Bet You Can Cook!

Tags

eggs, frittata, herbs, salsa

I don’t want to be presumptuous or anything, but do you have trouble finding a way to save your fresh parsley and cilantro? For that matter, any fresh herb? I used to, but I found a sure proof way of saving it, keeping it fresh, and ALWAYS having some on hand.

This of course is much less of a problem in the summer time when those of us with outdoor space of any kind can grow our own, and always have it ready to pick. But even then, plants don’t always grow enough, and at the right time.

Although with most recipes you can eliminate the herbs like parsley, they do add a definite sparkle to a dish, as well as impart flavor. And no, dried don’t always work as well. Rosemary most definitely is great dried, but things like basil just suck dried, and parsley and cilantro aren’t a lot better.

While I’ve only used this method on parsley and cilantro, I think it would work fine on any herb. So here we go:

You come home with a banded bouquet of parsley. Leave on the band or not as you desire. Depending on the size of the bundle you may want to work in a couple of smaller bundles. The stems of parsley can be fibrous, so you don’t want to be chopping the lower parts of the stems into the mix. Hold in the hand by the stems like you would a bouquet, and “shave” off the leaves, pointing the bundle downward as you do. Turn as needed until it’s clean. Some stem is okay, but you will get most of the leaves this way and quickly.

You can of course do it piece by piece, stripping the leaves but this will take a long time, and none of us usually has time.

Once you have  nice pile on the cutting board, use a big chef’s knife and chop the mess. Periodically pile the outside to the center as the parsley chops up into nice bits. Use a rocking motion, guiding with the free hand on top of the blade at the end of the knife. You’ve seen this on TV no doubt.

If you are not a good hand chopper, throw it into a food processor and pulse it until the desired size. Be careful here, you don’t want puree, so just a second at a time.

Once it has reached the right chop size, place in a bowl. Now drizzle olive oil over it. You don’t need to submerge it, just enough to coat all of it. Pour a little, then stir and when it starts to really cling together, you have added enough.

Now take a pan of some sort, I small loaf pan, a 8 x 8 or something like that. Line with wax paper, and spoon your parsley into it. Spread it a bit and then add a layer of plastic wrap and then you can gently pat it out into a rectangle. Keep it somewhere around 1/4 inch thick.

Pop it into the freezer and leave until it’s frozen. Now the oil won’t freeze, but it will stiffen, and the water in the parsley will also harden it. Take out and score with a knife into what approximates 1 tablespoon. You can actually cut into cubes if you wish, but I leave it on the wax paper, and then pop it into a plastic bag.

When I need some fresh parsley, I just take a knife and cut through the size I need and return the rest to the freezer.

For Cilantro, do the same, but the stems here are much more tender and harder to shave, so don’t worry about removing so much stem.

This will work on basil and frankly, all fresh herbs that I can think of. Make sure that you label the freezer bag since there is a big difference between parsley and cilantro in taste, and once chopped and stored you won’t be able to tell the difference by looking!

Here’s my favorite homemade salsa recipe just cuz I love ya!

• 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes (fresh of course is fine)
• 2 cloves of garlic minced (use a micro plane if you have it, and get one if you don’t, they are priceless for doing this fast!)
• 1/3 c of minced onion (more or less, diced fine or not as you like)
• 1 jalepeno pepper diced fine (I freeze these whole and just defrost and remove the seeds which turn brown anyway. Use more or less heat or other peppers as you like)
• Salt and pepper
• 1-2 Tbsps fresh cilantro
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• juice of one lime (optional–it brightens everything, but you can get away without it. you can freeze lime juice in cubes too so it can be another item always on hand.)

Mix and let set for a couple of hours in the fridge before serving on your favorite Mexican dish.

We’re having a frittata today. That’s just eggs with whatever in it. We are having a pork sausage, onion, potato, asparagus, smoked Gruyere, parsley frittata. Cook everything separately, layer all starting with potatoes on the bottom, ending with the cheese. Whisk eggs (4-6) add 1 to 1 1/2 c  milk and/or cream, salt, pepper, fresh parsley, pour on top, cook until set, then under the broiler to cook the top lightly. Add a salad and your set!

Short Takes on the Day 10/13/08

Tags

George W. Bush, John McCain, Michelle Obama, Sarah Palin, terrorists, vanilla

Desperate times call for desperate measures. So the McCain campaign is coming out with more “economic” fixesfor America. These are touted as being aimed at the middle class, that group that McCain pretty much ignored until, well, he needed their vote. Trouble is, his new plan is fraught with all the same problems as his previous ones: they have little to do with helping the average Joe Sixpack. What to do, what to do? This campaign is floundering and I think getting advice from a Ouija board now.

Tread quietly folks, we are entering the hospital room of one GW Bush. He is sedated, but you can smile and he will respond. Our boy idiot, doesn’t think he had a thing to do with ANYTHING that went wrong in Amirika, but he sure is glad he had himself at the helm to steer us poor folks through the murky waters of all these disasters. Yes indeed, with all those fine folks like Dick and Condi, and Rummy to help him and us out, well gosh, we would just be in a durn pickle if it hadn’t been for him. Laura regrets that flowers have arrived in such truckloads that she must refuse any more, so send your donations to the GWB Memorial for Brain injured NUT Heads. Next stop: The Twilight Zone.

Having just done a piece in which I cited the unfavorables of McCain, I’m happy to report that new ones are out, and they are worse than those I stated. McCain’s fav/unfav are now at a paltry +6, while Palin’s are an even worse +4. Obama’s have improved to a +24. You can read all about it at Glenn Greenwald‘s  blog from the Salon. Please check out this link, as there are a huge number of other internals that make is very very clear that Palin continues to drag the McCain campaign downward literally by the day. Just a teaser: the rate at which people think that one campaign is negative versus the other is huge, something not seen in either 2000 or 2004, if you can believe it.

Shannyn Moore  gives us her take as an Alaskan, to the revelations of the Troopergate report. She alleges that the McCain spin machine has been at work overtime to make black white and so forth. I wonder if Sarah will have a chance at re-election in Alaska whenever that might occur. One begins to doubt that anyone who has brought such attention to the State in such an unfavorable way would stand a chance.

I know I posted this a good while ago, and it lurks somewhere in these archives, but in case you missed it, here again is a recipe for making your own vanilla. Given its price, we all can use it. It’s way cheaper to make than buy I tell ya. It doesn’t get any simpler, and if you bake a lot, as I do, this is a real money saver. Even places to buy the beans from in bulk, and help in defining the different varieties of beans.

Anyone who comes here regularly, knows I love the American Prospect magazine. Their articles are simply well done. I know I am beating a dead horse in a sense, but they have a fine article on how McCain has destroyed his own brand. His dismissive claims that he “takes care of veterans” and other such nonsense, as “I know how to do, I’ll get it done” without more, have worn paper thin, especially when laid alongside his new propensity to win at any cost. Honorable politics have been discarded, because John knows that we need John, and we are going to get John even if John has to shove John down our throats with force.

Need more evidence that the McCain machine is missing a wheel and is off to schizophrenic arguments? Now it’s Michelle Obama’s “ties” to terrorists. Once Johnny said that spouses were out of bounds, now it seems, anything that might work will be tried. Check out this utter piece of drivel from The Anonymous Liberal if you are unconvinced that McCain’s campaign needs anti-psychotic drugs at this time.

Lil Bits of Rancor or Not 7/17

Tags

Anglicans, astronomy, Congress, Election 2008, FCC, gay rights, Health care, herb, History, HIV/AIDS, Iraq, Jesus, maps, Mars, McCain, Media, Republicans, spices, tex-mex, War, Women's issues

McBu$h loves the press, especially his cadre that rides the MacBus. But only to a point it seems. The new McShame plane has a couch and captains chairs reserved for “special journalists”the good guys who have to earn a seat by saying good things about the Mav. Yep, let’s hear it for Democracy McBlech style.

The entire purpose of the surge in Iraq was not to develop a strategy to win the war–that is impossible by most rational accounts. It was to reduce violence to a degree that would allow time to work out a means of withdrawl in a way that allowed the Iraqis some reasonable opportunity to take over. That is what neither Bush nor McBush seem to get. John Bruhns has a fine explanation at the Huffington Post.

Lest we forget, a lot of folks are excited these days. They are astronomers and they are having a ball with all the new photos of Mars. If you would like to take a look at some, then link here. Exciting stuff!

If you think that the mainstream media sucks as I do, then trot over to this site and sign the petition to inform congress how you feel about consolidation of media outlets by large conglomerates. In the past, citizenry have had an impact so it’s worth the time to sign on.

Secret Recipe Blog has a nice recipe for Copycat Lawry’s Taco seasoning. The packets are expensive, and you usually don’t need all of it. Most of this stuff you have on hand, and so make up a batch, and put in a saved used spice jar and you have it ready when needed to spice up that Tex-Mex meal.

When you try to talk out of both sides of your mouth, it almost always fails. McCain again can’t remember what he said 2 months ago, 2 years ago, or yesterday for that matter. His interviews are starting to be fun, as his staffers have to clean up after him, explaining his inexplicable remarks. Today it’s gays and adoption, yesterday it was insurance coverage and viagra. Read it and giggle.

Another wingnut of late, Senator Elizabeth Dole, has the chutzpah to try to rename a HIV/AIDS bill after deceased Jesse Helms. Does this strike anyone as insane? The man palpably hated AIDS patients and had NO sympathy for their disease. Ms. Dole seems to be partaking of the same senility water than Mr. McCain imbibes regularly.

The Church of England has voted to ordain women bishops. Women of History has a in depth look at the vote and the debate. Women have already of course been ordained as bishop in the American Church, the Episcopal and also in Australia. The ultra right wing of the Catholic church is of course sick, since they were hoping for a reunion of the two churches. They of course are rabidly against women priests.

World History Blog has a great little link to a site that specializes in maps, both domestic and international. Apparently you can put in modern day addresses and even trace land ownership back through several layers. There are more than 200,000 maps to access so it looks like it might be a fun and educational place to stop by.

Angry African on the Loose has a pretty interesting and thought provoking essay entitled “Who would Jesus vote for?”It’s worth your time. Rearranging one’s priorities is always worth time. Take five minutes and think. It’s as Martha says, a good thing. Keeps that Alzheimer’s at bay too.

Atoms and Other Particles

Tags

American History, Applique, astronomy, beading, chicken, Civil War, crochet, Desserts, embroidery, founding faithers, fruit, Gardening, George Washington, herbs, Italian, Pennsylvania, pesto, quilting, religion, Rome, seeds, Women's history, world history

George Krause did this beauty, entitled “Fountainhead” in 1970. I suspect that in some parts of the west, such a delightful experience would be most welcome.

Well, the garden is officially planted for the second time. I couldn’t get any more tomato plants or any sweet peppers but I did manage to get four Anaheim peppers which are mildly hot and good for a lot of dishes. The garden doesn’t look too bad, and the corn seems to be going a bit. Some of the tomato plants look rather spindly, but who knows, they may take off. I’m wondering if I should get some fertilizer out on it. Perhaps the heavy rains have washed away nutrients. The little pepper plants, no more than about 7 inches tall are trying to set fruit. That concerns me, since I’m thinking they are not going to produce much. Nothing can be done.

It seems the story is the same everywhere. The Contrariansstep brother has sprayed his fields for weeds so apparently he thinks the corn will come along. Since we planted at nearly the same time, that gives us some hope. Surely he wouldn’t spend the money for nothing. He must feel that the chances are still worth it.

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A huge congrats to Deborah over at (Mis)Adventures of a Crafty Wifey. Seems they are pregnant. Stop by and give her and hubby a nice high five.

William Penn is of course the reason Pennsylvania is called, well PENNsylvania. Yesterday marked the anniversary of his penning ( no pun intended of course) a treaty between his white folks and the native tribe there, the Lenni Lenape. King Charles II had given Penn the land, but of course it was never his to give. Read more at Martin’s American History Blog.

Hannibal won a significant battle against the Romans on this date in 217 B.C.E. Of course in the end he lost. N.S. Gill’s Ancient/Classic History Bloghas the details. The Contrarian and I seldom hear of Hannibal when we don’t recall a funny incident. We were watching “Millionaire” back in its beginnings when Regis Philbinwas still hosting at night. The first question to a contestant was “What animal did Hannibal use to cross the Alps in his war against Rome?” Without batting an eye, the young man confidently exclaimed with obvious superiority, “Llamas!” ROFL. Now there is so much wrong with that that well it never fails to get us laughing like crazy.

Sandi’s Crochet Blog offers a pattern for an afghan, and she offers you three different sizes. The pattern is called shell triangles and it’s very lovely I thought. I have a couple of afghans in progress already, but of course I seldom work on them during the summer months. Just to hot and the yarn drags horribly and your hands sweat. (We don’t use air-conditioning) I have tried to leave comments on her site but they never open up. If any of you have any luck, let me know.

You can find a very interesting discourse on George Washington at American Revolution Blogtoday. He discusses at length Washington’s faith, and how he interpreted that in light of his responsibilitiesboth as Revolutionary General and later as President. A very impressive overview.

I’ve been on a cilantro kick for a while. The fajitas we had yesterday were so much enhanced by fresh cilantro in the salsa. So it should come as no surprise that I found this recipe from  Baking Delights enticing. It’s called Cilantro Chickenand is a quickie. I’m rather certain I shall make it before the end of the week, though I will be significantly cutting it down for two.

Today Civil War Women features Judith Carter Henry. The story is about the first battle of Bull Run and an unlikely victim of that battle. Mrs. Henry, 85 years old, was one of casualties and, and as Maggie points out, the romanticism of war soon faded.

My intestines have caught up with me so I’ve had to put on the breaks with my love affair with fruit for a bit. But that doesn’t mean that I want to deprive you of a great recipe. Mango Blueberry Fool is sure to please your family any day, but especially on the hot summer days when fruit tastes just so darn good. Thanks to Epicurious for another fine one.

I thought I would include this fromFeeling Stitchy today, in honor of our friend Vicki at Knitting Dragonflies. A plethora of dragonflies for your inspiration! Patterns, tutorials and links to other great dragonfly-inspired projects for embroidery and quilting. One is also beaded, so lots of different craft ideas are available.

Okay, have you tried planting an avocado seed? I have, and have actually grown one to a real plant, but then it just died. I think I may try again with the expert advice I found at Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas. Take a peek and don’t send that poor old avocado seed off to the compost heap again. Grow your own! Of course it takes years to produce fruit, so either grow as a houseplant or transplant to a movable container and eventually you will get fruit. We can’t plant outside here in Iowa, it’s too cold in the winter.

Alice Parker is another of those unfortunate women who was tried as a witch. While many try to play down this time in our history, especially the religious right who never want to admit that Christianity can get out of hand, History of American Womenmakes it very clear by her essays that it was indeed prevalent for a time. It is important that these poor women not be forgotten. Her conviction was later reversed and her family received 8 pounds in recompense. How very nice. 😦

Inspired by Antique Quilts has another one she is getting ready to finish. A lovely applique that is colorful and looks quite quick. The pattern is large as you can see if you follow the link and take a look yourself.

Science purely shocks me sometimes. It tells me things that frankly I never thought about before.  Most know of Homer’s Odyssey, if they haven’t read it, or seen some representation of it in film. Of course we know it is part fiction but also part fact, since Troy has long been known to exist, featured so prominently in the Iliad. In the Odyssey, an eclipse is mentioned in the 20th book. Astronomers have pinpointed the date of that eclipse as April 16, 1178 B.C.E. some months after Odysseus return, near in time to when he slayed the many suitors vying for his wife’s hand. Read all the fascinating details of how this was done at Live Science.

The new Pew Report is really fascinating as it looks at American views on religion. Some of the results are simply astounding in my view. Some of this I saw last night on the news. Apparently most of us, even most evangelicals don’t believe that their faith (Christianity) is necessarily the only way to salvation. A huge majority of Catholics (79%) feel this way, topped only by Buddhists at around 83%. That suggests I think, major room for interfaith dialogue and cooperation. The Politico has the story. Here is a link to the forum itself where you can spend a long time reading through this very detailed work.

Pesto! I love the stuff, and have about 8 basil plants doing just fine in a container by the front door. I plan on making pestowhen they are as big as i can get them. It’s very easy to make, just basil, olive oil, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese. Whiz it in a food processor, spoon into ice cube trays and freeze, pop out and put in a freezer bag. You can add it to pasta, soups, well just about anything you wish. Once Upon A Feast has some great new and different ways to make it. Cilantro is a favorite substitute. Just looking at the photos are enough to make a person swoon.

Well I found this next one a bit weird to say the least. It seems glass is not a proper solid at all. It’s moving. Yeah, did I say weird? Atoms are prohibited from moving where they want to by being blocked by neighbors. All of this means (heck if I know why) that glass could be the new component in airplane construction. I’m not thinking I want to sit in a transparent plane anytime soon!

Canada can boast a new find archaeologically speaking, and we always like to speak archaeologically whenever possible. An ancient fort constructed by people before Europeans arrived in the area, has been located in Western Canada, near Cluny and east of Calgary. It is defined as a Siksika First Nation reservation and is around 250 years old. The site was long known to native peoples.

Wow, I sure missed a number of posts by Melisende at Women of History. There are several so I’ll just give you the main site and you can scroll down and read what you like. The first is onMaria Comnena, Queen of Jerusalem, grandniece to Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnena of Constantinople. Second is Theodora Comnena, niece of the same Emperor. Next is Margaret Anjou, Queen to the King Henry VI of England, Artemesia of Hallicarnassus, Queen, and lastlyGalla Placidia, Empress and daughter of Theodosius the Great of Rome. They are all from June 22, so she’s been quite prolific. A lovely run of important women

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More Sign Humor:

At a Music Store: Out to lunch. Bach at 12:30. Offenbach sooner.

At a tire shop in Milwaukee: Invite us to your next blowout. 

At the electric company: We would be delighted if you send in your bill. However, if you don’t, you will be.

Church sign: To remove worry wrinkles, get your faith lifted

In a department store: Bargain Basement Upstairs.

In a Maine restaurant: Open seven days a week and weekends.

In a Pennsylvania cemetery: Persons are prohibited from picking flowers from any but their own graves.

Inside a bowling alley: Please be quiet. We need to hear a pin drop.

On a maternity room door: Push. Push. Push.

On a New York convalescent home: For the sick and tired of the Episcopal Church

Pandora’s Proximity

Tags

American History, Asian, barbecue, beef, Cajun Spices, cake, chocolate, church/state, Civil War, Crafts, crochet, evolution, faith, fundamentalism, Gardening, gay rights, health, human physiology, John McCain, knitting, leafminers, marriage, racism, religion, salad, science, tex-mex, Watergate, Women's history, Zoology

Entitled “Pategonia, Chile #5, this was done by Rene Bass Forman in 2004.

Another day with sun! Will wonders never cease? I had another of my bad dreams this morning, actually two of them together. One is the infamous pee dream. I gotta go in reality, and keep dreaming that I am having trouble finding a bathroom. It always ends up being a fairly public affair, and when I go, alas, two minutes later, I’m desperately searching for another one. That was conflated with a recurrent dream of being back in Detroit, practicing law, and I’m horridly late for a trial in progress that I have completely forgotten to return to. I woke up grumpy!

On the home front, we continue to slowly dry out. The river is down to a trickle and the Contrarian is doing some weed eating around about and burning trash. I’ve done the day’s housework–bedroom and my craft room. I’ve developed a fairly strict cleaning regime that is about the only thing that works for me. It gives me three days off a week–bedroom/craft room Tuesday, office/living room Wednesday, kitchen Thursday, bathrooms Friday. I also made a batch of Pastitsio for dinner, a Greek dish that I’ve had a lot of in the past in Detroit’s Greektown. It’s basically a meat ragu with pasta and a bechamel sauce with flavorings of Parmesan and cinnamon, and tomato paste. A nice little casserole is ready to hit the oven later on.

Let’s see what is around the internet today that sounds tasty, fun to make or just thoroughly interesting to learn about.

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For those who are as old as me, this story is well known. For younger folks, you may not know so much. Today is the anniversary of the break-in at the Watergate hotel, by five men in the employ of the White House. The coverup that followed and it’s uncovering led of course to the downfall of the Nixon presidency. Read about it at Martin’s American History Blog.

Sandi’s Crochet Blog has a lovely lacy daisy to crochet withthread. Of course you could do it with heavier weights as well. But as such it makes a nice applique to a T-Shirt or pair of jeans. It’s cute, and of course, the pattern is there for you as well.

Is McCain’s run for the presidency doomed? So say many historians, who always look at the big picture. The big picture of course means examining history and looking for parallels. They suggest that the Republican cycle is about done, and this is normal. American Presidents Blog has the story for you to ponder and agree with or not as your intellectual prowess dictates.

David Barton, mentioned here before as a fool with a penchant for spreading untruth about our founding traditions, is, according to American Revolution Blog up to his old tricks. That is, he, a exceedingly poor excuse for a historian, attempts to rewrite history to suit his motives of introducing Christianity into the public arena as THE religion of the country. Read this fine expose’ of his junk history regarding the Mayflower Compact.

I confess, I’ve never tried to cook an entire beef brisket. I’ve seen recipes that called for elaborate self-made smoking systems that require constant attention and hours of labor. Baking Delights claims that this one, done in the oven for 12 hours works perfectly well. She lays out all the particulars for you. She claims it is a true Texan perfection. Look it over, take a chance and dive in. She says it freezes just fine, because she says you must make a whole one to make it right, and they are huge. Given prices of everything these days, cheap meat is going to become increasingly welcome in our household, and I intend to make this soon.

Chocolate andhas the sublime, the incomparable, the tasting delight of  Molten Chocolate Cake for you today. Oh, I can sink into a pile of gooey ecstasy just at the mere thought of this. I’m thinking of the 4th of July for this gem.

Now for something completely different. Salad and a nice Asian one to boot. This might be a perfect foil for all manner of summer light dinners. It’s called Pickled Carrot-Cucumber Salad and comes to us from Coconut & Lime.Take a look and add to your repertoire if you so desire.

Fannie Lawrence Rickett‘s was a Civil War nurse. Civil War Womenfeatures her this week in a nice little biography. Daughter to wealthy Jamaican land owners, she later married a distant relative of her mothers who was a captain in the US army. He was badly injured during the war, and she made her way to where he was imprisoned. There she cared for him and other captured and wounded union soldiers.  Read about her life of dedication and hardship as the war progressed.

Commonweal, has an editorial entitled “Marriage, California Style” that examines the new same-sex marriage situation in that state that took effect yesterday I believe. They feel the decision is ill-advised. I do not of course. See what you think.

Steak Fajitas are a staple around the Meadow. We have them at least once a month, and sometimes two. In fact they are on the menu for later in the week, if I can get to the store and pick me up a green pepper. I thought you might like an authentic one from Epicurious today taken from Gourmet magazine. The only thing weird about this recipe is the basil, which I don’t find correct. I would change it to cilantro myself.

Free Sample Forager has a slew of new items for you. I saw cereal and acid reducer and rice, all free samples. There are a good dozen to look at and link to and acquire.

There are those in this country, and I am one of them, that fear that our respective bigotries are doing such damage to our country and our world that something must soon be done. It seem epidemic and endemic in our world. I’ll have more to say on this subject at a later date, but I urge you to take a look at this offering from History News Network, “A Passion for Overcoming Injustice has Seized America Once Again.”

Mary Towne Easty was another of those women who ended up on the wrong side of Salem religious fanatics and paid the price with her life. History of American Women, focuses on her story today and her death in 1692 at the gallows.

Serious knitters know about spinning and dying their yarn. I think it’s a fascinating idea, but know I’ll never get to that level of interest. I would love to weave as well, but know I never shall. Same for learning to play the piano. If you have this kind of serious interest, Knitting Dragonflies has some information for you. I am still puzzling over socks directions and scratching my head, thinking it doesn’t make a lot of sense with all these needles (five of them?).

Ever wondered about optical illusions? How exactly they “trick” the eye?I have, pondering how the neurons in our fabulous brains fire in exquisite synchronicity to do what they do so that we can do what we do. Well, Live Science has the answer for us. It has to do with the future, and how far we can see into it.

And if you think that only humans have the capacity to think and plan ahead, well, think again as they say. It turns out that apes and orangutans can as well, and do. But another indice of defining humanity that falls by the way side. It seems that there is less and less that separates us from our close cousins than ever we thought.

Wow, a totally awesome question this week on On Faith. Do you believe that faith affects health? Does it do so positively or negatively? Is this New Age? Lots of interesting ideas here. I think it can be both a help and a detriment. I think it depends on how you use it, and what exactly faith means to you. I’ve seen a whole plethora of people who have turned faith into mental illness, and others who have grown in vigor through quiet contemplative spiritual exercises. Read the varied approaches by the panel and delve into the comments.

Once Upon a Feast has more mouth-watering recipes to tempt you to get in that kitchen and really explore your culinary heart. I think  that Cajun Spices are a must, and it’s always better to do your own that buy that expensive packaged stuff. Also, you can wander over to the Pasta Roundup and find a ton of great dishes here. The true joy of this roundup are the pictures which are so glorious, I swear you could eat the paper and be satisfied.

Religion in American Historyhas a good one today. They feature on wingnutty Cal Thomas, popular from his idiotic featured editorials and his rightwing drivel on FoxyEntertainmentNews. Cal, using that damned if you aren’t a Christiannonsense, claims that Obama isn’t one. Why you say? Because Obama actually thinks a compassionate God doesn’t condemn 4/5 of all humanity to eternal hellfires because they haven’t had the benefit of Christianity as their source of religious training. Read the funny, but sick take by Mr. Thomas.

This recipe caught my eye at Simply Recipes. I’ve forgiven her for the Chipotle Chocolate Cake. Frankly I rather detested it, and finally threw out the last piece. i just couldn’t manage another slice. Her Tex-Mex recipe for Mexican Green Bean Salad sounded just right. We have yet to plant our beans given the lousy weather, but hope to before the end of the week. I can see making this fine offering to accompany some grilled fare.

A goodie, today we get another great post from Scandalous Women. Today she focuses on Grace Metalious, the author of that scandalous book Peyton Place!Remember the TV show? How we watched in titillation at the goings on of the families, sure that we were on the verge of naughtiness. Remember the waif thin Mia Farrow and Ryan O’Neal?  Read about Ms. Metalious’s life in all its detail. My deepest thanks to Elizabeth for her extraordinarily fine posts.

Tip Junkie is featuring a whole slew of crafters with lots of talent, and lots of stuff for sale. You might want to take a look, buy something, or get some ideas for crafting of your own. I thought there were a number of delightful products, and it certainly gave me ideas.

Veggie Gardening Tipshas an excellent post on that miserable ewww pest the leafminer. Those are those great big green sluggy things that eat the tomato plant you have been so lovingly tending in less than a day. I’ve not had much trouble with them here in Iowa, but in Michigan it seems I was always fighting them. Some great help on eradicating this beast.

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More of those wacky bumper stickers–read em here instead of rear-ending somebody trying to read them on the road!

huked on foniks werkd fer me

I am overjoyed with whelm!

I didn’t fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian.

I Don’t Suffer From Insanity, I Enjoy Every Minute Of It

I Feel Like I’m Diagonally Parked In A Parallel Universe

I Got A Gun For My Wife; Best Trade I Ever Made.

I Have The Body Of A God … Buddha

I Just Got Lost In Thought. It Was Unfamiliar Territory

I left the womb for this?

I put in contacts for this?

I took a pain pill. Why are you still here?

Blinking Wide-eyed But Aloof

Tags

cross stitch, FCC, herbs, Human Biology, Iowa, Israel, McCain, Media, Middle East, Palestinians, philosophy, Putin, quilting, Regulatory agencies, religion, Russia, science, Veterans, WWII

This silver print by Lewis W. Hine is called “On the Bowery, New York City” and is from the MoMA. That’s some hat wouldn’t you say? 😮 ! Okay, not a hat. LOL.

On the homefront, we are drying out once again, but it’s slow. We can of course get out at this point with the trucks, but its soggy just everywhere you walk. And more rain seems to be in the offing. I wonder how the farmers are ever going to get the crops in this year. I think we got another two inches in the last storm. Enough already.

On the housecleaning front, the living room is done, and that makes six down and 1 1/2 to go. I actually did a bit in the kitchen and the Contrarianis taking out some things that I’ve declared for the trash. He also has come up with a really good redesign of our laundry/pantry room at the back door. We plan on doing some reorganizing that will make it more efficient and more storage compatible.

I’m brining a couple of chops for dinner and making a fettuccine Alfredovegetable casserole to go with it. A salad and vinaigrette dressing should round off the menu today. At least the sun is shining.

Let’s get on to today’s news:

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Today is the anniversary of the celebration of V-E Day, Victory in Europe in WWII. Germany had surrenderedthe previous day in 1945. As the years go by, fewer and fewer veterans from that war remain. It seems hard for me to internalize  this since I grew up with virtually all the men in my family being veterans. And I realize that nearly all of them are gone too.

I’ve been troubled by Israel for a few years now. I have begun to wonder at our absolute support at apparently all and any costs. I know this policy has had a lot to do with anti-American sentiments throughout much of the world, but certainly in the Middle East. I think that Israel does stray often beyond the bounds of rational action. I do think the Palestinians have a real point to make and have suffered immeasurably at the hands of the Israel. I have not reconciled any of this one way or another yet in my own mind. I know there are others who feel as I do. Mostly helpless. We wish to extend an olive branch to the Palestinians, yet not support violence directed at innocents. Read Alternet‘s fine article today entitled, ” Marketing Ethnic Cleansing: Israel Parties like it 1948 on its 60th Birthday,” and see if it helps you figure it all out.

I don’t know about you, but it’s been disheartening to see Russia slide from its infancy as a democratic state back down into the cesspool that is dictatorship. I think the flirt with Communism is gone, it’s just plain old dictatorship now. Putin hand picked his successor, who had NO political experience and is a whopping 34 years old or so. Putin is now firmly installed as Prime Minister and is the real power. Taking a page from Bush, Vlad has decided not to let a constitution stand in the way of his plans.

It seems Mr. McUntruth is suffering from senility again. He told a group in Michigan that he wanted to set up a task force to deal with the issue of human trafficking,most of whom end up in the sex trades. Problem was, such a task force already exists and has since 2000. Guess what? He voted against an earmark to fund this program in 2001. We thank Blue Girl, Red State for a heads up on this one.

Do you tend to see most issues as one or the other? Or are you inclined to see that there are usually multiple positions? Are you a decliner or a progressive? If you’re now totally confused, then slip by Britannica Blog and get unconfused. It’s how you view mankind mostly. Are we devolving ( not in a evolutionary sense) or evolving (in an evolutionary sense)?

Josie at C’est La Vie has a very interesting post about Synesthesia, the “condition” that allows some people to see color with numbers and well, feel color and sound unlike the rest of us. I’m wondering if proportionally, more artists are people like this or not. I’m wondering if it helps in cooking? I’m jealous I gotta tell you. I think it would be fun to experience. Alas, I do not.

Lynda at Essential Estrogen is back to  her old tricks. She is giving you another fine profile of a Democratic woman, Susan Radke,  running for the Iowa House, this time from District 10. If that is your district, then you should take a look and read about the candidates running. Lynda does a fine job of keeping us all informed on all things political in Iowa.

An excellent post by Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas today. It features herbs and explains in some detail what herbs go with what foods. That is a welcome help when you are trying to be inventive in your cooking and create your own dishes. It definitely helps to know which marry well  together. I grow fresh herbs every year, and for the first time managed to keep my rosemary and parsley growing indoors all winter!  I keep them close at hand, dotting them among the flowers. They are pretty in their own right, and you use them a lot more when they are a mere step or two away from the door.

Good news on veterans issues. The Bill sponsored by Jim Webb and co-sponsored by Rep. Sen. Hagel touted as the “new GI Bill” appears to be likely to pass in the House. Iowa Dems in the House are on record for it, including Boswell, Loebsack and Braley, as well as Republican Tom Latham. So even though McCain and Bush are against it, it seems it will be presented to the idiot for signing. If he has the guts to veto it, well bring it on I say. We’ll be watching to see if McCain backs down and votes the final bill up or down.

If there was any doubt that some in the GOP are certifiable, a quick look at Kathryn Jean Lopez’s article in the National Review, should remove all doubt. Touting her claim that Rush Limbaugh in fact helped John McCain by “screwing up the Democrats in Indiana” by his chaos plan, we learn that this type of tactic is to be applauded????? She sees this proof that the Limbaughs, Delays, and other wingnuts of the GOP still hold sway with the electorate. LOL…as if that is some good news? I’d say that the more that is proven true, the more determined the ENTIRE REST OF THE RATIONAL WORLD will be fighting to make them irrelevant. Damn the National Review for not having the guts to put up a comments section. They know better.  (She additionally brags at how good Republicans were in bringing Rev. Wright back to the fore to cast more dirt on Obama. One has to wonder just what country she thinks we are in. It’s nauseous.)

I am thoroughly disgusted with what passes for media in this country. I was one of those innocents who saw the advent of the 24-hour news shows  a wonderful thing. Plenty of in depth stories about far off places, far away problems, and those close to home. Plenty of coverage (in depth again) of politicians and policies and bills and whatnot. I got instead, fluff, and high speed chases down our nations highways, lurid murder cases, and nothing else much.  What passes these days for journalism on the tube is reduced to 1 minute soundbites that seem interested in only the shocking. No thought required. The rest apparently is recopied from briefs available on the wire services. And our regulatory agency, the FCC? Oh it’s squarely in the corner of the conglomerates out there who gobble up more and more of the competition, so they  can work even less hard at real journalism. It sucks big time. Read more at The Nation.

The Village Shop has some more tutorial on making a quilt. Lots of pictures and easy to follow commentary will be most helpful if you are fairly new to quilting. I don’t consider myself such, but I can always use a tip or two. I’ve learned by trial and error that seam allowances are critical, ironing seams is essential and pinning exact points means you can end up with a quilt you can smile at.

Threads of Desire is working on a Hawaiian Mandala, and you just have to see it to believe it. Her cross stitch is so beautiful. I don’t know what size count she is working on, but its so far beyond what I can do that I just drool with envy. I truly think this is magnificent art work. I wish I had someone who could teach me how to do this. Take a look.

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“I believe in looking reality straight in the eye and denying it.” Garrison Keillor

“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” Philip K. Dick

I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.” Hunter S. Thompson

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Excuses! When stopped by the police say this:

I was trying to keep up with traffic. Yes, I know there are not other cars around, that’s how far ahead they are!

im sorry officer…i just got breast implants and wearing a seatbelt hurts…

“But Officer, I couldn’t have been driving 60 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone. I haven’t been driving for an hour!”

Sorry officer, I was trying to kill a bug under my gas pedal

I’m sorry I was speeding officer but I have diarrhea.

Yes, I know I was speeding, but I thought I recognized you as the guy who took my ex-wife from me. I thought you were going to give her back!

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Hey, this Sunday is Mother’s Day. Now, if you haven’t gotten your mom a gift yet, can’t go wrong with a gallon of gasoline, huh? It’s a little pricey, but, hey, you only got one mom, you know? Jay Leno

Irvine Robbins, co founder of Baskin-Robbins, is dead at 90. Details of his cremation have been finalized. His remains will be sprinkled, but the sprinkles cost 50 cents extra. – Alan Ray, Stockton, Calif.

One of the planners for a Bible-themed amusement park in Rutherford County, Tennessee has admitted that he once worked as a Penthouse magazine photographer. That could explain why so many women end up with wet T-shirts on the Parting of the Red Sea ride. Paul Seaburn