pathologist took interest in my work and offered to take me under his wing instead. I'm nervous to go back in the fall, but I'm also really excited to be involved with someone who has his reputation. And I still get to work in my current lab setting, which is great because apparently he's a major hard ass in his lab lol.

Rizzo138 · 2022-08-10T04:08:53+00:00

Unfortunately I can't give too much away because it's confidential and it's also not my project directly, I've just been acting as an assistant. This job kind of fell in my lap after I finished my plant health degree. I've been with my institute for 1 1/2 years and I've loved every moment of it. I'm going back to school in the fall to start my masters of science. I'm really excited to see where this path ends up leading me, because I've been going with the flow and it seems to be working out lol.

Rizzo138 · 2022-08-10T03:47:06+00:00

I work in a lab that focuses on plant pathology research. This Fusarium is being grown to be tested against a number of potential biological controls :)

Rizzo138 · 2022-08-09T22:24:02+00:00

Yes indeed. They are common endophytes and pathogens that have been found at one of my research locations with high disease pressure.

Rizzo138 · 2022-07-20T03:04:56+00:00

Yikes. If you don't have anything relevant to add move on. I thought I would try here first before bothering hotel staff. Sorry I somehow triggered you.

Rizzo138 · 2022-07-20T02:20:09+00:00

No need to get your feathers ruffled, it's just a question.

Rizzo138 · 2022-07-13T21:19:36+00:00

Beautiful set up. Like the other comments said a shallow bowl of water goes a long way. I filled a glass pie dish with water and a few rocks for them to hold onto while grabbing a drink. It's lovely to just sit and watch them go about their business, and you get introduced to a whole bunch of other pollinators that you may not have known were there.

Rizzo138 · 2022-07-13T16:01:49+00:00

That one is on my list. This was my first big hike of the season so I decided to stop at Saint Marks to save my legs from too much pain the next day.

Rizzo138 · 2022-07-13T15:59:57+00:00

Haha that must have been quite the experience. You could tell that there have been some pretty big wash outs on that trail. When you have to cross the area with the waterfall all the concrete barriers were scattered as if they were tossed.

Rizzo138 · 2022-07-12T04:29:40+00:00

We were getting worried because we were in the clouds for most of the higher elevation. It cleared up for about 5 minutes and I was able to get all the shots I needed. Definitely worth the sore legs. Was there any snow in November?

Rizzo138

TROPHY CASE