We ran a story today questioning the lack of candidates for a number of local races, including for all five positions up for election on the Medford School Board.

A couple of local officials suggested it may be because everyone is happy with the job the current office holders are doing. (Uh-huh, that’s it.) A more likely reason was suggested by outgoing Medford School Board member Peggy Penland, who said the unpaid position can take up more time than a part-time job and that many people just don’t have the time or don’t want to make room in their lives for it.

At the risk of sounding self-centered, I think there’s a better explanation: We (the Mail Tribune) never ran a story saying the positions would be open for election — not one story, paragraph or sentence that I could find in our archive. Now, if you’re very plugged into politics, you would know that school board positions come up for a vote in May of odd-numbered years. But most people aren’t that plugged in and have no idea. In the Medford School District, we have five candidates for five positions. Three are incumbents and one is Penland’s son. You can be pretty sure the district administration knew the vote was coming.

But this is not the school district’s issue — it’s ours. We blew it. Without overvaluing our importance, I think it’s safe to say that had we told people there were open seats to be filled, more candidates would have signed up. It happened last year, when the race for a Medford City Council position had no candidates until we ran a story. Within days, four candidates appeared.

With all that’s going on in schools these days, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that these unopposed school board positions would have drawn interest if people had been told about them. But they weren’t and for that we’re sorry.

i remember it like it was yesterday, except in all actuality, it was about six years ago. April 12, 2001 to be exact.

there i stood at the top of the stairs heading into the lower bowl at the Pepsi Center — that’s the arena in Denver where the Avalanche and the Nuggets play. just FYI. my eyes had to squint at one of the most beautiful things i’ve ever seen in my life. definitely an unforgettable moment.

before me lay 200 feet of fresh, unadulterated ice in its purest form — freshly zambonied and untouched by any skates, any sticks. a glowing, radiant white that i don’t think is even on any color spectrum, and 18,129 seats waiting to be filled. there was a quiet hum coming from the 60,000 pound, four-sided scoreboard above the center of the ice. that hum was the greatest song ever. and i mean EVER.

it was the first round of the 2000-01 Stanley Cup playoffs with the President’s Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche (52-16-10-4) taking the ice against the Vancouver Canucks (36-28-11-7). it was the start of the Avalanche’s eventual run to winning the Stanley Cup — most memorable because it was when Ray Bourque finally won the coveted trophy.

my seat was on the ninth row for that game. it was the closest i had ever been to professional hockey, and the excitement and intensity bled out of me like it did the Canucks’ players who got creamed against the boards.

that intensity is back. well, almost. i won’t have the chance at sitting nine rows up at an arena anytime soon, but the Stanley Cup playoffs do start in a week.

i realize it doesn’t mean much to the Rogue Valley. around here, hockey seems to just pack up its bags and roll on down I-5. i know there’s a handful of die-hard hockey fans and, as always, there’s the fellow skaters i face off against every week, but other than that, hockey is dead to the Rogue Valley.

it’s so dead that i can only watch hockey twice a week on tv on a channel that i can’t picture being around too much longer. and once in awhile, i can view a game on NBC, but that’s it.

frankly, it’s ridiculous.

but the intensity and excitement of the playoffs are still there.

there’s so much parity in the league right now that there’s not even a clear favorite to take the Cup. it’s anybody’s game.

sure, there’s going to be the usual playoff contenders like Detroit (whom i can’t stand and actually shudder to mention), New Jersey and Dallas all lacing up their skates next week, but look at the new faces who have a chance at winning the Cup.

take Pittsburgh for instance. a team who wasn’t even sure if it would be in the same city next season, who dumped all of its veterans over the years and decided to go with young faces. a team lucky enough to have the first pick in the NHL draft not too long ago and snag a Hall-of-Famer in the making (Sidney Crosby 117 points, 36 goals, 81 assists), but yet still had to start the season battling with Russia for the rights to another young player, Evgeni Malkin (85p, 33g, 52a). and now, the Penguins are poised to make a run in the playoffs.

and in the Western Conference? look at the Vancouver Canucks. they haven’t made the playoffs since before the lockout. granted, that’s not too long ago, but it makes a point. then they go out and steal goaltender Roberto Luongo from Florida who skates them into a playoff spot with his 2.26 goals-against-average, a .922 save percentage and ranks second in the league with 46 wins. all i can say is it’s gonna be tough to sneak goals past him when the playoffs start. and right now, it looks like Dallas is going to have that task. not even their star player, Mike Modano, can handle that.

but the seedings aren’t even set yet.

the East is still up in the air with four teams still competing for a spot. and in the West, it’s even tighter with the Avalanche and the Calgary Flames fighting for the one final spot. One Avs’ loss or one Flames’ win and that’s it for the Avalanche’s playoff hopes. if they miss the playoffs, it’ll be the first time since the 1993-94 season. back then, they were still in Quebec, they’ve always been a contender as the Avalanche. how is that not intense? how is that not exciting?

i guess i’ve rambled on here and there. maybe i just get overly excited about hockey, but hey, somebody in the Rogue Valley has to.

so get ready, ’cause the playoffs are coming.

Every gardener out there is no doubt cheering on warmer weather. In our family, summer means lots and lots of home-grown basil for my mother-in-law’s ratatouille, bruschetta topping and her essential pesto.

We could, of course, purchase bunches of basil during the cold season. However, that’s hardly as economical as growing our own, and the resulting pesto just doesn’t taste the same.

Better to experiment with different herbs this time of year. I’ve heard numerous references to replacing a traditional pesto’s basil with parsley or even substituting walnuts for the pine nuts.

But running across an interesting recipe for Pumpkin Seed Pesto this past week, I started deconstructing the idea of this pasta topping. It is, after all, merely a combination of nuts or seeds, an herb of some sort, acid (generally citric), oil, spices and cheese, if you like.

Experimenting at home with Thai flavors, my husband and I topped peanut-crusted sea scallops with a peanut, cilantro and ginger pesto. The preparation was simple: In a food processor, pulse some roasted, shelled peanuts until finely ground; add one bunch cilantro (stems removed); 1 teaspoon of jarred, minced ginger; juice of two limes; and a little salt and pepper. While that’s blending, stream in some oil. We used rice bran oil but peanut would have been nice if we’d had it on hand. In keeping with the Asian concept, we omitted cheese.

Mint would go just fine, too. Try it for yourself or the following recipe for Pumpkin Seed Pesto courtesy of The Associated Press features staff.

Pumpkin Seed Pesto Pasta

12 ounces whole-wheat pasta spirals

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds

3 ounces (about 3 loosely packed cups) fresh cilantro, stems trimmed

4-ounce piece of Parmesan cheese (or about 1 cup grated), cut into small pieces

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, place the pumpkin seeds in a small skillet over medium heat. Toast the seeds, stirring frequently, until they are lightly browned and puffed up, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the seeds to a food processor. Add the cilantro, cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pulse until all ingredients are finely ground. Then, with the processor on, drizzle in olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Set aside.

Drain the pasta and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the pesto and toss well to coat. The heat of the pasta will melt the cheese and the pesto will coat the pasta. Adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Makes 4 servings.

NOTE: To keep with the Hispanic theme, consider replacing the Parmesan cheese with manchego, a nutty, creamy Spanish cheese.

The Florida Gators captured their second consecutive NCAA men’s basketball championship Monday, but Ohio State’s Greg Oden came out the real winner.
The 7-foot freshman center was the most impressive player on the court in a losing effort. Oden’s spectacular performance almost overshadowed the Gators accomplishment of being the first team since Duke in 1991-92 to repeat.

Oden was a man among boys. He dominated Florida’s impressive trio of big men — Al Horford, Joakim Noah and Chris Richard. Horford and Noah will probably be NBA first-round draft picks this year.

Oden has the rare combination of agility, timing and an innate feel for the game. Against the Gators, Oden was unstoppable on offense, avoided the foul trouble that had plagued him in earlier tournament games and was a defensive force with five blocks.
Oden and Texas freshman Kevin Durant were being discussed as the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft. But Oden’s performance in the title game secured him the top spot and the millions of dollars that go with it.

With the NBA’s two best big men — Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan — on the downside of their careers, Oden should step in and be a factor in the NBA right away and the best post player in the league for many years. The chance of Oden remaining at Ohio State seems remote. If he decides to stay, along with his former high school teammate and fellow freshman Mike Conley Jr., the Buckeyes will win the title next year.

When it comes to herbs and spices, my general rule of thumb has been the more the better.

Of course there are exceptions, like that pinch of cardamom that can flavor an entire 8-by-8 pan of rice pudding like a Scandinavian pastry. Or that vigorous dash of dried thyme that leaves meatloaf tasting a tad bitter.

But I’ve always figured the process of experimenting is more valuable than the end product. How else are you going to know a seasoning’s limits?

Unfortunately, my husband reached his limit last night after six months of enduring my infatuation with smoked paprika. I’ll admit to being maybe a little too enamored with this bright-red jar after receiving it as a free sample, one of many that inevitably reach newspaper food editors.

I’ve always loved paprika, but my former supply had gone somewhat stale. And with it’s updated flavor, this new spice seemed the perfect way to put a spin on many of my tried-and-true recipes.

So I used smoked paprika in everything from raspberry vinaigrette to the egg salad my mom recently raved over. It became my standard seasoning for fish, whether pan-seared or broiled, and showed up in this blog last week as a rub for braised rabbit.

You get the picture. I’d become so accustomed to the taste of smoked paprika that adding it to any concoction became as automatic as salt and pepper, which is how it ended up in a batch of guacamole I agreed to whip up last night for my husband, Will. One taste and he knew, but he decided to let me squirm anyway.

“What’s that smoky flavor?”

“Uh, smoked paprika.”

And then, after so many months, the inevitable: “I don’t really care for it.”

Of course, I thought the guacamole tasted great, the addition of smoked paprika sheer genius. But with my overindulgence apparent, I promised to lay off for a while.

When I’m cooking for him, that is.

The Fish Hack is always looking to add a little class to The Fish Wrap, and often the best way to do that is to stay away.

But not today. The Hack is really feeling it. Still alive with Ohio State in the NCAA gamble-fest, looking to add a couple Benjamins to the wallet. So there’s no Monday Moanin’ here.

In fact, the Hack is so pumped about Monday that I’m feeling down-right poetic.

What a great time to start Haiku Monday.

That’s right. Three-line poems popular in Japan and just obscure enough here to keep The Hack’s interest. Five syllables, then seven syllables followed by five syllables. All one theme. Just like this:

The first line is five
And the next takes seven beats.
It’s your first haiku.

No heavy lifting required. Hell, not even rhyming is required.

Ain’t Rocket Science;
Not even brain surgery:
It’s just a Haiku.

Mondays from now on will be all about Bustin’ Rhymes.

Monday hangover:
When your brain begs for mercy
Yet gets no reprieve.

I’ll pop off a few, and you Fish Hack wannabes can weigh in with your own. Best reader Haiku of the week wins some sort of office supply from The Fish Hack’s desk.

He stares at the screen
Hoping words fly onto it:
How Hack writes haikus.