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!

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

Is Gravity Still in Iowa?

Tags

American History, bread, church-state, crochet, DNA, economy, environment, Gardening, herbs, Human Biology, Iowa, John McCain, Media, Military, Presidents, religion, Rome, salad, science, Washington, Women's history, Women's issues, world history

A photograph of Yosemite Falls taken by Carleton E. Watkins 1865-66. It is from the Library of Congress collection.

Hope everyone had a nice Mother’s Day and weekend. We suffered through another bout of rain, a good two inches I’d say. It’s just sitting now, no where to go. We can still get in and out with the Bronco, but the lane is suffering from saturation. I really wonder what farmers are going to do. Given the temperatures and the wet ground, no planting can be done for some time, and it seems we cannot have more than three days without rain each week. It’s quite depressing.

I’m moving along with the kitchen and have done two good days worth of work. Of course, that means I have done something like an hour and half total. I’m really fighting off the blues about it at this point. I have little to no interest and am forcing myself, mostly by shortening the daily work. Sometimes as I get close to finishing what I have assigned myself, I feel a bit better and so do a little more than i had planned. It will take a good two weeks at this rate.

We’ll probably go shopping sometime this week. The best bets are for mid week since we may, and I say that very provisionally, we may not get any rain  for Thursday and Friday. But things are quite fluid. Oh that was a bad choice of words I guess.

Let’s get on with the news today:

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Sandi’s Crochet Blog has three new crochet offerings for you. A square for an afghan, a filet crochet, and some edgings. All are patterns developed by her and free to you.

You can go along for years and think things are pretty much okay. And then a conflation of different things come together and you find yourself angry and definitely thinking that things are so not okay that you wonder how this could be happening in this day and age. I’m referring to the anti-feminist backlash that I’m observing it seems everywhere these days. Alternet carries this important article from The Nation. I can only say that I’m angry. I’ve just finished arguing this subject with conservative Catholics and had the fine displeasure of arguing with self-reporting “women” who think women are not equal to men but are “different” and get this, the CAUSE of the fall of Adam. Eve the vicious bitch duped him, in their brain dead opinion. Oh and look down at the comments to the post. They are heartbreaking.

American Revolution Blog has a nice piece on Washington and whether he prayed at Valley Forge. Not the most exciting topic, still it has gained in importance as left and right argue about whether we were meant to be a “Christian” nation. (No, but  l’ll be doing a book review this week and will expound in greater depth.) It’s an interesting and well researched post and you might enjoy it.

Sad to say, the Religious Right is going around the country trying to convince ministers to violate the law. The Alliance Defense Fund is trying to convince ministers to violate the ban on electioneering from the pulpit for churches which are tax-exempt. They are looking for a prosecution, hoping that a fight in the courts will lead to an overturn by SCOTUS. These folks are pure theocracy advocates, and this type of thing is very dangerous. Thanks to Americans United for the heads up.

It seems that John McCain is unable to cut his ties to lobbyists. Another of his boys just resigned when it was found out that his lobbying firm had worked FOR the ruling Junta in Myanmar. Given the media attention being given to that murderous regime, Doug Goodyear had to go. The Mac is seemingly unable to find good people to help his campaign and again and again sinks to choosing people with unsavory backgrounds and political stances. Oh I just can’t wait for this election cycle to really gear up. It’s gonna be like shooting ducks in a bucket. We thank Blue Girl, Red State for the information.

 Epicurious has an interesting cheese bread that looks good. I know that many find bread making daunting, but I promise you, it’s quite easy. I spend about 10 minutes time making a loaf of bread. I use the fast rise yeast and never have a problem. Essentially bread dough is quite forgiving. You just add flour until you can work it. I use my KitchenAid to do the kneading. See what you think of Georgian Cheese Bread.

I would dearly love to have raised beds in my vegetable garden. It’s just so neat and I think you can get bigger yields, and it makes weeding a lot easier, and there are fewer weeds to begin with. It’s just a huge project to set up, with lots of backbreaking work. So I don’t have raised beds. If you are interested in starting some raised beds, Mr. Greenfingers has some help for you.  

If you are planning a family trip or just like maps, DHL is offering a free atlas. This one comes from Hey it’s Free. The link is direct. It was an easy sign up.

If you are still enthralled with the Kennedys you might like this post on Joseph P. Kennedy, ambassador to Britain during the Roosevelt Administration. He held the post between 1938-40 and many have considered it to have been one of the worst appointments in Roosevelt’s presidency. Today, History News Network suggests that that assessment may have been unfair. A nice post explains.

Some are claiming that ethanol production cuts into food production and is a major contributor to the food crisis facing this planet. Others argue that it is a minor event at best. Tom Harkin, Senator from Iowa, suggests it is the latter. Read his comments and decide what you think.

I would not say that I am a pepper connoisseur or anything. I do like it freshly ground but I probably couldn’t taste the difference, just notice the texture difference. But I realize its a valuable culinary tool and I use it a lot. Once upon a time pepper was a very very valuable commodity. Read all about it at Live Science. Remember, it was claimed that Columbus “discovered” America while in search of a better route to the East and it’s spices.

Bet you have heard of gladiators? Yep, sure you have. Have you heard of gladiatrixes? I bet you haven’t, but they were real and they were women! Slip over to rogueclassicism and read all about it in his partly humorous blog today. Real they were, but I don’t think they wore Prada.

A must read today from Glenn Greenwald. We’ve reported on the pentagon program to drop in “retired” personnel as experts into the mainstream media, all to tout in the end the Pentagon line. Greenwald writes of where that alleged illegality is moving. It seems clear that the media was being controlled by the Pentagon’s stooges, feeding them the Administration line as “expert analysis.” I think this might be a bigger kettle of fish than anyone is letting on, especially the media itself which has so far kept it quiet, hoping no doubt it will go away.

Scandalous Women has declared it “Napoleon Week” and has posts about his sister and mistress coming up. Those who leave a comment on either post will be in the mix to possibly win a copy of the book: Cupid and the King, by Princess Michael of Kent.

Many might suggest that reliable history cannot come from societies focused on oral tradition. No so, at least in one case. Druze villages in Israel are perfectly correct in their allegations that their lineages were diverse and stretched back thousands of years. Genetic testing has confirmed this and apparently the group has remained tight knit and it remains today one of the worlds most diverse mitochondrial populations. They say this has important repercussions for the study of disease, since there is a control for environmental issues, and they can study disease progression solely within different DNA groups. Mighty interesting stuff.

Jello molds? Okay, that is soooo 50’s isn’t it. Some orange jello, some carrots, and you have something I wouldn’t feed to my dogs. Or the other one, your favorite flavor and a can of fruit cocktail. Yech again. Okay, so you want to be a bit retro but also elegant and you are also, just by chance, wondering what you can do with that excess rhubarb? I have the answer. Try Molded Rhubarb Rosemary Cucumber Salad and be so cool that people will stop in the street just to admire your panache!

I missed this if indeed it was reported on. But fully 1/4 of all Republican voters in both N. Carolina and Indiana, voted for someone other than McCain. This simply cannot be good news to the Mac Attack Team. It makes me snicker, since try as he does to be everyone’s favorite uncle, it does not appear to be working. They keep voting for folks who are no longer even running, in an apparent “statement” of their disapproval of Mr. McCain and his flippy floppy ways.

The right wing wacko machine is up and running. Following the disaster in Myanmar, the right wing Business and Media Institute, doctored a interview with Al Gore on NPR to make it seem as if Gore blamed the cyclone on global warming. That was not at all the case, and  the splicing was detected. Of course the Drudge Report and FOX Newsless were running it full bore. Do these people never quit lying? Thanks to Think Progress and again, don’t forget the comments!

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“We rarely think people have good sense unless they agree with us.” Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“To get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three men, two of whom are absent.” Robert Copeland

“I shall never be ashamed of citing a bad author if the line is good.” Seneca

“The men who really believe in themselves are all in lunatic asylums.” G.K. Chesterton

“Science has proof without any certainty. Creationists have certainty without any proof.” Ashley Montague

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Answering Machines:

Hi, we aren’t in at the moment, if you are trying to sell us something please start speaking now and hang up at the beep, everyone else start speaking at the beep and hang up when you’ve finished.”

“Hi, you have reached the Borg collective. Please leave your name and star system and we’ll assimilate you as soon as we can.”

“Hey guess who this is? You guessed it. Guess what you have to do now? you
guessed it. Guess what’s next? You guessed it…”

You are dazed, bewildered, trapped in a world with no time, where color collides with sound, and shadows explode. You see a sign up ahead. This is no ordinary answering device; this is “The Twilight Phone”

Please leave a message. However, you have the right to remain silent. Everything you say will be recorded and will be used by us.

A bubble in the space-time continuum has connected your line to a channeler in the 23rd Century. Any message you leave will be broadcast into the future….

Hello, I’m not here right now. In fact, I’m out getting a new parakeet. If you leave a message after the beep, I’ll be sure to get back to you. Oh, and by the way, a word of advice; never try to clean a parakeet cage with a vacuum cleaner.

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Big Brown is favored to win the Preakness on Saturday. He’s kind of like an NBA star. He’s often found with grass in his possession.

John McCain is on the campaign trail. He likes to tout his two favorite domestic programs. “Matlock” and “Murder She Wrote.” – Alan Ray, Stockton, Calif.

I saw something in the paper today which shows how fat we’re getting in this country. A company has now come out with a bathroom scale that goes to 1,000 pounds. This is probably the worst Mother’s Day gift in history. Jay Leno

U.P.S. just signed a big marketing agreement with the owners of Big Brown, the impressive winner of the Kentucky Derby. Is this really that great an idea before the Preakness and the Belmont? After all, U.P.S. generally doesn’t deliver on Saturdays. – Janice Hough, Palo Alto, Calif.

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 

I’m 58 Today and You’re NOT, are you?

Tags

animals, bread, cake, casserole, chocolate, environment, evolution, garden pests, George Bush, GOP, herbs, Iowa, Italian, pasta, religion, seafood, tips, voting

This lovely painting was done by Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot in 1796 and is entitled “Woman with the Pearl.” It can be found at the Louvre.

Problem is, there is no pearl. I’m including the provenance that attends the painting for your edification:

This is a totally personal transposition of the Mona Lisa. In the past the leaf on the girl’s forehead was taken to be a pearl. Berthe Goldschmidt, the model, is wearing one of the Italian dresses Corot brought back from his travels abroad.

The title, which remains unexplained, seems to echo another portrait of a young woman by Jan Vermeer. There is the same enigma concerning the model, the same gaze, the same uncertainty about the costume. The blue and yellow turban in Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring is described as ‘Turkish’, while Corot has taken his inspiration from Italian or Greek peasant dress. Then there is the pearl: readily recognizable in the Vermeer, it takes the form here of a dark-colored ornament, part of a transparent veil covering the upper part of the young woman’s forehead.

Her forehead partly veiled, the young woman is seated with her forearms crossed and her hands idle. The image that at once springs to mind – except for the landscape in the background – is Leonardo’s Mona Lisa. However the hairstyle, the oval face, the costume and the colors are reminiscent of Raphael. What exactly Corot’s intention was here is far from easy to say. We cannot ignore the fact that until the early 19th century the Mona Lisa attracted very little attention, and that the interest underlying today’s myth only appeared with the Romantic movement of around 1830. Multiple reproduction was on the rise and in response there came in 1859 the famous engraving by Calamatta.

So there you are!

Today is my birthday. I awoke to breakfast in bed and my darling Contrarian has ordered that I may not lift a finger all day. That may sound wonderful, and it is, but given my personality, lol, I have retreated to the computer as I will soon drive him crazy if I don’t. “Ummm, dear, when exactly do you plan on making the bed?” You see the problem? Best I stay out of sight and wait for dinner. Thankfully the Contrarian is quite an excellent cook!

The internet seems a tad quiet today, probably many are scurrying around attempting to get the taxes ready. I’ve never been such a procrastinator as that, but I can appreciate the idea of putting off that which you don’t want to do. Let us see what we can find today. Josie, from that wonderful blog C’est La Vie suggested this blog is a bit like a community newspaper. Perhaps, lol, but a strange little community it is!

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There has been a lot of talk around the blogosphere in recent months and years about Republican efforts to purge existing voter rolls and to encourage the imposition of Jim Crow type requirements to get on those rolls. You can read about it from a excerpt of Steve Rosenfeld’s book “Loser take All.” The method used has been the Justice Department, and there has been pressure on states to pursue “voter fraud” cases against groups that traditionally work for voter registration in typically democratic areas. Just another sordid tale from the Bush Administration. We have come to expect it, sad to say.

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The Presidents Blog has some information about our past president, Millard Fillmore. Touted as the president we know least about, he was also touted as the worst we ever had. Mr. Fillmore will be happy to know that he has lost that appellation at least, so it might be worth your time to learn a bit more about him.

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This recipe sounded just delightful to me and comes from the Baking Delights. It’s called Torta Rustica. It is so filled with wonder vegetables and speaks of summer and warm breezes. Don’t miss this one. She also included a neat little dessert recipe, Toffee Chocolate Chunk Cake, and add some Black Olive Loaf, and you have a complete and gorgeous meal. (I suspect the Contrarian is working on this right now! Tee Hee.)

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If shrimp is more your style, then take a look at this one by Epicurious, Sonoran Shrimp Scampi. A nice entry for a spring dinner. This has pasta and chilies and cilantro, so you get some interesting blends of flavor.

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Cudo’s to Iowa and to Congressman Bruce Braley. He has successfully got a bill passed in the House which requires tax forms to be written in simple plain English. Read all about it at Essential Estrogen. I knew Braley was one of the stars on the horizon!

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A couple of freebies for you today. Hey it’s Free has a cereal coupon from Kashi and a $5 dollar discount from Kohls. Check them out!

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If you are interested in gardening and want to control bugs without the use of pesticides, then give this link a look see. Home and Garden Landscape Design offers some good information and plenty of tips to keep your garden earth friendly.

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I used to attend the zoo a lot. Every weekend in fact, in Detroit. I was a member, so I got in free. I used to go the route backward so I got the park to myself for about half the way, until the crowds arrived at the half way point. I used to love the elephants and one of my favorite days, three of them played together in their pool. Sloshing, and picking up logs and pushing balls around, they frolicked. Going under the water and blowing water everywhere. So it comes as no big surprise to me that ancient elephants loved water too. Read more at Live Science.

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If John McCain has his way, which he will not I insist, it appears nothing would change in the area of lobbying. The Mac has his people busily courting the lobbyists on K Street. He sure needs some help since the big money rollers in the Republican world are not opening their pocketbooks this election cycle. Wonder if the K Street boys will be any more desirous of pouring money down the drain than other rank and file big spenders?

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I mentioned yesterday about the faith forum that Clinton and Obama attended and which McCain begged off claiming a prior commitment. Turns our Mac was home, that was his commitment. So it was pretty much as I said, he simply doesn’t know what to say given that he wants to entice the reactionary right to vote for him though he personally doesn’t believe most of their claptrap. Tough place for the old boy to be stuck in. I guess when you want to be president more than you want to tell the truth, you have dilemmas like that. Read about it at Religion in America.

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During the summer months, herb storage is not an issue, I cut what I need and no more. But with cold, I buy some herbs when fresh is the only way to go, and storing them is a huge problem. More often then not, I end up throwing away a gooey looking mess of rotting leaves and stems and waste some portion of my money. Simply Recipes has a tip for you on how to preserve the freshness of those wonderful herbs like parsley and cilantro.

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I’ve mentioned before that the “regulatory agencies” we were taught to depend on to protect us, only protect the industries they are supposed to be regulating. Got that? We also reported a week or so ago, about the Administration’s determination to get that wall built along a strip of the border with Mexico pronto even when that meant ignoring the environmental consequences. It turns out the EPA is on record about the abysmal air quality along the border due to industrialization. It also turns out that when Homeland Security chieftain, Michael Chertoff announced the “build it now” policy, the EPA remained sadly silent. In fact they were not even consulted. Read the sickening details at Washington Independent today.

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Whew, Dividing my Mind into Segments

Tags

Barack Obama, cake, chicken, cookies, crochet, dinosaurs, Easter, election, Gardening, grains, herbs, Iraq, knitting, sides, spying, vegetables, Women's history

Today, we display a lovely work by George Caleb Bingham. Done in 1845, it is called, “Fur Traders Descending the Missouri.” It is hanging in the MMA.

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I hope you certainly had a lovely peaceful Easter. Today, it appears we have a lot to look at, so let’s begin.

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First off a bit of housekeeping: Today we have a 2 parter, the second part is the next post. This is necessary, because my blog is so weird that I have a lot of tags (so I can find my own stuff again). Blogger for insane reasons, no doubt, doesn’t allow tags whose total is more than 200 letters. I kid you not. So, I’ve been running out of tag allowance about twice a week, and it’s annoying having to pare down my list, and thus make it harder to find stuff. Since I know how to redate things on this platform, I simply do this one and when the red light flashes and I’m past my tag allotment, I peel off the last tag and accompanying blurb and save and open a new post. Smart ain’t I? LOL.. We shall see how it works.

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Sandi’s Crochet Blog has another of her lovely filet crochet banners, this one of rabbits and carrots. It can be framed undoubtedly, but also incorporated into another piece such as a quilt. She of course always gives you the pattern. So don’t miss it. She also has a pattern for a bookmark which is truly lovely. It would make a nice mother’s day gift perhaps, or for a friend who loves to read.

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There are those in the country who find the increasing polarization of groups within this country a sure sign that we are reaching a crisis. Will that crisis result in actual armed conflict? Some suggest it may, though I certainly think we are a ways from that. In any event, it’s most important we understand the underlying reasons for our defining conflict, the revolution. The American Revolution Blog tells us about the infamous Stamp Act and how its passage got the ball rolling in the Colonies.

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I am always struck each spring by the amazing numbers of green one can see in even the most casual of looks about the landscape. It seems I’m not alone in that. An Iowa Garden, explores the idea with appropriate verses from Tolkien, and pictures of wonderful Springtime to boot. On these mostly cloudy gloomy days, it’s exactly what we need. Enjoy.

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I contend that the day should never go by without periodic chocolate breaks. It’s true, it’s essential to good health, mental if no other. Of course you know its actually good for your heart as well, so dive in with gusto! This recipe of course would catch my eye, and will be added to my list. When you reach that point in the early gardening season of “Can I spread zucchini on the lawn as decorative art?” well you know what I mean. The vegetable that will not stop producing has found another means of use! Try Chocolate Zucchini Cake, compliments of a link by Baking Delights.

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We have another entry by Civil War Women, and as usual, its a wonderful eye-opening post. Don’t miss Maggie’s study of Lydia Parrish. Her nursing activities during the war were extensive. She worked in both hospitals and in the camps, attending to the needs of wounded soldiers. She helped organize the Ladies Aid Society in PA and helped as well with organizing volunteer nurses. Read more about her selfless service.

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Most women, faced with the daunting task of putting a decent meal on the table every day, think there can never been too many chicken recipes. And of course, there is no end to inventiveness. So here is a nice fruity addition, called, Carribean-Style Mango Chicken. This undoubtedly would also work well in the summer on the barbecue. Thank Coconut & Lime for this one.

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Copycat Restaurant Recipes has a promise to add a recipe a day and give away a cookbook, so it’s best to go through the list and pick what you may like. I’m joining. Today’s offering is Olive Garden’s “Capellini Pomodoro” which is a very basic and fresh tomato pasta.

~~Wow, serendipity is at it again. Did I just say zucchini? Here’s another recipe you might want to tuck away for you know when! It’s Zucchini Rice Gratin, a recipe from Gourmet. Enjoy and as usual a big thanks from Epicurious.
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Essential Estrogen has another important post. It seems that the U of I Library in Iowa has opened its Iowa Women’s Archives online, well, online. This looks like a wonderful collection and will be of use to teachers, researchers, and students alike. What a lovely way to celebrate the ending of Women’s history month!

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I know its past Easter, but you can never be too early to collect patterns for cute stuff for next year. Link to this and you will have a cute bunny to make next year. Okay, if you are driven, make it now, and save it until next year. It’s a bunny pattern with full instructions for making from Revoluzzza, compliments of feeling stitchy.

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Free Sample Forager has a free poster, and I always like that. Make a frame or decorate a cheap one, and voila, you got wall art! This one comes from the USDA, and is a nature poster. It is free, although it does not appear so, but after you fill out the mailing information, there is no request for a credit card. So, send away.

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Mr. Green Fingers has taken on a daunting task. He is intent on teaching you virtually everything you want to know about starting up a garden. Over the weeks and months he’s going to gather all types of gardens together in one spot for your convenience. It certainly looks like it will be a helpful reference blog to use again and again. If you want one all-purpose site to meet most all your gardening needs, this would be the one I would pick for sure!
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As you may have guessed, since I’ve made it no secret, I support Hillary Clinton. Yet, I have no anger or dislike for Barack Obama, and intend to support him if in fact he becomes the nominee. I thought his “race” speech was excellent, but I fear he convinced those that needed no convincing. In reality, I believe he lost some white males whom he barely had convinced. This made them jump off again, and I doubt they will ever return. If anyone can be convinced however, I would suggest a good place to start is with this excellent post by Jeremy Cameron Young.

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Home and Garden has so many articles of interest that I just gave you the link to the main site. Scroll down and find help on setting up a herb garden, plant care, a Tuscan flair, drought plants, for starters.

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Iowa Grasslands has some nice photos of Grant Woods paintings. He is an Iowan and much featured in any Iowa museum. The photos are accompanied by Russell’s informative prose. Sorry about that Drake’s loss, Russell, what a nail biter and a heartbreaker for sure! The tournament this year is getting pretty crazy, and it appears the brackets were not very well set this season.

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I cannot crochet or knit and watch TV at the same time. I can listen of course, but not watch. Apparently the talented lady from knitting dragonflies can do both. Lucky her. Stop by and see how her sweater is going. The pictures suggest its going well. I want to do socks and don’t have the right needles and figure in all likelihood it’s gonna be much harder than I think.

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I truly love science. Can’t follow it beyond a certain point of course, but I love it, and can always find something that amazes me and dumbfounds me, often at the same time. I knew you were concerned out how the Large Hadron Collider was coming along. When completed in Europe, the contraption is hopefully going to tell us “secrets” about the universe. That certainly sounds exciting to me. While it looks like an eye to me, and well, in a sense it will function as one, scientists are jumping for glee. Scientists always jump for glee, or didn’t you watch those moon shots back in the 60’s?

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On the other hand, if dinosaurs are more your cup of tea, read about the oldest plesiosaur found in North America. Okay, first of all they aren’t really dinosaurs, but reptiles. They were monster reptiles and looked really mean if you look at those jaws. So quibble if you must about the correct term. This one was found in Alberta. Why do they get to have all the fun?

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Dave Berry is one of the funniest people around. I was thinking last night that I am pretty good at this, a few slick words, a giggle or two, and I’m off to a new topic. I can do this kind of writing standing on my head, and do it day in and day out. I’m sort of amusing, sort of witty, and I can write a decent sentence if I have to. Dave Berry produces one of these a month or so, but I couldn’t do what he does if I had twelve months. He suggests we deal with the Florida/Michigan primary problems by “Let’s hold the Nation’s first texting primary.” Read it and well, weep through the laughter.

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I found that several weeks after discontinuing my strictly political blog, that there was at least one source I missed a lot. And I just had to return to it, since, well it just tickles the dickin’s out of me. Never has the world accumulated such a collection of brain defectives in one place. No wait, the present White House has dibs on that world record. But it’s pretty impressive still. The Republicans, AKA, Bushie boy, wants the FISA bill passed, and the mean old Democrats are keeping it off the floor. And of course, all manner of bad guys are busy doing “bad things” (we should assume it of course without any objective evidence) and that makes the Democrats responsible for that as well. The post is so full of nonsense as to be not believed, which you shouldn’t. The FISA bill is off the floor because the House will not cave in and give Bushie his amnesty for the telecoms period. The National Review strikes again!!!!
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Niki has completed a quilt and offers it up for a silent auction. Bid on this really pleasant looking quilt at her site. She is always finding great links to great spots to check out. Niki’s Ventures always have something to offer us. Thanks!

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Stanley Fish has a most interesting post on the issue of “Denouncing and Renouncing” the media led circus we find ourselves in with candidates these days. Do the candidates have a responsibility to vet all their potential supporters ahead of time and ask those who pose a problem to go away? Or keep quiet? Dr. Fish suggests it is not the candidate job at all. I tend to think he’s right, though I have pointed out again and again McCain’s failure to speak directly about the Hagee endorsement. I do admit that some of these issues are dissimilar, but I’m not sure yet what guidelines I’d attach to determine what is fair game. I’ll let you know if I do. One would probably be, did the candidate know of the endorser’s proclivities and did he actively seek the endorsement. Under this McCain is fair game.

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We of course knew this story was coming for a week or so. Still its most sad to report and contemplate, that the 4,000th US service person has died in the war. It is in some ways almost eerie or foggy that during the Vietnam debacle, deaths of course reached hugely larger numbers and over a shorter period. I think that given the “we won we won” declared mere weeks after its inception, made it all the more horrible when the “we won” turned into “we are stuck” and they are killing us like ducks at a carnival game. In the meantime, what was touted as success in Iraq is now turning back into not so successful. As we are dragged screaming into a 6th year of this awful war of choice, Anbar province is beginning to simmer again. You see it’s not just cessation of killing that makes success. It was always supposed to be followed by political improvements in the Iraqi government. And those improvements have simply not occurred.

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